Just one other thing thinking about Indian Food is....

It really is not unhealthy for you....

Spices? No fat content there...

Vegetables? No fat content there.... (as long as you boil them) For onions/peppers etc just 1 tbsp oil is all that's needed and that's going to be shared among'st other people too.

Take Chili's as an example, they have more vitamin C than oranges, and they are so good for opening up the blood vessels in the body to make for better circulation too!

Meat? Yes but depending on how you cook it, then it can make lean chicken breast quite healthy if grilled first then added to the final dish. Lamb - a once in a while treat. Fish and prawns grilled will be fine.

Oil? Yes unhealthy, so cut it back to 1 or 2 tbsp per portion instead of 5-6. Each tbsp oil carries between 95-125 calories per tbsp depending upon which oil you use.

Bread? unfortunately Naan breads have quite a high calorific value. Try using chapatti's instead which are a low GI product and just need to be warmed up in a pan, and don't spread with ghee afterwards, but use the juices in the curry sauce for mopping up with.

Also, now when I have a curry at home I now either just use plain boiled rice or a chapatti, I don't have rice and chapatti (During the week).

At weekends I allow myself whatever rice I want and I do have a naan bread although I still restrict myself to half a naan bread.

This way I can still eat curry 2-4 times a week and not have to worry about it

.

Quote from: 976bar on August 20, 2011, 09:28 AM
This way I can still eat curry 2-4 times a week and not have to worry about it

Well, I'm not really one for "healthy eating", so I fear I won't be contributing much to this thread, but I did think that in the light of 976bar's comment (above) about how he can eat curry 2-4 times a week and not have to worry, I should offer my own method :

1) Cook a really good curry (e.g., a Chicken Madras) using free-range chicken and as much oil (any type) / ghee / whatever as you like.
2) Add a good quantity of chopped coriander stalks for the final couple of minutes.
3) Serve with sag aloo and pilau rice / frozen stuffed paratha / chapatti / naan / as you prefer.
4) Eat with Chinthe Burmese Lime Pickle and Onion Salad, and wash down with one or two Clausthaler Extra Herb alkoholfrei beers.

Repeat as desired.

Now what is the secret ?  The secret is NOT TO WORRY : just eat it and enjoy it.  The chicken is free-range, so you don't have to worry about the ethics of eating battery hen; you have added coriander stalks, potatoes, spinach, lime pickles and raw onion, so you have ensured a more-than-adequate daily intake of vegetables; you have drunk low-alcohol beer, so you can legally drive to the nearest A&E if you feel the cholesterol clogging up your arteries; and you have enjoyed a wonderful meal, so you feel relaxed and contented.  And as contentment is the secret to longevity, you also don't have to worry about the risk of an early demise.

** Phil (searching desperately for "tongue-in-cheek" emoticon and failing to find one) !

Quote from: Phil (Chaa006) on August 20, 2011, 10:20 AM

Quote from: 976bar on August 20, 2011, 09:28 AM
This way I can still eat curry 2-4 times a week and not have to worry about it

Well, I'm not really one for "healthy eating", so I fear I won't be contributing much to this thread, but I did think that in the light of 976bar's comment (above) about how he can eat curry 2-4 times a week and not have to worry, I should offer my own method :

1) Cook a really good curry (e.g., a Chicken Madras) using free-range chicken and as much oil (any type) / ghee / whatever as you like.
2) Add a good quantity of chopped coriander stalks for the final couple of minutes.
3) Serve with sag aloo and pilau rice / frozen stuffed paratha / chapatti / naan / as you prefer.
4) Eat with Chinthe Burmese Lime Pickle and Onion Salad, and wash down with one or two Clausthaler Extra Herb alkoholfrei beers.

Repeat as desired.

Now what is the secret ?  The secret is NOT TO WORRY : just eat it and enjoy it.  The chicken is free-range, so you don't have to worry about the ethics of eating battery hen; you have added coriander stalks, potatoes, spinach, lime pickles and raw onion, so you have ensured a more-than-adequate daily intake of vegetables; you have drunk low-alcohol beer, so you can legally drive to the nearest A&E if you feel the cholesterol clogging up your arteries; and you have enjoyed a wonderful meal, so you feel relaxed and contented.  And as contentment is the secret to longevity, you also don't have to worry about the risk of an early demise.

** Phil (searching desperately for "tongue-in-cheek" emoticon and failing to find one) !

That's probably because your tongue is up you're Ar*e Phil!!!!  ;D ;D ;D

Quote from: 976bar on August 20, 2011, 10:26 AM

Quote from: Phil
** Phil (searching desperately for "tongue-in-cheek" emoticon and failing to find one) !

That's probably because your tongue is up you're Ar*e Phil!!!!  ;D ;D ;D

Ah, wrong sort of "cheek" : I was thinking of of the buccal region rather than the nates !

Ray, I tend to agree with 976bar and few would suggest otherwise and if I may here's my wee tip. From 25 years of working with all the fads to keep my weight down while enjoying my food and drink I have figured it out for myself.

I feel you need to get a relative quick result to keep you motivated and that's why I use a protein only 5 day kick off then I move to low carb for a couple of weeks. Entering my third week I do 2 day fast using Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar and honey drink with water. I then more or less stay on the low carb over the week with the usual breakout on Saturday. Even in the low carb routine I can enjoy all manner of lovely food from Pizzas to Chinese to the best recipes on here. This morning I had a large low carb BLT sandwich with bread I made in the Microwave in 2 minutes.

As I have said before I walk most days or given your ankle you could cycle or better still go on You Tube and learn how to do Power Yoga. Good Luck but whatever you do you certainly need to seriously review your diet. Thanks one and all for your input I think we could all learn from this proposal while still enjoying the main site.PP

Hi guys, brilliant feedback and quite a diverse thought process coming through across the members.

Yeah, my old diet was terrible, just bone idleness on my part.  If I can change that then I do expect to see some results.  I get what Martin says with regards to sustaining my current weight but experience tells me that I should loose something as my body will start to consume my own fat reserves but exercise is definitely on the agenda.

The way the slimming world 'Extra Easy' plan works is, eat as much meat, fish, eggs, rice, pasta as you want.  Cut down on wheat and flour products such as breads and omit or reduce oils. I am allowed what they call 'syns' to a maximum of 15 per day.  For balance I have to choose a portion off what they call their A and B menu, so a typical day could look like this;

A choice; 250ml of skimmed milk
B choice; 2 pieces of brown bread from a 400g loaf.

Breakfast;  " boiled eggs served on 2 pieces of brown bread (from my B choice menu) that has low fat spread on each.  A portion of smoked haddock and a grilled tomato and a cup of tea using sweeteners and the milk from my A choice menu.....syn value = 1 (the spread)

Lunch; a bowl of cock a leeky soup, oriental chicken noodle salad with a soy sauce dressing, 1 apple and a banana, sugar free soft drink.....syn value = 0

Dinner; Grilled 8oz sirloin steak (all visible fat removed) served with Slimming world method chips, crispy Mediterranean style salad, drizzled with a fat free Italian or French dressing.  And for dessert, a bowl of fruit tipped with low fat yogurt or fat free fromage frais.....syn value = 0

Treat; 1 can of lager (500ml).....syn value = 8.5
Treat; As many cups of tea as I wish using the amount of milk in my A choice menu and sweeteners.....syn value = 0

So, I would have used 9.5 of my syns, carrying over 5.5 to the next day, allowing me 20.5 syns and so on upto a maximum of 7 days.  So, you can see, there is a well balanced choice of foods available and as long as you're disciplined, the rewards are there for you at the end of the week in the shape of banked syns!

I haven't yet contacted Stew about this as I still feel as though I'm indulging myself but if you guy's think it has it's merits, then I will PM him and see what he thinks.

Ray

BTW, the Pork Vindaloo recipe was quite possibly the worst thing I've ever tasted in my life

Quote from: Razor on August 20, 2011, 01:25 PM

Dinner; Grilled 8oz sirloin steak (all visible fat removed) served with Slimming world method chips, crispy Mediterranean style salad, drizzled with a fat free Italian or French dressing.  And for dessert, a bowl of fruit tipped with low fat yogurt or fat free fromage frais.....syn value = 0

Hi Ray,

I Know Fillet Steak is more expensive but it does have less fat that Sirloin and is a cut I prefer anyways. Also you could use Pork Tenderloin as an alternative to Steak which is nice too

Yeah, fillet or sirloin or any meat really, just as long as you trim off the fat before cooking, is absolutely fine.

Even extra lean minced beef or lamb is 'syn' free on this Slimming world programme.

Ray