Diet for a student

[bekib86]

Hi, has any one got any ideas for a healthy diet for a student on LOW finances. I seem to eat rubbish all the time and have put on over a stone.

My boyfriend is a big eater but because of his busy job he never puts any weight on. I find it really hard to eat with him because he piles food on my plate and i find it hard to turn it down. And its never anything healthy. I was brought up that it was rude to leave food and so i will always finish whatever is put in front of me. I dont want to have to start making food seperate, its nice to cook together.

I must admit i dont exercise but it is very difficult. I am a student nurse and work shifts between 7am - 10pm so its hard to find the time because when i am free im too tired to do anything else but slob around! So i know i must take up some sort of activity. My boyfriend suggested joining a gym but i wouldnt use it enough and cant afford it. Im only home at weekends (at uni in the week) and so it wouldnt be worth it because i also work at home at the weekend.

I desperatley need to shift some pounds but no idea where to start. Ive looked at diets in magazines and online but all the recipes it gives are just too expensive and some of the things arent possible to eat when im at work all day. Most of the things they suggest are besed around nuts im allergic to them.

Any advice would be great, thanks. Beki x

[beryllium]

Hi beki :)
Firstly, tell your bf that you require a lady sized dinner.
Now then, you will be working very hard so important carbohydrates are needed aswell as brain food.

Pasta salads? with sundried tomatoes, feta cheese, spring onions, celery, cucumber, red/green peppers, radishes and cherry toms, or anything else you fancy....

again, pasta salad with tuna, red onion, toms, any other salady bits and a little mayo.

Rice salad, with grated carrot, sultanas, celery, toms, spring onions, cucumber, peppers.... or??? anything else salady lol.... with a little mayo to taste mixed in......

These salads can be made the previous day/evening and will last a couple of days.

If you like mackeral, buy the packed cold smoked mackeral and again.... salads!!!

Take charge of the food shopping with him in tow...... xxx

[natalie_1982]

Hi Beki, like you, I wouldn't make the most of a gym membership, I find it hard to find the motivation to go once a week let alone 3-4 times. I do go on ocassion, perhaps once per month, but do what I have to and then get out of there! However, I do do a number of other exercises including Body Pump, yoga and swimming as well as making sure i get at least a 15 minute walk every day (either on my way to or from work, or during my lunch hour). Go to your local leisure centre and start having a go at all of the classes; they run at all times of the day and I am sure you will find something fun that you can really get into and enjoy.

Exercising properly at least 3 times per week plus the walks help me to be able to eat virtually what I want. I mean, I do tend to eat halthily anyway (smoothie / cereal and fruit for brekkie, salad / sandiwch for lunch and healthy meal in the evening), but being a 9-5 office worker I have the luxury of not working shifts and being able to have a regular routine. One thing I do find that helps though is to spend, for me a Sunday evening, chopping fruit and veg for snacks during the week. Yesterday I chopped a pineapple, a mango and some carrots. This means that before work in the mornins I pop some grapes, pineapple and mango into a tub and hey presto my snacks are sorted for the day and i have had three fruit portions into the bargain!

I, too, have a big appetite and enjoy my food and find it easier to watch my weight by exercising and enjoying my food, than not exercising and watching everything I eat.

Also, I usually have a bag of nuts or wter crackers onm y desk that help to curb that craving when I start getting hungry before lunchtime! Good luck x x

[sarahreiki]

Hi Beki,
If you can eat some pulses and lentils instead of meat that should save money, especially if you buy the dried ones rather than the tinned ones. You soak most of the big ones like red kidney beans and chick peas overnight, then boil them carefully before using but it really is worth the effort and provides lots of low fat protein much cheaper than meat. My meat eating husband loves chick pea curry and I love chilli con carne. Also to make chicken go further in a wet curry sauce add red or green lentils while cooking. Again it saves money and is lower fat than chicken or meat. If you dont know where to start get a book out of the library - any veggie cook book will have suitable recipes and I have a Rose Elliot book called "Book of Beans and Lentils" which is a small book which covers all types of beans and lentils and how to cook them plus loads of recipes.
Also if you have a freezer buy meat, fish, veg when it is on special offer or cheap ( near Best before date) then portion it up and freeze. This is how I buy more expensive meats and fish I wouldn't normally buy.
To keep bf under control maybe you could get a smaller lady sized plate, when he is dishing up!

Good luck and enjoy, and if you have any horrid patients at work you could give them a special lentil smelling cloud of wind. Perfect.

[bekib86]

Hi, thanks for all your answers.first day of diet today,i had wheetabix for breakfast as usual-the only thing that keeps me going till lunch.Lunch is hard, i worked 8-6 today+find it tempting to go to the canteen,as its nice to get a break from the ward.but...i took a bowl of special K,a nutrigrain bar+a banana.After work i went shoppin+bought salad(which seemed a bit boring as i only like lettuce,cucumber, onion, cherry toms),jacket pots,some fruit+some other bits.Only had 2 carrier bags+managed to spend �30!!This healthly lark is expensive.I must admit i did buy 2 cook books which were �3 each as i have no idea when it comes to cooking.So for tea i made all my salad together,had it with a jacket pot(no butter with a tiny bit of cheese),low fat colslaw+low fat salad cream.There was loads of salad so i am goin to take it for lunch tomorrow+thurs.I actually really enjoyed it,which i was shocked by as nornally when someone suggests salad i think its really boring.didnt get back from shopping till 8+by time id had my tea,god knows where im meant to fit exercise in to all this!!hehe.Me+my housemate are goin swimmin tomorrow hopefully if she can fit in her swimmi costume(she heavily pregnant)+im playin badminton with my bf,my mum+dad on sunday night.at least thats something,got to start somewhere.just dont see how it cost me so much,its ok now cuz iv got healthly things in my fridge,but that will only last me til thursday and then ill have to go shoppin again+spend another �20. is mad how money builds up so quickly.Also swimming isnt cheap, if i went 3 times a week its over �10.50 which i dont have. Also badminton is not cheap! I jus dont have the money,im only gettin �30 a week student loan+i have a car to run.I work at the weekends but this only just covers my petrol.can always walk,that doesnt cost anything,jus dont like walkin aimlesly on my own,i get bored and seems a waste of time if im not going anywhere.
sorry to rant,thought id let u know how it went.

[natalie_1982]

Hey Beki, well done!! If you want to get into exercise regularly then have a look at what special cards your leisure centre does; mine for example sells cards that are specific to what you want to do for example an "Active Slice" card is about �25 per month and includes all dry sports (badminton, gym, fitness classes) and also swimming. I work for local govt and so get a good deal on these in that I pay �22 for an entire year for me and hubby to get discounted rates on all dry sports and free swimming. I assume you work fr the NHS - they may run a similar scheme. Have a look into it.

Also, don't deprive yourself of anything you really fancy - butter on a JP - mmmmm :-) as it will make the diet change harder to stick to. I don't know where you bought your fruit / veg from but I would try and use a green grocer as they are MUCH cheaper (or they tend to be by me anyway), although you don't get so many of them around these days.

Oh, and instead of buying bagged salad (it's nice, but mega expensive and doesn't last long) but a bag of spinach leaves (Tesco Value do a bag for about 20p I think), and various other lettuces. Don't let the word spinach put you off - my brother is totally anti veg and couldn't tell the difference between a lettuce leaf and a spinach leaf when he tried it, but that is probably because the lettuce has the same IQ as him. Anyhoo, results should show pretty soon and it will make you want to stick to it even more.

P.S. How about getting a cheapie MP3 player and listening to that on your way into work if you fancied a walk? Although if you are working odd shifts I wouldn't fancy walking aimlessly in the dark either!

P.P.S One last thing. A pineapple costs between �1 and �2 and if you chop one up and put it in a tub you have an instant snack that should last about a week if you were to have one portion of it every day (I mean, fill your boots if you want more of course, but that's

[beryllium]

Hi again Beki :)

Good start girl.... and start as you mean to go on. I will just add that looking out for the BOGOF deals are rather good lol.... and if you have a market near you? buy your veggies there. And I am told Lidl is very good on prices if you have one of those.

I too would suggest an MP3, but not at night, if you're walking alone hon, unless your up on self defence.....???

Keep going angel :) xxx