Eating more

[Uppo27]

Does anyone else feel like they are eating more? The things i am eating are lower calories than my normal foods and healthier i think but i feel like i am eating more, for my lunch today i had a warburtons thin with laughing cow, a pack of snack a jacks, a muller light greek style yoghurt and an apple! Its only my third day but feel like i'm eating too much to try and lose weight. But if my calculations are right then i am doing the right thing. i have even had snacks each day like fruit or alpen light bars and a Kit Kat last night to make up my calories and felt wrong for having it.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

I'm sure that, calorie wise, you're on the right track, but my impression of what you're eating, is that it's all processed food, except for the apple! I hope your other meals contain more protein and vegetables, to balance things out.

Be aware too, that low-fat foods, often have sugar and salt added, to make them palatable.

Try and aim for quality, not just quantity

[Uppo27 in reply to moreless]

Thanks moreless, i have been having some vegetables on my other meals and for my breakfast i have had either eggs or porridge. Its the lunch that i seem to struggle getting right. Is it ok to have a mixture of processed and other foods as long as the calories are right? I don't want to get in the habit of eating too much processed food its more until i get a good idea of calorie counting. Plus i do my shopping on a Friday so hoping to get more fresh foods in. Thanks again

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Uppo27]

As long as most of your intake is fresh/homemade, you can make up the calories with processed foods, taking care to look at the ingredients carefully.

In time, you can reduce the processed foods and make more things from scratch

Soup is easy and cheap to make, freezes well and very nutritious, so makes a great lunch option

[Uppo27 in reply to moreless]

That's great, thank you

[HubbysMissMouse]

Don't worry, when I first joined I was losing nothing. I was told this was because my calories wasn't enough, as I was eating about 100 calories less that I should because if you don't eat enough your body feels like you are starving it and then it turns this into body fat to keep it going and fat weighs more than calories so then you will always put on weight. I found it strange but believed this because I was always the one in my family that was the fattest but ate the least. My husband always ate whatever he wanted and he is skinny as anything. I kept dropping what I ate every time I was on a diet and got nowhere, except the time I changed from sugar to sweetener in drinks and on cereals etc. I upped my calories and finally I am losing weight. I have now lost 1&1/2 stone at last. This works much more than you would believe. I now eat between the middle and top of my calorie range and doing ok. Who would believe it, eating more and losing weight.

[Uppo27 in reply to HubbysMissMouse]

Thanks so much for your reply, its helps to have other people to ask as being new to this you just feel like your doing it wrong, eating the wrong types of food and so on. Thank you

[Uppo27 in reply to HubbysMissMouse]

Hi HubbysMissMouse, i hope you dont mind me asking but what sort of foods do you eat? You have done amazing

[HubbysMissMouse in reply to Uppo27]

Thankyou, that is lovely of you to say, I just thought I was doing ok. I don't mind letting you know at all.

Now, I tend to have cereal for breakfast, but always look at the boxes of how much you can have in a portion. I do always weigh out the portion. I don't use any form of sugars on them though.

For lunch and during the day I tend to still have a sandwich but have swapped this to the wholemeal bread. I am starting to cut out the butter though. I never had a lot to start with and when I had a sandwich with ham, garlic mayo, this had less calories than normal and white cabbage I never even noticed it was gone so I have decided to stick with this because of the calories in it or a salad instead but I also add in a few fruits that I never much ate before. Grapes,bananas and apples are my favourites.

For dinner this is obviously different. Most days I do eat carbs. I love rice, pasta and potatoes including chips, at home I use an actifryer as I don't have to put oils in and although it says to put one spoon oil in it I never bother if it is food that would have seen oils, like shop bought chips, which I only have if I have less time to make them, lower calorie amounts with this machine too. I also have carrot chips which we love. I make things from scratch if I find the recipes and we have the time, otherwise I buy shop bought things to make it. We try to have fresh or tinned fish and more chicken but still have things like bolognese or other red meat too. If you want some ideas I went to NHS and looked up recipes and found loads of recipes with and without meats which were nice but I got good ones here too and I do tend to leave out carbs once or twice a week, use one of them recipes or a salad, maybe even curry but use things like broccoli and cabbage instead of rice. My husband and I haven't even noticed this.

Some weeks but not all the time I do have a take away or eat out though. I just think more about what I will have, look them up for calories beforehand and try and go for better things, like salads, like I did with McDonald's when my husband wanted this one week. I just try and ask the calories if I can't find them online or if they can't get them I complain to them, they should be able to give their calorie amounts to people they expect to buy their food. At the end of the day companies like takeaways or restaurants etc won't change their ways until people start complaining.

I only do it like this because I know its the sort of things I will carry on eating afterwards and was really worried the first time I went out for a meal, but it went really well and I didn't put on any weight so I relaxed a bit and just made sure I didn't go for all bad things like going for extra platefuls and just had the main meal. I think its important we carry on after we have lost weight with this, as I will still count my calories but think I should do it in a way I won't break because the weight might go back on. With other ways we always change ways, the weight arrives again. Its a lifestyle change for me. Make sure you do try and eat slower, I do forget sometimes but as soon as I feel it I stop, even if there is only a spoonful left. Hope this helps.

Sorry to go on a bit, but thought u should see I'm not doing anything special. Just normality and counting the calories on MyFitnessPal. When I have takeaways I go to the top of the intake and otherwise nearer the middle most days. I don't tend to eat things like chocolate, crisps, or cakes, unless it is a birthday or wedding etc.

Thankyou again.

[Uppo27 in reply to HubbysMissMouse]

Thank you so much for this, it really does help and gives me ideas. I want to make it more of a lifestyle change rather than feel like I'm on a diet and it's looks like that's why it's worked for you, it's a lifestyle. 🙂

[Hidden]

If I were you, I would try and avoid "empty calories" such as chocolate bars for your lunch, and just keep them as rare special treats now and then. I'm sure they slow down weight loss. As for your lunch, why not make a nice healthy sandwich? Two wholemeal slices of bread spread with low fat salad cream, lettuce, tomatoes and ham, delicious. Or when you get really into your new healthy way of eating, why not take a healthy, homemade soup to work? I'm retired now, but when I was working, I took soups in winter and a salad in a Tupperware container for lunch.

Good luck, and I'm sure you will find lots of useful tips on here. 😊

[Uppo27 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your reply. I'm going to try and get some ideas for lunch and dinner before i go shopping to try and help me and i will make soup as i do really enjoy homemade soups

[Hidden]

Good for you, Uppo, you have the right attitude and the I'm sure you'll succeed. 😊😊😊