Hi there everyone!

I renewed my weight loss challenge at the end of October but have been in and out of this site since 2009.  So far since then I have lost 24lb with on/off dieting but this time I am soooo determined and prepared to see it through and finally be the person I want to be.

I am a bit of a wanderer though but hope you will all accept me LOL!  I have a house in Ireland and I also spend a lot of time in Northern Ireland which is part of the UK as you all know but since March last year my husband has had to go and work in England, near Cambridge.  I go over and spend 4/5 days there every couple of weeks.  I don't know anyone there and am finding it hard to make the commitment to move there permanently.

I am in a dilemma as I miss my husband so much when we are apart but then I have my home here and my family are all in Northern Ireland ..... I have to make a decision soon though as I can't live like this for much longer. 

Anyway that is about where I am now in my life but what I wanted to ask you all was about UK healthy foods.  There are so many Americans on here and they detail their "finds" food wise but when I go grocery shopping I can never find anything similar to what they are talking about.  I think sugar free jelly and quinoa is my only real find that I would recommend ... have you found any tasty low cal foods and if so where!  I love trying different things and would love to hear of any low cal foods I can try!

Quorn is definitely one of my favourites!!

It's so much healthier than a lot of the meaty alternatives!!
I have been known to treat myself to a quorn burger on a soft muffin/roll/bap (whatever you want to call them)!  with a slice of reduced fat cheese, a squirt of ketchup and some dry fried onions on more than one occasion!!

Quorn burgers are under 100 calories each, and under 3g fat each!
So with a roll (150 cals, 2g fat), cheese slice, (37 cals, 2g fat), 20ml ketchup (15 cals 0 fat), dry fried onions (15 cals 0g fat) Under 300 calories and no more than 7g fat - FAB for an indulgent lunch which feels naughty!!
I always had this when TOM was about as it felt like comfort food to me!! xx

Obviously I'm veggie so Quorn features heavily in my diet but a lot of my meat eating family have been turned by the nutritional information!!

I use the quorn mince in bolognaises, sheperd's pies and chillis too - and they work out very low in fat. xx

For desserts, I love Ben & Jerry's frozen yogurts - half a cup of the chocolate fudge brownie one is 150 calories (1g fat). It is another amazing find in my opinion!!
You'd never know it wasn't the full fat stuff & I limit myself to half a cup (100g) a night for the 5 nights TOM is around - it cures the chocolate craving and the ice cream one for me!!
I usually stock up when it's on half price at the supermarket as £4 a tub is a bit excessive lol xx

Oh! Ella's Kitchen Organics. They are toddler food, I think, but are awesome. No added nasties, and low calorie as well! If you fancy crisps all the time (which I do), they do carrot sticks which are like a puffed crisp but carrot flavoured. Yum! The perfect amount of salt to satisfy a craving, and only 61 cals a little bag. Also something called Bakie-Bakies- cheese and spinach flavoured crackers and only 50 cals a little bag- perfect for a snack when you need some salt/cheese.

Hm what else- Weight Watchers wafers. They are like a Tunnock's Wafer (drool) but only 78 calories and low fat, handy in a pinch. That said, a Tunnock's Tea Cake is 107 calories for one, so once in a while you can indulge in an after-dinner treat, if your calories allow. Quorn, obviously, like Tee said is awesome. The mince is great, and I've snuck it into meals before and nobody has noticed it wasn't real. Hm hm hm, also turnips are great. They are super low-cal and make a nice mash when prepared the same as mashed potatoes. You can even go half potato, half turnip if you're not sure about the taste at first.

If you can find apple crisps (healthy ones, make sure they haven't pumped them with sugar) they are good too. Part of your five-a-day and low cal too. A small pouch is 50 calories, I think, and it's fruit so you don't have to feel guilty about sneaking another. Ha!

There are some awesome soups out now...the New Covent Garden "New Year New You" soup is really lo-cal and nice. Winter vegetably yum. Sainsbury's does a Chicken and Sweet Corn which is 122 cals for half a HUGE pot, so that's good too.

Finally, I swear by Ryvita. 32 cals a slice, and very filling. Pile with some wafer-thin meat of your choice (7-20ish cals a slice, depending on which type. I go for the turkey, I think it's something like 8?) and a nice Flora extra light smear, or some Philly light, a bit of cucumber and some cherry tomatoes on the side and you have a lovely, filling snack that doesn't seem like nothing and satisfies your crunch need.

Oh! And pickles! They are really low-cal too. I love them at night, when I'm salt-craving. Two or three pickle spears is like 10 calories. Yum.

And Nimble Bread. 48 cals a slice. My saviour. Just remembered. Ha!

Hope some of this helps!