Simple meals & simple ingredients for a typical bloke
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Niallmacmillan1
Posts: 7
Looking to drop about 25-30 pounds in 17 weeks (wedding), I was usually knocking back 2500-3000 calories a day if not more, not gaining but staying large. I have decided to try and aim for 1500-1700 calories a day
I'm have been doing 15-30 mins of cardio and strength exercises every morning. I have substituted black coffee for green tea which is an easy switch. The only thing i am struggling with what to make quickly and easily with basic ingredients that is roughly maximum 500 calories for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Every meal idea I see on here has obscure ingredients such as egg whites, Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese or involves making soup or something.
I am a tight man and shop at Aldi as its cost effective, unfortunately it can lack in things that I read to buy on here.
Obviously the foods recommended on here do work but I'm looking for more simplistic food options.
Just to show you how simple I am, my old fatty diet was a bowl of cereal (frosties/ shreddies or a sandwich from Tescos and a chocolate bar).
Lunch was Pesto pasta and chicken (cooked off a large batch on Sunday and have everyday for lunch)
Dinner was either pizza, pasta, or eating out
Every now and then throw in a curry, McDonalds, or other takeaways.
This is now what I'm looking for.
This should be easy as I like pretty much anything!
Breakfast im looking to fill myself up from 06:30am to 1pm something that will take 5 mins to prepare (30g of cereal is like hell for me, I use to have 6 times this easy in the mornings)
Lunch i want something I can cook in large batches so its easily accessible every day for lunch and won't go off in 4-5 days.
Dinner something that will stuff me as I stay up until about half 10 and have dinner at 6pm, those 4 hours are the hardest!
A diet for a simple man! Please help me!
I'm have been doing 15-30 mins of cardio and strength exercises every morning. I have substituted black coffee for green tea which is an easy switch. The only thing i am struggling with what to make quickly and easily with basic ingredients that is roughly maximum 500 calories for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Every meal idea I see on here has obscure ingredients such as egg whites, Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese or involves making soup or something.
I am a tight man and shop at Aldi as its cost effective, unfortunately it can lack in things that I read to buy on here.
Obviously the foods recommended on here do work but I'm looking for more simplistic food options.
Just to show you how simple I am, my old fatty diet was a bowl of cereal (frosties/ shreddies or a sandwich from Tescos and a chocolate bar).
Lunch was Pesto pasta and chicken (cooked off a large batch on Sunday and have everyday for lunch)
Dinner was either pizza, pasta, or eating out
Every now and then throw in a curry, McDonalds, or other takeaways.
This is now what I'm looking for.
This should be easy as I like pretty much anything!
Breakfast im looking to fill myself up from 06:30am to 1pm something that will take 5 mins to prepare (30g of cereal is like hell for me, I use to have 6 times this easy in the mornings)
Lunch i want something I can cook in large batches so its easily accessible every day for lunch and won't go off in 4-5 days.
Dinner something that will stuff me as I stay up until about half 10 and have dinner at 6pm, those 4 hours are the hardest!
A diet for a simple man! Please help me!
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Replies
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500 calories for breakfast is pretty high. Calories in snacks are key, especially as 500 calories for a dinner is something I could never stomach.
My typical diary during the week. Cereal for breakfast with milk/breakfast biscuits around 250.
Snacks in the morning - a small handful of peanuts, a banana, orange, some blueberries and some cups of tea without sugar - total about another 250-300.
Lunch - sandwich/microwave pasta meal, 500-550, yoghurt 100 (microwaveable meals are often a lot higher but can go as low as 400, typically).
Dinner - various, anything, but around 1,000 calories, or more depending on exercise that I do. I stress the importance of doing the exercise as allowing yourself treats makes eating so much easier. Running for half a hour will burn around 400 on average.
Net cals around 2,000 - 2,200. I am 6 foot more or less. This would lose me around half a pound to a pound a week. I found this quite comfortable.
If you need to lose more, I recommend upping exercise, not decreasing food portions.0 -
Congrats on your upcoming wedding.
I'm a non-cook but forced myself to make some simple dishes because otherwise I would turn to fast food, take out, and restaurant meals.
Number one, pick foods that appeal to you and then make meals around them. Otherwise you won't stick with it.
For most of my meals, I make food in batches, reheat it during the week, and add fresh vegetables and fruit.
Here is what I did about breakfast.
For my first 2 weeks, I drank a shake from the store until I could figure out what to eat for a healthy breakfast. (I lost weight on the shakes, but they were expensive and the problem with shakes is once you go off them you need a plan for what to eat).
I finally chose steel cut oats. Yes, they require some cooking but I make them in batches so I only have to do it once or twice a week. I cook 1/2 bag of Bob's Red Mill steel cut oats. The water is 3 cups to 1 cup of oats. Boil the water, add the oats, put heat on low, add a lid, and let cook for about half an hour or until the oats absorb most of the water. Stir a couple of times. Let it cool and put it in the fridge. You now have several breakfasts. In the morning I take a small amount of oats, add a small amount of water, and reheat and add one sliced apple instead of sugar. Once I got this down, it takes 2 minutes to reheat.
Steel cut oats taste way better than oatmeal and have great nutrition: some protein, iron, fiber, and they are filling.0 -
i have shreddies for my breakfast most days!
scrambled eggs? 3 eggs on 2 slices of bread is a good breakfast that should keep you going. or beans on toast? (am thinking of easy things my husband makes when he has to fend for himself!!)
omelettes are good for lunch... again, 3 eggs, bit of veg - onion, mushroom, red pepper, spinach, and 40g of low fat cheese on top.
sirtfry for tea? get the ready done packs of stir fry veg, a pack of egg noodles and some chicken/turkey/prawns/pork and a sauce...
salmon and sweet potato wedges? chop up the sweet potato, little bit of ol and throw in the oven for half an hour, piece of salmon, in a foil parcel, in the oven for 15 minutes... yum!0 -
Thanks for all the replies guys!
Wow see that seems like a lot to eat to be able to drop 2/3 pounds per week.
I feel like I'm gonna be buying a lot more eggs as I hard boil eggs for a snack in-between meals as it is.
If I could get away with an omelette or scrambled eggs in the morning I would be happy with this.
How long would an omelette last in the fridge for? (Simple bloke)
In terms of the first reply, I'm just being realistic, I'm too tight for a gym and too lazy to jog, I can stomach some home exercising in the morning as I'm half asleep and it wakes me up. Hence the low calorie intake. Breakfast for me is equally as important to me as dinner, hence the high intake in the morning.
Where would you get the red oats stuff from. I would have porridge but I can never get the consistency right and I always make such a mess!! (Typical Bloke)0 -
Protein is your friend. Try scrambled or microwave-poached eggs for breakfast - you could easily have three eggs, scrambled with a bit of butter and a splash of whole milk, plus a slice of wholegrain toast for well under 500 cals. By the way, Greek yoghurt is just a thicker variant of normal plain yoghurt (and usually slightly-higer protein), and is delicious - I'm sure Aldi will have some. Very good, and surprisingly filling, with some fruit and a handful of nuts/seeds. Bacon & avocado, or sliced ham, or cheese, on a slice of toast might be another option, or baked beans, if you like those. If you really want cereal, go for something oat-based, and not sugary (lots of mueslis/granolas are VERY high in sugar). Porridge is a good bet for breakfast as well - if you don't want to make it from scratch, the microwave versions can be very quick and allow you to control portions with ease (I'd then have a piece of cheese or slice of ham as well, for the protein).
By the way, why the swap to green tea from coffee? Unless you add lots of sugar and cream to your coffee, it's not going to stop you from losing weight! Green tea won't help you lose it, either. Drink whichever you like, and can handle without adding lots of sugar/other sweeteners.
Lunches... can you increase the chicken, decrease the amount of pasta, and maybe use a tomato-based sauce instead of pesto? If you have microwave facilities at work, or a good thermos, a basic casserole - meat, plenty of vegetables - with mashed/baked potato, or rice, or pasta (check your portion sizes!) works well.
Dinner - again, aim for plenty of protein. A piece of meat, baked/grilled/pan-fried, with lots of vegetables, and something starchy should keep you filled up. Stir-fry is easy, and involves the same basic ingredients. Is there a particular reason you eat so early? If it could be a bit later, that might help that four-hour-boredom-eating gap.
If you want a curry, have a protein-based dish with a tomato-based sauce, rather than anything creamy or coconutty (nothing wrong with these foods, except the calorie count!). Reduce the rice/naan etc to a small portion, and you're golden. Eating out is fine, in moderation, but you have to make menu choices based on your goals. Most of these things are small changes, but they add up.
Make sure you drink heaps of water - it helps you to feel full - and try nuts, pieces of cheese, vegetables (with or without hummus), yoghurt or fruit for snacks. Exercise can 'earn' you extra calories - if you know you're having a takeaway for supper, pare back your earlier meals a bit, and make a brisk walk part of your commute, if you can. Hope that's helpful, and good luck!0 -
I make up batches of stew and soups that last 3 or 4 days in the fridge and longer if portioned off and frozen. My last stew had a mix of frozen vegetables (carrots, onions, cauliflower, broccoli, peas green beans, sweetcorn a half bag of various frozen mixes basically).
I had some bell peppers that needed using so they were tossed in along with mushrooms and tomatoes this was mixed with half a bag of frozen lean beef mince and half a bag of frozen diced chicken breast all mixed with a seasoned gravy . Pulses and lentils can be added also and meat can be left out changed up or subbed for fake meats like Quorn if desired. It's a one pot meal that did eight VERY decent sized servings.
I also do scrambled egg mixes (because I cannot for the life of me make an omelet) with whatever is lying around veggie wise normally 2 eggs veggies some cheese and either fish or meat this can do two meals if you can eat it cold (I can but most ppl I know can't for some reason). It's very good stuffed into tortilla wraps as well.
There is also refrigerator porridge that a lot of folks like and it's easy to do the night before I think it involves making up a bowl / pot and instead of cooking it letting it sit in the milk or water overnight in the fridge along with whatever flavorings you want in it. I've never made it myself as I like mine warm but I am sure some nice person on here will correct me if I am wrong. Best of luck to you and congratulations :happy0 -
i wouldnt leave the omelette more than overnight, i dont think.
cooking in batches is a good idea... shepherds pie and fish pie are both really simple and then you can reheat. chilli or spag bol are the same - i use jars of sauce most times!
as for the porridge, i use the sachets so i get the oats/milk right... if you want a bigger potrion just use 2 sachets. i like mine with chopped nuts and chocolate drops - just 10g of each for a bit of texture and flavour. (it is a bit more expensive than just buying the oats but quaker oat so simple are sometimes on offer 2 boxes for however much at the super market)
you may be tight and lazy, but just bare in mind that you will look a lot better as you lose weight by doing some exercise!!0 -
Where would you get the red oats stuff from. I would have porridge but I can never get the consistency right and I always make such a mess!! (Typical Bloke)
The brand is Bob's Red Mill steel cut oats. I live in the US. They are sold here in the grocery store in bags in the cereal/breakfast foods area. They are also sold in the health food store in bulk bins but I don't know how long they have been sitting there, so I stick with the grocery store. I actually have started to order them from Amazon.com (you have a UK Amazon) because I don't pay shipping and get a discount (I have an Amazon Prime student membership).
My suggestion is tell yourself you aren't going to freak out.... just try a couple of different things and see what you end up enjoying and what's easy for you. Go at it with a fun attitude and you will end up finding a few things you can handle.
The steel cut oats work for me for breakfast. Follow the simple directions on the bag. It just requires boiling water, putting in the oats, not letting it boil over, and simmering until done. Easy once you have it down.
If you made porridge before and "made a mess" try using a really big pot so they are less likely to boil over on the stove.
Edited to add that I make steel cut oats because I can't stand regular oatmeal.
Good luck!0 -
Breakfast suggestions: boiled/fried/scrambled eggs on toast. Maybe add sliced tomato or tinned mushrooms. Scrambled eggs are easy in the microwave. Around 400 cals
Lunch: Home cooked pasta dish. Make a sauce from lean mince, bottled pasta sauce and add extra veges (frozen mixed veges?) around 5-700 cals depending on serving size. You can use the recipe function of your food diary to calculate serving calories.
Dinner: Anything you like eg. steak and veges. Microwave a potato/sweet potato, cut up and fry in the pan with your steak. Steam frozen veges.
Meatloaf: mix mince with an egg, some breadcrumbs and chutney. Form a loaf and bake in the oven. Have meatloaf sandwiches for lunch the next day.
Stir fry: stir fry sliced beef, pork, chicken. Add fresh or frozen veges and bottled stir fry sauce. Have with noodles or rice. You can buy cooked rice in single serve sachets that just need to be microwaved. 500+ cals
Snacks: fruit, nuts, smoothies etc.0 -
OP, there are also some good ideas on this website. All recipes have only 4 ingredients.
http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/tv/4-ingredients/recipes.aspx0 -
Yes, yes quite right sorry if the 3 or 4 days was misleading that was meant for stew and soup only. I only ever have the second half of eggs the same day or if I make them for dinner and cannot finish I have them the next morning for breakfast and I never reheat eggs either.0
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You can get quick porridge sachets here in the UK - I think Quaker oats do them but there may be an Aldi subsitute. They come in ready-measured packets of oats, then you put them in a bowl, measure in the water or milk in the same packet, throw that in too and microwave for 2 minutes, done. You can add anything you want else in terms of flavour, cinnamon/banana/other fruit/syrup/raisins whatever.
If you can't get those then you can just pre-measure out your oats and milk/water yourself, you can still microwave it.
ETA Oops, several posters have already said this. But I think it's a great solution.0 -
Have a look at my diary dude..
Have you got a slow cooker? few chicken breasts, some tinned tomatoes, onions, chillies, beans - bosh - you have some food for your lunch at around 300 cals..
You just need to get your portions under conrtol - weigh everything, don't guess. It can be done, no problem.
MFP works - I lost 3 stone in 9 months0 -
Loads of great ideas guys! I'm going to aldi tomorrow morning so will scout all my healthy options and ideas you have all suggested!
So just to confirm, how much protein should I look at having, im naturally quite bulky so not too worried about bulking up, im just looking to drop the weight. Will protein help with the weight lose?
Should I be looking into protein shakes?
Also some of the exercise I am doing in the morning is yoga as I want to strengthen my core? Can anybody suggest other core training exercises? My love handles need to go aswell!0 -
Your MFP food diary should give you a protein guideline. I don't want to suggest anything because I'm a short woman, not a male.
Protein helps with cravings. If possible, try to eat protein with meals because it will make you feel full longer.
Shakes:
The pros:
Okay for a mental break or to get you started
Okay for a quick meal if you don't have time or are traveling
Okay for body building
The cons:
You can end up paying a lot of money with shake programs when you could just cook regular food yourself and get the same nutrition benefits
When you go off shakes you need to have a plan as to what you will eat, otherwise you will just gain the weight back if you haven't learned healthy eating.
Some people use almond milk instead of dairy milk with powdered shakes. Almond milk is 30 calories a cup (versus 100 or so for dairy milk) plus it is fortified to have more calcium and less sugar than dairy. The sweet version is too sweet for me. I sometimes buy the unsweetened Silk brand (doesn't have carrageenan which can cause digestive problems in some people).
Soy milk is good with shakes too. The chocolate soy milk is awesome. The problem with soy milk, tofu, and any kind of unfermented soy is people can't digest it -- if you drink/eat it all the time it can give you terrible gas. Fermented soy products like miso and tempeh don't do that.0 -
Also some of the exercise I am doing in the morning is yoga as I want to strengthen my core? Can anybody suggest other core training exercises? My love handles need to go aswell!
Planks!0 -
Re. Protein - it makes you feel satiated for much longer than any other type of food group, so it's easier to cut down overall calories, without feeling hungry all the time - definitely your friend if you're cutting back on what you're used to so severely.
I wouldn't get into a shake habit - it's expensive, and entirely possible to get enough protein from normal food, unless you're doing serious weight-training and trying to bulk up.
MFP's standard daily percentages on protein are a bit low, though - most people around here seem to aim for somewhere between the 30 and 40% mark of total daily intake.
Steel-cut oats go by various different names here in the UK, but you should be able to find them.0 -
Breakfast casserole (My husband is always asking for this...super easy breakfasts for him!) --make on Sunday night, eat Monday through Friday. 9x12 casserole dish, 12 eggs, 1 pound of (cooked) sausage/ham/whatever breakfast meat you like, 1 container cottage cheese (optional), cheese to your liking, veggies to your liking (peppers, onions, spinach, etc.) Mix these up and bake at 350 until firm and lightly browned on top, about 45 minutes.
Lunch--Big meaty salad. Can mostly prepare in advance. Leftovers. Chili (make a big batch).
Dinner--Crockpot is your friend. Roast or chicken pieces with carrots, onions, cabbage, turnips, potatoes, bok choy, greens, squash etc. Splash of soy sauce and whatever seasonings you like.
Snacks--prepackaged nuts for portion control. Carrots. Cheese stick. Jerky.0 -
I love the idea of a big breakfast casserole! How big of a portion sizes does this give him and what is calorie intake roughly on this? I have a big batch of chicken and brocolli pasta for the week so if can does this for Breakfast aswell that would be amazing! Sunday is my cooking day so will try that this sunday!0
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