Variation? But how?

7 February, 2010 Off By Pinky @lowfatpie

I am struggling a little bit with variation – at the moment I’m pretty much eating the same things every day. This is easy of course to do as I can prepare a lot of things in advance or very quickly. Weight Watchers tends to stress that we really need a varied diet, and I get that, but I don’t know what else I can eat.

For example, I can not just eat a sandwich for breakfast or lunch. Well, I can, but it’s not really satisfying. I can eat eggs, for example, which on ProPoints a filling portion is 5 points. That means I can eat until I am satisfied as many eggs as I want. Before you start wondering if my cholesterol level is through the roof, it’s not; I usually eat no more than 4 soft boiled eggs at a time.

So, what can I eat, that is filling, for only 5 points? A sandwich costs more points than that. The bread itself (because no slice of bread is 25g = 2 points) for two slices is anywhere from 4.5 to 5 points. I can add a bunch of cucumbers and 3 slices of chicken lunch meat (50g = 1 point), but really, this is a piddly sandwich if you ask me. And a sandwich like that definitely won’t get me through the afternoon, I’d need at least two of them (and even then… it feels like a lot of bread and very little of anything else) which would cost me 9 – 10 points.

I could eat yoghurt, fruit and cereal for 3 points, but I have actually been using this as my afternoon (or on the way home) snack. I can not just eat cereal and milk; that’s a lot of grains and no protein really and my belly isn’t a huge fan of too much milk. Cereal- All-Bran -is 2 points for only 30g. That’s VERY little, certainly not something I can survive on from 6 am even until I get to work at 9am.

Lately lunches are warm meals – 100gr of rice and 100gr of chicken with veggies, which costs me around 7 points total. Again, 2 sandwiches cost more than this and are less satisfying. Sometimes I have salads instead, but still with rice and maybe quorn, tuna or shrimp and still only cost me around 7 points. I try to vary the protein I have in my lunch every day but it’s pretty much the same besides that. And I have fruit – mandarins or a grapefruit or kiwis – afterwards.

How does one really VARY what the eat during the day? I don’t eat a lot of snacks that aren’t fruit or vegetable related. No junk food whatsoever. With a budget of 29 points and the desire to have a really good, hearty evening meal keep me with the same meals during the day. I would really like to vary, but I want to have the same points left over when I come home for a tasty Indian or Italian meal… If any readers have any tips, I am open, please tell me what you do to make things more interesting!