What do you eat if you’re slim?

[Merryoldgoat]

I’m sorry but I really don’t know.

I’m very fat and have been yo-yo dieting for years to the point where I don’t know what a normal healthy day-to-day diet is. I know all the various weight-loss diets etc but it’s the normal eating I struggle with.

I’m currently on a LONG weight loss journey and have lost 3 stone so far but I want to keep it off once I’ve lost it.

I like healthy food and a variety of food - I’m just trying to understand what slim people eat on a typical day.

In particular I’m really interested in what you have for family dinners.

I’m hoping things that can be batches cool feature as I need to save time where I can.

Thank you for reading my very boring AIBU

Not much. No snacks, don't drink alcohol or buy in crap. Never have takeaway. Default meal is a bowl of cereal with ff milk. Not really interested in food.

No proper meals?

Gosh - I keep wondering if I’ll ever keep it off - maybe I won’t.

A smallish portion of whatever’s going, which can be absolutely anything - it seems to be amount that matters, rather than what it is. Does that make sense? MFP is extremely useful for maintenance.

Fruit and veg for snacks or bulk.

Maybe I should just lose it first and worry about keeping it off later.

Thank you Connebert

That sounds good - it would be good to eat ‘normal’ food but smaller portions. Love veg so can bulk up meals with that.

Honestly I think the biggest factor is portion size. I'm shocked at how small the recommended size portions are!
Weigh your pasta/rice etc a couple of times, you'll soon get used to what you should be eating
Also, carbs at the beginning/middle of the day.

I'd say a healthy diet would be

Breakfast - fruit
Lunch - carb + protein
Dinner - protein + veg

This works for me if I stick to it

I eat what I like pretty much what I want but just small portions. Eating out I rarely finish my meal (I struggle to eat loads in one sitting- not great at a Buffett!) If there is something calorific going I wonder if it’s worth eating so would pass up crappy cake/biscuits but indulge if it’s going to be really nice.

If you keep up a deficit in your calorie in/out you won't gain it all back. I'm not slim yet I've lost 3stone and have 3 to go. My deficit goal is 750-1000. Also well done on losing 3 stone.

slovenlys

That sounds reasonable - I do have to look at portion sizes (obviously).

not much i'm afraid. thats why slim people are slim - they've trained themselves or default is no large portions. smaller portions, fruit and vegs for snacks. no sugary foods. massive plates of salad with little or no dressing/toppings. spirits and diet drinks rather than wine, ciders and cocktails.

i was extremely thin ( too thin to be slim) and to be honest, i barely ate.

I wouldn't listen to people like Cismyass - not that there is anything wrong with what she says if it's working for her but if you're someone who does like food it's never going to work for you! But it is very possible to be a foodie and slim, especially if you happen to like veg as you do.

I agree that portion size is the main thing - if you can get into the habit of tracking your food on MFP and weighing everything so that you know what a portion of something is, it will really help you.

Weetabix with Full fat milk for breakfast
Salad with a protein for lunch or soup when it gets colder
Then eg salmon, couscous, corn on the cob, for dinner

Snacks - tangerines, banana nectarine. Will have 2 snacks a day.
Also have a night a week where I eat anything I want - last night was pulled pork burgers with cheese.

Mix of tube feeds ( when the damn thing works), sugar free ice poles and child size portions ( or smaller, when I do eat. When the tube works I tend not to bother trying but...)

Was always a bit bigger really (apart from on keto a few years back) until I got ill, then my stomach stopped working properly (equivalent of basically having a gastric bypass only it’s an illness) then started very quickly dropping weight.

All I can say is that it came off and stayed off when being forced in to tiny portions, so I agree it’s more to do with amount rather than types of food (I can’t really eat any healthy foods)

It’s all about calories in/out, honestly.

Raven

I know that I won’t be able to keep a record of calories - it’s failed so many times for me. I know it works for many but it’s not for me.

I'm slim - size 6/8, bmi of 18.7 - and I'd say I eat pretty normally. I don't have huge meals in terms of portion size but I do eat often. For example

Breakfast - porridge or scrambled eggs and toast
Snack - fruit / biscuit
Lunch - sandwich with some fruit/salad
Snack - yoghurt/fruit
Dinner - some variation on meat/fish/pasta with salad or vegetables. Glass of wine.
I also usually have a treat each day like a scoop of ice cream or a small bar of chocolate, occasional packet of crisps.

I probably eat 1500-2000 calories a day BUT I walk a lot and have a toddler that doesn't let me sit still. My weight is stable on this diet but if I wanted to lose I would probably have to drop the snacks.

Eat what ever you eat now but half the portion size.

I am 5"8 and size 10. Typical day would be:

B: 2 poached eggs or baked beans on a large slice of wholemeal toast

L: chicken or salmon with salad and cous cous

D: Fish or lean meat with salad / roasted veg and new potatoes / stir fry / chilli with cous cous or brown rice

Snacks: fruit / cereal bar / lower calories crisps lime French Fries.

The key thing is lots of veg (I am lucky that I love salad), avoid empty calories (like mountains of mayo or high calorie salad dressings) and drink lots of water rather than high calorie drinks.

Depends how you define slim. I'm 5'6 and weigh just under 11stone. I'm a dress size 10/12. I'm actually trying to lose a few pounds myself at the moment. It turns out when you hit your late thirties you can't carry on eating like you did when you were 18!

Breakfast - Porridge with a couple of tsps of jam/syrup.
Lunch - A tin of vegetable soup. I might have a roll or a pitta bread with it. Not always though.
Dinner - Usually pasta and sauce or some kind of vegetable curry.

If I snack, which I'm trying to do less, it will usually be fruit or nuts.
I only drink water. No squash, juice or pop at all. I drink alcohol maybe once a week, but not every week.
I'm trying to eat a more plant-based diet, for ethical as well as health reasons, so I probably only have meat maybe once a week.
I also exercise most days. Cardio x4 per week, resistance/weights x2 per week.
Trying to get down to 10 stone.
Good luck OP. This is the first time I've ever really needed to consider what I'm eating carefully and it is really hard.

I’m vegetarian and I eat loads. It helps that I really like vegetables!

A typical day would be...

Breakfast : one slice granary toast with butter almost always
Lunch : often small portion of previous night’s dinner, soup (homemade in big batches and frozen in portions) or a jacket potato with cheese, salad and coleslaw
Dinner : veg curry, chilli, stir fry or pasta bake

I tend to rely on eggs, lentils, chick peas, quorn, tofu and paneer for protein. I try and base my meals on veg and protein with measured carbs and fat.

I don’t eat crisps on weekdays (I can’t stop eating them if I start) unless I’m in a coffee shop. For snacks, I’d usually have a banana mid morning and some sort of quorn meat or falafel when I come in from work.

I don’t drink much alcohol (probably only a couple of times a week at most) and don’t drink milk or sugar in coffee. I think lots of people underestimate calories in drinks.

I also exercise a couple of times a week and have a job that means I’m always on my feet.

I did slimming world in the past and that worked really well. It’s badixally what I eat now though-more veg, more lean protein and less junk.

Thank you everyone.

I suppose I need to concentrate on the next three stone (and then the next) and then worry about maintenance. Maybe it’s a pipe dream anyway.

This is the most I’ve ever lost though and no intention of stopping yet so hopefully I’ll get there.

A real problem is my husband who is a MASSIVE foodie but doesn’t gain weight like me.

Lots to think about - so much to try to get my head around

I know that I won’t be able to keep a record of calories - it’s failed so many times for me. I know it works for many but it’s not for me.

It didn’t work for me either. I found I got obsessive over it which wasn’t healthy at all.

Weighing carb portions is worth it though, at least until you recognise what one serving of rice/pasta should look like (or find a suitably sized mug to measure them with!)

I have huge portion sizes, I eat the same as DH and he's a large man
But, I don't snack ever, and I don't eat a lot of sweet stuff - extremely rare. I drink a lot of water and only really have teas etc when I'm out.
DH snacks a lot and has a massive sweet tooth so he finds it hard to keep the weight off.

Lots to think about - so much to try to get my head around

The thing is, there isn’t one way that works. Different things work best for different people. Losing three stone is amazing so something is clearly going well.

I have a coffee and two boiled eggs on whole grain toast with a bit of butter for breakfast, keeps me full until mid morning, then Greek yoghurt with nuts and berries as a snack. Lunch is usually whatever is leftover from night before, so maybe some Mexican mince in cos lettuce cups or chicken stir fry with brown rice. Mid afternoon snack is usually another yoghurt with berries and nuts (I love it!) and dinner is usually protein with salad or veg. Chicken or beef mince (so maybe a stuffed sweet potato with mince, salad and a bit of cheese). Maybe an apple with a bit of peanut butter on it after dinner. I like to eat and find if I move more, eg long walks, slow jog or weights, I can eat more healthy food!!