Please help me plan a Diet (I hate a lot of Salad stuffs but am addicted to Junk food, Sugar, Bread)

FrankFalcon

Hi all

After some more bad health results, it is clear that I really need to kick a few habits into touch.  My Breakfast usually consists of (6:30 am) 2 Packs of Crisps, A Bottle/Can of Coke.  Then at 10:30 am I have a Sausage barm from The Cafe. 1 pm I have Chips & Curry.  4 pm I go to the Pub and have a couple of pints.  7 pm I have Tea, which is normally junk.  So, as you can see my diet is appalling.  However, because of my metabolism, my BMI is normal.  Heart rate normal.  My weight is about right etc.  Funny enough My job means I walk a lot all day so I do get some decent exercise and I do cycle at weekends.  My natural body shape is thin so whilst I don't exactly pile the pounds on and I couldn't be described as fat I know things have to change.  My Cholesterol is high and I am suffering from Gout because of the huge amount of Sugar I take.  So, last week was a watershed moment.  I decided to change.  I stopped eating Crisps, sweets and taking fizzy drinks.  I stopped going to the pub after work.  It was hard for the first few days but it's getting easier.  So, I really want to change my eating habits but the problem I have is that I simply don't like a lot of foods.  It's all well and good somebody saying "Just try tomatoes.  You will like them".  I don't.  The taste makes me physically sick.  Neither do I like a lot of Salad foods.  So, that is the problem.  So, I would love it if you guys would assist me in preparing a Monday to Friday food plan.  If I tell you what I like maybe you could give me some suggestions? I'm not asking you to do it all for me.  I could just do with some suggestions so I can make a meal plan.  Thanks in advance:

Foodstuffs I detest (that would make me vomit):
Oily Fish (Mackrel, Sardines etc), Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Raw Eggs, Poached eggs, a lot of Salad stuffs

I'm not a lover of things like Raddish, Brocolli, Cauliflower etc

Foodstuffs I like:
Chicken, all meats, Rice, Pasta, Cheese, Lettuce, Onion, Fried/Boiled/Scrambled eggs, all breads, Pizza, Kebabs, all nasty stuff.  I also love Asian food (Curries etc), Pickled Onion, Beetroot, Carrots, Potatoes, Beans, Peppers, Chillis, Spicy Foods, Yoghurt, Cod or non smelly White Fish, all fruit.

I know I might be asking a lot but I need to make a start and hope you guys can give me a bit of assistance.

I struggle most at Breakfast time because I love Cereal but only yesterday I discovered that my Favourite Rice Krispies are loaded with Sugar so they will have to go too.  So, I sit here writing this really hungry because my morning cup of Coffee is not enough.

Any help guys? Any Recipe ideas? Any Meal Plans?  If I can get some ideas my Wife will gladly assist me because she's a great cook but is probably frustrated with my fussy eating.

Thanks in advance all.

Sea_Shell

If your wife is a great cook, then surely she can come up with meals which utilise all the ingredients on your "like" list, there seems to be plenty of healthy stuff on that list.

Not being funny, but you say you hate tomatoes, but like pizza.    Is it just fresh tomatoes you don't like?  What about tinned chopped plum, as they basically are on a Pizza, as puree!!

As for cereal, have you tried Weetabix or Branflakes etc.   (or supermarket own equivalents)

The box will say "sugars" but they are not added sugar, just natural.    For your Rice Crispies, do they actually have ADDED sugar, in the ingredients list?  

What about porridge?   Better in the winter when it's colder, admittedly. 

The less processed a foodstuff is, the better it will be.   So whatever you eat, if it's made from scratch from "real" ingredients, then it's going to be better, with no (or much less) "hidden" sugar. 

Although you say you like fruit, its naturally high in sugar so don't overdo it. 


Finally, are you under a GP for your Gout and High Cholesterol?   Could you also be diabetic?   



(I'm not a nutritionist.)

MovingForwards

Nothing much to add as S_S has covered the main points.

A lot of members post up recipe ideas and meal plans in this section:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/old-style-moneysaving

littlegreenparrot

Breakfasts: Toast with nut butter, porridge or overnight oats (basically cold porridge, very easy to make. You just mix oats and milk up the night before and leave in the fridge until breakfast. Can eat cold as is) I eat my oats with fruit to make it a bit sweeter. 
But there's nothing wrong with a spoon of honey or jam.

Lunches: Do they have to be portable for work? Do you have access to microwave/kitchen facilities?
For cold and ready to go: sandwiches, slice of frittata or boiled eggs, oatcakes with hummous. 
I'm not clear on if you don't like all veg, or just the lettuce/cucumber/tomato salady stuff. I often make a salad for lunch with roasted sweet potato/aubergine/courgette and quinoa/bulghar wheat. Grate a carrot into it, slice up a beet and stir in, whatever you like the look of. 
If you have a microwave soup is always a winner. easy to make. 

Dinners: Sounds like a lot of stuff would be ok. You don't mention cooked tomatoes so if they're ok chilli/bolognese. Mexican - fajitas/enchiladas. Baked potatoes, curries, stews, toad in the hole - endless possibilities. Get an Asian cookbook out of the library and be inspired 
You can also make pizzas and kebabs which I wouldn't consider to be nasty. 

MrsStepford

Boiled eggs plus wholemeal toast and butter
Live natural yogurt
Fried eggs on toast
Avocado on toast
Lard or dripping on toast
Pâté with toast
Frittata
Omelettes
Bacon, egg, sausages, grilled tomatoes ? 

Cold frittata
Gazpacho (summer) soup (winter),
V8 (summer)

Parma ham, nitrate free ham or chorizo
Leftover cold pork, gammon, lamb, beef, chicken
Cold chicken thighs and drumsticks
Corned beef
Sandwich fillers as sides e.g. tuna & sweetcorn, egg mayo, cheese & onion
Cold nitrate free sausages, salsa for dipping or mustard e.g. Sareptska, Dijon
Gluten free pittas with houmous or tzatziki, guacamole
Cheeses e.g. Brie, Boursin, Babybels, Mexicana! Gouda, Edam, Mozzarella, Cheddar, Cottage cheese, Leerdammer, Cathedral City, Feta, Halloumi
Granovita vegetarian pâté
Ryvita crispbreads (the black pepper one is great)
Coleslaw, sauerkraut, kimchi, capers, beetroot, cornichons, gherkins, artichokes, pickled onions, pickled eggs, grated carrot with black pepper or lemon juice, sliced red onion, olives, marinated red peppers, marinated jalapenos
Small can of sweet corn
Lettuce, spring onions, jarred asparagus (Lidl)
Frank's hot sauce, piccalilli, Branston, Heinz sandwich spread pref lowest sugar, lowest/no additives


If you have a microwave at work, you could split open the pittas, zap for a few seconds to warm them up and fill with selection of stuff.

Curry with konjac rice, lots of veg, herbs spices
Stir-fries made from scratch
Bolognese with konjac or hearts of palm pasta or courgetti
Tray bakes (everything in one roasting dish) chicken, fish etc
Home-made kebabs, konjac rice, wild rice
Roast joints - leftover meat for lunch
No spuds but otherwise lots of veg
Pizza made from scratch or with a bought base

Longwalker

We all like a bit of junk food, I do, but I cook my own

I love a kebab, so easy to make at home using 5% fat mince and the seasonings, you can buy a packet of seasoning or google. I PC mine then airfry so all excess fat drains 

I love a chip and I make really good crispy golden air fried chips from fresh potatoes and a couple of sprays of oil. If I fancy something from the chippy I make a plate of air fried chips, make up a portion of mayflower curry sauce and grate 30g of cheese over it. Satisfies that I need a curry chip feeling 

I love an Indian and Chinese , once again I cook my own, I dont use ghee and I use the bare minimum of oil, if food starts sticking or catching, I add water instead of more oil.

Who doesn't like pizza? But I use a wrap and half fat cheese 

I breakfast on 0% fat ( homemade ) greek style yoghurt and berries , I add oat bran to really fill me up or I might have air fried bacon - fat removed, and a two egg omelette  shoved into a wholemeal pitta and I eat a lot of mushrooms at breakfast  - great with bacon or in an omelette. When I scramble eggs I add chopped peppers and onion - white/red or scallions, raw at the end. Also cos I dont mind some salad stuff I would pile it on a bed of rocket leaves 

Yeah Im not a great lover of veg nor fruit but I do my best to eat some at every meal 

Those wee changes will help without you having to change overnight to all or nothing. Swapping white bread to wholemeal, swapping pasta to wholemeal, using the 5% fat mince, using turkey mince instead of beef, getting a bottle of sugar free squash and having a glass of that instead of the coke, theres some really nice high juice content ones out there 

Another thing I swapped out was butter. Now I love butter, it would be would you like a slice of bread with that butter, I personally myself would eat a pound of butter a week, thats gone now. If I do need bread and I do need some spread, I use a dairylea light or extra light. Get the creamy mouth feel of butter without the fat

Im three months along from changing my diet and Ive to book in for my bloods when Ive the time, but Im hoping Ive done enough. Last time they asked me to consider statins which I really dont want to do , I hope Ive made enough changes so the cholesterol has dropped. Oh and Ive really upped the exercise and now I feel fitter have started cardio - small 20 mins sessions 3 or 4 times a week