When you’re trying to eat well, keeping a few kitchen essentials in makes it so much easier to throw together a healthy meal.

It can be overwhelming to know what to eat when you’re losing weight. Social media will have you believing that you need expensive protein powders, photogenic superfoods, and an abundance of expensive fresh veg.

But while it would be nice to eat that way, healthy eating doesn’t need to be fancy (or expensive). Eating inexpensive basics is good for your body and your bank balance, and you can always build on your supplies. If your cupboards are bare because you eat out a lot, or you just don’t know where to start, here are a few things to keep in to help you start making delicious healthy meals.

Dried goods

Pasta. It’s quick to make, versatile and even the fussiest of kids usually like it. Add a sauce, veg and a source of protein and you’ve got yourself a good meal. You can choose wholewheat varieties for a fibre boost or go for black bean or lentil pasta, which are a good source of protein.

Rice. It’s cheap and filling, elevates a curry or chilli and is a good accompaniment for a stir fry. Brown rice is higher in fibre, and rice pouches are a speedy and convenient alternative to bags of dried rice. If you eat a lot of rice, consider getting a rice cooker (you can pick one up for around £25) for perfect rice each time.

Noodles. Any type of noodle is good, from uber-thick udon noodles to incredibly thin thread or rice noodles. Add them to a stir fry or try in soup for a satisfying lunch.

Oats. Porridge makes for a fantastically filling breakfast and can also be used for an energy-rich granola or flapjacks. You can even use oats to thicken up a bolognese or a stew.

Canned goods

Canned foods have a long shelf life, which makes them ideal for keeping in the cupboard for when you need them, even if you’re not sure when that’ll be.

Veg. Chopped tomatoes are one of the most versatile ingredients you can keep in – use for sauces, casseroles, chillies, curries, traybakes and more. Tinned potatoes can be used for a cheap potato salad, or they can be cooked in the air fryer to make quick roast potatoes. Don’t overlook tinned veg like peas, sweetcorn, and carrots either to help get you towards your 5 a day without worrying that they’ll rot before you can get to eating them.

Fruit. Look for the kind in juice rather than syrup, as they’ll be lower in sugar. Tinned fruit is handy to keep in for a sweet treat, and they can be used straight from the tin or used in cooking. Peaches, pineapple and mandarins are particularly good as they retain their taste and texture when canned.

Legumes and pulses. These provide great value and pack a lot of nutrients. They’re high in fibre and protein and go a long way to bulk out dishes. Use kidney, cannelloni, haricot and butter beans in chillies, stews, and veggie patties. Add lentils to curries, salads or bolognese. Use chickpeas in Indian or Moroccan inspired recipes, mash them to make falafel or blend with garlic and olive oil for a yummy hummus. It’s cheaper to buy dried legumes and pulses, but they require soaking for long periods before you sue them, so unless you’re super organised, the tinned varieties are more convenient.

Fish. Tuna, salmon, sardines and mackerel can be used in sandwiches, pasta salads and bakes, for fishcakes or simply spread on toast for a quick meal.

Condiments

Tomato ketchup. Sometimes all you need is a squeeze of this classic dip to take a meal from zero to hero, but use it in moderation as it can be high in sugar.

Mustard. This packs a flavour punch and tastes great in loads of dishes, from adding to meat to macaroni cheese.

Vinegar. Balsamic and red or white wine vinegar add acidity to dishes, which brightens flavours. Fancy vinegars can be on the expensive side, but a little goes a long way so it should last for a long time.

Peanut butter. Natural, no added sugar peanut butter is nutrient and energy rich. It can be high in calories depending on how much you eat, but it makes for a good snack. Add it to porridge or toast for breakfast, or use it in a satay sauce for a savoury treat.

Tabasco, sriracha, chipotle and Worcestershire sauce are other handy condiments to have in to add a kick of flavour to dishes.

Oil

Olive oil is considered the healthiest of plant oils. It has beneficial effects on our gut microbiome and can help reduce our risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes thanks to being high in monounsaturated fats (that’s the ‘good’ type of fat). Choose a good quality oil and use a spray bottle to dispense it, as this’ll help cut down on how much you use, which cuts down on added calories.

Seasoning

Stock cubes add instant flavour to soups, stews and more. Varieties include vegetable, beef, and chicken. Go for a low salt option if you can as they tend to be high in salt otherwise.

Dried herbs and spices. Build up your spice rack gradually as you experiment with different flavour combinations – there’s no need to buy out the supermarket’s entire range all at once. Curry powder, cumin, oregano, rosemary, paprika, dried garlic and onion powder are all common in many recipes, and chilli flakes add an instant kick to meals.

Learning to cook healthy meals takes time and you’ll soon get used to the ingredients you need most often. Remember that you don’t need to spend a lot of money, build up your kitchen stock bit by bit and enjoy experimenting with new things. You’ve got this.

You want to see progress, we get it, but there’s really no point weighing yourself 3 times a day.

Despite our best intentions, sometimes we just can’t be bothered to cook. When we’ve had a long busy day, we need healthy food and fast. Enter: meal prepping.

Preparing your meals for the week in one go is a great way of helping you reach your weight loss goals. If you’ve got your food ready and waiting for you, it’s much less likely that you’ll opt to eat something unhealthy because you’re too tired or busy to make something. Here are some easy ways to make meal prep work for you.

Pick and choose what to prep

You can prep as many meals and snacks – or as few – as you like.

• Struggle to get up in the morning? Prep some breakfasts in advance.
• Meal deals seem appealing on your lunch break? Prep some lunches you can grab on your way out.
• Got a busy week coming up? Prep breakfast, snacks and dinners to help you get ahead.

It’s all about making your life easier, so you choose what works for you.

Prepare food you’ll actually eat

It’s all well and good making a week’s worth of meals in one go but there’s no point if you don’t want to eat what you’ve made. Meal prep doesn’t have to mean boring food. Want burgers one night? Prepare the patties ahead of time, store them in the fridge and whack them on the grill for a few minutes when you need them.

You don’t have to meal prep everything

If you’re thinking that meal prep means eating cold food straight from plastic tubs, think again!

• You could chop salad ingredients ready for lunch
• Grill some chicken breasts to store in the fridge for an easy sandwich filling or to eat with pasta.
• Whip up a tomato sauce that you can reheat while you’re cooking pasta.

These helpful steps can play a crucial part when you come home from work and are tempted to call up your old friend Papa John.

Prepare to succeed

A little planning before your food shop can make meal prepping easier.

• Figure out what you’re going to eat during the week.
• Make an ingredients list.
• See what ingredients could multitask and change any meals as appropriate, e.g. mince could make Bolognese sauce, chilli and lasagne.

This is the best way of making sure your meal prepping is simple, effective and as easy to do as possible. As our English teacher used to say, fail to prepare and prepare to fail.

How’s your Tupperware?

Getting excited about Tupperware could be a sign of impending middle-age but trust us – making sure you’ve got decent containers is crucial to meal prep success.

Make one day a meal prep day

Meal prepping can seem like a daunting task if you’re trying to do it for the entire week, but it’s not too bad if you get it over and done with in one session. Try it on a Sunday so that you’re ready for the week ahead. Set yourself up in the kitchen with some good music, a fully stocked fridge and your meal plan and get to work. Top tip: wash up as you go along so you’re not left with the daunting clear up at the end.

Cutting down on the drinks can be great news for your health, but hard to know where to start.

We don’t always have the best relationship with alcohol. But it doesn’t have to be difficult. We’ve got some quick-fire tips to help if you want to cut down on the booze without going cold turkey.   

Measure up

Keep an eye on your pouring. Use a measuring beaker when you’re drinking spirits at home so you don’t end up drinking more units than you realise.   

Banish the binge

Binge drinking for men is classed as having 8 or more units on one occasion. Aim for 2 alcohol-free days a week.  

Look for lower levels

Get some lower alcohol options on your favourite drinks into your trolley. Try changing to a 4% (ABV%) beer or a 9% wine. 

Sip, don’t skull

Pace yourself and try to have a pint of water with your first drink. Then flick between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.  

Set a drinking window

You could decide to only drink with dinner, say between 6-8pm, for example.      

Know your units

Use a drinks tracker to keep an eye on how much you’re drinking. You can even set yourself some goals to smash. Try Drinkaware’s free app.   

Eat first, drink later

Eating before you drink means the alcohol won’t absorb into your bloodstream as quickly, and you won’t feel as worse for wear after a few (too many) pints.

Foods like complex carbs can even help reduce alcohol cravings. Next time you feel like a drink, have a handful of nuts or a couple of slices of cheese and see if that helps to stop the craving.  

Plan ahead

If you’re going out, make a plan and stick to it. Try only taking a certain amount of cash out with you. Leave the cocktails to others if you’re not sure how many units they contain. Or put yourself forward as the designated driver on your next night out.  

Lean on your mates

Not literally, we mean to share your thoughts with a friend who gets you. Surround yourself with people who support you and won’t judge when you order juice instead of a jagerbomb.

If at any point cutting down on drinking alcohol is making you feel really unwell, give your GP a call. We’re here to be that annoying voice that tells you to put your health first!

Lack of sleep can bump up stress levels and make it harder to make good choices. Poor sleep plays havoc with weight loss as it also affects our hormones. 

Studies show that those who sleep less than 6 hours per night are more likely to be overweight and find it harder to lose weight. So how well are you sleeping? 

Our hormones, which are chemical messengers, can help us to understand how sleep could be the missing part of your weight loss puzzle. 

Leptin and ghrelin 

Ghrelin is a hormone that tells you when you need to eat. The less you sleep, the more ghrelin you produce. Leptin does the opposite of ghrelin; it sends a signal to the brain to let you know you’ve eaten enough. 

The less you sleep, the less leptin you produce. Lack of sleep and these two hormones makes you more susceptible to overeating and less likely to feel satisfied afterwards. 

Cortisol 

This is a stress hormone that breaks protein down into glucose. If there’s too much glucose, it gets stored as fat. Excess cortisol makes the body use soft tissue like muscle for its energy needs instead of fat. 

Your cortisol levels increase the less you sleep at night. It also triggers a hunger response in the brain, causing you to think you’re hungry. Sneaky. 

Melatonin 

Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant that manages our circadian rhythm (sleep-wake cycle). It’s released at the onset of darkness to prepare your body for sleep. Studies have linked melatonin to increased metabolism. 

Insulin 

Insulin helps your body to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. Not enough sleep can lead to too much blood sugar, and that can lead to insulin resistance. 

This means the body will produce more and more in order to function and could eventually lead to diseases like diabetes. The dreaded D word. 

Growth hormone 

Your body creates more growth hormone while you’re asleep. It stimulates cell reproduction, regeneration and growth. More growth hormone means a higher metabolism, meaning you burn up energy more rapidly. This gives us the potential to lose weight faster. 

Value your sleep and prioritise it just as much as you prioritise your diet and exercise. Your body needs time to rest, recover and rejuvenate and sleep plays a vital part in this. So, sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite. 

You know you want to lose weight, but do you know how much you want to lose and why it matters? Grab a pen and let’s make a plan. 

Sweeping statements like ‘I want to be healthy’ and ‘I want to feel confident’ are well meant, but they do little to spur us into action.  
 
Setting yourself some healthy ambitions, goals and targets, on the other hand, can be really motivating. Finding out why you want to lose weight, really digging into the reasons behind it, can mean the difference between plodding along as you are and dropping the pounds. 

Finding a healthy weight 

The body mass index (BMI) calculator can tell you what your healthy weight range is. It’s imperfect as it’s not accurate for everyone, including athletes who have a very high muscle mass. Many experts consider the waist-to-height ratio a more accurate way to measure things. 

A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 25, so picking a goal weight between these two numbers is a great place to start. Or aim to lose 5% of your body weight as studies have found this to be a point where you’ll see great health improvements. 

Track your progress in different ways 

This is so important as weight loss isn’t always linear. Hormonal changes, what we’ve eaten and even the time we weigh can all affect the numbers on the scales.  

Even if you’re doing all the right things, sometimes the numbers don’t head straight down. We’ve all been there and know how disheartening that is, so try taking photos to see your progress instead of relying solely on the scales. 

Sometimes losing a few pounds might seem insignificant but you’ll be able to spot the difference in a photo. Taking measurements weekly and seeing the inches melt away can also be extremely satisfying. 

Set mini goals

It can feel daunting if you’ve got a lot of weight to lose. It might be some time before you’ll get to your goal weight but break it down into manageable chunks so you can celebrate each step. 

Ticking off every 7lbs lost and every stone is very encouraging, with each mini goal bringing you closer to your ultimate goal. You can also add in a celebration when you lose 5% and 10% of your body weight. Don’t forget, every loss brings health benefits as well as goal points for your team too.  

Set SMART goals 

Set yourself some SMART goals to help you reach your weight loss targets. Don’t forget, weight loss isn’t all about the numbers on a scale, it’s how you feel, how your clothes fit etc., so factor this in too. Your goals should be:  

• Specific 
  • Be clear about what you’d like to achieve. “I’d like to lose 16lbs, which is 5% of my starting weight” is better than “I’d like to lose weight”. 

• Measurable 
  • “I’d like to be able to wear my favourite jeans again” is better than “I’d like to fit into smaller sizes” because it’s something you can easily measure. 

• Achievable 
  • Be realistic. As much as we’d like it to, 5 stone won’t come off in a week, nor will you be able to run a marathon in a month if you’ve never run before. But committing to tracking what you eat every day for a week, or sticking to the couch to 5k running plan is achievable and something you can keep building on. 

• Relevant 
  • Not everyone who wants to lose weight will have the same goals. If you’re not interested in going to the gym, that’s fine, instead focus your attention elsewhere. Don’t give yourself the goal of going to the gym 3 times a week because you think that’s what you should be doing. Make your goals as personal to you as you can. If, for example, you enjoy cooking, make it your goal to cook more healthy meals as a way of eating better. 

• Time-limited 
  • Give yourself a realistic timeframe for achieving your goal. If you don’t, you could find excuses can sneak in and you’ll easily justify putting things off for another day. 

Try writing down your SMART goals to give yourself a real goal that you can visualise and are more likely to achieve. 

Setting rewards 

It’s important to mark your achievements, you’re working very hard to get them. Try and reward yourself with things that’ll help you reach your goal. Treat yourself to a new workout shirt or a sports massage for those newly worked muscles.  

Other ideas include activities like a trip to the cinema or a gig, something active like bowling or ice skating or even just a PS5 game you’ve had your eye on.  

Another motivating way of marking special achievements is adding a pound coin to an empty jar for every pound you lose. This is a great visual representation of your weight loss and can be built on until you reach your goal weight. You can then treat yourself with the proceeds – since you’ll probably need it to buy new clothes in smaller sizes. 

Bit by bit, you can lose all the weight you need to. By setting SMART goals, you won’t feel overwhelmed by the challenge, and you’ll enjoy achieving each milestone.