New diet, less meat

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by Simon, Apr 18, 2016.

  1. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    While I'll not be going vegetarian I am changing my diet and cutting back on meat.

    This isn't for any ethical reasons, but simply because it is becoming increasingly obvious that it isn't agreeing with me.

    I bought a very expensive cut of beef on Saturday, took one bite and got massive heartburn.

    Bad enough that I couldn't eat or drink anything until Sunday afternoon.

    Over the last few years I've spent too long working and looking after the family and not myself, so the diet has suffered.

    With that there is weight gain, lack of fitness and strength, so time for a change.

    I've started cooking a lot more stir fries and instead of meat I've been cooking squid, prawns and nuts for my protein.

    I've also started to use quinoa and various other grains. currently I'm using the pre-cooked packet stuff you can microwave before adding to a stir fry.

    I didn't want to spend ages preparing it only to find it was horrible.

    Plain quinoa is off the menu and flavouring is required.

    I'm a decent enough cook and like to experiment and I'm joined in this by my wife, wo sadly is a terrible cook.

    That means it's down to me to make the changes.

    Tips welcome and any info on grains, quinoa and sources of protein welcomed.

    Pros and cons also appreciated.

    Mitch, kimchi is a no no. :)
     
    Last edited: Apr 18, 2016
  2. John Titchen

    John Titchen Still Learning Supporter

    Hope the changes work out for you Simon.

    Did you mean to put a comma between Mitch and kimchi?
     
  3. SWC Sifu Ben

    SWC Sifu Ben I am the law

    During summer I end up on my feet a lot. 10 hour work shifts + gym time + teaching + my own training.. makes for a LOT of food in a day. With that many calories burned I can let the calorie/protein ratio change in my meals enough to cut out meat entirely if I want.

    I end up eating a lot of:

    Eggs (make big jars of pickled eggs to snack on)
    Nuts (cashews, peanuts, and almonds mostly)
    Cheese (those kids cheese sticks pack easily as snacks)
    Cottage cheese (with breakfast or as a snack)
    Yogurt (sugary for extra calories or stevia for less)
    Milk (fat % changes based on my average caloric expenditure. Usually 1L/day)
    Fish (canned, frozed, smoked, and fresh)
    Shrimp (cheaper if you strip and clean it yourself)
    Beans/lentils/chickpeas (make Mexican food and dips like humus)

    Looking forward to seeing the new healthier Simon! :)
     
    Last edited: Apr 18, 2016
  4. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    I added cashews to tonight's stir fry and have added walnuts in my lunch for tomorrow.

    I've also bought a packet of frozen prawns and squid.

    Only 4 pounds per pack and I'll get 3 meals out of each pack.
     
  5. Mushroom

    Mushroom De-powered to come back better than before.

    Good luck to you.

    I have a feeling I'll be following shortly. Vegetarian food has been getting better in quality as of late.

    Previously literally either bland or drowned in some form of sodium laden sauce.

    Despite Asians having a long history of recipes. Tho they get quite time consuming in prep.
     
  6. Van Zandt

    Van Zandt Mr. High Kick

    Good for you mate.

    I've tried (and failed) for years to go vegan for a respectable length of time, meat does weird stuff to me and I don't like eating meat because of animal welfare reasons. I've been using a powdered food called Huel for >90% of my meals since November, it's 100% vegan and this is the longest I've gone without eating an ounce of meat. I'm not posting the link to the company's website because of the TOS, folks can Google if they're interested.

    Keep us updated Simon. :)
     
  7. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    So my weight ballooned up to 298 lbs due to not doing anything during whole being injured phase, which I was unaware of until my general practitioner doctor appointment last August. I started getting serious about my diet and activity levels midway through December and currently I'm sitting at 240 lbs. So, roughly 60 lbs lost in four months and I just started implementing weightlifting last week.

    Changing your diet is something to do nice and slow so you don't get overwhelmed. Initially I started a food log (I can post the template here if you want as I made it myself) and that helped put things in perspective on when I was eating, when I needed to eat, and of course how disgusting a fat butt I was being. I would recommend starting a food log, even if it's just to make you start being consciously aware of what you eat in a meticulous way.

    I've also been seeing a dietitian the entire time. She hasn't really told me anything I don't already know, and to be honest I've mostly kept with her because I think she's really cute and she does medieval sword fighting, but there are some general guidelines that are helpful for weight loss and shifting to eating more fruits/veggies/grains.

    For getting plenty of protein and using vegetables to do it, you'll be pretty safe if you just vary your vegetables frequently. Getting enough protein from a diet consisting of foliage isn't really a significant issue if you have a wide selection. However, you have to eat more of it because there aren't as many macro nutrients or calories in general in veggies. Also, you don't have to eat a veggie combo for protein in one sitting. Generally if you're trying to put together all the amino acids and other stuff needed for complete protein, you have to get it all in within a 24 hour period.

    Fiber is also a huge thing, because it'll absorb fats and other crap and keep your digestion system healthy. People say it fills you up more, I don't buy it because of how much I'm eating (xD).

    Any type of grain, as long as it's not processed and is the whole grain, is good for you as an energy source. I get mine in through a brand called Kind, which make awesome granola type bars. I'm not sure what brands you guys have over there. I'm not big on grains but these help fill that gap for me.

    Currently I make a lot of broccoli/spinach/honey smoothies (not great, but not bad), and this week I've been pan frying up eggplant. Other times I eat veggies out of a can, or just pick up pre-frozen bags and cook them. Bell peppers are a favorite snack of mine now (get the red ones, they're sweet). Eating a fruit with grains and a vegetable keeps the blood sugar level stable longer before you have to eat again as well.

    All this said, I've made it a point to cook an entire rack of beef ribs once or twice a week, and I usually enjoy a porterhouse as well at some point : P. Best of luck Simon!
     
  8. pseudo

    pseudo Padawan

    Hi Simon.

    On my path on weight-loss and getting my Cholesterol under control I experimented with a great many diets. One of those was the vegan and whole foods community ( don't venture to the vegan forums, frightening place.) Anyway I purchased the FOK app for my phone but you can access their recipes on their site. The ones I have tried have been very good, I even managed to get my kids to eat them and they enjoyed it! Check it out, you might find something you like.

    http://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/

    I also have a magazine subscriptions to Saveur. They have a lot of recipes for all over the planets. Some you don't need to tweak some you do but I have yet to be disappointed.
     
  9. Archibald

    Archibald A little koala

    I'm a Monday to Friday vegetarian and beans are the absolute ducks nuts. Combined with the right spices and complimentary foods they taste amazing, they leave you feeling like you've had something hearty (sometimes hard on a vego diet) and to top it off they're super cheap and super healthy. You can stick a dollop of refried beans into just about anything and it will make it tastier.

    Roasted root vegetables are also great for a stomach that wants something hearty and soul warming.

    Best of luck!

    Oh and pizza can be made reasonably healthy with the right amount/variety of cheese, and there's no end to what you can put on them. Try artichoke hearts, or crack an egg onto the middle before you stick it in the oven
     
  10. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    Buy the meat and send it to me!!!!! :D

    I recently tried some Quorn as a meat substitute - it was reasonable - and, more importantly, its protein make up contains all 9 essential amino acids. Mushrooms are good for giving texture to meat free meals.
     
  11. Ben Gash CLF

    Ben Gash CLF Valued Member

    If you're getting prolonged episodes of epigastric pain after eating meat you should consider getting your gall bladder ultrasounded.
     
  12. Ben Gash CLF

    Ben Gash CLF Valued Member

    I've been eating significantly less meat and cheese for the last 6 months and have cut right down on processed carbs this year. The latter has certainly had a big effect.
     
  13. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    Grains and pulses to give you the long chain amino acids. But this is dead easy. Beans on toast, falafel and pitta, hummus and wrap. Quinoa with lots of flavouring. Broccoli has a good dose of protein, as does cauliflower.

    To make your life easier still, try the various Quorn and similar meat-free products. Having Quorn mince available means cooking chilli, spag bol etc actually becomes easier.

    Tons of fish to try as well of course. Tuna steaks are expensive but might be satisfyingly meaty if you miss the texture, as are marlin steaks.

    Eggs are great, so boiled egg, green beans and new potatoes with a dollop of pesto is fab, plus you can go nuclear and have curried eggs if the family have really been annoying you.

    I'll get some of my fave recipes posted, but for curries you want this book which has lots of veggie stuff in it, or things you can substitute meat free or veggies into. I do the vindaloo with butterbeans and butternut squash or quorn and it's awesome.

    Mitch
     
  14. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    Just a few days in and I know I've made the right decision.

    Already I feel better at the end of the day and I think it'll actually work out cheaper eating this way.

    I'm surprised at how far a little goes and how full I am on not a lot of food.

    Last night I did a stir fry for today's lunch, had a bit of it during the day, went back to it about 20 minutes ago and still won't finish it.

    Lunch tomorrow consists of rape seed oil, ginger, sugar snap peas, field mushrooms, a bell pepper, a bit of pilau rice, smoked mackerel, sea salt and black pepper.

    The office will smell lovely. :)

    I cooked Mrs S rape seed oil, ginger, garlic, field mushrooms, prawns, mussels, sugar snap peas, , bell pepper, garden peas, sea salt and black pepper.

    As I've said I've not gone vegetarian, but cutting back hard on the meat has made me re-evaluate how I prepare my meals.

    The kids have fish fingers and chips. :)
     
  15. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    Try a seafood paella. Yummy :)
     
  16. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    Mrs S would like that too.

    I'll look up a recipe.

    I've treated myself to a new wok.
     
  17. Bozza Bostik

    Bozza Bostik Antichrist on Button Moon

    I can't tolerate red meat much these days. Dunno if it's the Crohn's disease, low stomach acid or just...because. Age maybe? Once in a blue moon is enough and I feel rough after.

    I rarely eat the stuff these days, just stick with small amounts of salmon, chicken and turkey. I feel a lot better after I eat that than if I ate beef or something.

    Once I have a better idea of what I can eat I'll probably cut out those meats to, but that's for moral/ethical reasons (I like fluffy bunnies and stuff)...not health or something.

    I eat huge amounts of butternut squash. Good for soups with coconut milk.
     
  18. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    I've found even chicken sits heavily on my stomach.
     
  19. Bozza Bostik

    Bozza Bostik Antichrist on Button Moon

    Have you thought about digestive problems like low stomach acid?

    Apparently low stomach acid causes problems when you're digesting animal proteins. I take...*nips to cupboard*...Betaine hydrochloride with pepsin and that helps my digestion a lot.

    Could be worth thinking about.
     
  20. SWC Sifu Ben

    SWC Sifu Ben I am the law

    I can't be the only one who misread that first bit and thought of this

    [​IMG]
     

Share This Page