Hello everyone,
I am going to start this on 2.8.2016. There, I’ve said it and I need to plan.
I am a vegetarian ( I will eat a bit of fish if I have to but happy to eat eggs and cheese)
I have struggled to loose weight being a veggie and whilst I eat healthily, I am over-weight and about to turn 50 🙁
So if anyone can give me an veggie tips, I would be very grateful.

Now I have a question about total carb allowance during the day…is there one?
I am very happy to prepare food, try new things but if I know I am working with 800 cals, it would be useful if I have a carb allowance to work to as well.

Many thanks in advance x

I thought it might help to share some of the things I have been eating

Stir fry veg (bean sprouts, courgette, onion, red pepper, mushroom, broccoli) finished with yogurt and mustard to make a sauce
Mushrooms fried and then finished with yogurt and chilli
Pardon peppers, fried in olive oil
Baked Beans – 1 can of organic beans is 400 cals and good if I want something simple
Hard boiled egg when I need a snack, very filling and now Pret a manger etc sell them as snack its easy to get
Hummus with chopped low starch veg
An apple
Raspberries
Yogurt

There are so many lovely things to have, I often have the fruit and nuts at Costa 200 calories for a 40g bag, but that is fine for lunch.

Do ask if you need any help…

D

Hey there welcome 🙂 I’d say why wait? Start sooner and you won’t look back!

I’m not a vegetarian but we do have a few here that will be happy to help, in the meantime I have an almond milk shake almost every morning for breakfast which is suitable for you, I use almond milk because it is lower calorie and I prefer the taste. I put 1/2 cup of fruit in the blender (raspberries or strawberries or blueberries usually, or a mix) a dollop of full fat greek yoghurt, 1.5 cups of almond milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, blitz it, drink it… sometimes I leave out the yoghurt, sometimes I add ice. It has become my morning thing. If I really want a treat I add 1/4 of a banana. I know how to live ya know.

Eggs are very versatile I love having a couple boiled and mashed up with salt and pepper just as it is, but often make a big fritatta type thing with eggs and courgette, onion, pepper and cheese. I add bacon but you can leave that out.

Instead of rice, many of us enjoy cauliflower rice – it’s not quite like eating rice but it is ok if you’re having it with something saucy, courgetti is lovely as a pasta alternative – I like mine fried up a little in olive oil with garlic and chilli.

Tonight with my dinner I tried butterbean mash – suggested by someone here in the recipes. I just cooked them and mashed them with a bit of cheese and salt and pepper – it was the closest thing to potato mash I’ve come across and I will definitely have it again.

I guess Lolli has her (or his) reasons for waiting. Maybe there is a family event coming up, a holiday or birthday. It is good to plan, gives you time to get the rubbish out of the kitchen and stock up on new things you will need. Although, don’t go buying fancy flours, you won’t be making anything bready or cakey if you are following the 800, you wont have enough calories to spare of the treats. Besides buying lots of veg I do buy the almond milk for the breakfast shakes.

I have seen that it is 50g of carbs per day but I have followed the menu planners almost exact so not been counting carbs, just totting up the calories so I keep to the 800.

Good luck, it is sooooooo worth it.

Hello and thanks for the replies😊
As Sunshine has correctly guessed, in the next 2 weeks, we have 2 birthdays, a few days away and a wedding Anniversay …I am not that strong willed to 800 through that and tbh, as my birthday is a big one, I would like cake!
I have been cutting carbs for a few weeks, can generally do without sugar but I am jolly hungry not having something to fill up on.
Anyway, I will take the time to prepare and I will be brave and buy some almond milk…is there a good one?
Glad you said that you sautée courgetti, couldn’t face it steamed in all honesty 😂

You say you have been cutting out carbs. You need to replace what you traditionally think of as carbs like rice, pasta, potato, cereal, with complex carbs that are slow burning. Something like lentils, chickpeas, celeriac, aubergine and nuts and most vegetables, but beware of root vegetables and watch out for fruit, although it can be a slow burn carb there is a lot of sugar. Don’t forget you can have cheese and eggs. My ‘go to’ when I need a snack is tuna mixed with cream cheese, made into a dip with some carrot sticks.

You have given yourself plenty of time so you can do some research and print off a list of all the delicious things you can have.

Hello i have had a few attempts at starting however i have failed to keep going. Today I started and this time I want to be successful, i had 40g of porridge and a splash of milk 155 cals but dont know how much was in the milk. for dinner i have prepared bolongise and courgetti 280 cals (i made it yesterday and put in freezer). this leaves me about 365 cals for later tonight i think. i tried to do fast exercise, i ran for two 60 second bursts and walked but it was not very far. tomorrow i will change this to a 20 min walk and flat out fast walk for 3 min bursts and 3 min slower intervals, but i am happy as at least i got up off the sofa and went out side this has given me a bit more motivation.