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

Different diets work at different stages so don't fall into what is "best" trap. When I put on extra weight I focus and make sure I eat lots of veggies first, then high proteins (chicken, steak, eggs) and a small amount of carbs with LOTS of water but I'm over 50 so high protein diets don't tend to harm my body like it would in a younger person. When I'm stable and happy in my weight I eat a bit more fun foods and try to up my exercise to compensate, when I fail I do the aforementioned.

Avoid 'diets'. make lifestyle changes that are sustainable and that work for you.

I am not a believer in diets as i don't believe in restricting yourself, however i do believe in everything in moderation.

I used to work for a health food restaurant which inspired me to study a nutritional therapy course in my spare time so am very passionate about food and nutrition.

Typically monday - friday i start my day with a smoothie (1 banana, almond milk, protein powder, teaspoon of nut butter and oats or full fat greek yogurt with berries and a splash of water to thin it) for lunch i have a salad with protein or soup, occasionally i will have a wholemeal wrap with chicken, cottage cheese and avocado. For dinner we do tend to have hearty meals but i always buy wholegrain bread, and pasta and substitute normal rice for cauliflower rice. This week for dinner we have had turkey meatballs with wilted spinach, sausage and halloumi bake, chicken fajita bowl, spanish cod and chickpeas and tonight we are having steak and chips. If i snack during the day i have deliciously ella oat bars and on a night usually a bit of chocolate, preferably dark. On a weekend i eat what i want.

I don't go to the gym but i have a dog and a horse which keep me active.

I think a size 12 on my height and frame is slim - I’m 5’ 5” but very large breasts and bottom with a small waist. Slightly cartoonish proportions unfortunately

Are you kidding! That sounds like Jessica Rabbit - that's a figure I'd be envious about!

As I suspected though there’s a big variation so I will have to really work at it long term and probably be vigilant for the next 40 odd years if I’m lucky enough to be around that long.

You’ll probably find that as your eating habits change towards a healthier diet, that becomes your new “normal” so it does get easier. I occasionally put a bit on but it comes off again if I just concentrate more on what I’m eating.

I'm slim and always have been. I've noticed that the difference between my friends who are overweight and me is that they eat more.

I know that sounds glib but I mean it.

They also skip breakfast and sometimes dinner or lunch.

At work the other day I had a banana and a cheese toastie before 11.30. The cheese toastie I treated like an early lunch.

She ate nothing until 4 when she ate a huge bag of chocolate covered peanuts and then went home.

I know from what she tells me that she does most of her eating at home after 5. I think that it's silly to say "never eat chocolate" I certainly do eat it but only a small bar about once a week.

I eat 3 meals a day and rarely eat between them

I am not a believer in diets as i don't believe in restricting yourself, however i do believe in everything in moderation.

Can you not see how the second half of your sentence directly contradicts the first?

Apologies if I have missed it but I don't think you have said what are you are eating now in order to lose weight. Surely once you get to your target you carry on eating the same plus a little bit more in order to maintain rather than lose?

Unless you are doing slimfast type meal replacements of course.

I'm 5' 5" and weigh 9 stone 6 so not super slim, but my weight is very stable and has been the same give or take 2-3 pounds since I was eighteen. I don't follow any diets and eat what I feel is good for me and I don't suscrivbe to the "all fats are evil school" of thought. I eat a lot of:

Bread
Butter
Cheese
Pasta
Rice
Chicken
Fish
Red meat
Veg
Fruit

I eat a little bit of
Biscuits
Cake
icecream (um, a lot of this lately!)

I don't eat any:
crisps
breakfast cerals
ready meals

I've always been naturally slim. One thing I would say is I've never eaten until I feel full or stuffed. I just eat until I'm full and then finish. My portion sizes are reasonably small but I never say no to food or deny myself something I fancy . I'm a real foodie.

I eat anything I want, but never too much of it. I love vegetables and fruit and drink tons of water.

I don't eat much processed food and never drink any kind of soda/Coke/etc.

MrsD28 could you share the mint dressing recipe please? That sounds very nice.

I'm 55kg, 155cm, healthy weight for height.
I don't snack at all.
Breakfast is porridge (made with half milk, half water) with berries
Lunch is salad or sandwich (sometimes I don't get to eat it until 3pm though)
Supper always home-cooked, but something like spaghetti Bolognese, Moroccan lamb, chicken curry, chicken fajitas, chili con carne, sausage casserole etc etc. Meals are a bit tricky because I have two children with restricted eating (autism).

Everything has gone a little to pot in this heatwave, as I can't stand porridge in this heat! And we've been eating ice lollies every day...
But that aside, I don't eat huge portions, or random junk. Occasionally I have a packet of crisps. It's quite boring though, and if I was a foodie, I'd find it hard. I'm not that bothered about food, it's more just fuel to me IYSWIM.

It varies person to person because we all have different patterns of eating. Things that might help:

If you snack in the evening brush your teeth straight after tea to try and stop that.
Drink fewer or no calories. So water most/all of the time.
Don't drink alcohol.
What is your snacking downfall? If cheese find out what 30g is and only have that amount with an apple or 80g grapes (weight out the grapes as well - a serving is smaller than you think) or whatever fruit/veg you fancy.
If chocolate have a small square of dark chocolate plus a serving of fruit.
If cake work out the calories and decide if you'd rather have the slice of cake or your next meal. Or have a personal rule to only eat homemade but you still need to exercise portion control (that means one thin slice a day at most).
Just don't have biscuits/cake/crisps/soft drinks in the house. (I have emergency 25g bars of dark chocolate hidden away for the day before my period!).
The 3S diet: no snacks, sugar or seconds but otherwise eat a sensible diet.
Rejig your breakfast so it's just as filling but fewer calories (get rid of sugary cereals and e.g. have porridge instead).
Portion control for other meals, assuming you already eat plenty of fruit and veg.

You'll always get people who claim to eat nothing or have no interest in food. But that's not really helpful. I can maintain a healthy weight as long as I'm just under 2000 calories a day and I'm 5'2" and approaching 50. I do exercise daily which helps but my diet looks healthy but 'normal' to other people, I'm not the kind of person who talks about dieting all the time in RL and I do have cake etc and typical day includes 3 meals and 2 snacks.

bluebell

Well I’m very fat now so not terribly pleasant but to give you an idea I’ve lost 8 inches from my waist, 3 from my bottom and 1 from my breasts.

I only drink water and tea, also helps.

Eat when you're hungry. Eat slowly. Stop when you're full. Exercise.

Do what you need to do (plan, shop, distract) as necessary to achieve those things.

The following helps:
I do not snack at all,
I drink water (no soda at all 😟)
I really monitor my portion size - and I stop eating when I am full up
I sit down to eat
I drink water when I am hungry before I eat
No takeaways - when I eat these my weight quickly rockets
I am careful about carbs (pasta and bread)
I don't eat breakfast (which I know isn't recommended but I ignore this)
I move as much as possible (stairs/I don't drive so get off public transport a stop earlier if I can)
I walk everywhere - I do get 10,000 steps a day in
I have trained myself to not think about food or fixate on it

I'm not 21 any longer. I have to think about what I eat to keep weight off. I am also lazy, so this is a must. My weight can fluctuate by 3-5kg in a month very easily. It's annoying.

Merryoldgoat firstly, congratulation on your 3 stone weight loss! That really is amazing and you sound like you are focussed on losing the next 3.

I'm overweight according to the BMI but am very muscly on my arms and legs however I carry all my excess weight around my middle. The only way I can keep track of what I'm eating is to write it down (or record it on My Fitness Pal) but I do hate having to get the scales out for everything. Therefore I've worked out (over many years!) some alternatives ie a handful of cereal is 25g, a spoon of Greek yoghurt is 50g,. a handful of dried pasta is 50g etc

Even if this method is too inaccurate for you at the moment, it wouldn't hurt to start weighing out some foods by the handful just so you can have an idea of how small a recommended portion really is!

(I'm still gutted that a teeny tiny bowl of granola is so calorific )

I'm 164 cm and slim. I am not that interested in food tbh, so don't eat much. I eat when I am hungry and don't eat if I'm not. I don't have set meal times as such, just listen to my body.I love veg an cheese though

and I don't know what I weigh as don't have scales- I go by my clothes. I exercise regularly an i drink

I don't eat much processed food and never drink any kind of soda/Coke/etc.

I think this is key to maintaining a healthy weight.

And I know the favoured ideal is ‘lifestyle change’ rather than a diet but that’s just not the case when you have such disordered eating you end up 11 stone overweight as I am right now.

Until I started dieting and lost three stone my knees killed me so the idea of exercise was a joke.

And when your doctor says proper results in three months or its time to think about surgery, then a diet it is.

I think people eat far too much generally. Eat less of everything op, have small potions and on't wait until you are stuff to stop.

I eat a balanced vegan diet, whole grains, very little alcohol, lots of veg and fruit. Lots of pulses, tofu etc.

Snacks are usually just fruit, or a few nuts, or a cracker if anything.

I do have puddings though. Mainly healthy-ish, fruit and yoghurt for example, but sometimes cake or ice cream. I think having sweet stuff as a pudding rather than a snack means you eat far less of it.

I don’t do snacking after dinner- I don’t feel the need as I’ve eaten well during the day. My ex had a belly on him and he’d eat nothing all day, and binge at night, but would have less than me in total.

You have a point there Merry. Well done of tackling it, and for being open.