Weight-Loss University Meals

[r3negade]

So now i've just begun Uni, and for the accomodation that I am staying in, im on a meal plan option, where I collect ready made meals for breakfast and dinner. I am still very chubby at the moment, so I wish to concentrate on weight loss for now, but im unsure about my diet...

At home, my breakfast was
. Oatabix (2 pieces) with milk (semi skimmed)

And dinner usually was a chicken or tofu curry with 2-4 pieces of bread (I also had the same for lunch, dinner was basically left-overs)

Now i'm at Uni, ive got the following options on the menu.. What healthy meal do you reccomend for weight loss?

Breakfast + Dinner Menu


Page 2


My weekly allowance is £40 on food

Thanks!

 

[Jeanette401]

My take - for breakfast I'd have scrambled or poached eggs + fruit of some kind, + maybe whole wheat toast if your allowance covers it. Plus milk.

I'd stay away from the cereals & Danishes, especially by themselves. Get your protein first (the eggs) and then fill in from there.

For dinner I would aim for some kind of meat and veg. Not that fries are the devil, but they're a lot of calories and they're 'extra'. I.e. they won't give you nutrients or protein that the met & veg won't. Likewise I'd avoid the burgers.

Start with your protein - Chicken Joe's appears to be more health minded (although it's hard to tell without the nutritional info) so maybe the meat dish of the day + veggie of the day, or the kebab + salad etc. I'd probably go for the chicken kiev now and again just because it's tasty. I won't say go low carb, but things like potatoes (especially fried!) and bread are probably the safest to cut out without missing on nutrients. Fresh soup + roll & butter may not be bad if the soup has veggies in it, or you can add them if you can afford it.

Hope that helps!

 

[Schmoops]

Balance

You can pick and choose. I definitly agree with the breakfast suggested. Egg, toast and fruit is great. And get tons of water in. As long as you have a cup, it doesnt cost anything and it aids in weight loss.
For dinner, I would probably pick a meat and veggie. Don't go for over sauced meat or anything like taht. A lot of sauces are just liquid sugar.
Plus, You can go onto website for calories and such things and look up each things nutrition value. That really helps me. Especially if you are on a budget. You can look at what you want to eat, pick the best option (price, calorie wise, fat wise etc) Off of your dinner menu, I would probabaly pick the chicken breast and the crudite veggie and tzatziki(if made with cream, not as much) and maybe the fresh roll.
Another could be plain prawns with the salad and the roll or more veggies.
Hope I am helping out..

 

[summer123]

Your first year at Uni then?

See if you can befriend someone for meals and double your shopping budget then go buy in bulk. Buy things like Wholegrains; wholegrain rice, wholewheat pasta, potatos, try to only get bread the day you want to eat it at 9pm when its massivly reduced in the supermarket.
Proteins: lentils, chickpeas, beans, then look for frozen meat like chicken or even fish- some can be affordable if you only eat it once a week.
Veggies and fresh fruit- buy frozen as its cheaper, get big packets, store in the freezer take a little out to cook at eat. Get fresh stuff on the day from the reduced stock. Alot of lettuce gets reduced in the winter, alot of fresh fruit in the summer.

Milk and dairy are great when reduced too as they freeze well. Portion out into smaller containers (anything but glass!) before freezing.

If you haven't already got one, get your OWN mini fridge (I am assuming your flat/house sharing or in halls) labels cost money and usually get walked right over, if you have your own mini fridge in your room you can store your essentials and expensive things in there such as meat or heavily reduced stuff which would otherwise have costed a fortune.

If you are able to go halves with your room/flat/hall mates it may be slightly less risky to leave things in the fridge but at the end of the day, someone stealing your food could cause rifts as they are unlikely to replace anything.

Best time to hit the supermarket is an hour and a half before they close, locate the reductions aisle, then go do your shopping, by the time your done the reductions should be in place. Leave as soon as you have what you need- don't buy anything "because it was cheap" leave it for someone else who really wants/needs it, there is always someone whose favorite food your swiping 10 of 'just because it was 13p!'

Preplan your meals, precook and portion out large meals- bulk buy and store everything in the freezer. £40 a week is enough if you cook your meals in portions of 5-8 and freeze each portion (use a freezer bag) defrost each meal one at a time per evening in the microwave.

Staples?
Tinned tomatos,
Baked beans
Cheese- grate to make it go further, get medium chedder as you use less then mild chedder, add English Mustard to get a stronger cheesey taste.
Salt and Pepper
Vinegar- goes with everything!
Try not to add ketchup, its cheap but its sugary- will make you want to eat more then you actually need and so spend more then you actually need.
Jacket potatos
fresh seasonal fruit, try to keep up with whats in season as it will be cheaper. At the moment apples are good.


Good luck with your studies!