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How to avoid bread?

Slight dilema here. I like the stuff a lot but it's probably the cause (or a cause) for weight gain.

Breakfast - Ok, not too much of a problem here. It's easy to just have two slices of toast but there is nothing to stop me from having Weetabix/Special K or porridge. I can manage that no probs.

Lunch - Now I'm stuck. I've had sandwiches with 3 slices of bread every day for as far back as I can remember. No problem with weight until I was 20, then my body waved a white flag and surrendered. Today for the very first time, I came to work with a tin of Heinz tomato soup, the mug-sized version. Very nice to have, but I think I'll need something else with that if I'm to continue in future with it. What do you guys bring to work?

Supper - This varies and isn't normally a problem for me. I can avoid bread unless I have a pizza, which is about once a fortnight for me. I usually have two meals a week with pasta and two meals a week with potatos. I'll occionally have rice. I eat out (Weatherspoons) once a week.

The trouble is - bread is such an everyday item, just like milk. For those who bring packed lunch to work, can any of you quite honestly say that you don't bring sandwiches?
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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    For lunches, if I'm having something with bread, I take pitta bread in with me, as I don't feel as 'weighed' down and bloated than if I had sliced bread. Might be worth having some fillings with that if you want to wean yourself off gradually.

    Usually for lunches I'll have wholemeal pasta, pesto with some fish or chicken. If I'm having soup, I try to make sure I have some protein with it (chopped up chicken is nice) as it fills you up and makes the meal a bit more balanced. If not that, then wraps or things stuffed in pitta.

    I occassionally eat bread every now and again, usually with nut butters or toasted with scrambled egg but I honestly don't miss it if it's not there. I'd suggest weaning yourself off it, (switching to brown if you don't eat it already) and trying alternatives, rather than cutting it out completely.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Monserrat wrote: »
    The trouble is - bread is such an everyday item, just like milk. For those who bring packed lunch to work, can any of you quite honestly say that you don't bring sandwiches?

    Yep, in fact i've only ever brought in sandwiches a couple of times ever. I normally have leftovers from whatever i've had for dinner. That or some sort of noodles/rice/pasta.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I do have sandwiches, but my blokey takes steamed veg and some meat or fish to work and puts that in the microwave, I am assuming that you have a microwave since you have soup ? Why not try making stews or something fresh at the weekend, freezing it and then taking that for the week ?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I go for wholemeal, it's more filling so you don't need to eat as much of it, plus it takes more energy for your body to digest it so it's more conducive to losing weight. So wholemeal bread instead of white bread, wholemeal pasta, brown sugar instead of white, etc.

    Also if you snack, try nuts or fruit etc instead of biscuits/crackers/crisps.

    Smoothies are also quite filling and I'm a huge fan of them, so maybe sometimes try half a sandwich for lunch and have a smoothie to drink.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Start by swapping it all to wholemeal, that'll be a very good start.

    I can't remember the last time I had sandwiches for packed lunch.

    Soup is good, but the tinned stuff isn't the most filling, the 'posher' ones are usually a lot better, New Covent Garden style stuff. I've always got a few of the aldi fresh type soups in the fridge, half of one of those tubs for lunch and some ryvita/crackers/rice bread and I'm quite happy.

    Brown rice salad, ordinary sala, fruit salad, cereal are all quite good.

    Personnal favourite is a swiss thing called birchermuseli. Museli, yoghurt, grated apple if you're doing it properly and chunks of fruit.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Monserrat wrote: »
    The trouble is - bread is such an everyday item, just like milk. For those who bring packed lunch to work, can any of you quite honestly say that you don't bring sandwiches?

    I've not had sandwiches as part of a packed lunch for a few years now. Instead I've had pasta or rice.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Wow, thanks everyone! Rachie, that's a v. good point about whether to include all wheat-based things. I think I'm happy to have pasta a couple of times a week simply because I like it too much.

    I checked Tesco's onion gravy powder and I am very glad to find out that it doesn't contain wheat (flour). You gotta have gravy with bangers and mash :-)

    As for the more snacky cheese and biscuits, is Rivita (sp) a wheat-free biscuit? Anything else that is like Rivita?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You can get Rivita type products that are wheat free. I get some from sainsburys and there nice and aren't that expensive! Tesco also have a good range of wheat free things. It's best to go in and have a look, you'll be surprised at what you can get!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Monserrat wrote: »
    Today for the very first time, I came to work with a tin of Heinz tomato soup, the mug-sized version.

    Is that not quite calorific? And watch the salt content.

    Those John West Light Tuna lunches are quite good for that time of day ...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I've just checked the nuitrition of a tin of Heinz tomato soup: 171 cal, 2.0 g salt, 1.2 g fibre, 2.7 g protein, carbohydrate 20.2 g
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Monserrat wrote: »
    I've just checked the nuitrition of a tin of Heinz tomato soup: 171 cal, 2.0 g salt, 1.2 g fibre, 2.7 g protein, carbohydrate 20.2 g

    Yep, the only big worry i'd say there is with soup is salt. Heinz at least, and i'd imagine most others is packed with it. Fat and calorie content is pretty good. And heinz tomato soup is like 70% tomatoes i think, so that's gotta be good right?!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i havent eaten bread for months... rice cakes and ryvita is so much better and they don't go mouldy so you can stock up lol
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Just to follow up and let you know what happened:

    I've gone without bread for a week now. I thought I would get withdrawal, but no, it's been absolutely fine. With cheese/tomato-type lunch, I replaced bread with Ryvita and I found it to be equally as nice as bread. My teas are pretty much unaffected because they're mainly based on potato/rice. With respect to pasta, I have found out this week that you can buy egg pasta should I need to avoid wheat even more.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I believe egg pasta is still made with wheat.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Besides, it doesn't say much for a product if the supposed natives won't touch it with a bargepole.

    Fosters... fresh pasta...
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