I don't feel like I've been eating that badly.. But somehow gained a load of weight!

Danger781

I'm not sure whether I'm looking for advice or just need a rant but I'm pretty sad after checking the scales just now. Last time I weighed myself I was 214 so figured I'd make some very minor changes to try and lose a few lbs. This was on the 18th. Just jumped on the scale to find myself at 220.. Disgusted!

I eat a healthy breakfast.. Two eggs with two slices of brown bread, with a bowl of fruit topped a small bit of yoghurt.. Lunch can be anything from meat and veg, to chicken curry, to pasta carbonara.. Depending what's on the menu..

I haven't been eating specifically terrible lately for so much of a jump. I'm not exactly a role model for healthy eating but I'm not knocking back a can of coke and bar of chocolate for lunch every day either. I've started playing soccer twice a week as well for 60 - 90 minutes.

I've more or less gained a stone of weight in a relatively short period of time.

Mr.Fun

Calories in> calories out. What are your portion sizes like?

Mellor

You've gained 6 lbs, not a stone.
Your food choices might not be terrible, but you are eating too much. Looking at this 6lbs is not seeing the bigger picture. Even at 214lbs, its likely you had the same weigh issues.
You've just hit 100kg. Let that be your line in the sand and make the changes need to do something about it

ch750536

Danger781 wrote: »

I eat a healthy breakfast.. Two eggs with two slices of brown bread, with a bowl of fruit topped a small bit of yoghurt

That's a huge breakfast. Brown bread = slow energy (keeps you awake), fruit = fast energy (helps you do stuff now).

I'd halve the breakfast, fruit is high in calories but also good.

Danger781

ch750536 wrote: »

That's a huge breakfast. Brown bread = slow energy (keeps you awake), fruit = fast energy (helps you do stuff now).

I'd halve the breakfast, fruit is high in calories but also good.

I was aiming to get a good combination of protein and carbs.

I guess I can always drop the eggs and bread, and just get some fruit.
Breakfast is normally 9 / 9.30 and I usually just survive on coffee until then.

Danger781

Mellor wrote: »

You've gained 6 lbs, not a stone.

Meant more so in total. I was always 190 - 210 range over the last few years.

yankinlk

count the calories. that breakfast is pretty high.

100 for each item ...
100 each slice of bread, 100 each egg. fruit and yogurt another 100 each.
assuming lunch is probably double calories (just a guess) you are around 1800 calories without snacks and before u go home to eat.

for lunch try no white sauces, no bread. 75% of plate is veg, and i dont mean potatoes or rice. meat is ok for mains if u eat all the veg. aim for 500 calories max


lots of room to cut down, once u stick to a routine u will be surprised how many less calories you can eat and still feel good. never feel full again.

Typer Monkey

I'd agree that your breakfast is too big and you should have either the eggs or the fruit and yoghurt. There's lots of sugar in fruit so a bowl of berries is preferable too.

I think your bigger problem is your lunch. Are you eating at the canteen at work? It's impossible to know what's in those lunches calorie wise and I bet your rice and pasta portions are too large. Ideally you should bring your own lunch to work (I bring a chicken salad, salmon and salad, omlette, dinner leftovers) Pasta carbonara is never a good idea, except maybe as an occasional treat.

Are you having another dinner in the evening? If I had to guess I'd say your portion size is too big and you're just eating too much in general. The Myfitnesspal app is great for tracking what you eat. You should work out what your daily calorie needs are, eat 500 cals less than that and you will loose weight. You need to be in control of all your meals though (ie cooking/preparing them all)

yankinlk

i lost 3 stone eating in the canteen following my rules above. losing weight can be easy, but keeping it off means a lifestyle change.

talk to the chef in the canteen, they will help!

Danger781

Yeah I eat in the canteen at work for lunch and breakfast, so tracking weight of food is too difficult. The food is very cheap so it's hard to convince myself to go home in the evening and cook something for tomorrows lunch. The food is actually really good and I have loads of choice every day!

Breakfast has been the same for about a month, so if the calories are as high as they're being out to be then that's not good. Off the top of my head the choices we've available are..

• Fruit (Mixed, mandarin, peaches)
• Porridge
• Cereals
• Eggs, Sausages, Bacon, etc
• Bread, bagels, etc.

The usual choice for me is a bowl of peaches and mandarin, with a small serving of natural yoghurt, and a sprinkle of granola. Costs me €1.50 - €1.75 depending on weight. In case it wasn't obvious enough, they do come from a can (or at least I assume they do) since they're sitting in that juice you normally find in fruit cocktail.

Lunch we plenty of choice too

• Stir fry, in a wrap with wedges / noodles
• Vegatarian option
• Meat and veg
• Rice / Pasta dish
• Salad counter (Usually has hot food such as a stir fry)
• Rolls / Wraps / Sandwiches
• Soup

Think I might start going for wrap and soup instead of getting a meal type choice. Can be either the hot food from the salad counter (usually stir fry, or golden chicken bites, or a seasoned breast of chicken) Or is that just as bad? Or it can be a normal cold wrap / sandwich

Mellor

Looking at a single meal in isolation is pointless.
600 cals could be perfectly fine if somebody was just eating 3 meals per day. Ditto for 500 max dinner

You have to look at everything as a whole.

Typer Monkey

I'd stay a million miles away from the fruit in sugar syrup for breakfast. It's more akin to a desert tbh. In addition you're adding granola which is packed with sugar usually and very calorific. Have a look at the nutritional info on a pack of granola next time you're in the supermarket.

I'd really recommend using a food tracker for a week and put in what you eat honestly and you'll see very quickly where you're going wrong. I think though without being willing to give up the canteen food you are going to struggle to loose weight. You don't know what's gone into anything or how much of it you are consuming. Eating well nutritionally is a commitment you make to yourself and requires effort I'm afraid.

Of the breakfast options you have listed eggs would be the best bet but not fried (obviously) and I'd say canteen scrambled eggs are probably powdered so could you have two boiled eggs and a slice of toast? You could go for the porridge but again what is the portion size?

Of the lunch options listed you could have the stirfry without the wrap or wedges but, once again, what is the stir fry cooked in? What's the portion size? Is there meat with it? How is that cooked? Is it breaded or deep fried? (Both no-no's). You could have the meat and veg but without a sauce preferably.

I don't know tbh, I think eating twice a day in a canteen is going to make it very difficult to loose any weight. It's up to you really wether you want to take control of your nutrition and put the effort in to loose weight

A wrap and soup probably has as much calories as a meal if not a lot more. If you have a meat and veg option go for that, preferably if the meat is not breaded or deep fried, and preferably where you don't mean a load of potatoes as the "veg"
If they do a stir fry, get it without the wrap or noodles, or just a tiny serving of the noodles. I know from our own canteen they do about 2-3 massive giant ladles of rice/noodles/etc with a dinner serving so I've to ask them to just give a half ladle or less.

Your breakfast is massive. I'd have 2-3 eggs for breakfast instead

The usual choice for me is a bowl of peaches and mandarin, with a small serving of natural yoghurt, and a sprinkle of granola.

I'd call that a dessert... ;s

It's difficult with canteen food to track anything. At least with eggs and toast you'd know what to log on something like myfitnesspal. I'd keep the canteen food to smallest portions of stuff you could take a reasonable guess at and cook for yourself at home. Anything involving mystery cream sauces or pasta carb should probably be avoided... tasty but god knows how much cream and cals are in it! you'd be surprised

yankinlk

Danger781 wrote: »

Yeah I eat in the canteen at work for lunch and breakfast, so tracking weight of food is too difficult. The food is very cheap so it's hard to convince myself to go home in the evening and cook something for tomorrows lunch. The food is actually really good and I have loads of choice every day!

Breakfast has been the same for about a month, so if the calories are as high as they're being out to be then that's not good. Off the top of my head the choices we've available are..

• Fruit (Mixed, mandarin, peaches)
• Porridge
• Cereals
• Eggs, Sausages, Bacon, etc
• Bread, bagels, etc.

The usual choice for me is a bowl of peaches and mandarin, with a small serving of natural yoghurt, and a sprinkle of granola. Costs me €1.50 - €1.75 depending on weight. In case it wasn't obvious enough, they do come from a can (or at least I assume they do) since they're sitting in that juice you normally find in fruit cocktail.

Lunch we plenty of choice too

• Stir fry, in a wrap with wedges / noodles
• Vegatarian option
• Meat and veg
• Rice / Pasta dish
• Salad counter (Usually has hot food such as a stir fry)
• Rolls / Wraps / Sandwiches
• Soup

Think I might start going for wrap and soup instead of getting a meal type choice. Can be either the hot food from the salad counter (usually stir fry, or golden chicken bites, or a seasoned breast of chicken) Or is that just as bad? Or it can be a normal cold wrap / sandwich

start by working out what each of those items cost in calories.
the great thing about canteen eating is the routine.
find some choices you can live with, that add up ok, and stick to it.

Danger781

Okay so no more syrupy fruit. So much for eating a 'healthy option'

You know those soup ladles? That's a serving of porridge.
You know those fairly small bowls you often see at hotels and the like? Pretty much a full one of those. Costs 50c for the porridge and it's manky on it's own. Obviously made with just water.

I do have the option of fresh fruit - Apples and Bananas. There's usually small tubs in the fridge with fruit in them as well. Grapes, Pineapple chunks, Strawberries, and what not.

How about a portion of porridge with some fresh fruit.

As for eggs, they have boiled eggs every day. They're the ones I go for but will sometimes treat myself to fried eggs on a Friday instead. Not an every day thing!

NeVeR

Do you do much snacking ? - That was my biggest thing.. biscuit here and there with tea.. I stopped drinking tea to help me cut out the snacks and it worked.

As the lads say track your food. I'm sure you've heard of myfitnesspal. great app that even has a bar code reader.

Do you sit down a lot during work ? .. If so maybe get up and about a bit more.

For 1 week try this.

No tea / coffee - Only water and maybe a green tea in the morning. ( Green tea very good for you ) _ i find having a bottle beside me all the time helps.
No bread ( none -- not even a small piece )
Porridge for breakfast or 2 egg omelet
Lunch - Steak / Chicken / Fish / Veg /Brown rice -- No potato products
Same for dinner
If you want something before bed try rice cakes and peanut butter.

I used shakes / smoothies a lot - using real Greek yogurt (Fage) and fresh berries ( blueberries and blackberries ) - Small bit of honey / Cinnamon
I also made protein pancakes a lot - use Coconut oil in the pan. ( My pancakes where -- 2 eggs / 1 banana / 1 scoop protein powder / little cinnamon. Lovely !!

While this is limited you can find other foods I just didn't have time to write them all up.

You said you get out playing football - Maybe try do 2 extra workouts on top of your football.

You'll lose the weight in no time.

Danger781

NeVeR wrote: »

Do you do much snacking ? - That was my biggest thing.. biscuit here and there with tea..

Some days are worse than others. I'm not a big biscuit eater but I am keen on a bit of chocolate now and again. My sweet tooth isn't much of a problem as it used to be. Just thinking about it I think mints are the worst of my snacking. Could go through half a packet a day of Mentos / Polo mints. Need to swap to chewing gum..

NeVeR wrote: »

Do you sit down a lot during work ? .. If so maybe get up and about a bit more.

Work in an office so yeah. Not much movement gets done apart from walking to the bathroom, to get water, to get coffee, etc.

NeVeR wrote: »

For 1 week try this.

No tea / coffee - Only water and maybe a green tea in the morning. ( Green tea very good for you ) _ i find having a bottle beside me all the time helps.

No bread ( none -- not even a small piece )
Porridge for breakfast or 2 egg omelet
Lunch - Steak / Chicken / Fish / Veg /Brown rice -- No potato products
Same for dinner
If you want something before bed try rice cakes and peanut butter.

I drink black coffee which has very little calories in it. Surely shouldn't be an issue. I also find it reduces hunger so feel giving it up would be a negative.

Honestly don't eat a whole lot of bread apart from the morning, which I'm now stopping.

Rice cakes? Surely they're just more or less empty calories?

I don't see the harm in tea or coffee if you're not eating biscuits
I drink loads of coffee!

Rice cakes? Surely they're just more or less empty calories?

Yeah... and higher than you'd think
sugar free jelly is a nice option if you want something sweet
or greek yogurt and raisins

Danger781

Just to put things in perspective - I've gained roughly 40lbs in a year. This has just only occurred to me but I recalled last summer fitting into a 34" waist and a medium t-shirt. Weighing in at 180 - 185. Now I'm wearing a 36", but still need a belt.. just about. Depressing thought that is.

I lost a load of weight following a keto lifestyle - High fat, low carb, med protein. I was cooking every meal. Drinking little to no alcohol. Sweet tooth had all but disappeared. Felt great. Then I decided to revert back to a normal lifestyle before going on holidays so I could enjoy myself for the week and have some beer. Healthy eating didn't last long after coming back.

Chattastrophe!

There have been great suggestions about improving your breakfast and lunch, but I'd be interested in what else you eat.

Do you only eat breakfast and lunch every weekday? Don't you eat anything when you get home in the evenings? Any snacks? Do you drink anything at all on weekdays apart from black coffee?

And what's your eating routine like at the weekends?

For breakfast, how about the porridge with the natural yogurt, and bring in your own berries to have with it (if they don't have any in the canteen), and avoid the more sugary fruit. Boiled eggs are great too, again maybe bring in your own healthier alternatives to have with the boiled eggs. Boiled eggs with a few pieces of ham or chicken and maybe a small bit of cheese would be healthy and very filling - either bring these in from home, or else I'm sure if you asked the chefs they'd be very happy to provide these for you (even if they're not usually on display for breakfast), they'll have them in the kitchen anyways.

I've a feeling portion size is probably a big issue with the lunch - I know what those work canteens are like! If I were you I'd be aiming for 3/4 veg (not potatos!) on your plate, and 1/4 meat. Avoid breaded meat. Don't feel the need to clean your plate every time. By the way, pasta carbonara is NOT something I'd ever eat if I were trying to lose weight. As for chicken curry, there are healthier recipes for this that you could try at home, however I doubt the canteen version is particularly healthy - I would avoid it!

As I said though, you also need to consider your snacks, evening meals, weekend meals and drinks.

yankinlk

Danger781 wrote: »

Okay so no more syrupy fruit. So much for eating a 'healthy option'

You know those soup ladles? That's a serving of porridge.
You know those fairly small bowls you often see at hotels and the like? Pretty much a full one of those. Costs 50c for the porridge and it's manky on it's own. Obviously made with just water.

I do have the option of fresh fruit - Apples and Bananas. There's usually small tubs in the fridge with fruit in them as well. Grapes, Pineapple chunks, Strawberries, and what not.

How about a portion of porridge with some fresh fruit.

As for eggs, they have boiled eggs every day. They're the ones I go for but will sometimes treat myself to fried eggs on a Friday instead. Not an every day thing!

4 of us started the "canteen diet" at same time. One lad thought diet meant suffering. He swithced to yogurt and syrupy fruit type stuff, altho he hated it.

What drive him mad was the 3 lads that lost 3 stone at the saem time all ate... Bacon (one slice 100 calories), small ladle of beans (100), egg (100), two cooked tomatoes... smothered in Franks hot suace. The weight poured off of us... but we enjoyed breakfast!

I dont do that brekkie anymore, but I still count the calories. You can eat ANYTHING if you count it.

After a while, anything gets boring, you need to be able to switch it up for your sanity and still lose the weight, so following the fitnesspal app until you can count calories without it is pretty good advice.

2 pieces of brown bread plus one bannana = 300 calories
bacon, beans, 2 brown bread = 400 calories
boiled egg, two black pudding = 300 (add beans = 400)
typical Breakfast Roll as comparison: egg (100), bacon (100), pudding (100ea), beans(100), roll (100 each side) = 600 calories, but I have seen it served with double portions! 1200 calories.

A 400 calorie breakfast is no harm. I drink tea or coffee all day long, but i dont use sugar and i dont add biscuits.

LeinsterDub

Op I'm not sure you are listening to the advice here.

To be honest you need to dispense with your ideas of good and bad food and healthy and unhealthy food. When you're considering losing that last % of body fat when yeah macros etc play there part but for you their is 2 options the calorific option and the more calorific option. You want the first option. If you want to eat a bag of chips of you go but you'll need to consume the even less calorific options for a while after to balance it.

Danger781

Thanks for all the advice lads, even though I realize most of it is just common sense - I know it in my mind but practicing it is a different story. Working on that from today.

So this morning I had a small bowl of porridge with some mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries), a cup of milk, and a cup of coffee. Still feel full with a fraction of the calories.

Cutting out sugary tea won't be a problem either - Not that I ever drank much tea anyway. Prefer coffee! (Black)

Soo lunch today I'm looking at meat and two veg (No potatoes!) - I'll have to see what they have since it varies day-to-day.. I just will not have that purple cabbage crap they have sometimes.

Someone asked about dinner in the evenings. That can genuinely very any day of the week. If I'm having dinner with the parents it's meat and veg with a small portion of potatoes. Last night I cooked and made some salmon with a side of pasta with grated cheese. If the girlfriend and I are eating together.. We're partial to some Chinese Chow mein being the usual suspect which in terms of Chinese dishes probably isn't the worst choice on the menu! To be fair it's usually only once or twice a month.

Obvious solution here is to cook meat and healthy veg. Working on it.

LeinsterDub

Danger781 wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice lads, even though I realize most of it is just common sense .

That's the thing it's not common sense. People have become so far removed from food production, so baffled, confused and hoodwinked by marketing spin and have had their heads turned and turned again by contradictory medical research. That they eat 3 'healthy' oranges for breakfast instead of the 1 slice of grilled bacon they used to and wonder why they are gaining weight .

Now the oranges are healthy but they are also more calorific.

Use my fitness pal!

Danger781

LeinsterDub wrote: »

Use my fitness pal!

I've used it in the past - While I found it useful for forming good habits - How much is too much, what is highly calorific.. I get tired of logging food every day and end up giving up and just eating whatever. I'll give it a try without it at first. If I feel like I'm not losing anything / gaining more then I'll get back to it.

You log every day to get the gist of your intake and what's actually in the foods you eat regularly and to see how a lot of little things can add up. Once you get into a routine and you know what's in the foods you're eating you can keep a general idea of it in your head without having to log every single day. If you skip a day, log the next. It doesn't have to be all or nothing

LeinsterDub

Danger781 wrote:

I'll give it a try without it at first.

To blunt you tried doing what you considered healthy already and failed while managing to increase your calorie intake.


You came here for help and MFP is what several users have suggested . I don't see how you'll do it without MFP

Tigger99

Chow mein could have anything from 500 calories upwards, probably way up if its from a takeaway. You some to be doing an awful lot of guesswork that doesn't seem to be based on any real facts.

Danger781

Here lads don't take me the wrong way here - I'm reading everyones advice and taking it on board and I do apologise if it seems like I'm doing the opposite. I realize I very likely will need to start using MFP but I would really prefer to go it alone at first. I found tracking food to be utterly tedious and it removes all the joy from cooking. If the scales aren't headed in a downward direction after making better choices, then I know it's down to portion size and I'll need to start tracking again. If that happens then so be it.

Tigger99 wrote: »

Chow mein could have anything from 500 calories upwards, probably way up if its from a takeaway. You some to be doing an awful lot of guesswork that doesn't seem to be based on any real facts.

Oh don't get me wrong. Chinese is terrible calorie wise. I'd be pretty damn happy if it was as low as 500 calories. I was assuming double at least!

Like I said Chinese is a rare occasion. Once or twice a month tops.

Probably should just stop it completely, but we'll see how things progress.

BlueIsland

"I found tracking food to be utterly tedious and it removes all the joy from cooking".
When do you cook? Canteen, parents, takeaways. Serious question.

Precious flower

I really think you could try making an attempt at making your own breakfast in the morning and maybe preparing your lunch the night before to bring in? You save a small bit and more importantly you'd be able to track much more accurately how much you were eating and what is going in to your body.

You mentioned yourself that you have dinner anyway when you go home so it wouldn't take that long to prepare a small lunch the night before, and breakfast would only take a matter of minutes. Also, if you are like a takeaway as a treat why not try to make it yourself occasionally, it will still taste just as nice but with fewer calories!:) That BBC food show The Hairy Bikers has some good healthy takeaway style recipes. Also if you are a bit of a snacker you'll have to rein that in too, you'd be surprised how much a few biscuits/chocolate can really add up. If you are serious about losing the weight, you have to be prepared to make serious changes.

yankinlk

Precious flower wrote: »

I really think you could try making an attempt at making your own breakfast in the morning and maybe preparing your lunch the night before to bring in? You save a small bit and more importantly you'd be able to track much more accurately how much you were eating and what is going in to your body.

It just isnt realistic to say you HAVE to prepare your own food in order to eat healthy and lose weight. I find that is the biggest stumbling block when offering someone advice. Once they think they don't have time to prepare food, they can then easily say i might as well eat whatever, and start again tomorrow.

Every time you make a food choice, you have a chance to make a good decision, whether its at home, in the shop, at a restaurant, etc.

Precious flower wrote: »

If you are serious about losing the weight, you have to be prepared to make serious changes.

Agreed.

Precious flower

yankinlk wrote: »

It just isnt realistic to say you HAVE to prepare your own food in order to eat healthy and lose weight. I find that is the biggest stumbling block when offering someone advice. Once they think they don't have time to prepare food, they can then easily say i might as well eat whatever, and start again tomorrow.

Every time you make a food choice, you have a chance to make a good decision, whether its at home, in the shop, at a restaurant, etc.



Agreed.

Well yes in a restaurant or at a shop you can choose healthier options but I was talking about making his own breakfast/lunch instead of eating out of the canteen at work so that he'd save a bit and he'd know everything that's going into the food and be able to control what he is eating better, not to mention he can track it much better on My Fitness Pal. I just think that it would take 5/10 mins to make a good healthy breakfast and 15 mins the night before to make a filling healthy lunch.

In the canteen he can't control what extras that may be going into the food that he isn't aware of especially with regard with sauces not to mention portion sizes. I just think if he really wants to drop the weight then making his own breakfast and lunch is setting up good habits for the future. Where you have the option of controlling what you eat, you should. I wonder OP, what's your exercise regime like too? Diet is very important but some exercise will help you lose weight and give you more energy, even if it's only 10-15 mins a day, it's a start.

Danger781

Precious flower wrote: »

I wonder OP, what's your exercise regime like too? Diet is very important but some exercise will help you lose weight and give you more energy, even if it's only 10-15 mins a day, it's a start.

Varies week-to-week. I play soccer for 60 - 90 minutes twice a week, once with work once with the lads. I'm playing three times this week. Other than that, the odd time I'll walk with the girlfriend when she walks her dog.

Bought a car recently so I've been driving everywhere! :pac:

Danger781

BlueIsland wrote: »

"I found tracking food to be utterly tedious and it removes all the joy from cooking".
When do you cook? Canteen, parents, takeaways. Serious question.

Before I got this job I used to cook all my meals. I hated people cooking for me. Like I said a few posts back I was following a keto lifestyle for a few months, and since none of my family were doing it I was cooking all of my own meals to ensure they met my requirements. I loved it. I loved the cooking, I loved the food, I loved trying new ideas for meals. I rarely tracked anything - Just the odd day now and again to ensure I had an idea of the correct macros.

Then I tried going back to a 'normal' diet, tracking what i ate, trying to eat the right foods, and felt restricted and started to enjoy cooking less and less. Slowly the motivation to eat right, changed to trying not to eat too much crap, to lets just eat whatever i feel like. Nowadays I probably cook maybe twice a week and it tends to be whatever is fast. Find cooking to be boring now.

Precious flower

Danger781 wrote: »

Varies week-to-week. I play soccer for 60 - 90 minutes twice a week, once with work once with the lads. I'm playing three times this week. Other than that, the odd time I'll walk with the girlfriend when she walks her dog.

Bought a car recently so I've been driving everywhere! :pac:

That doesn't look bad!:) Activities that you enjoy or do with friends are activities that you are more likely to stick too and you won't notice the time passing. Personally, I hate the thought of the gym and would much rather go outside to workout, join a club or workout at home, but maybe getting weights or doing some weight training in the gym ever so often might be an idea or getting weights for home or borrowing from friends if they have any that they may not be using! Also, maybe you could look up HIIT workouts on line as well that would only take a small amount of time but would at least get your heart rate up and get you moving!:)

Danger781 wrote: »

Before I got this job I used to cook all my meals. I hated people cooking for me. Like I said a few posts back I was following a keto lifestyle for a few months, and since none of my family were doing it I was cooking all of my own meals to ensure they met my requirements. I loved it. I loved the cooking, I loved the food, I loved trying new ideas for meals. I rarely tracked anything - Just the odd day now and again to ensure I had an idea of the correct macros.

Then I tried going back to a 'normal' diet, tracking what i ate, trying to eat the right foods, and felt restricted and started to enjoy cooking less and less. Slowly the motivation to eat right, changed to trying not to eat too much crap, to lets just eat whatever i feel like. Nowadays I probably cook maybe twice a week and it tends to be whatever is fast. Find cooking to be boring now.

And did you lose weight when you followed this? If that worked for you, maybe it is time to reconsider it but you have too be serious about your portion sizes and really watch that. You can overeat even when you are eating healthily.

One trick is to get smaller plates/bowls to trick your brain into thinking you are eating more than you actually are and makes you put less on the plate. The more empty space there is on the plate the more likely you are to try and fill it up. Trying new ideas for meals is great and will keep you interested and more likely to stick to your diet.:)

lighterman

To be honest I think you need to ask yourself what's handiest?

The cheaper version and keeping the weight or the still cheap version and losing the weight.

Would you not ignore the canteen and cook your own meals

Grill some bacon/egg maybe some mushrooms the night before. Takes no more than 10/12 mins.bring it with you the next morning and use the microwave or have an early breakfast and have it before you leave the house.

Forget the wraps. The only wrap I use is iceberg lettuce wrapped around some ham/turkey ,peppers etc.

boil up some veggies, throw in to food processor and do some soup. there's 3 days supply if you want it.

Cook loads of it and freeze it. Shepherds pie, chicken/beef curry. all easy

Its easy enough to lose weight but you have to want to and you have to be prepared to be a small bit of work and pre-planning

Mellor

Precious flower wrote: »

In the canteen he can't control what extras that may be going into the food that he isn't aware of especially with regard with sauces not to mention portion sizes.

That's not really true.
Just because a canteen might serve larger than required portions, you don't have to eat it all.

BumperD

Danger781 wrote: »

I'm not sure whether I'm looking for advice or just need a rant but I'm pretty sad after checking the scales just now. Last time I weighed myself I was 214 so figured I'd make some very minor changes to try and lose a few lbs. This was on the 18th. Just jumped on the scale to find myself at 220.. Disgusted!

I eat a healthy breakfast.. Two eggs with two slices of brown bread, with a bowl of fruit topped a small bit of yoghurt.. Lunch can be anything from meat and veg, to chicken curry, to pasta carbonara.. Depending what's on the menu..

I haven't been eating specifically terrible lately for so much of a jump. I'm not exactly a role model for healthy eating but I'm not knocking back a can of coke and bar of chocolate for lunch every day either. I've started playing soccer twice a week as well for 60 - 90 minutes.

I've more or less gained a stone of weight in a relatively short period of time.

That is not a healthy breakfast. Processed foods. Bread/pasta etc are all bad carbs and are essentially fattening. Cut down those to zero. Google paleo food/eating and have a read. Do that for a few months with a bit of exercise( your soccer should suffice) the weight will fly off you. Once your down to the weight you want just modify it to 5 days a week and take the weekends off within reason and eat normally but don't go downing loaves of bread on the days off! You could be playing all the footy you want and farting around in the gym but if your eating wrong, you'll continue to have weight issues.

Each meal should have 3 components. Fat, protein and carbs. There are many bad fats. Get your carbs from vegetables.

So for breakfast, You might have scrambled eggs (protein) cooked with sea salt and coconut oil (fat) and mushrooms/spinach (carbs).

For snacks, might have an apple or boiled egg with some slices if cucumber. Salad and white meats for lunch/ dinner (meats = chicken, fish etc). Anyway, google paleo eating and you'll get loads of receipies. Preparing your food is a bit of a pain but if you can get what you need from the canteen it should help. You'll probably have a bit of withdrawal symptoms for a few days but more energy and you'll feel great. you certainly wont feel sad again about your weight Good luck.

CaptainAhab

Another suggestion:

Breakfast - full fat greek yoghurt with blueberries, raspberries and macadamia nuts (takes 45 seconds to prepare and all available in Lidl bar nuts which are in Tesco

Lunch - Salad with leaves, olive oil, parsley, balsamic vinegar, and either A: (hard boiled eggs mashed with mayo and some cheese), B: Beef steak/tuna steak and mashed avocado or C: Remains of a roast chicken with mayo and sundried tomatoes - a lunch such as this takes me 20 mins in the morning to prep although you can also make it the previous evening.

Hope that helps