I need a good easy kickstart for my eating ....

[bigfattoe]

Any suggestions im just want a basci diet easy foods as i cant afford fancy...any good tips is pasta good or fattening as i have a cupboard full...and ideas be great apart from the obvious...happy new yearxxx

[bigfattoe]

Oh thank you so much that helps alot brillant information for me..as i do enjoy pasta its cheerful and cheap and you can add alot to it..white cabbage is beautiful fried in one cal and added to pasta..try it with black pepper you will pleasantly be surprised how good it taste..its a hungarian recepe from my late motherlaw...very nice indeed... YOU WILL LOVE IT..TRY SOMEXX HAPPY NEW YEARXX

[deejames]

Past is great. Its filling and provided you don't cover it with cheese low calorie. Make your own sauce with lots of chopped up veg and tinned tomato. Cook off the veg first and simmer with tomato and lots of herbs if you like them. Don't stick to past though. You'll get bored so quickly.

I think portion size is the key. Whatever you would have put on your plate before - remove at least a quarter. No seconds. And don't try for dramatic loss. That the way to dangerous yo-yo dieting.

Good luck

Dee

[bigfattoe]

Ok thank you ive not cut portion size down but i will from next time i cook as i freeze meals...errm yea you right have to....i hope it works as i dont lose weight easy its hard work trying but im determined to to it cutting out alot really buscuits crisps etc.....but by do this im gona snack on apples .....wish me luck i need itxxxx happy new year great advice thank youx

[Venusflytrap]

Dear Bigfattoe, I have cut back my pasta portions to 60g raw/150g cooked. This didn't look like enough on the plate initially so I started to add extra veg to the pasta. Grating or chopping onion, carrot, courgette and/or butternut squash to match the type of pasta has boosted the size of the portion on the plate. Obviously most of us go for some sort of version of a tomato sauce with pasta. I have found just 200g of extra lean mince plus onion, two cans of chopped toms, some purée/passata and garlic with maybe frying gently in just a couple of tsp of oil makes 4 portions for spag bog, lasagne, chilli etc and it freezes well. There are some low kcal versions of pesto out there, and you only need to stir through tsps to flavour well. I tend to go for 10g of Parmesan rather than more of something not as strong to keep the kcal down and the flavour high. I would also buy a piece of Parmesan or similar, to keep well wrapped in the fridge and grate as you need it. It's a totally different experience to those sticky smelling ready grated packs! I love frozen cod in butter sauce plus some frozen mixed veg as a quick topping. If you like liver try the frozen chicken livers. It usually comes in 200/250g tubs and would make you 2/3 portions as it is stronger in flavour than the mince it can replace. Consider pulses to replace your mince in recipes too. Dried orange lentils can just replace mince directly as they take the same time to cook from raw. You can get quite cheap canned beans, if you don't want the bother of soaking and cooking your own. Don't forget that pasta bakes are another option. Mix all the cooked ingredients before finishing in the oven or under the grill. Macaroni cheese plus the cheapest frozen cauli is nice. Consider making your white sauce with cornflour instead of the traditional flour and butter roux. Add a good spoonful of any kind of mustard mixed or dried and try using half the cheese you would normally use. You can maybe hold some of the cheese back and mix it with breadcrumbs for a crispy topping. I have presumed that you are trying to lose or maintain weight with these suggestions for lower kcal options. Just go for the traditional versions if weight is not an issue for you. Happy cooking. Venus

[bigfattoe]

Thank you so much for all that infomation really appreciated of you to take time to answe for me...my diet foing well slow start scales been unkind lost 8 pounds in three weeks so im happy its coming off...long way to go yet but a good start to new year yipeexx