Replacing calorie-controlled supermarket ranges with OS cooking

lessonlearned

Persa - Jamie Oliver has a new series on TV and of course a new book.

He does a whole day, ie three meals and they are all calorie counted. They look very appetising and healthy. He also talks about their vitamin content and nutrients etc.

You might get some good ideas.

Jamie has definitely lost weight and looks better for it.

A couple of my friends were like you - a bit nervous about cooking and relying a lot on ready meals. They bought the Hairy Dieters books and taught themselves to cook following the recipes. They have both lost a couple of stones each and found it very easy.

They just treat themselves to a Friday night takeaway as their little splurge.

I think the trick is to remember the 80/20 rule. If you eat healthily 80 per cent of the time then you can afford to ease up a little and indulge in your favourtie naughty dishes say once a week whilst you are losing weight. Once you have lost the weight and are just trying to maintain then you can relax a bit more often - roughly twenty per cent of the time and you should be ok.

That way you are eating healthily for the majority of the time but not depriving yourself of the fun stuff.

My treat is an occasional croissant......;)

persa

lessonlearned wrote: »

Persa - Jamie Oliver has a new series on TV and of course a new book.

He does a whole day, ie three meals and they are all calorie counted. They look very appetising and healthy. He also talks about their vitamin content and nutrients etc.

You might get some good ideas.

Jamie has definitely lost weight and looks better for it.

This sounds like what I'm looking for, many thanks for the heads up! :j

Edited to say: Had a look on the Jamie Oliver website and found quite a few calorie controlled recipes worthy of experimenting with!

E.g.:

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/seafood-recipes/szechuan-sweet-sour-prawns/#teifdW4t98pvPif6.97

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/vegan-shepherd-s-pie/#lPUe4PFqgsYC5bkm.97

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/fish-cakes/#g0ltdWIfliyZdieM.97

OH isn't a veggie fan, but I personally think squash and parsnips can be made to taste so sweet, I can incorporate those into a recipe without him noticing.

lessonlearned

June - i don't think I am missing the point. Persa asked about reducing calories because she wants to lose weight.

Starchy carbs lead to increased insulin production which, if not burnt off, will be stored as fat. So you get a double whammy - Insulin spikes and weight gain. The average person with a modern relatively sedentary lifestyle doesn't get the chance to burn energy quick enough to justify the amount of,carbs in the average western diet.

The quickest, easiest and healthiest way to lose weight is to restrict carbs, keeping them for the occasional treat, and swapping carbs for more protein and fibre dense vegetables.

Protein helps build and repair muscle, carbs don't.

If you need to restrict calorie intake in order to lose weight then it's better to ensure that the calories consumed are packed full of nutritional goodies, such as proteins, vitamins and minerals that the body needs rather than wasting the daily allowance on starchy carbs that the body can do without.

If you are running marathons then carbs are a useful form of easily converted energy but if you have a relatively sedentary lifestyle your body can manage quite happily without them.

Rice, pasta, white potatoes etc have little nutritional value so can be safely Eliminated from the diet without any ill effects, provided of course that you are eating enough vegetables and salads.

Bread - real bread - not your average supermarket sliced white - does contain useful,nutrients and vitamins so can be part of a healthy diet.

Cakes and biscuits can be yummy but they have no nutritional value, they really are just empty calories.

Fats are fine in moderation, especially if you make sure you get the right balance of omega 3 and omega 6. The right fats can help keep the heart healthy and ensure your cholestrol levels are right.

Cutting out fat is as bad as eating too much fat.

My point is if you eat a lot of convenience foods you will have no control,over either the type of fat or the amounts. If you cook from scratch you can ensure that you eat the right amount of cholesterol friendly fats.

MoonJelly

Are oats a good option? They are carbs but low in calories and release energy slowly. What do you think?
587

lessonlearned

Persa - glad you found it useful.

I forgot to say - the Hairy Dieters recipes are also calorie counted for you, so nice and easy.

Good luck with your weight loss programme.

As I said Ive lost 10lbs in just over a month by switching carbs for more protein. I didn't have much choice because I'm grain intolerant so had to do a lot of research into what I can digest and what I need to avoid.

I feel and look better already.:D

lessonlearned

MoonJelly wrote: »

Are oats a good option? They are carbs but low in calories and release energy slowly. What do you think?
587

Yes they are slow release, porridge makes an excellent breakfast, and flap jacks can be a relatively healthy biscuit, especially if you can use dates for sweetness.

VfM4meplse

lessonlearned wrote: »

Yes they are slow release, porridge makes an excellent breakfast, and flap jacks can be a relatively healthy biscuit, especially if you can use dates for sweetness.

Not the way I make them

grannytwice

Used to go to weightwatchers classes and they recommended dry frying for browning meat using a non stick pan this would cut out you use of oil.
Sometimes its easier to look at your favourite meals and try to make a lower calorie version, one trick was adding grated carrot to Bolognese which after it was cooked you hardly noticed it
Its not easy but I wish you every success:)