Low Fat , High energy food

OLDYELLAR

Hey basically Im looking for ideas on getting myself into a newish diet , something low fat but high energy.
As it stands Im having a chocolate bar or brekkie bar at half eight , brown bread sandwich at 1 and then usually something like chicken salad or steak and salad at 7.
But Im usually starving in between , and end up eating crap because its the handiest thing like a bag of crisps or something.

I need something healthy enough but that will keep the energy up , Maybe Im not eating enough but Im always tired lately and stuff , any recommendations ?

like whats a good handy brekkie , lunch and dinner ?

g'em

Ok, well first off, nice one for realising that you need to change your diet, and oh deary me, it needs to change badly!!!

CHocolate first thing in the morning is a really truly not a very good idea. Straight away the only energy you're giving yourself is saturated fats, lots of refined sugar, and little or no nutrition. Why not have a bowl of cereal? Or better porridge (I sweeten mine up with a samll tub of low fat fruit yoghurt). Or a couple of pieces of wholemeal toast and some fruit. Or an omelette. Breakfast is teh best time to get some good starchy carbs into you, to keep your energy levels up till lunch, and they're low in fat.

At lunch, a brown bread sandwich is good, just make sure there's very little butter/marg and no mayo, have meat (preferably non-processed i.e. plain chicken not bread-crumbed!!) with some salad. A fruit yoghurt and some fruit. Or a baked potato with beans. Or a big bowl of homemade/ organic veggie soup.

Dinner, past/ brown rice/ potatoes with some lean meat and lots of veg.

If you need to snack, try a small handful of nuts, some fruit, berries are handy to pick at.

Its all common sense. Cut out chocolate for breakfast, the more processed a food is, the more stuff is added to it, the less nutritional it is, the quicker your energy will slump. If you do really want to snack on junk, make it the low-fat versions. A small fudge bar has just over 100 calories but will satisfy a sweet tooth.

Try beinging your lunch with you, that way you control what you eat. Pre-make meals and put them in the freezer. Have lots of fruit and veg to snack on in the house. And hide the take-away menus!!

Roddy23

banana's!!!!!

OLDYELLAR

Thanx for the advice , yea Im usually in and out of meetings a lot all day and stuff and its just so embaressing when Im all grumbly so I usually eat the chocolate to keep the noise level down , Whereas when I have yoghurt for brekkie Im still all grumbly.

Yea I dont eat butter or mayo anyway.

Any dinner suggestions >? I usually have chicken and wedges (oven cooked) or chicken salad or steak and salad .

poobum

wedges....such a bad food for you!

OLDYELLAR

I know but I get so bored of salad and there easy to make , just throw them in the oven like.

20 Times 20 Times

Im back in training this last four weeks and its going really well. What i tend to do is have a nice breakfast in teh moring ie a bowl of cereal of your choice with black coffee keeps me going until lunch , then i have some sort of brown bread sando with what ever filling i enjoy that day and dinner can vary depending. cut down to three meals a day , if your working out protein drinks are very good for a lift in between and they are non fat really , avoid that breakfast bar in the morining and have nice bowl of cereal with glass of juice ie cranberry or orange , i know where you are coming from saying you can be hungry at your usual time for me they are 11 and 3 o clock what i do for these times is but some fruit , i love juicey grapes or pears what ever fruit you like dont buy some fruit that you dont really like buy something that you enjoy , that makes it fun !

OLDYELLAR

yea ive been buying peaches lately and fruit yoghurts , its really the snacks that are killing me , its so much easier to go for a bag of crisps if there there like.I was doing great for ages and then I just got lazy and stopped the jogging and didnt put as much effort into the food side either ,. but im getting back into it now , Ill get meself a box of cereal over the weekend.

20 Times 20 Times

OLDYELLAR wrote:

yea ive been buying peaches lately and fruit yoghurts , its really the snacks that are killing me , its so much easier to go for a bag of crisps if there there like.I was doing great for ages and then I just got lazy and stopped the jogging and didnt put as much effort into the food side either ,. but im getting back into it now , Ill get meself a box of cereal over the weekend.

Right , im a big kid when it comes to breakfast cereal maybe make breakfast fun like ive started to do and buy the kellogs variety pack they work wonders and are really nice , another great addition to btreakfast ive found lately is actimal(sp!) they give me the boost and i really have felt the difference over the last few weeks , i understand about the snacking i really do , but sometimes a nice juicey pear is better then a bag of cheese and onion ! you working out ?

OLDYELLAR

I walk a couple of mile every say between coming and going to work a few times , I power walk it but thats the extent of me exercise and its all I can fit in for a while .Its not much but its better than nothing.

Transform

Most cereals are for cows - makes them fat and fart lots.

OLDYELLAR

Transform wrote:

Most cereals are for cows - makes them fat and fart lots.

how helpful :rolleyes:

Transform

How helpful!!!!

You were eating choc bars for bfast and wondering where you needed help, come on!!!

I am a very understanding person and want to help people who need help so decide if you need help or are you just asking.

Ok here you go then - the following is a list of foods you MUST have in your house

Fresh Herbs – Basil for great pesto, coriander for all your Thai dishes, sprigs of rosemary for roasting vegetables etc The dried herbs should only be used in emergencies
Sea/rock salt and pepper corns – Two absolute must’s, vital for all meals and use a salt and pepper grinder
Fresh and dried fruit – Get the dried in a health food shop and never a supermarket (they add too much vegetable oil). Buy organic as much as possible
Eggs – Free range or organic only. They will NOT increase your cholesterol levels (unless you are frying them all the time) and you may have them as often as you like
Porridge oats – Make your own flapjacks, have porridge with raisins or make your own muesli
Oat Cakes – Full of fibre, great with dips or tinned tuna and wheat free (buy in health food shop)
Chicken/turkey breasts, a little red meat – Cook and keep for lunches throughout the week
Tamari – This tastes like soy sauce and its wheat free
Natural Yoghurt – all flavoured yoghurts are loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners. Add some dried fruit and toasted nuts are great with yoghurt
Tinned and fresh fish – tuna, mackerel, anchovies etc
Tinned/sun dried or sieved tomatoes – perfect for sauces and salads
Nuts and seeds – Place on a baking tray and roast in oven for 30mins (180-160°C). Toss frequently to prevent burning. Amazing in salads, soups and yoghurt
Extra virgin olive oil - Should be dark green in colour and vital for dressings and cooking in general
Clean bottled water or just buy a filter – A filter fitted to your sink will last a lifetime and cheaper
Cod liver oil – capsules or preferably the oil itself. Essential for skin, hormones and energy
Whole and natural grains - brown rice, bulgar, millet, pearl barley, quinoa, couscous
Herbal Teas – Most of the time people just want something warm so get some good quality herbal teas from health food store (supermarket ones are awful), yogi tea and Dr Stuarts are excellent
Olives – With so many to choose from and the various stuffing’s you can’t afford not to try them
Wholegrain mustard – Essential for dressings and homemade mayonnaise
Organic honey and maple syrup – Both are great for adding a natural sweetness to various dishes and deserts e.g. baked apples, yoghurt, porridge, dressings etc
Red/white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar – Again dressings are the key to an amazing salad so experiment and always combine at least double the oil to vinegar
Fish Sauce – Thai dishes are just not the same without this smelly addition
Butter – Throw out that flora and other margarines and stick to this essential nutrient
Creamed coconut – Bought in an Asian or Indian shop. Avoid the liquid cans and buy this much superior, cheaper and better tasting block that you reconstitute with hot water.
Sugar free jam – Available in supermarkets now. Just ensure that you are not having it all the time
70% Dark Chocolate – Green & Blacks, O’Connells, Lindt, they taste amazing. Good chocolate is digested very slowly and it is hard to eat lots of it. Regular chocolate is full of sugar and very little chocolate
Tahini – This is creamed sesame seeds. Bought in health food stores and used in making hummus and other dips and dressings
Linseeds – Loaded with omega 3 fats and fibre to keep your system energised and keeps the bowels moving
Sugar free canned beans and pulses – Avoid the ones with sugar and salt.
Cheese – Pop along to any of the farmers markets or Sheridan’s cheese shop to pick up any number of hard and soft goats or sheep’s cheese. They are easier to digest than cow’s milk

FrankGrimes

What you want is McVities Go-Ahead Crispy Slices. They come in packs of 5 mini sections (43grams) with 3 slices each. they're kind of biscuity with raisins, apple, or orange bits in them and I think theyre lovely. They're 7.9 per cent fat and 73% carbs and you really feel like you've eaten somthing substantial when you eat one as a snack and I find the balance between taste boost and healthiness is decent enough as I'm not one for munching rice cakes :rolleyes:

I eat 3 weetabix in the morning and that keeps me going for a good while.

OLDYELLAR

Excuse you I was not infact wondering where I needed help!!
I was asking for suggestions on low fat , high energy food as the title suggests.

Obviously chocy bars is bad for brekkie , I was giving a run down of what I usually eat to give people an idea of my current diet.

OLDYELLAR

Everybody else thanx for the suggestions.

20 Times 20 Times

OLDYELLAR wrote:

Everybody else thanx for the suggestions.

did you buy the variety pack in this weeks shopping then

OLDYELLAR

William Shatner convinced me , I bought All Bran , got me some wraps and chuck for lunch too.
Mullerice and apples as snacks

azzeretti

Sarge wrote:

cut down to three meals a day

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
This is madness, you need to eat more regulary to increase your metabolism. If you are eating only 3 meals a day your body will go into starvation mode and when you do eat it will store the food as fat. You need to eat more often, even if its only a small snack. Try and eat every 3-4 hours. Excerise is key. Cut out the choc in am and replace it with a fairly large meal. Breakfast is the most important meal. You don't give your stats but if you are an "average" male you should be aiming for around 2000cals per day with a 50/30/20 split. Thats 50% carb, 30% protein and 20% fat (your body needs fat!) Anything less that this will have an adverse effect on your metabolism. Anything faster than 1-2lbs per of fat (not lean muscle) is a good target. If you are not trying to trim down you may need to look at timing and different types of carbs (simple versus complex) throughout the day. If you post your daily activities that may help.

OLDYELLAR

Im A female , Im around 5 4 high and 9.5 stone.

Basically what Im doing is , up at 8 , walk to work good 15 min walk while eating the chocolate.
Then walk home at 1 have lunch brown sarnie ham and cheese.

Then walk back , work til 5 walk back home , have me dinner around 7 then usually meat and salad or meat and wedges , Im liable to have biscuits or sumtin then before bed and thats pretty much a basic day for me.

20 Times 20 Times

Well in fairness you are doing a lot of walking , mullerice that is a great snack if its the low fat one , otherwise you might as well be eating a chocolate bar , good old captain kirk and his all bran remember what i said about been fun if your not enjoying it stop and change ! breakfast is important make it fun for you .

OLDYELLAR

ya its the low fat one .Ah I like Bran so I should be fine

azzeretti

What is your goal? do you just want to clean up your diet? If so, choclate is a simple carb. It will spike your insulin levels and get used very quickly by you body. I would suggest a radical change in your diet for general health. For sustained, pre-workout (walking) food you should be concentrating on slow release complex carbs like oats, fiberious veg etc. Simple carbs should be limited to post workout (walking in you case) along with some protein. This should keep your body from going into a catabolic state and eating into your muscle reserve. All of this depends on how active your 15 mins walk is. What is you heart rate like, are you strolling?
Either way, even if your routine is sedate I would seriously recommend a change from your current diet and maybe some form of resistane training to keep your lean muscle mass stable. This will help, along with regular eating, to increase your resting metabolic rate and in turn will boost your energy through the roof, so to speak!

OLDYELLAR

My main aim is clean up the diet and tone up the tummy a bit , I know Im not doing much exercise really but yea its more the diet than the exercise I think I need sorting for the minute.

Na I dont stroll the walk I power walk it .

20 Times 20 Times

why dont you try a few tummy excercises as well before bed and in the morning they are very good long term dont expect over night results but in time they will come thats what im hoping anyway

rsynnott

Brown rice as a substitute for the wedges

Siogfinsceal

i eat choccy in the morning its not that bad,. fizzy drinks and high sugar foods are th eworst though cos they give you a boost and raise your sugar level but when that drops back down again you feel sluggish and will crave more. My advice is cut out all fizzy drinks and switch to green tea and water - ive done thi sand feel so so much better. you get used to green tea it tastes great i drink 4 cups a day. Also try 'spirulina tablets' and eye-q they are both great. I also love 'be' smoothies they are full fruit and no addidives. as for chocolate and crisps i limit myself to one of each a day. Banning them completey woul dnever work for me and I do so much excercise it burns it off. also, to keep energy levels up - eat little and often and always eat breakfast thats important try a bowl of cereal or a smoothie