What do you eat if you're trying to lose weight?

[Dillpickles]

I've managed to lose all of 1lb in almost three weeks so feeling a bit despondent.

So, do you eat in a way if you're trying to lose weight? Any tips appreciated :-)

So what the heck CAN we eat according to you @AutomaticMoon ? There's not much left after your lists!

@Silversprinkles i have worked through thé of all good groups list and came up with algae @AutomaticMoon will correct me

I've tried absolutely everything you can imagine. I have real issues with binge eating and have lost and gained stones and stones over the years. Every time I lose a lot of weight, I put it back on plus another stone. The only way I've known how to lose weight is to go at it hammer and tongs, cutting my calories too low, obsessing over micros and macros, overexercising and removing any kind of joy from my life.

Last year I reached the fattest I've ever been and since the start of December I've been eating the same stuff I've always enjoyed, just within a calorie deficit. It is definitely carb-heavy and not enough vegetables right now (most MNers would be horrified by the amount of carbs in my diet!) but I haven't binged in two months because I'm enjoying what I eat. If I'm not mentally AND physically satiated, I will binge.

For now, I am 11lbs lighter and making very small changes. Down the line I will increase my vegetables, fibre, protein, exercise, etc but I'm wobbling along a tightrope between getting to a lower weight and not triggering my 20-year ED.

I'm a bit fat again after too many weeks of winter comfort eating. The sorry truth is that for me to lose weight nowadays, the answer to the question "What do you eat if you're trying to lose weight?" is "not very much of anything". By which I mean that I have to get a bit Zen about being hungry, and not always eating in response to that hunger. I hope that doesn't sound too eating disordered. I still eat 3 meals, but smaller portions, so get pretty hungry in between. Whether it's low fat/no carb/low carb and seems to matter far less.

Carbs and dairy bloat me. WFH and not walking as much... the weight has crept on. Cutting down on carbs, fizzy drinks, sugar and smaller portions are helping to achieve a flatter stomach.
I'm surprised how much my body changing affected me emotionally. Long term I need to find coping mechanisms to deal with this and other things that will decline in time...

I was convinced I couldn't lose weight without eating a very low carb diet. Joined a transformation gym and started eating a higher protein diet with moderate carbs and fat and lost two stone without ever feeling hungry. Have kept one and half stone off for over a year because personal circumstances have meant I haven't kept to the eating plan. It's this I am addressing now because it's what I need to do in order to get out of the cycle of losing weight then putting it back on.

All those things AutomaticMoon posted were x, y, z "can" do this and that. The simple fact is you need a calorie deficit, however you choose to achieve it and for the vast majority of people not losing weight is down to not being in deficit.

@Dillpickles weight loss isn’t a one size fits all. You have to develop a way of eating that’s satisfying, satiating, sustainable & nourishing but with a deficit to aid weight loss. It can be harder as we get older. There are so many variables:- age, exercise, hormones, quality of sleep, food intolerances, water intake, macros, medications, chronic illness, mental health/frame of mind etc.

These Lose It! threads might have some ideas for you. You’re welcome to join us. Good luck 🤞

@amusedbush

I've tried absolutely everything you can imagine. I have real issues with binge eating and have lost and gained stones and stones over the years. Every time I lose a lot of weight, I put it back on plus another stone. The only way I've known how to lose weight is to go at it hammer and tongs, cutting my calories too low, obsessing over micros and macros, overexercising and removing any kind of joy from my life.

Last year I reached the fattest I've ever been and since the start of December I've been eating the same stuff I've always enjoyed, just within a calorie deficit. It is definitely carb-heavy and not enough vegetables right now (most MNers would be horrified by the amount of carbs in my diet!) but I haven't binged in two months because I'm enjoying what I eat. If I'm not mentally AND physically satiated, I will binge.

For now, I am 11lbs lighter and making very small changes. Down the line I will increase my vegetables, fibre, protein, exercise, etc but I'm wobbling along a tightrope between getting to a lower weight and not triggering my 20-year ED.

Wow I could have written this word for word. I wish you all the best x

I log what I'm eating. It stops mindless snacking and makes me consider portion control.
I don't have to vary what I'm eating as much as I have to change how much I'm eating. I don't cut anything out because if I do I crave it and can't stick to it. So I have everything in moderation, log calories and stick to 1200-1300 calories a day.