To ask for your go-to diet stodge recipes?

[CupidStuntSurvivor]

I'm overweight. Very overweight really. Have been since I was very young. I have a large appetite and don't often feel full after what most people would consider an average meal. I can diet and I do...I lost two stone before Christmas but have since put 11lb of that back on. And I exercise...My appetite is the problem. I just eat too much.

Breakfast is easy, and so is lunch. I don't snack. But I get tremendously hungry in the evenings and end up eating huge meals.

So, does anyone have any fairly simple recipes that are diet friendly but just feel stodgy? Something I can have a fairly large portion of without cocking up the diet?

Or even any tips from someone who's been here.

Slimming world works as you can eat massive portions. I have lost 2 stone and have no off switch when it comes to hunger. I had french toast and fruit for breakfast, soup and salad for lunch and having cottage pie with veg for dinner. Good luck!

I find anything with eggs in really filling. Good for you too.

I've just made DD and I chicken noodle soup for dinner - it's not exactly stodgy but it is warm and pretty filling.

Pint and a half of chicken stock in pan with a big handful of shredded chicken, couple of shredded spring onions, some thinly sliced red pepper and either sliced baby corn or a handful of frozen sweetcorn. Bring to boil and simmer for a couple of minutes then add thin noodles and sweet chilli sauce to taste.

That does a large bowl each for me and DD but you could probably eat the lot for less than 300 calories.

If you can get away with carbs - a big jacket with ratatouille and grated cheese.

Hairy Dieter chilli and ginger salmon with a huge pile of stir fry veg and a small portion of rice is delicious and really filling too.

I second slimming world, I did it a few years ago and lost 3 stone stuffing my face!

Stir fry rice and loads of veg - you can have a big plate but it's healthy. Peppers, onions, mushrooms, mange tout , broccoli etc. add some chicken and cashew nuts.

Is Slimming World the one with green and red days? Think I may have done it as a teen. I'll go and Google...

Slimming World do Extra Easy as well now (no more 'special' days). I lost 5.5 stone, DH almost 7.

Veggie chilli.
Onion, carrot, celery, courgette, tomatoes, peppers, black bean, kidney beans, quinoa, chilli, garlic, cumin, paprika, coriander. Cook for a couple of hours usually.

Really filling and you can eat tons of it. I have a massive bowl with a dollop of natural yogurt. Beans fill you up and give some texture but I sometimes lower the bean to veg ratio to make it healthier.

Also shepherds/cottage/fish pie but switch the mashed potato to cauliflower mash. I use a whole cauli and a small potato and it's just as comforting as the usual.

I eat konjac pasta/rice/noodles with everything now. Around 7 calories per 100g, so a big portion comes in at under 30 calories. No nutritional value to speak of but then I don't exactly rely on pasta or rice for that!

That way, I can eat freshly prepared chilli, curry, stir fry, ragu etc. and have a large portion if I feel like it without consuming too many calories.

For a low calorie lunch, I add konjac noodles to Thai soup.

Also a lasagne version, which I'm having tonight!

The texture is slightly different, it's not going to win any gourmet awards, but it's been essential to help me lose baby weight.

I have Eat Water ones, and they're usually on offer somewhere. Ocado have them 3 packs for £5 at the moment, which is pretty good.

All good suggestions above. Anything with multiple vegetables, beans, lentils, chickpeas, quinoa &c. will be filling and you can eat a pleasingly large portion without feeling guilty. Also risotto, putting in a bit less rice than you might usually and adding loads of vegetables for bulk (baby sweetcorn, button mushrooms, asparagus, green beans, peas, whatever you fancy, plus shredded chicken?). I make a bolognese every couple of weeks, then eke it out another night by adding a tin of kidney beans, a tin of tomatoes and chilli flakes for an impromptu chilli with brown rice; that's pretty filling and healthy. Portobello mushrooms are very hearty as well; baked with some goat's cheese or feta, cherry tomatoes, maybe some pesto, and served with a wholemeal pitta. Casseroles: bung some chunks of lamb (doesn't matter if it's fatty as it will render if slow-cooked) into a big pan with vegetables (carrots? Beetroot? Potatoes or sweet potatoes, maybe some parsnips or swede – anything you like), cover with water or stock, bring to the boil and stick it in the oven on low (150C) with the lid on for two or three hours until you can cut the meat with a spoon. Serve with green vegetables or a big salad.

But also... Hopefully once you get started your appetite will decrease. You sort of do have to get used to feeling a bit hungry when you're trying to lose weight, I think. Or rather – not hungry, but to realise what it feels like when you're satisfied but not stuffed. I like having a plain yoghurt after dinner as the texture and flavour helps to put a "lid" on my appetite. Likewise a cup of tea or something. It's hard, but good luck – it gets easier.

Another slightly controversial tip is: cook adventurous stuff using ingredients that aren't necessarily your favourite. Not stuff you hate, obviously, but things that are good for you which you might not ordinarily choose (for me this is tofu). This wouldn't work for everyone and some people will think it is really stupid! But I like doing this as it means I eat it, enjoy it a moderate amount and it does me good, but I don't want to overeat it. And sometimes I discover I love it. But I've found it's quite a good way to educate both my palate and my awareness of my appetite; I could eat boxes of strawberry granola, but give me a portion of lentil dhal and I'll think yes, lovely, but now I've had enough.