Learning to be healthier and lose weight.

nanpetenbrink

Hi. I'm new to My Fitness Pal and have joined a weight loss class in my neighborhood. I need to lose at least 50 pounds! I'm 63, married to someone who never watches his weight, have two adult daughters and a new grandson. My daughters are urging me to lose weight and get healthy. So I've started that journey. What I need help with the most is nutritious recipes. I am NOT a cook and don't really like to try. But I'm going to make a great effort to change. Any quick recipes for breakfast and lunch are especially helpful. I work full time and am usually in a hurry to get out the door in the morning. Here's to 50 pounds lighter!

b9songbird

Hi, I'm a 60 year old teacher in the U.K. I'm not great at eating breakfast but prefer to take a snack for around 10 a.m. such as avocado on toast, mash it and add lime juice and Tabasco or chilli if you like. Or a boiled egg or sachet of instant porridge. Lunches are either home made soup -so easy - or a pasta salad, possibly with tuna. Just watch for the extra calories in mayonnaise. If you check out recipes online there are lots that use substitutes such as quark.

nutmegoreo

You need to figure out what will work for you, but I can tell you what works for me:

1) If I am working morning shift, I pack my lunch the night before, otherwise, I won't take one, leaving me eating in the cafeteria, which is more ex pensive and harder to find diet friendly choices.

2) Quick grab breakfasts: spinach and fruit smoothie with flaxseed and protein powder, or premade steelcut oats for several days at a time, add some applesauce and nuts.

3) Slowcooker: throw a bunch of ingredients in the pot and let it go for a couple hours. Homemade cooking, much less work (at least it feels this way). There are a bunch of slowcooker recipes available for free online.

4) Multi-tier steamer: rice in the bottom layer, chicken or fish on the second layer, and veggies on the top. Like the slowcooker, fill it and walk away (although this one cooks in less time, about 30 minutes).

5) Pre-cooking: I will spend a whole day cooking several recipes (sounds like this would be your equivalent of being tormented though), and then as each item finishes, I set it into single serving containers and freeze. Grab and go lunches for a month.

floweredsteel

You can add me as a friend. I know what its like to live with someone who eats what they want. It makes things difficult. I don't have many fun recipes, i keep the food simple mostly. Here are my few actual recipes:

Banana pacakes: if you have a sweet tooth in the morning mix two whole eggs, a ripe banana, 1tsp cinnamon, and optional pinch cayenne in a bowl and cook as mini p ancakes (8 or so per bowl, they are fragile at first flip, hence size). Top with peanut butter, sf syrup, honey, or whatever is your jam.

Green beans: take fresh green beans, place in dish, top with damp paper towel and microwave until desired doneness. Toss cooked beans with lemon zest and a splash of lemon juice.