i have written this down for me to have as my meal diary(can anyone tell me if this is ok or not and what i should change if anything)

these are what i can have w/o changing too much of what we already buy now, and without having to go over budget for our weekly/monthly shopping money.
i have dramatically reduced my portion sizes from a plate the size i give to my OH to a plate the size i give to my kids.
Besides the (roughly) 30/40 mins walking to school and back each day how much more do i need to do exercise? i have a exercise bike, rowing machine, skipping rope, my stairs(lol) and a tae bo dvd(cant use this as i need to get the beginner one this is the advanced one and its real difficult)

edit:to add, i will also be taking adios tablets a herbal tablet which i believe speeds up the etabolism.

I clicked on your blog site. I got really big letters telling me to get my own blog.

I'm not sure how to advise you. It sounds like you are doing something that you feel is very positive. Just be sure your calorie count is not too low.

You might look towards fruit instead of a cereal bar all the time. Fruit may not stay with you as long, but I have a feeling your calories and fiber may be better.

Have you considered FitDay? You can put in custom food as well as food from it's little memory bank. It calculates the nutritional value for you. There's even an activities log there.

Hi!

I agree with mare - aim for fruit for two of those 'fruit or cereal bars' - keep the cereal bar to one a day.

Also - must tell you - having lived in the UK for years (including Yorkshire! Whereabouts are you??) spag bol, curry and chips, chicken w/pasta in sauce, and pasta in sauce are NOT wise dieting choices. That's not to say you can't have these things, but I'd restrict those choices to choosing one or two of them, once or twice a week. Regardless of portion sizes, these carry a lot of fat as well as calories. (Of course, if the chicken and pasta and sauce are Lean Cuisine or something, that's okay, but even then, they can be very high in sodium, which can slow weight loss.) If you absolutely MUST have a curry, by all means have it! (you shouldn't dis-allow yourself anything, or you might feel deprived and go on a binge... or maybe that's just me! ) You'll learn, too, that there are better curry choices than 'curry and chips'... those chips are a killer to weight loss! Try your favourite curry with rice, and only have a half portion of the rice provided, or better yet, try a tandoori dish (dry cooked) instead of a big creamy Korma or Tikka Masala, if that is what you favour.

As for breakfast and lunch - choose a low-fat spread maybe, and be careful of portions for sandwich fillings - these can be self-deceiving and add calories! Even breakfast - as you lose a couple of stone, you'll probably find one Weetabix is enough to give you a great start to the day! You might find it helpful to switch to semi-skimmed milk (2% here) if you haven't already, and be sure to consider it if you have a lot of tea or coffee with milk during the day.

A jacket potato with beans is a good choice - filling, low-fat, high-fiber Ideally, you'll aim for more veggies than in your suggestion, but go slow if you're not used to them - LOL! For example, are you adding lettuce and tomato to your sandwiches?

These are, of course, just my opinions.

Hope some of it is a little helpful, and keep checking in and let us know how you are doing!!

Heather

Oops - just re-read and see you are in Bridlington!

Welcome!!!
Heather

Fitday is a great tool to track your calories. How about some vegetables, a salad, any type of vegetable. I personally try to stay away from processed foods and stick to fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and fish, I like soy milk and yogurt for my dairy. I stay away from white pastas and bread and eat whole grains instead. Just a friendly suggestion. Good luck.

Where are your vegetables?
Skip the toast with margarine and add something with protein (yogurt with fresh fruit)
Otherwise, just add in some vegetables--they're usually really low in calories, high in fiber and will help fill you up and give you a lot of good nutrients.

OK. Now I have 3 questions.

What on earth are jacket potatoes with beans?

What kind of beans?

Why would you put them on toast?

I believe beans on toast is an English version of what we call SOS. I love chipped beef on toast and even tunafish and peas on toast. The English also do eggs on toast. All of it sounds very, very tasty. I think I'm getting hungry!!!

hello and thank you all for your replies, lol
well firstly heather, i am in bridlington but i was born and brought up in leeds
also the meals i mentioned fo rtea are home made not from a takeaway so they are a little healthier.
alinell i dont like veg, well i like celery, sweetcorn and marrowfat processed peas, but they will be in with the meals except for celery and that will be a snack.
and mare jacket potatos are potatos baked with the skin still on and beans are baked beans in tomato sauce and they are delicious with jackets or toast.
i hope that explains some of the things i didnt cover
also as i said i have tried to fit my meals in with everything that we already buy without going over the budget for our shopping for the week/month.