To think I can lose weight just by eating ‘normally’?

[Ribrabrob]

I’ve posted on here before about how desperate I am to lose weight (binge, secret eating etc). I’ve tried so many diets that I just cannot stick to.

I think I need to just get a handle on my eating habits and develop a ‘normal’ relationship with food. However, I desperately need to lose weight as well as it is seriously affecting my health. Aibu to think that I can lose weight with a healthy and normal balanced diet? Not calorie counting, but just eating balanced and normally.

It probably sounds a ridiculous question but I genuinely have no idea what a healthy way to lose weight is anymore. I’ve been watching some videos on tiktok of people in my situation who are just eating normal food (think cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, spaghetti bologneise for example for dinner) and I’m wondering if it really is possible.

Yes - I’ve lost 40lb just by calorie counting and walking and standing more . I started at 23 stone . Very possible . I’ve still managed to have takeaways and chocolate etc, but have to plan it out where I can !

Absolutely. Weight loss is simply taking in fewer calories than you burn. Count calories, weigh, track, log your food and you will lose weight if you stay in a calorie deficit. When you have lost weight and you have a good idea of what ‘normal’ portions are, eating does become more intuitive. I lost around 25kg about 7yrs ago and have kept it all off since. If I feel a bit bigger, I’ll have two weeks or so of tracking to remind myself how to eat. It works. (I’m fully aware the psychological aspect is much more difficult than that, but those are the straight facts)

Yep.
I’ve lost 2&1/2 stone by logging everything I consume in My Fitness Pal and just not going over my daily calorie target of 1,500. Now I’ve lost the weight I maintain it by eating 1,600 daily. (2000 calories is for a young, fit, active woman and is far too much for the average woman)

I still eat chocolate, crisps and drink wine but I weigh everything religiously so for Sunday lunch I will only have two very small roast potatoes but loads of veg with my meat. Pudding I will have a 95 calorie freddo so I’ve still had something sweet and feel satisfied and, because I’m not missing out, I don’t end up binging on things.

You do really have to read portion sizes and calorie and weigh everything. Some sandwiches can have more calories in than a portion controlled roast dinner.

If I do really, really want something and it takes me over my calories then I have less for the next couple of days to make up for it but, by logging everything, I find I actually make better choices anyway.

Good luck!

Of course it's possible. What ultimately matters is how many calories you're taking in, and you are eating too much food. Start using small plates and be very conscious about your portion sizes and caloric intake. Don't forget about the calories you might be drinking.

Yes definitely. I make sure I stay within the recommended daily calories each day and eat a balanced diet but have not cut out anything. I haven't been to the gym in over two years but have just started walking more. In total I have lost two stone.

You do need to calorie count as you need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight.

Pop your usual diet into myfitnesspal to work out how much you’re typically eating in a day.

You can absolutely lose weight eating normally, but you will have to calorie count to start with to make sure your portions are ok. That’s all that matters for weight loss, calories in and calories out. So long as you’re expending more calories than you’re taking in, you’ll lose weight whatever you’re eating.

I’m in the same boat as you OP. I need to lose weight but years and years of dieting means I have totally lost any sense of normal eating and I have a very disfunctional relationship with food. I am sick of food constantly having a “value”, whether it’s point, syns or calories. I’ve dieted for long enough to know what food is and isn’t good for me so I’m trying to stop dieting, eating normally and not constantly think about food.

It’s early days and I don’t know whether I’ve lost any weight because I’ve also decided to stop getting on the scales every day! My clothes don’t feel any tighter so I figure that’s a good thing!

You say you don't want to calorie count - but you will need to implement some kind of portion control to make sure you aren't eating too much.

On the face of it - 3 healthy balanced meals a day and no snacking in between should be ok.

But those meals have to be under a set size - a 30-40g portion of cereal does not look like much in the bowl. Most people eat 2-3 "portions" in a sitting.

So I would spend some time checking that you have the right idea on your portions?

@LadyFeliciaMontague How long have you been going for, and will you log calories every day, forever? I'm just wondering if it's possible to stop having to do that, because I can eat normally when I track, but once I stop I inevitably return to bad habits.

Yes, it is doable, especially if you add a bit of exercising to it. Important thing is to cut down the snacking in between or try to keep the snacking healthy. Also keep in mind this will be slow burn but more sustainable. For ex, follwing these steps I have lost nearly one stone in about 9 months. Yes, it's frustratingly slow ( to me), but I don't feel like bingeing, or wvwn if I have a tad more wine or dessert than I should with one meal, I'll try to be a bit more carefull next day. Good luck and patience.

Re portion sizes I found it helped to buy several sets of scoop measures from the pound shop, I weighed out an ‘average’ portion and put the scoop size in that food. So for example rice is the 1/3 cup scoop, which I leave in the rice tub in the cupboard. If I’m feeding a few people I look at who’s home, my two adult sons are really sporty so if they’re home I’ll chuck an extra scoop or half scoop in the pan and dish it out accordingly. For me it’s better than a complete guess, but not as obsessive as weighing every grain of rice of but of muesli.

@HostessTrolley I like the scoop idea - I’m nicking that!

Absolutely. And it's the most sustainable way. What I will say is, if you can add in salad, vegetables and fruit whenever you can.
So have some cereal topped with fruit, a nice salad or homemade vegetable soup alongside your sandwich at lunch, and some vegetables at dinner. It'll bulk out your meals, cram in lots of vitamins and hopefully stop you eating lots of 'junk'.

I lost 3st last year, just be eating normally but reducing portion sizes and added lots of the above. I don't deny myself anything. I eat full fat, have a glass of wine some days, chocolate/cake etc but am mindful of portions and rarely snack between meals.

So I'll happily have lasagne for dinner but don't have a family size serving and always have salad or vegetables with it. I love chocolate but usually enjoy a small piece of sickly, gooey chocolate cake or a couple of squares of dark chocolate.

I've given up all 'diets' and am the slimmest I've ever been. One relative thinks I should be overweight as I love cheese, bread, chocolate and so on. I enjoy it all, but in reasonable portionz.

You need to calorie count or eat ready made until you get a grip.of portion size. A lb of say peas will always have more calories than a lb of tomatoes for example.

In a sustainable way? Unlikely I’m afraid

It’s really much less about calories in v calories out than we are told

Metabolism and weight are hormonally, psychologically and socially complex

There are strategies that work though and they are not down the gym either (yay)

Read / watch some Jason Fung

Depends what your idea of normal is.

A normal meal:-
Cereal, milk, coffee, banana
Sandwich brown bread, chicken salad filling, crisps
Roast dinner

Yet could easily be way more calories than you burn

Similarly, normal meal:-
Overnight oats, added chia seeds and berries, water to drink
Salmon salad, diet drink
Soup and a roll

May be too few calories and you end up starving and bingeing.

You def can, as another poster said portion pots Hostess trolley (I think somewhere there is a hand portion guide, very easy to follow).
Depending on how large you are, your calorie needs will vary, you need to rethink ( as I see it)your emotional connecting to food.my view is food gives s temp fix , never a hug or solves issues.
I eat three meals to two reasonable snacks, and eat two snacks, totally max 1500 cals ( I need to lose a few lbs, tho I did 8 yrs ago lose 2 stone this way).
By eating more suitable portions, you should lose, interesting that fruits and veg above ground are less calorific than those that grow below

Calories in vs calories out is too simplistic. I echo a PP who recommended to read up about Jason Fung.

The type of calorie matters. A calorie of refined sugar will affect your insulin levels much more adversely than a calorie of good quality fat or protein.

So, yes to whole natural healthy foods. I have found low carb to be the only diet that worked for me. I know not everyone agrees with it but the nutritional world is starting to come around to the idea that calorie restricted diets are not actually good for you or your metabolism.

Read up on it....Jason Fung, Gary Taubes, John Briffa. It's really eye opening.

I lost 10lbs in 3 and a half weeks just by calorie counting with My Fitness Pal. I used an online calculator to tell me roughly how many calories my body burned a day (I.e. what I would need to eat to maintain my current weight). I knocked 400 calories off that to make sure I am in a calorie deficit, so I stick to about 1600 or so a day.
I much prefer calorie counting as I can eat any food I want as long as it fits in my allowance! It makes it easier to stick to long term than making myself eat salad and soup all day.
Look up the posts from The Fitness Chef on Instagram, he really puts things into perspective that you don't have to eat 'boring' 'healthy' foods to lose weight, you can eat treats and 'naughty' things too as part of a balanced diet!

Only if you exercise.

think cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, spaghetti bologneise for example for dinner
That sounds great, so long as you cut out any "snacks" in-between, that's where it can all go to pot.

I second the smaller plates suggestion. It will probably be the simplest and least stressful way to reduce your food intake without needing a Math degree to portion your meals. I'm sure you can do it. :) A large part of any challenge is wanting to do it so you are already well on your way. If you need to try more than one route to get there, remember that the journey is not the destination. x

I've lost over a stone since lockdown started, and I haven't consciously changed what I eat.

I've been eating smaller portions of everything.

Although I do have treats like crisps and chocolate most days, I only take a certain amount then stop.

I have moved all of my meals back a bit, so I eat breakfast around 11, a small lunch around 3, and dinner around 8. This might not sound logical, but if I eat my last meal later, I'm less hungry. I don't know why.

I think not eating out has helped, especially as I'm in the US where the portions tend to be huge and often quite unhealthy.

I think our perception of normal is wrong which is the issue.
I'd recommend using myfitnesspal, it tells you what nutrients and how balanced your diet is aswell as counting calories. And you dont have to remember your calories which was the issue for me I was constantly thinking of my calories so I didn't forget.

It's still a diet though because you'll want to eat more and you'll have to hold yourself back, that's the hard part of a diet. It's just perseverance.

Set an achievable target weight, ie 1 stone, then you get a treat meal. Then another stone, then a treat. Then when you reach your target weight you've got loads of control to go to keep your intake at a healthy level to not pile the weight back on. I'm a yoyo dieter, never stayed my target weight for more than a couple of weeks.
Good luck with it, honestly hope you do well.