Thread: newbie - moving to weight loss via LTM

Hi - because I've not many weeks without hotels/hols/weddings between now and the end of October (!), I've been advised by HO to refeed next week and then try losing weight via the maintenance route

Has anyone any tips for easy/cheap low cal meals other than scrambled egg on toast. I live alone, hate cooking, need variety!!!

What is working for you guys?? All advice greatly appreciated !!!

Hi again Witzend - hope this way works out better for you...

I've been getting packs of chicken mini-fillets (freezing the extras if I'm not going to eat them within a day or so) and sticking them under the grill with a bit of pepper and herbs sprinkled on them - they only take 8 or 10 mins to cook. You can cook extra and have them cold with salads or in a pitta bread the next day.

Shredded cabbage and leeks dry-fried in a non-stick pan similarly only take a few mins. I've been cooking them with some powdered garlic and corriander til they go very crispy and it tastes a bit like the "crispy seaweed" you get in chinese restaurants.

I've also "fried" up things like spring onions and sweet peppers and added a dollop of low-fat bolognese sauce, as a side veg. A more substantial variation on that is to add a tin of tuna (in water or brine, drained...) and a few capers for a kick, then stick the whole mush (doesn't look too good, but tastes great!) in a pancake or tortilla wrap.

I find pittas and tortilla wraps last way longer than bread. I also buy the small gem lettuces, so they don't go manky and get wasted.

If you like fish, you can get a square of foil (non-stick if poss) and put a handful of the shredded cabbage and leek in the middle (with a sprinkle of garlic and ginger) and a fish fillet on top. Fold the foil into a parcel (sealed tight at the edges, but leaving a reasonable bit of air inside) and bake in the oven for about 20 mins. It all cooks together beautifully and there's so little mess it's great!

Good luck and have fun experimenting...
Mx