If you maintain a healthy weight, deliberately and fairly effortlessly, what do you eat?

[Diemme]

I really want to lose weight by learning how to eat like a normal person. I'm around 4 stone overweight and have tried every diet under the sun. But diets just make me obsess about food and lead to binges. I've also tried intuitive eating but that doesn't work either. I reckon there has to be a middle ground. I'm really interested in what would be a typical days food for someone who makes an effort to stay slim but isn't obsessed with healthy eating and doesn't find it too taxing.

GOD what a ramble that turned out to be. Sorry!

I also drink heaps and heaps of water. Drink beer couple of times a week and don’t drink anything sugary.

I never eat cake (don’t like it) or puddings (ditto) not a huge fan of fruit but I do enjoy crisps!

These are good. Lots of responses seem to be based around meals and 2-3 snacks. I might try to eat 5 or 6 smaller meals. I'm more likely to overeat if I go too long without eating.

I hope this comes across in the way I intended but sorry if it doesn't read well.

I would say that I maintain a healthy weight without having to think about what I eat and after having observed other people who struggle with their weight I think the key thing is portion size. I was at a friends house once and she was telling me about her weight struggles while making her dinner. While the dinner was healthy the portion size was absolutely huge and was probably the amount of food I would have eaten over 2 or 3 meals. Additionally I have always eaten really slowly and stop when I feel full, I think if you eat slower your body can tell you when it feel full so you don't overeat.

Totally taken as intended lord. I'll never be great at not finishing what's on my plate so I need to cook and serve myself less.

Oh yes, definitely portion size is massively important. DH used to serve me the same amount of food as himself and I would often just eat it because it was there on the plate. Then I realised he is 5 inches taller and weighs 3 stone more than me plus is really active all day long. Knocked that one on the head sharpish!

My number one secret for maintaining a healthy weight is running. It means I can eat what I want AND stay sane!

But this is what I eat on a normal work day:
B: Yoghurt, granola, apple, cup of tea, flat white

L: chicken salad or lentil curry, chocolate bar, maybe crisps or apple, plus freshly squeezed orange juice from M&S, double macchiato

S: crisps (I am addicted), maybe beans on toast or veg chilli or scrambled eggs on toast, chocolate

I drink a bit but very rarely more than two drinks, and only three nights a week, sometimes less.

I'm borderline underweight/normal. I eat to my hearts content most of the time.
Typically:
Breakfast I have a few crackers with avocado, or porridge, or a bowl of cereal. If I get hungry before 11, I have a snack (a banana or apple, sometimes a pastry).
Lunch I eat whatever I fancy. Today it's a lot of grilled chicken plus a small bowl of rice plus small salad .
Dinner I usually avoid carb. This is easy because I prefer to eat meat any way. So dinner would be half meat/fish and half vegetables.
A few times a week, not every day, I would have a sugary treat, like 2 egg tarts, or two scoops of ice cream, or a kinder bueno.
I go to bed around 9pm so I never feel hungry before bed.

It's really simple to lose weight

Only for people who don't have weight issues. We all struggle with different areas of life. I love getting tipsy. I have a few drinks whenever I go out and a glass or 2 of wine when I'm out for dinner. The rest of the time I forget about alcohol. It's easy. For me. Not for an alcoholic but for me.

lordVoldemort, I absolutely agree about portion size.

A friend of mine who struggled for about 20+ years with her weight, has spent the last year or so gradually cutting down her portion sizes.

She's steadily losing weight and actually can't believe how much she used to eat in one sitting.

5'7"
Lower end of 10st.

I follow the 21 day fix tubs. Coloured tubs that have the correct portions for each food group.

I get:
3 tubs of veggies
2 tubs of fruit
4 tubs of protein
2 tubs of carbs
1 tub of healthy fats
1 tub of nuts or dressings
2 tbsp of oil or nut butters
8 glasses of water a day

Its so easy. Fill the tub up and eat. You can dish it up however you like as long as the food is on the list.

I track It on the 21 day fix app where there's a list of the foods for each tub. It's like clean eating tbh. I also use the 21 day fixate cookbook.

1 cheat day a week though nowadays my nutrition is so going so well that I don't enjoy crap so much. I don't crave it as much. That's after 2 months of really committing to it.

I allow myself treats everyday too but in moderation. 2 or 3 biscuits a day maybe. Or some pieces of chocolate.

I also workout 4 days a week for 40 mins max.

Breakfast: Protein shake every morning. Myprotein Strawberry Shake with half a banana, 1 tub of spinach and 8 fl oz of almond milk.

Snack: 1 slice of toast

Lunch: Boiled egg, 2 tubs salad, dressing, grated cheddar cheese

Snack 2: 1 tub of fruit (grapes and Clementine usually)

Dinner: Chicken/salmon/mackerel and 1 tub of roasted mediterranean veg.

Treat: biscuits or chocolate.

As long as I eat regularly and drink my water, I'm satisfied.

If it doesn't quite go to plan, I don't go off the rails. I just try and shrug it off and get right back on plan.

I do the online shopping and we rarely have stuff that's bad in the cupboards.

Also, if I still find myself hungry, I try to snack on protein (meat, eggs, cottage cheese etc) instead of turning to high carb/high sugar foods. Protein should help you feel fuller for longer.

Breakfast - bowl of cereal (Lidl honey/peanut crunch)
1 coffee milk no sugar

Lunch - bagel with cream cheese.
Diet Coke or cup of tea

Tea - curry & rice/ chilli & rice/ lasagne with veg/ burgers and salad/ ribs and wings/ steak pie with one potato waffle and veg

Cup of tea with 2-3 biscuits

I try to eat what I term 'clean' food - food that doesn't have any additives in or was manufactured. I aim for upwards of 8 portions of fruit /veg a day and load my plate up with them.

I eat three main meals and 2 snacks (the last one being a banana last thing at night - can't bear being hungry in bed!)

A typical day for me is:

Breakfast - 2/3 scrambled eggs (no toast)
Lunch - Salad with cheese, ham, olives, tuna, etc.
Tea - Spag Bol (no spag), chill (no rice), homemade soup (no bread), fish curry

I drink 3 litres of water a day and snack on nuts, fruit and have 1 biscuit in the evening with a cuppa

I go to the gym 4/5 times a week for a 2 hours session

I tend to stay at a size 10 (still in my size 10 per pregnancy trousers at 18 weeks pregnant) by going on a 80 percent healthy foods such and 20 percent treats. I also don’t eat big portions and drink plenty of water plus snack on fruit and bulk up meals with vegetables. I also walk or exercise a few times a week normally plus have 2 very active kids so am always running after them or cleaning etc.

A typical day would be:

Breakfast - fruit and fibre with full fat milk OR yogurt and fruit OR a pancake and fruit.

Mid morning snack if either a very small cake (half sized normally as toddlers give that out) OR fruit.

Lunch - varies a lot sometimes soup and bread OR pasta OR salad OR left overs.

Mid afternoon -fat free yogurt and fruit if hungry

Dinner - small dinner of whatever is on which is often chicken and veg, curry home made slimming world recipe, pasta bake etc.

I always drink water if I feel hungry then eat 20 minutes later if I am still hungry.

As I am pregnant just now I am not drinking alcohol at all but would normally have a couple of glasses of a good red wine on a sat night with some snacks like crisps and chocolate. I rarely eat biscuits and would never just take a biscuit with tea and try not to eat crisps or chocolate to much.

I’m 5ft 5, weigh 8 st 7, so slim normal body type and eat what I want.

Portions are important definitely. I always think I’m not active but actually I walk a lot, never take lifts etc, and when I’m feeling a bit ‘soft’ I start doing the 30 day shred which is 20 minute work outs (mega intense) and they just get you fit so quickly.

Not depriving yourself will stop you obsessing I think. I always have something like a Cadbury’s eclair in my pocket in case I get hungry. You suck on them and they just give you that little bit of sugar. Also always have satsumas or nectarines in my bag. Go ahead crispy slices etc. Just have a little light snack between meals like that. And I do let myself eat biscuits because I love tea and biscuits!

I’ve been teetotal for about 6-7 years now, I think that really helped with my middle area. I used to be a proper binge drinker even though I was stick thin (about 7 stone!) I always had a little tummy! Alcohol definitely made me fatter.

Today I’ve eaten:

PB and J on wholemeal toast
Nectarine
Homemade sweet and sour pork and veg in a wrap with cheese
Two custard creams
A Maryland cookie
A miniature hero
Lots of water and tea

And just about to have Spag Bol for tea.

Did the Shred this morning after breakfast!

Good luck OP. Losing weight doesn’t have to be the misery so many dieticians seem to take pleasure in telling you. Fad diets never last or work, I think they make it worse!

30 day shred is amazing but a killer. I plan to use Jillian Michaels home work out dvds to get rid of any post pregnancy weight. It worked the last twice so hopefully will work again. I did used to work out a lot to her stuff but joined a gym but will be giving up that membership and working out from home once baby arrives.

Also if you eat too much junk one day cut back the next few days abs walk more. The worst thing you can do is feel guilty as that can create a cycle off over eating.

I read a Muriel Spark book where the main character's motto for losing weight and staying slim was 'only eat half'.

So this is what I try and do - I don't deprive myself of anything, I just eat smaller!

I am in my fifties and a size 8-10. Was up at 10 stone but did the 5:2 and now hover round 8 and a half stone. I don’t eat breakfast , usually don’t have much for lunch ( maybe a sandwich but nothing else ) and eat what I want for tea. I do run as well.
My weight is lower than it’s been for a long time and the major difference is that I don’t snack through the day and if I pig out 1 day I limit myself for a couple of days after . I don’t do the 16:8 deliberately but because I don’t have breakfast it often works out as if I have.
Still eat out and have curries / fish and chips etc ( usually not the whole portion tho )

I'm 5'4 and have hovered around 8-8.5 stone for years. A typical day for me is-

Breakfast: Porridge or overnight oats with berries, chia and flax

Lunch:
A salad with protein (salmon, egg, tofu, tuna, chicken breast, chickpeas), healthy fat (nuts, avocado, feta), spinach and 2-3 other fruit/veg (e.g. tomatoes, spring onion, cucumber, leftover roasted veg)

or

Some kind of pulse and veg based soup + sourdough

Dinner:
Usually has 3 different veg, often a meat-free protein source and usually includes a whole food source of carbs (brown rice, quinoa etc).

If I snack I will have nuts and dried fruit. I don't buy sweets, chocolate, crisps etc unless we're going to a party, the cinema, or it's Christmas. We don't have dessert.

About once every 2-3 weeks we'll have a takeaway, but I don't go crazy and I dish up a normal portion size of whatever we have. I also make homemade pizzas (veg toppings, all from scratch) once a week which gives me a relatively healthy fix of a food I love.

Marking!

Hovered around 9-9.3 stone since I was a teen, now 39 and size ten.

I eat what I want but my mum was hot on eating healthy food and modelled what I do now; she and all her family are very slim.

Unconscious ‘rules’ are as follows and echo PP - if I eat shit one day it is of no consequence but I probably eat lots of veg and fruit the next day as an antidote!

• limit myself to one, maybe two biscuits a day as snacks. Rarely eat crisps or chocolate bars / sweets but I enjoy them if I do! This is not a hardship but a habit. If I want a snack I keep big jars of nuts in the kitchen for cooking and grab a small handful, i’d prefer to have the fat & the goodness in them to crisps.

• full fat versions of stuff, no diet things.

• no diets but I do actively choose healthy food, I think I was trained to like it and I have seen people train themselves as they get older so think it can be done.

Breakfast is a slice of toast with peanut butter / marmite & avocado and a cup of tea about an hour after I get up. Wednesday me & kids have a boiled egg & soldiers to break the routine! Sometimes I do porridge with milk.

Lunch I try to avoid sandwiches as so bored - soup (half a tub not a whole one like a lady at work!)/ sushi / salad / cheese & biscuits

Supper is a main meal but often early with kids before an activity (5pm) - meat / fish / veggie option. Balance of food groups. Sometimes if just me and i’m busy / tired / ate a cake at work I might just do a light meal like toast & avocado, eggs & veg.

Might have a bit of chocolate in the evening, rarely other snacks. If I do break out the crisps I don’t have tonnes.

I try and enjoy food, not let it dominate my life and pay attention to what my body tells me. I rarely eat takeaways though I love a curry. Am not a fan of McDonald’s etc. I love eating good quality, tasty food! I walk fast and try to walk 10000 steps a day, might swim a fast 15 lengths once a week but often not as too busy. Distract myself if I think I want something and don’t need it. I am very lucky that this leaves me at a nice healthy weight & size, and I have no guilt over food EVER.

Vegan.

3 meals, plus snacks, snacks are usually fruit. Whole grains whenever possible, but always carbs at each meal otherwise it affects my running negatively.

Slimming world! If you don't like the group you can do it online- it's very easy, not at all faddy and you will see results.

lurking I had the same dh problem! I used to say (when dh was serving) 'Can you please give me half of what you're having?' but I think I had to alter it to a third.