I need some help with eating, please!

[MawkishTwaddle]

Which is pathetic, as I'm 44.

However...I've been steadily gaining weight throughout my forties, and I think it's a case of all my chickens coming home to roost. They appear to be roosting on my hips and belly, too, the bastards.

I could blame my antidepressant, but I'd be lying. The fact is, I'm a right greedy sod. I eat for reasons other than hunger, and I have a raging sweet tooth. And a carb face.

I know I need to eat like a normal person - I'm not interested in faddy diets, or cutting out food groups or anything like that. I've downloaded MFP to get me kickstarted, but I know I won't use it forever.

My question is, what is a normal portion for a slim person who doesn't diet?

If you were eating a lunch of, say, oatcakes and hummus, how many oatcakes would you eat?

How many roast potatoes and Yorkshire puds in a sitting?

How many new potatoes? How much pasta?

Sorry it's long. TIA.

MFP really worked for me to realise portion sizes, and I use a small bowl/plate all the time.

ATM I'm doing 16:8 and weirdly that is really good for me alongside the small plate/bowl as I just don't eat until 12 and then with a decent lunch I don't feel hungry in the afternoon when its then time for dinner. I do let myself have a fruit snack in the afternoon if I want, but eating hours are fixed. As is the no crisp rule as I just do not have a switch with them and can go 6 months without them if I decide it, but can't moderate somehow

Some really great ideas here. I'll join you all if that's ok. I've eaten so many satsumas I'm in danger of turning orange.

Welcome, I'mABluebird

I've been hitting the easy peelers too!

Easy peelers here too 😂

I did something tonight I never thought I'd be able to do.

I've been moving my DS2 back to uni, and it's a seven hour drive.

Normally it'd be an eating disaster. I'd get something at a service station, eat sweets on the journey, etc.

Today I made a flask of soup and some ryvitas, an easy peeler and a bag of almonds, all weighed out.

Dinner was a bit of a disaster, as we had no option but to eat at a crappy Toby steakhouse thingy.

But - I only ate half my chips, and half my burger. I was full, so I stopped.

So I haven't had a perfect day, I'm sure - but it was nowhere near the disaster it could have been.

Well that's good news. You have changed habits already

I agree with whoever it was that suggested a 'fist' is a good measure of a portion. It was the advice about 'how much is a potion of fruit' when my dc were young, and is a fairly standard measure for pasta, and of course it is always with you when most people don't tend to walk around with scales

My mealtimes are actually relatively healthy - can't help you with the oatcakes as I don't think I've ever tried one, but if I'm having huumous, I'd dip carrot sticks in it, and I'd eat a pot over about 3 meals. However, like you, I could snack on chocolate forever. What has helped me is trying to never sit and 'do nothing' as that is when I get the munchies. So, if I'm watching tele, I either get on with the mending, or I knit or I get the laptop out and MN or play on the internet. Just having something to do with my hands really helps - might be worth a try ? Same at work - when it's really busy, I'm fine, but when I'm having to sit and listen in a meeting or something, that is when I want to snack.

You may be a compulsive overeater op. Plenty of us out here!

There are various 12-step programmes that address compulsive food habits but this is the most established in the UK.

It wasn't at all obvious to me that I was a compulsive eater - until it was suddenly very obvious and I wondered how on earth I hadn't seen it before! I had told myself this and that, blah blah, all the stuff...

You may not be a compulsive eater op but I recognise some of the things you say eg complete inability to control snacks/not having certain foods in the house/overeating on eg 'free' foods etc.

Thing is, do you feel full off the pasta, porridge and oatcakes?

Say you have 6 oatcakes and half a tub of hummus. What's that, like 500 cals? Off that I'd be starved an hour later.

If I had a cup of chickpeas, a tin of tuna and cucumber and chopped toms with an oil dressing worth 500 cals I'd be far fuller for longer.

You need to find which foods keep you full for a long time. Hint : it ain't Twixes and Tropicana.

If I had a roast dinner I'd have 1/2 plate of veg, 1-2 slices of meat, 2 Yorkshires and a fist-sized spud made into roasties. It's nowhere near what many people pile on their plate in carveries for example. My BMI is 19.5 and hip-waist ratio of 0.77, BTW, so I'm slim. I don't snack, am mindful to stop eating as soon as I'm full even if that means leaving food on my plate, and have chocolate/cake/icecream/crisps/booze as treats rather than everyday items. Like you, I can't have treats in the house without scoffing them so I avoid certain isles in the supermarket so I'm not tempted to buy them.

What I find helps is some way of visualising portion sizes related to everyday objects. These links might be useful:
blog.fitbit.com/healthy-servings-a-visual-guide-to-portion-sizes/

www.healthcastle.com/serving-size-101-visual-reference-guide/

I'm eating a late breakfast of porridge made with half semi-skimmed and half water
If you're making it with water and semi-skimmed milk because you don't like full-fat milk, fine (I hate milk so only make porridge with water), but otherwise don't be afraid of fat. It may have more calories gram for gram than protein and carbs, but it's satiating. Plus we need enough of it in our diets to metabolise the fat soluble vitamins A,D,E and K.

Well done - great news