If you are losing weight what are you eating?

[Nanechange3007]

I'm hungry all the time, please give me some ideas! Today I've had a small omelette for breakfast with tomatoes.
Lunch was a big salad with prawns.
Dinner was gnocchi with green beans and sea bass.

But I'm still hungry so just had a few oatcakes with low fat cream cheese which probably wasnt great.

I have high blood sugar so have to try and avoid sugar and carbs. Did have gnocchi today though.

Oh and half portions then adding extra non starchy veg or salad does really work.

Great tips on this thread, I'm reading it avidly.

I tend to calorie count when I need to lose a bit, nigiri sushi is my go-to lunch, it's really low in calories

The first step is to record everything. My Fitness Pal is great for this as it has such a big database. You will only get answers by calorie counting and working out what works for you. Combine that with high satiety foods and you will be onto a winner.

I'm pg right now, but when I've had the baby I will go back to calorie counting. Only when you're in a calorie deficit will you lose weight.

Some foods that are high in satiety and work for me are:
Eggs
Chicken sausages (aldi ones are good)
Turkey bacon
Mushrooms
Fage full fat yoghurt
Salmon
Tuna
Chicken
Olives
Feta

Some good treats:
Sugar free jelly
Mini meringues (about 15 cals each)
Sliced apple with peanut butter (measure it)
Dark chocolate chips

I stick to 1400 calories a day on non work days.
I have 1500 - 1700 calories on work days (I work 7 days over a fortnight)
& im losing weight several pounds a week.

Today's food (1400 calories):

Porridge made with skim milk
Apple
Iced coffee made with skim milk

White roll with sesame seeds filled with 1 egg omelette & 1 tsp mayo
2 babybel light cheeses
Coffee with skim milk

Small milk choc bar
Skinny flat white coffee (at Starbucks)

Tesco low fat calorie controlled chicken tikka masala with pilau rice
Broccoli
1 babybel light cheese
1 Solero ice lolly
Coffee with skim milk

1 strawberry petit filous (fromage frais)

Except for when I treat myself to a small chocolate bar (always under 200 cals) I stick to items with less than 3g saturated fat.
I also go as low sugar as possible.
I need to increase my veggies intake though definitely.

I usually go to the gym 2 or 3 days a week for 45 mins to do a mix of weights & cardio but have been ill so not been recently! Must get back on it!

Btw I always eat before I go to bed as going to bed hungry is such a bad idea!
Usually an apple & a babybel light cheese, maybe a cup of tea with skim milk too.
Allowed for in my daily calories.

MN low carb boot camp threads are the only thing that has ever worked for me.

Calorie counting is the only thing that has ever worked for me.

Track everything you eat.

I started with my fitness pal in October, put in my weight and set the calorie level to ‘lose 0.5-1lb per week. I’ve lost 3 stone now and still have a stone to go. I’ve tried absolutely every single diet going over the years but this definitely feels like a lifestyle change, I track every single thing I eat but don’t beat myself up about the odd treat and that’s working for me.

There is so much misinformation here.
How is an anonymous person on the internet going to be allowed the same caloric intake as you ?
You may be tall and 40 years old versus a short 20 year old with totally different lifestyles, activity levels etc.
One size does not fit all. You need to track your calories so that you have an idea of where you are going wrong. Presumably you are going over somewhere otherwise you'd not be asking for advice ? He's a bit marmite but you could try the James Smith academy for no bulkshit information. There's some very sensible advice given and it's not all about depriving yourself and living a life of starvation. Your compliance at the moment will be poor due to not knowing what you can eat and being starvingost if the time! You can do it but possibly you need a bit more scientific advice rather than anecdotal "stick to 750 calories" type based on absolutely no knowledge of the person that you are! Good luck

@KingMidasAteMidges, is there any benefit from a weight loss perspective in just cutting out sugar, rather than all carbs? Sorry to hijack OP.

OP you really need to do your own research into diabetes type 2, insulin resistance and correcting/reversing it by means of diet. Your head must be spinning now, but it is very common sense actually. You adjust your lifestyle and diet to moderate insulin response. That is all there is to it. Counting calories doesn’t do it. As long as there is sugar/bad carbs in your diet, your insulin will be pushed up higher than is good for you.

People who have got good insulin sensitivity will call this rubbish as it doesn’t affect them and never has. They can eat chocolate, quite a lot of chocolate, every day, and they don’t suffer any adverse effects. So of course ‘they don’t believe in it’. Maybe it does finally catch up with them in middle age, but it is not always the case.

Listen to your body, listen to how it responds to changes in diet. I can tell I have eaten say, a pastry as the hunger is back in two hours, I feel tired and irritable, and peckish. While if I have omelette, I can go for hours, happy and full of energy. It is physiology. Especially if you have a diagnosed high blood sugar problem, you need to tailor diet advice accordingly. Weight is the consequence of the body not functioning properly. We are designed not to put on weight or lose weight, but keep the equilibrium. If the system is broken and the weight is creeping up and up and up, exactly how it shouldn’t, the mechanism itself needs fixing. Battling the symptom rather than the underlying cause is not the way forward. It will be short-lived at best. Good luck. It is not insurmountable, you just need to be savvy how you structure your diet and time your meals. 💐

Today I had:

Breakfast
Granola with almond and raisins

Snack
Banana

Lunch
Feta and beetroot salad

Dinner
Grilled chicken traybake with Mediterranean veg and a small portion of potato.

I'm not losing any weight and it's driving me insane. I'm exercising 3 times a week too (have eggs on exercise days as an additional meal/snack).

I don't know why anything else won't come off. I'm targeting 9st

@Nanechange3007 re your sadness about not having chocolate - honestly I truly don’t crave it anymore on the 16:8. I never had a massively sweet tooth but a couple of days before my period I’d be shovelling down the Dairy Milk plus the little bags of Haribo from the kid’s party bags . I definitely think I was on the cusp of developing type 2 diabetes - all my excess weight is around my middle and I had slightly raised sugar levels in my last absolutely last pregnancy. Refined sugar has really lost its attraction for me, I simply don’t fancy it. I feel a lot clearer headed, my skin is better and most importantly, my hips and back are loads less painful. I’m a HCP working 7.30 - 20.30 shifts. I eat a decent lunch at about 1pm but before that just tea and water. I don’t get hangry or unable to concentrate, in fact I’d say it’s the reverse.

Everyone is different, I do get that. Why not give it a go though? Just for a couple of weeks and see what you think? If it works for you, great, if it doesn’t, well you tried!

I am well aware I sound a bit evangelical about it but it really has been the one thing that’s helped me lose weight and feel healthier and better about myself.

is there any benefit from a weight loss perspective in just cutting out sugar, rather than all carbs? Sorry to hijack OP.

Yes! Sugar is bad due to the way it is metabolised. Overconsumption leads to a fatty liver and messes up your metabolism essentially.

When you wean yourself off sugar, you will watch your appetite go through the floor. It will obviously bring weight loss benefits, by the virtue of eating less. Without restricting yourself or being hungry. That’s the beauty of it.

Other surprising benefits - mental clarity and agility, better sleep, more energy, better mood. I will never go back. It is not worth it.

KingMidasAteMidges YY to the feeling crappy after refined sugary carbs. I ate a pain au chocolat after a funeral the other day. Felt shite and exhausted for about 2 hours. Was just like old times! NEVER AGAIN!

I've lost almost 16 pound over the past 12 weeks (which is fairly slow and steady, I don't have much to lose so it's to be expected) and the easiest way for me is fasting and keeping average calories to 1200 per day.

I typically fast 16 hours (and eat within 8 hours) each day Mon-Fri, in effect I miss breakfast and just eat lunch and dinner.

For the past week I've been playing extending my fast to 18:6 or 20:4 so basically missing breakfast and lunch and just eating a snack and a massive dinner in a few hours.

I find fasting the easiest way to stay low calorie as I don't feel hungry until some time after my first meal of the day.

As to what I eat: always vegan and mainly whole food, e.g. lots of vegetables, beans, lentils, tofu, brown rice.

Thefloogals, are you losing inches though? Stressed muscles hold onto water, so a proper recovery after a workout is a must. It is the catabolic-anabolic cycle. You stress and break down muscle and it grows back stronger and leaner (and heavier lol). Don’t get hung up about ‘weight’, go by your reflection in the mirror, the way your clothes fit and how well you are feeling in yourself. Weight is not solely made of body fat, there is also muscle, bone density, water retention, bloating etc etc etc

Good work so far, keep on going!

Thanks KingMidas, I’ve successfully ditched sugar but so many people lump sugar in with low carb I wasn’t sure if I was doing enough.

Thank you @KingMidasAteMidges

In all honestly I genuinely don't feel like my clothes are feeling looser etc either. I don't know where I'm going wrong to be honest.

The only thing I will say is, I've noticed a change in the shape of my legs. They definitely look a lot more toned. Other than that, I just can't see to do it!

I’ll get berated for this, but I skip breakfast. If I eat breakfast I end up hungry earlier that if I don’t.

This^ was said on page 1 and, I'll be honest, I lost weight/stay slim partially by not eating breakfast. I don't really need food so soon after waking, and eating it does leave me hungrier for the rest of the day.

I eat a lot of high protein foods (eggs, fish, Quorn), green veg, baked potatoes, beans, nuts, and occasional sweet treats (fruit, chocolate, cake) so that the diet is maintainable over the long term.
I avoid rice, pasta and bread as much as possible.

I lost 6 - 7 stone eating this way alongside exercising. And I've kept the weight off for nearly 7 years now.

To HMArsey,

Well, low carb means no refined sugar by default. If your metabolism allows for refined carb consumption, such as bread, pasta and rice, excellent. Enjoy them!

I know mine doesn’t though, so I try to stay away. And I feel better for it. I noticeably feel worse when I eat white carbs. I suspect the OP will also be able to tell the difference. Her pounds will vanish, too, as a pleasant side effect.

Thanks everyone
Kingmidas have messaged you.

Today I've had breakfast - greek yoghurt and blueberries
Second breakfast scrambled egg and a sausage
Late lunch 2 egg ham and cheese omelette
Dinner cod and veg curry with cauliflower.
A few squares of very dark chocolate.

That probably sounds like loads but no carbs! I feel full.

Meant to say cauliflower rice.

I’ll get berated for this, but I skip breakfast. If I eat breakfast I end up hungry earlier that if I don’t.

YY to this. There is no magic involved though. It is because the level of insulin drops overnight due to several hours of not eating (in other words, fasting) and insulin is at its lowest when you wake up. It stays low until you eat. Once you have eaten, you have brought it up by putting glucose in your blood stream, so it will take a while to drop, a few hours. This is why extending the non-eating window works, and even intermittent fasts are beneficial. All science, no woo.

When I feel more level I will try the fasting.