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

I don’t eat most processed carbs

I do eat chocolate tho but as long as keep off the bread rice pasta potatoes I’m good.

Lots of fruit and salad and lean meat.

Yoghurt and fruit for bf
Salad for lunch
Dinner can be anything just minus the carbs and add more veg

Fajitas last night I just didn’t have a wrap and ate the chicken pepper bit with salad and lots of cheese and sour cream it was lush!

Sorry if this is unhelpful, but I think slenderness is down to the combination of 3 things: genes, some physical activity and no bad food habits (rather than healthy food).
I hate breakfasts and whatever people eat for it, so my 1a day cup of coffee with bread/salami, or croissant, or a biscuit is probably the brekkie. When I worked and moved around more, I had 2 hot meals a day: lunch at work in the canteen and cooked dinner at home. I rarely bought ready-made things (they are more expensive than cooking from scratch, I found), and cooked for 2-3 days. Normal stuff, chicken, fish, lamb with rice, veg, pasta.
Now as I sit at home on my arse I have less appetite than before, and am happy with just salad (in summer) or soup (in winter) for lunch, and 1 main meal in the evening.

I don't crave chocolate, don't like sweet things (apart from with coffee), not a fan of chips and other fatty stuff, don't eat bread with everything (as they do in my homeland culture), rarely drink fizzy drinks, don't particularly like tea. I drink A LOT of alcohol; it's either that or water. I hate all those fiddly fancy recipes in magazines about "healthy lunches" involving dry turkey breast and some leaves. So I pretty much eat normal food really.

This thread is so interesting. Thanks 😊

Porridge or eggs or fruit and yoghurt for breakfast
Lunch usually salad with meat fish or eggs, sometimes soup or jacket potato with filling
Evening meals meat, fish or poultry with veg, things like spaghetti bolognaise, chilli, curry, cottage pie
I just don’t snack or use much fat or creamy sauces etc

Those saying whatever but very small amount, aren't you disappointed that dinner is over in 5 minutes?
But its not.
You sit at the table and chat and chew and savour.
A small portion of something REALLY well flavoured takes a while to eat
so meals are a pleasure but you do not feel stuffed at the end

PamsterWheel - no, you need to eat slower! It's worth thinking that many people are trained as children to eat quickly - everything from parents hurrying them up, telling them to eat food while it's still hot, and maximising playtime at school by eating quickly....

Aim to eat slowly. Put you knife and fork down between mouthfuls. Talk over dinner (so you can't just shovel your food in fast, you have to stop and talk).

If you are full, then you won't be disappointed when the meal is over.

too many people treat their meals as the thing to look forward to through the day - try to have other things, looking forward to that TV show or reading the next chapter of your book, not 'dinner' being the sole highlight of your evening/day.

Everything, but a little bit of each thing. I have a bit of chocolate every day because I love it, but a couple of squares for the taste rather than a bar or two (which I used to have!)

Most importantly, only eating when I'm actually hungry - as in my stomach is empty. Not just 'because I fancy it'. That one was key!

@hubblebubbletoiltrouble

I was really worried people would think I was stupid. I know healthy eating and eating normally seem like obvious things but genuinely, my ‘normal’ is so abnormal that I really needed to ask.

I’m very glad I did as it’s given me lots to think about.

I'd like to say that I'm not what anyone would describe as slim, I am certainly curvy but in a healthy weight range for my very short height. My sisters are all taller than me, and actually slim though. I know the difference, I eat snacks and they don't.

Typical day:

Breakfast - fruit, full fat Greek yogurt and about a tbsp muesli. A boiled egg with a small slice of seeded/rye toast. Black coffee plus perhaps a glass of fruit juice.

Lunch (main meal) - chicken, potatoes with butter and salad (almost always with about a 1/2 tbsp of high fat dressing or oil). Followed by a dessert like a small slice of cake. (Or a small portion of basically anything, followed by salad)

Dinner - vegetable soup (with lentils) and a glass of wine

Exercise - HIIT, yoga and a bit of running

(For me, you have to add in an afternoon cup of tea with biscuits.... and a mid morning snack of a banana or granola bar, plus maybe something else late into the evening if I'm still up - and sometimes when I get up for feeds - I know my downfall! I'll have the reel it in once I stop breastfeeding).

If you're losing weight at a nice steady pace I would just carry on indefinitely really. Eventually you'll hit a plateau (when your calorie intake matches your metabolic rate) and you can either reduce your calories if you want to lose more weight, or carry on eating the same and not lose any more weight (maintanence).

That won’t work for me effing - I’m on a VLCD (doctor directed) so can’t do this indefinitely.

I'm a size 8-10, haven't got a clue what I weigh but I'd definitely be classed slim.

I go to the gym 3 times a week and do extra fitness classes twice a week on top of that. I know this is about diet but my calorie output is high because of that so I think it's relevant. My appetite is by no means small. I eat 3 good meals a day and I have the occasional snack, tbh I could snack more but I'm never THAT hungry.

I think the key is in what you buy in the supermarket, I never buy chocolate, crisps, fizzy drinks, or alcohol (unless for a specific occasion or recipe). If it's not in the house, I can't eat it.

I drink at least 2L of water a day - it's good for me and it helps keep me feeling full.

Breakfast is either wholegrain toast with boiled eggs, or mushrooms, or peanut butter with bananas, full-fat (full fat will keep you fuller for longer and it's good fat rather than a bad one) greek yoghurt mixed with protein powder (again to help keep me full til lunchtime), and granola. Or, a smoothie that has at least two handfuls of spinach in it so I'm getting some veggies in me.

Lunch and dinner are usually pretty similar because I take leftovers to work with me. Pasta dishes are my favourite because they're so versatile - they fill me up and you can bulk them out with loads of veggies.

Other than that, I just try and cook everything from scratch. I no longer buy jars of sauces, there are plenty of easy recipes to make them yourself and homemade will have so much less sugar in than one you've bought. I no longer eat cereal (again so many hidden sugars).

Hi, I've jumped to the end of the thread so sorry if I'm repeating what's already been said.

I'm naturally slim, my BMI tends to be the low end of normal. But that's mainly genetics; my parents and siblings are slim too, despite us all eating very differently. Eg my parents are traditional meat, potatoes and 2 veg types with a sweet tooth and I prefer spicy, flavoursome food and like savoury snacks. Some people just don't put weight on as easily as others so comparison with their diets may not help.

I eat normally, as in, three meals a day with snacks between and don't restrict any food (except meat/fish as I'm a vegetarian for ethical reasons). My portion sizes are quite small, not deliberately, just because I tend to eat little and often as otherwise my stomach rumbles!

Well done with your weight loss. I hope you find what works for you long term so that you can just get on with your life without food being something you have to think about too much.

I'm 5ft6/Size 8/54kg
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What works for me is eating when I'm hungry rather than because it's time to eat. So I find myself not eating breakfast most of the time because I'm usually never hungry in the mornings. The myth of don't skip breakfast is a load of nonsense..because here I Am alive and well. Or if I eat breakfast which is usually cornflakes or oats I'm usually not hungry come lunch time.
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I do work out about 4/5 times a week, more because I enjoy it and it's a lifestyle for me. I do eat my fair share of junk food and chips/fries are my weakness (especially the ones from the fish and chip shop)

Merry. RE: The “norks” comment, mines used to be a HH/I and are now about a D . Never say never.

Would it be okay to ask how people tend to gauge their own dress size on discussion threads like this? (Please ignore if too personal) Is it by sizes you most commonly wear, biggest/smallest size of the clothes you wear often, measurements on shop size charts?
I've been confused on a few threads by people saying they are the same height and size as I consider myself to be but a different weight/BMI, or being same height and weight/BMI but different size. (not so much this one.) Maybe everyone is just quite different builds, or I am pedantic by thinking in terms of the chart measurements.

*(not so much this thread)

penny I say I’m an 8 because I most often buy an 8. Occasionally a 10 or a 6 fits better but that’s unusual.

I'm not a bit diary eater so find healthy dinners easy as I'm not fond of creamy sauces or cheese. I eat a lot of lean meat with veg e.g chilli con carne, beef stew, chicken curry, chicken fajitas, any meat tikka skewers. I always have carbs but not loads for both lunch and dinner e.g. 2 sandwich thins at lunch and 200-250cal worth of rice / pasta for dinner. I eat fruit and yog for brekky. My weakness is snacks as I love chocolate so eat 200cal of choc a day. I'm try to do strict in the week and relaxed at the weekend. I'm 5ft10 and maintain a size 12 well. Can be a size 10 when I'm putting in effort in the week. Don't exercise much and strongly believe that diet over exercise impacts weight loss.

I eat anything I like, but only in small portions.

I eat a 'proper' meal at dinner. For portion sizes it's about a thumb diameter of dried pasta cooked and 3 tablespoons of bolognese sauce (homemade, no oils).

If we go out to eat, in a restaurant or such I probably leave half my meals as the portions are so large. I tend to self regulate, so if I have a slice of cake I generally won't eat whatever the next meal is as I'm full. If I have a large lunch dinner will often be cereal or toast.

I don't snack and only drink water, maybe one or two cups of coffee/ tea a day. Rarely have take out coffees.

Today has been a bad day, I've had a bowl of cereal for breakfast, a crumpet for lunch but that was about 11 so threw me out of whack a bit and then around 3 had some pasta, salami and a slice of bread. That would normally be a full day of food but as I ate so early I'll need to eat something again later but I don't know what that'll be.

One slice of toast for breakfast and a piece of fruit. Coffee with skimmed milk.
Lunch is usually soup, bread (no butter), a protein (boiled eggs, chicken breast, ...) and a desert (small bowl, size of my fist, a chocolate bar etc)
Snack is usually a small handful of nuts, and a small piece of cheese (size of one finger)
Dinner often pasta with veg, or a sandwich (2 slices of bread, any fillings)
No juice etc ( just water), hardly ever cappuccinos etc, alcohol once a month or so (and not a lot)
I also walk at least 1 hour per day with a heavy backpack, much more in the weekend

I have scrambled egg and avocado for breakfast, nuts and blueberries for mid morning snack. Tuna or chicken salad for lunch and maybe an apple. Dinner is chicken fajitas, chilli, vegetable lasagne, or salmon and stir fry veg. Takeaways or any convenience food are rare, alcohol is only Saturday night and only 2-3 units max. If I want chocolate after dinner I’ll have it and often have the odd biscuit/cake at work. I don’t really restrict myself on treats but all my meals are healthy. I also run 5-10km 2-3 times a week and go to the gym, and am generally ‘on the go’ most of the time. So many people I know say they spend the whole evening/weekend watching TV in bed, that is never me. If I do feel like I’ve eaten loads of crap, I do a week of 5:2 which skims off any extra calories.

I eat homemade food. If it comes from a packet I don’t really eat it

“Eat food, mostly plants”

I think good can be simple. Boil some spuds, top with a little butter and salt, steamed veg and some fish. Or chicken. Have protein at every meal so you don’t get hungry - eggs are also good. No low fat or
sugar free shite. Full fat yoghurt, olive oil,butter. Limit snacks. Do you eat for boredom? Drink herbal tea instead