So, study leave is upon me. That means hours upon hours in the library. And what do I think about when my mind starts to wander? Food,of course!
The revision period is a tough time to be counting calories. I know that eating right will be good for my concentration (as well as my waist line), but try telling my cravings that. I’m the kind of person who plans their day (and thus, their revision plans) around what and when they’ll eat. This will be my 5th year sitting exams, and trust me – I’ve tried it all: from not caring and eating what I want when I want (ahem..whole packs of biscuits for breakfast, lunch and dinner), to being strict and eating the purest, healthiest foods. So, for the past week I’ve been planning my meals, and it’s working! I can’t cut calories or food groups when revising as hard as I am – I don’t think it’s good for my concentration. Instead, I’ve simply been aiming to eat 1,500 kcal daily.
Another important thing to think about during revision periods is money. I love to treat myself in times of stress, but when the time of stress is lasting 4 weeks (i.e. exam period), that can be an expensive treat. In light of that, I’ve been shopping around for bargains and here’s what is working for me…
Breakfast:
People say this is the most important meal of the day, and I couldn’t agree more. However, hauling myself out of bed in time to get to the library often means I don’t have long to prepare anything fancy. Instead, I go for one of the following:
A bowl of cereal / fat free milk / black coffee – 110 kcal
Fat free yogurt / teaspoon honey / black coffee – 115 kcal
Homemade ice coffee with fat free milk (200ml) / 5 whole almonds – 120 kcal
For cereal, I always go to Iceland. They sell all the big brands in family sized boxes and almost always have good deals (50% free or 50p off). You just can’t go wrong! For fat free yogurt, I believe that the basic supermarket own brands are just as good as any fancy brands and half the price!
Lunch:
Normally, I lovea salad full of greens and vegetables. In revision mode, however, I crave carbs and meat. Not only that, I find I get serious food envy over all the people in the library with their delicious smelling sandwiches! I simply can’t afford to buy my sandwiches, and you’ll be lucky to find a ready made sandwich for less than 400 kcal. I make my own with low fat bread, and delicious gammon ham:
2 slices low fat bread / 60g ham / teaspoon mayonnaise – 230 kcal
I get my ham from Iceland – they do a great deal on cooked gammon ham trimmings (450g for 175g). It tastes like proper deli ham .. yum yum yum!
Snacks:
This is my downfall. I love snacking, and I can’t resist when I’m stuck in a library all day. Fruit is great for a snack, and I eat a lot of it. However, it often doesn’t fill the gap. Here are my top buys:
Weight watchers cheese puffs – 75 kcal
Cadbury’s freddo bar – 95 kcal
Galaxy ripple snack size – 95 kcal
Banana / apples / grapes
I allow myself one packet of cheese puffs, one chocolate snack bar, one banana, and as many apples and grapes as I’m craving. Weight watchers do a great range of crisps – they have hardly and calories and a low fat content when compared to your usual brands, but they don’t skimp on quantity. As a girl, I can’t resistchocolate. For under 100 kcal, I’d say freddos or a snack sized Galaxy bar are perfect – they satisfy my cravings and I can eat them guilt free. You can normally buy all these snacks in a pound store, too! For fruit, I go the market – it’s gives me scope to bargain and get a really good deal.
Dinner:
I have to vary my dinners, or I get bored. However, I have to plan my dinners at least the day before, or my cravings will get the better of me and I’ll end up cooking something expensive or fattening (or both!). Here are my favourite low effort meals:
Spaghetti / Sardines / Mixed salad leaves / Cherry tomatoes – 400 kcal
Stir fried vegetables / Chicken breast / Reduced sodium soy sauce – 270 kcal
Fish curry / 1 pitta bread – 400 kcal
Spaghetti and sardines is one of my favourite meals – I make it all the time. It’s unbelievably cheap, very filling and so healthy (sardines are rich in vitamin B12, vitamin D, omega 3 and protein). I understand that pasta is normally a no-go for dieters, but I wouldn’t deny myself this delicious, nutritious and wallet-friendly meal!
I make stir-fried vegetables and chicken when I am too impatient to prepare anything else – it takes less than 10 minutes if you buy the packets of stir fry vegetables! The packets normally serve 2, but as I rarely serve these with noodles (or any other carbohydrate), I’ll eat a packet to myself – that’s only 160 kcal! If I’ve had a really food-filled day, I’ll often leave the chicken breast out and have a satisfying meal but very guilt free meal.
This fish curry is a corker – I’ll share the recipe another day. But, rest assured, any home-made curry can be made with hardly any fat at all!
I know that these menus aren’t particularly awe-inspiring, but it can be tricky thinking about how to eat well when you really don’t want to. If any of you have any ideas for guilt-free snacking, please leave a comment and let me know!
Having said all that, the weekend is now upon us and it’s baking time! I’m preparing a giant jaffa cake for my flatmates, and I’ll be posting the recipe tomorrow!
The Food Loving Dieter 