eating and recipes

Sensible eating goes beyond the few weeks that you’re ‘on a diet’. There are no tricks and no mysteries; the simple key to losing weight and keeping it off is to make long-lasting changes to your lifestyle habits. You’ve already made a start, and with the help of the alli^® program, you have the right support to keep going.

The following tips can help you make steady progress to your goal weight.

Eat regular meals and snacks

Dieting with alli isn’t about starving yourself and going for hours a day without food. You should be eating regularly – three meals that are reduced calorie and lower-fat, plus snacks that are within your daily fat target.

Take your time

The longer you chew your food, the more you’ll notice the different flavors, because it has more time to stimulate a larger number of your taste buds. Eating more slowly can also give your stomach the time it needs to let your brain know that it’s full – about 15 minutes. A well-chewed meal helps you to avoid indigestion too.

Eat a varied diet

While you’re following the alli program, it’s important to eat reduced calorie, lower-fat meals which contain a range of different nutrients. This will help ensure that your diet is balanced overall. You should also take a multivitamin every day at bedtime to ensure adequate absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K.

The alli program encourages you to eat foods from all the main food groups. The food plate model shown below shows the proportions of the different food groups you need to eat in order to achieve a balanced diet. Each group plays a role in the diet by providing nutrients and energy.

• Breads, potatoes, breakfast cereals and other grains should be the most important source of calories in your diet.
• Have at least one portion of these types of foods every meal.
• Wholegrain versions provide additional fiber to help fill you up.
• Some starchy foods have a low glycemic index which helps regulate your blood sugar and keeps you feeling fuller for longer.

Fruit feasts

• Fruit and vegetables are a really important part of any balanced diet.
• Aim for a minimum of 5 portions per day.
• Fruit and vegetables contain fiber and a wide range of different vitamins and minerals.

Keep up your calcium

• Milk, yogurt and cheeses or fortified soya alternatives are essential for the calcium they supply.
• Eat reduced fat versions of dairy products, such as semi-skimmed milk, reduced fat yogurts and cheeses.
• Use reduced fat rather than fat free products for important calcium and vitamin A.

Pack in less protein

• Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes and vegetarian sources of protein should be eaten in small portions.
• Use lean cuts of meat, removing visible fat. Remove skin from poultry.
• Beans, lentils and peas are high in fiber. Adding them to meat dishes helps reduce the fat content as less meat is needed.
• It’s recommended that you eat fish twice a week, with one of these being oily fish as this is one of the few sources of dietary vitamin D, and beneficial omega 3 fats.

Portions

Knowing your portion sizes is another important part of losing weight. It’s best not to guess the amounts – it could be the difference between a happy moment on your bathroom scales or a disappointing one. That’s why the alli^® program recommends that you have a set of measuring spoons and weighing scales for the kitchen. (Electronic scales that can weigh from 5g up are a good option.)

The following table is a guide to some of the calories and fat in smaller measures and typical measures of certain foods.

Plan your meals in advance

• If you’ve started planning your meals that’s great news – carry on and try using our meal planner too.
• There’s no need to make separate meals for you and your family – alli recipes are so tasty that everyone can enjoy them. The only difference is that those not taking the capsules can eat bigger portions.
• Children need energy from foods to grow healthily and be active. When eating as a family on the alli program, children should enjoy meals and healthy snacks which are proportionate to their age and activity levels, (which may be larger, smaller or the same as the adult portions).

Preparing and cooking your food

How you cook your food is another way to stay within your daily fat and calorie targets.

• Bake or grill instead of frying. Steam or boil vegetables.
• Trim away all the fat on meat and skin on poultry before cooking it.
• Swap your cooking oil for an oil spray.
• Choose low-fat or skimmed milk.
• Look for cheese or cottage cheese that’s reduced fat.
• Use tomato-based sauces and salsas instead of creamy, cheesy versions.
• If you like to bake cakes, try swapping some of the fat or oil for apple sauce. It will still be moist and delicious, just lower in fat.

Healthy snacks

Keep a few alli-friendly snacks on standby so that if you get hungry or feel a craving coming on, you can make choices that won’t sabotage your efforts for the day.

Remember to stay within your recommended fat target per day i.e. 3 grams per snack per day, or two snacks of 1.5 grams each.

Making a list and sticking to what’s on it will help you feel more in control and save you time as well. Don’t tempt yourself unnecessarily - if something doesn’t go in your cart, it doesn’t go in your fridge or kitchen cabinets. Shopping when you’re hungry is a bad idea and might lead to snacking.

• Avoid processed and fast food as often as possible - they’re usually high in fat. Choose lean meat and fish, poultry and vegetable-derived proteins such as beans and chick peas.
• Increase the amount of fruit and vegetables in your weekly grocery shopping. They’re low fat and an important source of vitamins.
• Read the labels of products to find out the fat content, remembering the fat target that you’ve calculated per meal. Check the portion sizes too – if it’s for two people make sure you only eat half.
• Swap whole-milk, cream and other dairy products for reduced-fat versions - choose low-fat or skimmed milk, low-fat spreads and yogurts etc.
• Choose lower-fat salad dressings.
• Some foods are high in fat and you need to either avoid them or be particularly careful that the portion you eat does not take you over your daily fat target. Which foods are these?
  • most hard cheeses or cream cheeses
  • sausages, salami and other processed meats
  • fried foods
  • oils, butter, cream
  • mayonnaise, salad dressings and cream based sauces
  • ice creams
  • chocolate
  • cakes, biscuits and pastries
  • savory dishes which include pastry
  • nuts, savory snacks (unless fat reduced), regular popcorn
  • desserts, especially those containing cream.

The fat content of these foods can vary a lot, so it’s best to look them up in a fat and calorie counter or check the food labeling. If you’re uncertain about the fat and calorie content of particular foods, don’t eat them.

Using food labels to help you find suitable foods

In order to understand about the fat content of foods it helps to know how food is labelled.

Basic labels

Some food labels provide very basic information. They may look like this:

This shows that 100g of the food provides 8g of fat and 375 calories.

This sort of label provides limited information because you still need to know how much of the food you will eat. It may be 30g, 100g or 250g. You can weigh the food to find out what a typical portion contains, or look this up in a fat and calorie counter.

Detailed labels

Some food labels provide more detailed information, including how much an average portion should contain. These labels are really useful as you know exactly how much fat you should eat in one portion. However, you should take care to ensure that the portion size corresponds with your fat target. You may find that you typically eat a larger portion than is recommended.

The example below is of a Raisin cereal bar. The bar provides 131 calories and 2.8g fat so could be eaten as a snack since it provides less than 3g fat in one bar.

You can eat out with alli^® and still stay on track. Start by trying to see the occasion as something more than an opportunity to eat. Appreciate that you’re meeting up with friends or going out with family. Take the focus off your plate and enjoy the conversation.

When you’ve arrived at the restaurant, take your capsule and sip water while you’re ordering –mineral water with a slice of lime is refreshing. Or, if you’re going to have an alcoholic drink, remember to allow for the calories.

Take your time when reading the menu. Expect some flexibility from the restaurant and feel confident about asking for your meal to be diet-friendly. Following the principles below will help you keep to your diet and support your progress.

• Chicken and seafood are lower-fat protein choices than red meat.
• Ask for meat and fish to be grilled, not fried.
• Choose salsas or tomato-based sauces rather than rich creamy ones.
• Ask for dressings to be separate from the meal and see if there are lower-fat alternatives available. It’s better to lightly dip than drench your food in it.
• Try mustard instead of mayonnaise or choose a lower-fat mayonnaise.
• Finally, be aware of portion sizes – they may be large and you don’t have to clear the plate.

Tips according to restaurant type

1Fast food

Best choices:

• small plain burger
• grilled chicken
• salad (separate dressing)
• fish (no batter)
• fresh fruit
• corn on the cob (without butter)

Foods to limit:

• small portion of chips
• sauces
• ice cream

Foods to avoid:

• cheeseburger
• large portion of chips
• hot dog
• cheese
• mayonnaise
• buffalo wings
• ribs
• desserts

2Indian

Best choices:

• tandoori dishes
• tikka dishes
• madras
• jalfrezi
• balti
• dopiaza
• plain, boiled rice

Foods to limit:

• onion bhajis
• poppadoms
• pickles
• naan bread (plain)
• pilau rice

Foods to avoid:

• anything with coconut milk
• creamy kormas, pasandas, masalas, biryani
• peshwari naan
• ghee/oil on top of curry

3Chinese

Best choices:

• plain boiled rice
• stir-fry dishes (vegetable, chicken, prawn or beef and remember to ask the restaurant to limit the oil!)
• clear soup
• tofu – not fried
• steamed dumpling

Foods to limit:

• prawn toast
• spring roll
• sweet sauces

Foods to avoid:

• egg/special fried rice
• duck
• battered/deep fried/crispy choices
• prawn crackers
• spare ribs

4Pizza

Best choices:

• salad (separate dressing)
• thin crust
• toppings; vegetables, prawns, tomatoes, seafood, plain chicken

Foods to limit:

• dough balls (no dip)
• ham
• chicken
• cheese

Foods to avoid:

• deep or stuffed crust
• extra cheese
• pepperoni
• sausage
• oil
• garlic bread
• coleslaw

5Casual Dining

Best choices:

• soup (not cream-based)
• lean meat in bread and cheese
• jacket potato (with baked beans or tuna without mayonnaise)
• sandwiches (lean filling, no butter or spread)
• chilli
• baked fish

Foods to limit:

• stew and dumplings
• cottage pie
• smoked fish with bread and cheese
• fish pie
• sauces

Foods to avoid:

• potato wedges with cheese
• pasties/pies
• chips
• crisps
• roast
• cheese or paté on bread
• potted meat/shrimps
• fish and chips
• lasagna
• sausage and mash

6Italian

Best choices:

• tomato-based sauce
• bread sticks
• seafood (not fried)
• minestrone soup
• sorbet

Foods to limit:

• ice cream
• grated parmesan
• pesto

Foods to avoid:

• creamy pasta sauces
• garlic bread
• creamy puddings like tiramisu and zabaglione
• fritto

7Thai

Best choices:

• clear soups
• seafood salad
• stir-fried dishes
• steamed rice
• sticky rice

Foods to limit:

• steamed fish (can be steamed in oil and water)
• spring rolls

Foods to avoid:

• anything with coconut milk or coconut cream
• deep-fried starters
• fried rice

8Japanese

Best choices:

• Sushi
• Onigiri
• Sashimi
• Udon
• Shabu-shabu
• Miso soup

Foods to limit:

• Yakitori
• Sukiyaki
• Domburi
• Ramen

Foods to avoid:

• Fried rice
• Gyoza
• Tonkatsu
• Tempura
• Yakisoba
• Krokke
• Gyudon
• Teriyaki