If you have to work to stay slim tell me what you usually eat

[Iwouldbecomplex]

I struggle a bit with my weight - currently a size 14-16. Not massive, but the biggest I've ever been. I put on weight really really easily and it's getting worse as I get older (currently 37). I love food, I eat too much and my tastes tend towards comfort type food. I do exercise regularly.

If you're someone that is over 30, slim but that it doesn't come easily to, please can you tell me what you eat in an average day? I think I have a bit of a warped idea of what's normal. I either eat way too much or I'm dieting and massively restricting my calories. I'm not very good at moderation and need inspiration!

Age 60. Currently 10st 10lb. 5ft 8in. If I go over 1,000 calories a day I gain. I try to stick to 800 and keep count (vaguely) on my phone calculator. I'd love to lose 10lb and be bang on 10st.

Following.

I seem to 'settle' at a large 12 - 14 no matter how much exercise and how clean my diet.

I’m 32, 10st, size 10. I work at keeping this weight but do enjoy the odd treat.
I ALWAYS have the same few things for breakfast. Either a size of toast with marmite, a small bowl of cereal (bran flakes/ shreddies eg) and fruit. Mid morning I will have a piece of fruit and maybe a yogurt.
Lunch I try to have salad/soup/jacket potato, no dressing or a vinegarette. Usually with a yogurt or fruit.
Dinner I have a home cooked meal, but without the extras (cheese, garlic bread, sour cream, etc)
I will usually have a small bit of choc and/or a glass of wine after dinner.
About once a week I will have a dessert/ some chocolate etc.
I don’t do any formal exercise but run around after my kids, a 1 and a 2 year old!

@thenightsky you're either underestimating your calories or your body had entered starvation mode and slowed your metabolism down. If the latter, you could probably eat another 500 cals a day comfortably.

I have to work at it. I low carb. No bread, crisps, rice, potato or pasta. Plenty of meat, cheese, eggs and nuts. Loads of veg. I allow some wine and spirits, 90% dark chocolate and mayonnaise. Have occasional cheat days. Works for me as I can’t be arsed with calorie counting.

8-10
60-62kg
Train/exercise 6x per week
39.

Usually ......
Buckets of water/tea
One latte, skim milk - Sml no sugar
B - natural yoghurt, fruit & chia seeds in a small jam jar
S - Apple and cheese string
L - protein and salad (small amount of brown rice)
S - boiled egg/chicken or watermelon/berries
D - protein and roast veg

Yesterday.....
Many, many coffees - water
Diet Coke
Cereal, blueberries honey
1 slice fruit toast
1 chocolate covered hazelnut
Chicken pesto pasta
2 soft pork tacos
Most of a bottle of wine ....... I had a bad day.

It's all about balance - don't let your weekend become your 'weakend' so don't be strict all week then blow it over the weekend. Don't drink your calories.
it's not easy but it's doable. However a lot is genetics. Mum and sis are slim and dad is athletic. Do I want to get up at 5:30am to go to the gym? (No)
But I want to be slim more.....
what exercise are you doing currently ?

HavelockVetinari

@thenightsky you're either underestimating your calories or your body had entered starvation mode and slowed your metabolism down. If the latter, you could probably eat another 500 cals a day comfortably.

^

Sure. You know her body better than she does.

I'm 39, 5 ft 6 and am currently 11st.

I have lost 1 stone since the summer. I dont hold back on meals, but have stopped snacking. I used to easily polish off half a packet of Biscuits or 2-3 chocolate bars a day.

HavelockVetinari No, really. Wait until you are 60. Its fucking miserable.

I'm quite slim - 50kg and 5ft tall. For me I eat anything in moderation. If I eat lunch out at a restaurant then I won't eat dinner. I have a huge sweet tooth and eat chocolate every day. I do around 20-30 minutes of walking each day.

I’m 5’ 5” and 9 stone so moderately slim although I’d like to be a bit lighter, as I’m a very slight build. I’m late 50s and have an under active thyroid so it’s very easy for me to put on weight.

I eat low carb and do intermittent fasting. I never snack or count calories and I eat big meals - lots of veg, salad, protein and fats like cream, cheese and nuts.

I don’t drink my carbs, I prefer to eat them. So I never have carry out coffees, sodas or fruit juice.

I can no longer eat whatever I like as I did when young. I do low carb and it’s great at curbing the sugar spikes.

I have a huge sweet tooth on a daily basis I eat on average four biscuits, a chocolate bar pkt crisp 2 toast with jam then all my main meals!!my eating is ridiculously out of hand as I'm so utterly stressed and depressed.no other vices.sugar gives me energy and rush nothing else seems to fill I know it's bad but dont know how to cut back.im 40 years old,5ft 7,size 10.

When I hit 40 I decided to tackle my weight. I was nudging 13 stone and didn't like it. I got down to 10st through fasting and calorie counting with MFP. Only one day per week 'off'. I struggle to maintain at that weight, without being really strict and I'm currently 10lbs heavier. There's no joy in life if you're always thinking about food.

I run a lot, 20-25 miles per week . I stick to 1700 calories most days. The weight is creeping on now I'm late 40s so I'll probably have to drop the calories down to get back to my 'ideal' weight of 10st 4/5.
Have you tried logging food with MyFitnessPal? Really helped me see how big a portion of food should be.

Breakfast is either cereal (an actual portion, weighed out, because it’s so easy to pour too much) with skimmed or almond milk, or a cereal bar.
Lunch is often soup, or a slice of toast, or a bagel (I like the warburtons thin ones).
Then a normal dinner. Things like pasta dishes, curries, stir fries, salmon / chicken with potatoes / couscous and veg. I weigh out rice or pasta before cooking, again because it’s way too easy to over portion.
Then I usually have a couple of snacks a day, because I do have a sweet tooth, but I keep it in moderation (as in I’ll eat a biscuit or two, but I won’t eat the whole packet!)

I don’t find low carb joyless at all. Food still tastes good. Just different way of eating.

I don't think I work at it.. the fitbit says I get about 130 active minutes/day. I eat a lot of vegetables & fruit... try to reach for them before anything more stodgy (but I do enjoy stodge & junk, too).

Not joyless at all, but maybe that's coz I can't feel being active/eating veg as joyless existence.

I eat pretty much what I want but then don't eat anything after about 3.30-4pm.

I spent most of my life on diets until 12 months ago, and was the same weight as when I had started (a little over 12 stone). I basically had a cycle of diet for a bit, lose a few pounds, feel deprived, then binge eat on all the food is been denying myself.

A year ago, I started on antidepressants and a few weeks later had the urge to start c25k. Then decided to accept my body how it was, and as a result, allowed myself to eat whatever the hell I wanted.

I'm 2.5 stone lighter and size 10-12. I don't binge eat any more, and, I guess, I eat to live, as opposed to living to eat. I run 5k 3-4 times a week (although I've had an injury so am 2 weeks into 6 weeks off with a broken foot!).

God this thread is depressing...so slim = no joy

What an unpleasant and judgemental comment! Why is it “ joyless” to eat delicious,healthy, nutritious food?

@Werkwerkwerkwerk I walk at least 2 miles every day, do zumba once a week, and run 10k a week. That's average. Sometimes I do a lot more, sometimes (like time of the month) a lot less. I could definitely exercise more but I'm fully aware my issue is mainly with my diet. I eat way too much and just wanted an idea of what I realistically should be eating. Manage my expectations and all that! Im 5 ft 8 by the way. And I do have a slightly underactive thyroid which doesn't help but I need to keep it that way because I've been doing IVf and it's better for my treatment.

Breakfast is usually 1 egg on a slice of seeded toast with butter or vegan spread depending on how hard I'm trying to be plant based that week! And just hot water to drink.

Lunch would be homemade - something like a chilli and rice or soup and bread.

Dinner would be fishfingers chips and beans if I'm having a bad day (I revert to school dinner type food when I comfort eat!) or something like sausage and mash with veg, stew, homemade curry etc. Then I will usually have a pudding - a couple of chocolate biscuits, a flapjack etc. I don't really drink tea or coffee, just loads of water. I don't snack really. I don't really drink alcohol either. Weekends I tend to go out for a late breakfast so that'll be a full English or avo smash with bacon, no lunch then dinners will be a Chinese takeaway (DH and I share 1 main and a starter), a roast dinner etc. Definately naughtier at weekends!

5’4, 8 stone 10. I have to watch what I eat.

5 days a week I really watch what I eat.
Breakfast - sometimes fruit, sometimes plain yoghurt
Lunch - small bowl cereal
Dinner - normal - either no refined carbs or a little portion.
Maybe a biscuit as a snack.
If we eat out during the week, I’d probably cut back a bit at the weekend.

Weekend - eat and drink whatever I want. But if I have dinner booked I’ll only eat cereal at about 11am. If I have lunch out it’ll be my only meal of the day.

I don’t have things like takeaway coffees, or juice/pop. Not a big drinker either.

I estimate I have 1000 cals per day during the week and 2000 at the weekend.

Nearly always hit my 10000 steps and 450/500 cals burnt during exercise per day.

Hi OP, you do sound like you're consuming a few too many calories I think (for weight loss) I'm 40 and to be my slimmest (5,10" and size 12) I have to be incredibly strict. Similar level of exercise to you plus strength training (which burns the most calories). Maximum 1200 calories per day, no sugar, no processed foods, no refined carbs, bare minimum dairy, loads of fish and veg and no booze apart from the odd Prosecco at the weekend. I've slipped from this from time to time and I basically sniff a chip and I put on weight so the bottom line is if I want to be slim I have to be strict. Have you tried MyFitnessPal? X