So..current plan..

[SniperMonkey]

..is..

1) Cut out chips. I gotta find something better to have with my meals whether it's rice, vegetables or pasta. Any other suggested alternatives? Home made wedges?

2) Change white bread for brown bread. For my dinner at work I always have a 2 small homemade Ham salad rolls (cobs, baps, whatever). Is it acceptable to still have salad cream or garlic mayo on them?

3) Cut out crisps and chocolate. I don't eat a lot of either but I do like a bag of crisps on my work lunch. Is a bag a day (except weekends) to be considered excessive? I very very very rarely have chocolate so that's not an issue, persay.

4) More exercise. I walk about 20 minutes in a morning to my lift to work and then 20 minutes back at night. I'm on my feet a day at work (i'm not over-exerted but I am walking a little) so I need to walk more. Maybe go for a 30 minute walk after my tea to work it off? Maybe walk at weekends?

5) I've currently given up caffeine for Lent in a small bet with my wife so maybe I could cut out the caffeine altogether when done. Is there any nutritional gain from doing so?

Any other suggestions/ideas/thoughts are more than welcome.
Yours in appreciation,
Stuart

 

[Aline]

..is..

1) Cut out chips. I gotta find something better to have with my meals whether it's rice, vegetables or pasta. Any other suggested alternatives? Home made wedges?

2) Change white bread for brown bread. For my dinner at work I always have a 2 small homemade Ham salad rolls (cobs, baps, whatever). Is it acceptable to still have salad cream or garlic mayo on them?

3) Cut out crisps and chocolate. I don't eat a lot of either but I do like a bag of crisps on my work lunch. Is a bag a day (except weekends) to be considered excessive? I very very very rarely have chocolate so that's not an issue, persay.

4) More exercise. I walk about 20 minutes in a morning to my lift to work and then 20 minutes back at night. I'm on my feet a day at work (i'm not over-exerted but I am walking a little) so I need to walk more. Maybe go for a 30 minute walk after my tea to work it off? Maybe walk at weekends?

5) I've currently given up caffeine for Lent in a small bet with my wife so maybe I could cut out the caffeine altogether when done. Is there any nutritional gain from doing so?

Any other suggestions/ideas/thoughts are more than welcome.
Yours in appreciation,
Stuart

Hello Stuart

Here goes my opinion

1) Congrats for staying away from chips, those are full of fat. The best carbs to go with meals are whole foods. I tend to eat brown rice, brown pasta, quinoa, brown/whole wheat bread and lots of veggies and I mantain my weight. Once I start eating white flour products (white rice, white bread, etc) my weight increseases...

2) Brown bread is a great option. However I would switch the mayo for humous or other light spread (I think there is also extra light mayo, but I don't eat mayo so I'm not sure)

3) One bag of crips a day is very excessive, please try to cut it to one or two bags a week. They're full of trans and saturad fat, salt, etc. Do you like fruit? You could eat a bowl of fruits instead

4) Walks are great. For beggining try to power your walks increasing the speed. On weekends you could go for long walks with your wife or friends too Family support is very important long term so take your wife with you for those weekend walks

5) I never eat coffe, but I didn't gave up caffeine completelly. Instead I drink green tea that has little caffeine in it and has lots of antioxidants. Green tea clears our skin and some people nitice it helps with weight loss. So maybe you could try to drink a cup or two of green tea a day (no milk, no sugar).

Do you have a lot of weight to lose or are you just trying to get healthier? Maybe we could give you additional tips knowing your weight loss stage

Good luck!

 

[Jens]

..is..


2) Change white bread for brown bread. For my dinner at work I always have a 2 small homemade Ham salad rolls (cobs, baps, whatever). Is it acceptable to still have salad cream or garlic mayo on them?

Dinner at work is a real struggle for me... any suggestions to what other people do would be great!

 

[sigourney]

I would stop dressings... Stick with vinegar ... And maybe 1 bap and fruit and yoghurt... Instead of 2 ... X

 

[Purple_Star]

At the end of the day this has to be sustainable and realistic. If a small bag of lower cal crisps prevents you from eating a plate of chips, then go for it! Small steps are best as its more achievable longterm.

A scraping of extra light mayo is fine, if you like it. I find that if I have tomato in a sandwich I don't need any dressing as its moist enough then. Seedy bread is the best for health. I would alternate with wholemeal pittas and some days without bread. Homemade soups can be very filling.

Homemade oven chips, made by spraying the cut potato with low cal spray oil and roasting are a good alternative to chips. Also try this with butternut squash or sweet potato for variety. Roasted veg is also a great alternative - roast red onion, courgette, peppers, mushroom, carrot etc. Sometimes I add a tin of tomatoes and some garlic to make ratatouille.

Walking is a great fom of excercies. Start gradually and work your way up.

Good luck with it all xxx

 

[gina_b]

if you still want crisps, then id go for the weight watchers versian, they are lower in both fat and cals than walkers ones. still just as nice!

 

[serya]

I think aiming to 'cut' stuff out entirely is a bad plan. I think it leads to cravings, which in turn leads to bingeing, having more than you would.

A lot of crisps do 'light' versions, and at least in england there are crisps such as french fries, skips, and hoolas that are relatively lower in calories and fat than others. Making a positive change to crisps that are half the calories than usual may lead to you losing weight without feeling too pained about the process. you could have a packet of the crisps you love one day a week, but don't buy a multi-pack, go actively by a single packet so that you can't overeat, and can see what you are putting into your body.

It has to be a LIFE change, not a short term fix in my opinion else you will pile the pounds back on eventually.

In some supermarkets there are also some low fat chips, that in moderation could be eaten for a treat. The change to rice/pasta is positive, but also be wary of portion size - fill up on meat on veg first.

The walking is great, as is the cut in caffeine. If you cannot live without it, green tea (you can get flavoured) might be an option. It has health benefits too!

As for spreads, low fat mayo etc is also a positive change, and it is better that you enjoy it, and embrace the change, than have spreads you don't particularly like, and resent the food you are eating.

I apologise for the essay!

 

[leighleigh]

I would just say advocate what everybody else has already said, though I do think a bag of crisps a day is excessive no matter what the brand - just because of the sheer amount of salt - 5g is the recommended amount and some bags of crisps contain more than half that amount.

On the mayo front, Hellman's does an extra light version which is 11 calories per tbsp. You can make your own garlic mayo by adding a few minced cloves of garlic to the jar.

 

[Lynn_]

I would definately cut out the crisps for all the reasons the others have mentioned. Too much salt and fat in them and they are gone too quick! But i do sympathise if they are a weakness that you find hard to give up. I do occasionaly have a bag of Walkers baked crisps, i really like them, but they are maybe a once a month treat.

Aline is spot on when she suggests you steer clear of any white flour product. Its the biggest single reason why my weight goes up. Pasta is the absolute worst culprit of all them i believe, but cutting out refined carbs such as pasta and white bread will really help bring cravings down. Stick to wholemeal bread, with seeds in if possible, and dont have more than 2 slices a day.

Ive never been a lover of chips myself anyway, but well done for giving those up! A really good delicious alternative is celeriac, they make fantastic oven baked chips and once tried i bet you wouldnt go back to potato chips again. Take a small whole or half a large celeriac ( it looks a bit like a swede but very knobbly on the bottom) peel it and cut into thichish chip shaped peices. Boil for 2 minutes then drain, spray with one cal oil spray and then toss them in about a dessertspoon of curry powder if you like something a bit spicy. Then bake in an hot oven for about 20 mins. Really yummy and about 80 calories for a good size portion that will satisfy any chip cravings. You realy have to try these to see how good they are.

Hellmans extra light mayo makes an excellent alternative to spread on bread, its really low in calories, I think its 9 cals for a dessertspoon? I really like salad cream as an alternative too, although its higher in cals and has sugar in it, but much better than full fat dressings and butter.