Top tips based on my diary please?

greeneyed84

- Drink between 8 and 12 cups of water daily!
- Try to but whole grains with everything you can
- do NOT cut out bread! Carbs are good for you, our bodies actually need them and those are good carbs!
- FIBER, add more fiber! By adding fruits, grains and veggies you will get a better digestion
- cut back on processed foods.! Read the labels for sodium. If you can cook with as any fresh ingredients, the better it is for you.!
- no DIET or reduced far/sugar etc. products. The real things is better for you and eat it in moderation!
- switch sodas out for crystal light our mio or whatever else you might like of that sort.
- eat more food! You do NOT wanna be hungry, your body needs constant nourishment
- ALWAYS eat a filling breakfast, it'll set the tone for the day!
- try to get little walk every day, it'll help get your heart rate up and help you digest your food

lilchino4af

You mentioned spray oils to cook with. A cheaper alternative instead of buying the canned/aerosol cooking spray would be to still buy olive oil, then find a container that takes the oil and turns it into a spritz. We found a two-pack at Costco (I'm sure you can find them online at like amazon or wherever) and love it! Makes cooking easier, less messy and you use a lot less oil.

MoonyRose

I agree with what the others said about eliminating the processed food. You look like you're on the right track though! If you're looking for a non-dairy soy alternative I would suggest almond milk; Silk makes a great unsweetened version that I LOVE. It's great for drinking, cereal, baking, etc.

Also I would recommend starting your day with a breakfast that's high in unprocessed whole grains or lean protein. It may help with your junk food cravings later in the day. I find that if I start my day with some sugary cereal or a muffin I'm more likely to reach for the same types of food later in the day. My favourite thing for breakfast is a bowl of plain rolled oats with some chopped apple, cinnamon, and a little bit of almond butter mixed in. Today I had Kashi 7 Grain Puffed Wheat cereal (no sugar or sodium!) with a banana and a bit of blueberries topped with some coconut and chia seeds. Hope that helps!

That's almost my breakfast every day! Great minds........
You can make yours with unsweetned apple juice instead of milk or even make it with water. Try lactose free milk.
I add berries rather than apples, mountains of them in season- fills me up until lunchtime. Cinammon will add a sweet taste add until you get the taste you want. I have also been known to add a little honey (but that is still sugar). Juice with 'bits' has a lower sugar effect in the blood- so the whole fruit is better than juice.
Otherwise eggs for breakfast (not in the cereal though!) are great fillers and can add tomatoes (low calorie).
Another filler upper is soup and its a great way to get liquid. Take a large tin of tomato and liquidise with a dash of chili or some basil- its only 18 calories a bowl. I need filling power and when really hungry make a spicy root veg and brown rice, stick to ribs concrete mix. Love chicken too. casserole in cider, apple juice, tomato passata, tenderises and you won't be tempted to eat the skin as it isn't crisp but the chicken will be really tender. Use the juice (buy a separator to remove the fat) to make a sauce or soup next day.
Don't like water? Confess I am not crazy either.....
Try taking a freshly squeezed juice and adding soda. I add high 5 tablets to my water (no artificials) but gives fizz effect and I get two glasses down that way. I have learned to like soda water (make with water and Co2 only). I also add Angosdura bitters to soda to add extra taste. I also add rose water to fizzy water for a poor mans champagne. I also make ginger tea (I cheat with bags!) and can even drink it cold, it needs no milk. Almond milk is lovely with a dash of vanilla essence- taste like a milkshake and can make ices with it too.

Feeling the need for buscuits? Tin of unsweetened apple with porridge oats and cinamon (regulates blood sugar) spoon of honey and baked is just so filling and I can't manage more than two.

Well done for looking for strategies that will be permanent changes. Congrats on keeping your diary too.
Any more recipes fellow travellers?

Strategies for the long term will win you the war.

Wow some awesome tips thank you loads. Unfornately even lacto free milk still makes me feel slightly ill, gonna try the almond milk. I may the biscuits a go pretty soon, my calorific vices tend to be savoury like cakes, muffins, chips, biscuits, Greggs pastries, flapjacks,so that would be a good substitute.

Over the last 2 weeks I've only just made breakfasts a permenant fixture, so I avoid my massive lunches. I've got so many fizzy drink options now ^_^. To the shops on Monday before the library me thinks !

MoonyRose

Adding club soda to 100% juice as a treat helped me get over my soda craving. It's really the carbonation I was after, and keeping little bottles of reduced sodium club soda in the pantry helps whenever that craving hits, so I mix a bottle with some minute maid pomegranate-blueberry juice (about 4 oz) and MMMM. Sweet as heck, fizzy, and because I don't use a full cup of juice, less sugar than soda and more nutrition (vitamin c, antioxidants, etc.)

I'm on this , this has a lot of good reviews from fellow soda lovers ! x

MoonyRose

- Drink between 8 and 12 cups of water daily!
- Try to but whole grains with everything you can
- do NOT cut out bread! Carbs are good for you, our bodies actually need them and those are good carbs!
- FIBER, add more fiber! By adding fruits, grains and veggies you will get a better digestion
- cut back on processed foods.! Read the labels for sodium. If you can cook with as any fresh ingredients, the better it is for you.!
- no DIET or reduced far/sugar etc. products. The real things is better for you and eat it in moderation!
- switch sodas out for crystal light our mio or whatever else you might like of that sort.
- eat more food! You do NOT wanna be hungry, your body needs constant nourishment
- ALWAYS eat a filling breakfast, it'll set the tone for the day!
- try to get little walk every day, it'll help get your heart rate up and help you digest your food

Thanks for the advice, I'm going to try and add more fruit and veg into my life as of tomorrow . I can't eat more than I currently do, I generally go over if I'm having a hungry day or just exercise, I'm not leaving myself hungry...honest . I'm working on the water hating situation, going to a friend's tomorrow, but Monday it will be fully resolved.

MoonyRose

You mentioned spray oils to cook with. A cheaper alternative instead of buying the canned/aerosol cooking spray would be to still buy olive oil, then find a container that takes the oil and turns it into a spritz. We found a two-pack at Costco (I'm sure you can find them online at like amazon or wherever) and love it! Makes cooking easier, less messy and you use a lot less oil.

Awesome, i'm on a tight budget, my 11p tesco value kinda shows that haha. I will have a little shop around, I'm a bit gun ho with oil when it's not in a spray thank you ! x

evolutionbyariana

You mentioned spray oils to cook with. A cheaper alternative instead of buying the canned/aerosol cooking spray would be to still buy olive oil, then find a container that takes the oil and turns it into a spritz. We found a two-pack at Costco (I'm sure you can find them online at like amazon or wherever) and love it! Makes cooking easier, less messy and you use a lot less oil.

I bought those too! It's called a Misto and I LOVE it! You get more oil spread out but you use less. I think it was around $20; see if you can get someone to go halfers with you since they come in two-packs