Need cheap, healthy meal ideas to help with weight loss

Mojisola

Why are you so worried about eating fat?

If you reduce the fat in your diet, you'll usually eat more sugar or more carbs (which are turned into sugar in the body).

MrsSippi

Mojisola wrote: »

Why are you so worried about eating fat?

If you reduce the fat in your diet, you'll usually eat more sugar or more carbs (which are turned into sugar in the body).

:huh: I didn't say I'm worried about eating fat.

Prinzessilein

Calories in 2 Plain (non chocolatey) digestives = 140...so, assuming that biscuits are eaten most, but not every day, let's say 10 a week...= 700 aweek...so let's say we work on 50 weeks a year (so rounding down rather than up..gives us a 'conservative figure)…gives us 35000 kcals a year ...now 3500 'extra' calories = one pound of eight gained...so just 2 biscuits, not even every day, can lead to a 10 pound gain a year!

If your hubby takes sugar in his tea, then cutting down on the biscuits and using sweetener rather than sugar (or better yet drink unsweetened tea!) then a stone or more can be lost without even thinking about it!


I would also check that Hubby is not 'forgetting' to include extra snacks he consumes at work....you know the sort of thing...buying a bar of chocolate on the way to work, whilst filling up the car....grabbing a little 'something' of the snack trolley at work...a sausage roll from the cafeteria if working late (and then still having room for a tasty home-cooked dinner later!)….and also does he drink pop?

Changing his 3 main meals is probably not necessary if you keep a check on between meals!

littlegreenparrot

I would try and look at what he's eating, rather than just the calorie count. For example, I can eat a wholemeal roll and be full, but can scoff several white ones and hardly feel like they touch the sides.

For fruit, choose things that are more filling, Apple's for example will fill someone for longer than grapes. For snacks, I find oatcakes work very well.

I agree with you, it sounds like a reasonable diet in the first instance. So I would just tweak a bit, try different snacks. More fruit and veg, different proportions for meals, more veg, less meat. Handily that makes it cheaper 😁.

PasturesNew

MrsSippi wrote: »

Crisps are 114 cals a bag, but could maybe check the calorific content before I buy the next multipack.

Even if you just saved 20 calories per day, that's 7200 calories in a year = 2lbs of weight he's not put on.

Mojisola

MrsSippi wrote: »

:huh: I didn't say I'm worried about eating fat.

Bread and scrape, fat free yogs, no butter on baguettes, semi-skimmed milk?

MrsSippi

Mojisola wrote: »

Bread and scrape, fat free yogs, no butter on baguettes, semi-skimmed milk?

They're not really diet choices, it's just that I don't like too much butter or fuller fat milk. And I find the yoghurt tastes the same as fuller fat versions so why not go for the healthier option?

Mojisola

MrsSippi wrote: »

:huh: I didn't say I'm worried about eating fat.

MrsSippi wrote: »

They're not really diet choices, it's just that I don't like too much butter or fuller fat milk. And I find the yoghurt tastes the same as fuller fat versions so why not go for the healthier option?

What makes you think the low fat is the healthier option?

suki1964

I have to agree with Mojisola on this, you are better with butter and full fat yoghurts, spreads are full of trans fats and low fat yogurt full of sugar

Skyr yoghurts from Lidl are full fat and high protein and are so thick, that a couple of spoons really fills me. I keep one in work and it does me the week as my sweet fix, its like eating thick cream or very soft rich ice cream

pigpen

NewShadow wrote: »

Have you tried tracking the calorie intake?

There's some free software like myfitnesspal which you can input a day's worth of food in and just get an indication of how it adds up.

It could be that it's not the food per say so much as managing the portion sizes

ETA: This is what you've told us for one day - obviously you haven't mentioned what you have for dinner

Does anything need adding to this? Does he have butter on the rolls or sugar with his porridge?

If that is everything he is eating he is not eating enough!!!! I hope he at least had dinner in there too!! A grown man with a physical job needs around 2500cals a day!!! but, it also does not take drinks into consideration so it might be enough with those included. My husband has 3500-4000 calories a day to stay at a 'healthy' BMI.. he doesn't have a physically demanding job his metabolism is just racing.. everyone may hate him for it he is used to it! (6ft4, 14st2 he was 11st 13 I've fattened him up a lot!!)

BMI is idiotic and if he has muscles from working out or his job it is even more inaccurate.. muscle weighs a lot more than fat.. and the chances are the nurse did not weigh him naked so knock around 7-10lb off for clothing. if he had eaten/drank before the appointment that can add 3-4lb. most professional athletes are obese according to BMI charts because they have hardly any fat and developed muscles.

He needs less sugary things and more protein, there is none worth mentioning in that list.. and maybe more water.. what does he drink?? We also get calories from drinks which have not been taken into account here. Alcoholic drinks are very heavy in the calorie dept.. another reason they should be limited!

Sugar .. biscuits, crisps, cereal, etc give a quick sugar hit.. he needs more complex carbs; wholegrains, seeds, etc to fill him up and give him slow released energy to keep him going so he doesn't flag and crave the sugary junk food. I'd cut out the crisps, biscuits, and yoghurt (the light one won't fill him up) and add in potato salad with chicken strips, tuna/chicken pasta/noodles/rice, fibre one bars are good for a 'sugar hit' but have extra fibre which keeps you going longer. the granola mullers will be better than a sloppy yoghurt the cereal bars are acceptable but you can get a 'protein' version which will be a bit better, they are still super high in sugars though but we cant deny him all his pleasures :p

you may find with more complex carbs and fibre he wants less quantity because he won't be so hungry from the simple carb blood glucose spikes.. just my thoughts.. :D:D