Lose some weight - unusual situation

dellas1979

Hi guys!

I find myself in a very strange situation for the last 1.5 years, where I am unable to cook in the kitchen (am not going to go into it here, but just take it I dont have a kitchen to cook in). Most I can get at is a microwave, and be quick.

The result is that I've put on over a stone in weight, which doesnt help an (ongoing) back injury. Am getting the back injury seen to, and the consultant says I can now start exercising again.

I can walk for 2/3kms (at least, to start with) and use eliptical etc, which I actually like using. Am lucky am tall and have a good frame-but parts are starting to bulge out now and time to do something.

Anyhoo, its the old "cant out train a bad diet". Am going to be kitchenless for at least another 6-8 months. I do have access to a microwave.

The habit I've gotton into at work is to eat scrambled eggs in the morning, a sandwich or salad plate for lunch, and a sandwich in the evening, and then later be hungry and so eat crisps and chocolate. I was never a snacker (heaviest Ive been). But hunger must.

At the weekend, all hats are off - I have to fend for breakfast (usually a croissant), lunch - maybe a subway sandwich or packet of chips, dinner a sandwich.

I find a higher protein diet suits me. I dont add sugar to things. I carry most of my weight around my waist and to the front.

Carbs/bread/pasta are literally killing me.

After all that (just trying to give specifics), would a dietician or nutritionist be able help me out with some sort of meal plans that would help me in this weird situation I am in?

I suppose, re reading that, I dont have a really bad diet. Its the snacking (through hunger) at night time and the weekend thats the hardest.

I need to be organised and more clever. Can a nutritionist or dietician help me?

jaykhunter

I'm sure they could! Just as a side note, can you get a hotplate? Just as an example, Argos have a twin one for €37 that'd mean with a frying pan and a pot, you're back in business

jaykhunter

Whichever weight loss route you take, the end result is, if you burn off more calories than you eat/drink, you will lose weight.

I'm on Slimming World (over 100lbs in a year, woo!) and it's overriding concept is low fat, with a huge uptick in whole foods - fruit and vegetables (at least 1/3 of every meal) and try limit bread/cereal to 40g every day. Meat has tremendous filling power so lean on that (with 1/3 or less of plain carbs/rice/potatoes on your plate). In general, the more processed the food (i.e. the more things you don't know are in it) the worse -- so choose plain, dried pasta over that filled pocket pasta. If a treat does not state the calories on the front (as a marketing point eg "Only 85 calories!") then they're probably ashamed, don't have it (go for one that does, if possible).

Don't get me wrong, i LOVE carbs (that's the problem!) but you are going insane overload on them, sandwiches at every meal -- but you know this already. Half the battle is just knowing how many calories are in food (or knowing the ballpark). Just for your FYI:

croissant (medium) - 231 cals
subway sandwich - footlong italian BMT - 1,200+
takeaway chips - almost 1,000

Pop in your stats into this https://tdeecalculator.net/ and see what it spits out. This is a good approximation of what your body burns in a day, so you'll need to take in less than that to lose weight. So that Subway is likely more than half of what you should eat all day! You're tall so it'll make dropping lbs way easier. Best of luck!

dellas1979

jaykhunter wrote: »

can you get a hotplate?

Thanks for this. Unfort, no. I cant use a hotplate.

I have living arrangement at the moment which works in many ways but in one way, it is impossible to cook/be in the kitchen. The living arrangement will come to an end in next few months, which helps me not go insane.

I suppose am looking for tips on nutrition how to vary meal times, with out the ability to cook.

This and a combination of poor food choices are bloating me up.

I love chicken, for example. But I dont like the really processed stuff. I love chicken breast, but its nearly impossible to find ones that are cooked/decent quality.

dellas1979

jaykhunter wrote: »

So that Subway is likely more than half of what you should eat all day! You're tall so it'll make dropping lbs way easier. Best of luck!

Thanks Jay. Imagine how hard your journey would be tho if you'd lost access to a kitchen?

This is where am mainly stuck.

I generally eat as least sugar as possible diet-wise.

I guess, I get hungry towards night time, because I cant have a better prepped meal for dinner, and then snack.

If I have a smaller meal at dinner, I need to have some sort of snack later, or am hungry/wont sleep.

I think even changing this would be a big thing, but I have no idea what would be best (given the situation) what would fill me before I go to sleep.

Dalomanakora

Hmm. Very tricky situation.


If you have absolutely no access to anything other than a microwave and can't buy anything like a hotplate, what about utilizing the microwave more?


You can get microwave egg poachers and omelette makers cheap in homeware stores. Throw some eggs, onion, spinach, chicken, whatever into those in the morning, breakfast done.


Lunch, salad in work or go buy a big salad in Tesco on the weekends, but check the dressings etc. Tesco do big bowls of just plain ole salad, tomatoes, leaves, etc. Chop some onion in, buy some chicken to throw in for protein (obviously precooked isn't the most nutritionally great but it's better than crisps).


Dinner, hmm. Most microwave meals have lots of salt and sugar and stuff added in. You could have a look at the Slimming World range in Iceland purely because they have less sugar than others, or look for whatever ones don't have too much sugar/salt/calories. Or a cooked chicken and salad again from Tesco or whatever supermarket.

caviardreams

Do you have access to the fridge? If so what about natural greek yogurt like Glenisk protein yogurt or Fage 0% (LIDL and ALDI do versions too). No prep needed

Packs of cooked chicken and turkey, smoked salmon etc. (again no prep and could have on rice cakes or crackers if you didn't want it on its own)

Porridge in the microwave (if the microwave is an option)

jaykhunter

You're better going than me, if I didn't have a kitchen for a couple months I'd just start dieting then! So good on ya. here's what I got - Meal ideas I'm thinking:

Breakfast: yougurt, berry fruit and 40g cereal

Lunch: salad + ham slices or ready chicken pieces, sliced pan boxty heated

Dinnerables: potatoes (microwavable), pho ha noodle pot (add hot water) Slimming world noodle bowls (these are amazing, microwave for 12m from frozen), egg poacher (microwave), steam bags of veg, SW also do a meat pasta frozen meal in their range - def check it out.

I'd definitely lean on fruit as snacks. I don't suppose you could cook at your a friend's house once or twice a week?

LimeFruitGum

if the snack munchies are the problem, you need to be able to knock up a quick and healthy snack. You can mash up an avocado on some wholemeal bread or mix it in with some tinned tuna (or other tinned fish like salmon or mackerel), mayo, grated carrot, sweet corn and stuff it into a wholemeal pitta bread? I think low GI snacks should keep you feeling fuller for longer.
Almond butter keeps very well and it’s very good for you; you can put a spoon of it into your porridge. Or smooth it on some Ryvita and top it with a chopped banana. You still get a sweet kick, but at least it is as healthy and natural as you can make in your room.

Can you get one of those mini fridges for your living quarters? Be handy for little things like hummus, almond butter pots that you can’t use up in one go.

mirrorwall14

Get a microwave steamer for veg? Microwave omelette and half a plate of veg is a good filling diner minus the carbs. And snacking on steamed baby corn or carrot sticks is much better than other stuff

RiseToMe

There are meal prep companies out there who have nutritionists etc that can advise on meals. Everything is microwaveable. They can do as little (just dinners) or as much (breakfast, lunch and dinner and snacks) as you want.

I've used one recently as we had a baby (already have little ones at home too) to get us through the first week or two and highly recommend it. Pm if you want the name

margo321

no real tips but i find cooked whole chicken handy and plenty in it. can add tinned beans or frozen veg.

ANXIOUS

Have you access to a fridge?

dellas1979

Thanks to all for replies.

Yes have access to a fridge (a very small shelf).

I ordered a omelette making thing (whisk eggs and put in microwave).

At work, I have free use of a microwave. So am thinking a couple days a week to make omelettes before I go and bring them back with me.

This thread has helped me get going and come up with ways to look at things differently.

jaykhunter

That's brilliant. Think about how future-you can hold this over your kids' heads whenever they complain! "I went 4 months without a kitchen!"

You'll smash it. Please keep us updated

dellas1979

jaykhunter wrote: »

That's brilliant. Think about how future-you can hold this over your kids' heads whenever they complain! "I went 4 months without a kitchen!"

You'll smash it. Please keep us updated

Lols-no kids Im afraid.

Its actually been about 18 months without a kitchen!

2xj3hplqgsbkym

Have lots of healthier snacks on hand: weetabix and milk, natural yoghurt, nuts, seeds, fruit, carrots,cucumber, cherry tomatoes, mini peppers, mange tout.

Dinners: cook pasta or potato in microwave at work, add a selection of cooked chicken, tinned salmon or tuna, rocket, cherry tomatoes, tinned sweet corn, peppers, mozzarella,cucumbers, pesto or dressing at home.

Lunch: sandwiches are fine just make them filling by using brown or multi grain bread or bagels and add lots of salad, also hummus, tinned 3 bean salad, couscous ( add boiling water) ,avocado, boiled eggs are good.

igCorcaigh

Fruit, nuts, canned fish, hummous for snacking.
I find apples are great if I'm a bit hungry

Tesco do some nice soups that contain chicken and pulses that can be reheated in the microwave and stored in the fridge.

Not all carbs are bad... Try the biona rye bread, it is really filling. Lovely toasted (can you access a toaster?) with hummous or cheese spread and rocket.

HeidiHeidi

Marks and Spencer have packs of various sizes of cooked roasted chicken in breast portions or half chicken portions, I always have some of them in my freezer, they're incredibly handy to have and are a million times nicer than the packs of processed sliced chicken. They don't need to be cooked before eating (although can be microwaved if you want).

SuperRabbit

seeds and nuts are more nutrient rich and keep you going longer than chocolate
lots of veg is just as nice eaten raw and almost zero calories (carrots? Tomatoes? lettuce? onions? peppers? asparagus? (ewww i'd rather cook that one but anyway) )

i went 2 years without an oven (3 consecutive flats with STINGY landlords) before but i always had a hob so i can only imagine your pain

LimeFruitGum

This may sound crazy, but do you have space for a crockpot in your room? Could cook a few stews that way.