Is it possible to be a foodie and also be slim/ lose weight

[SeeooelllaaaCola]

Following from my post on another thread. I have only managed to lose weight for the first time by 'breaking up' with food. In the past I could take or leave chocolate and most cake, I ate probably ten bags of crisps per year, I never enjoyed fast food. My typical Sunday would be sourdough bread toasted, eggs and hot sauce, lunch would be an avocado wrap, snacks would be olives, dinner would be a roast dinner.
I now try to see food as fuel and choose foods that will fill me up but not use up much of my tiny calorie allowance. Taste rarely comes into it. I don't go until local businesses and browse the shelves for inspiration. I don't read recipe books. I don't (even when I could) travel to food markets and street food stalls. I feel like I've had to give up a side of myself, and a hobby, but I now fit into size 12 jeans. Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it.

Anyone managed to combine a love of food with losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight? Please tell me how!

OP you sound really angry and frustrated in all your posts. I used to feel the same. I’m very intelligent and educated myself and also knew for years exactly what to do to lose weight. Actually losing the weight is a completely different story. You are right, there are loads of reasons why it is hard to lose weight, but it really is all down to mindset. You have had some great advice on here, but seem very intent on explaining why it is too difficult. Maybe you are just not in the right mindset right now (not meant badly as I wasn’t in the right mindset for years either so never really knuckled down to lose the weight). Once you are mentally in the zone then it really is fairly straightforward, but like anything worth having, you do have to work at it. Maybe, use this time to begin learning more about how to cook tasty, nutritious meals which would help you on your journey. You seem to have lots of ideas about what you can or cannot eat when losing weight and they are all foods that I regularly enjoy whilst still losing weight.

@EssexLioness you don't have to worry about me, sis, I've dropped two dress sizes. What angers me is the lack of insight from most people that

1. it's hard with and it requires a lifestyle change forever, hence why a lot of people lose weight and put it on again.
2. some people will find weight loss easier through being 'privileged' be that through education, financial situation, time, fitness, height, appetite and any number of other things.
3. What works for one person doesn't work for someone else. People tend to be quite evangelical about their weightloss and think everyone should do it their way.
4. a lot of money is made from people being overweight and wanting to change.

Ah that’s a fab achievement! Sorry, I must’ve missed that bit. I agree with all those points, but lots of things are hard so I’ve accepted now that I will always have to be a bit more aware round food now than some other people and that’s just the way it is, no use being angry about it. I spent so long watching my skinny husband pack away insane amounts of food and never worry about his weight. I used to get so annoyed about how unfair it was, but lots of things aren’t fair. Life isn’t fair. Once I accepted that, I was in a position to start losing the weight I need to.

I'm feeling similarly towards DH. His constant whinging about the healthy meals I'm doing for dinner doesn't help.

All the real "foodies" I know - as in those that like to try expensive delicacies when money allows, that enjoy experiencing new/exotic foods, that have a good palate (through learning about different taste experiences!) are all slim or very slim.

People that eat too much are fat. People that prefer quality over quantity of food (what I would describe as a foodie) are slim.

I am fat by the way!

[quote SeeooelllaaaCola]@EssexLioness you don't have to worry about me, sis, I've dropped two dress sizes. What angers me is the lack of insight from most people that

1. it's hard with and it requires a lifestyle change forever, hence why a lot of people lose weight and put it on again.
2. some people will find weight loss easier through being 'privileged' be that through education, financial situation, time, fitness, height, appetite and any number of other things.
3. What works for one person doesn't work for someone else. People tend to be quite evangelical about their weightloss and think everyone should do it their way.
4. a lot of money is made from people being overweight and wanting to change. [/quote] The points you make here are spot on. I’m not sure that’s come across on your earlier posts.
   I also agree that the anger isn’t very productive. There has also been quite a lot of anger at people who are slim and don’t find it particularly difficult which doesn’t help anyone.

Yes. I count macros. Let’s me fit in the foodie stuff/ treats while losing weight (I’m maintaining now). It’s what enabled me to lose that ‘last 10lbs’. I’ve hovered around 10st my adult life and now I’m just over 9st, but I feel I eat better/ enjoy food more than ever before. I eat chocolate and bread everyday!

I have discussed this a lot with my husband. He used to moan that I would eat the same as him plus loads of chocolate but never get fat, whereas he always puts on weight. But he literally eats twice as much as me and then picks the bits off my plate. So we're eating the same thing but he has double my calories.

I also walk everywhere. I hate sitting in traffic so I never drive. I walk to the shops and carry the shopping back, which my husband thinks is mad, but it's only a 15 minute walk and I like it. (Stops me impulse buying stuff too.)

I also hate feeling overly full. Satisfied, sure, but if I ate an entire portion of restaurant food in the UK, I'd feel sick. Conversely, when I'm in Japan (have family there), I can eat a whole plate of food and it's just right. The portions there are far more sensible (and the people far skinnier).

I think for so many people, they feel an emotional attachment to food. I know my husband does. When he's sad, stressed, tired, whatever, he eats. When I feel like that, I have a cup of tea. Not because I'm denying myself food, it's just not what I want when I'm feeling down. When he goes on a diet, he'll note that the first few days he's starving, then he gets used to it. I think for a lot of people, that feeling of being starving is really unbearable so they can't lose weight because they feel they have to eat.

People talk about metabolism and so on, but I just don't buy that. Of course people have different metabolisms, but more often, they are just lying to themselves. I read somewhere that obesity in the UK has doubled in 20 years. There's no way people's metabolism has changed, but eating habits get worse and worse, and people move less. We didn't have all the chain coffee shops, for example. I used to sometimes buy those shitty Starbucks types drinks until one day I looked at the calories in them - I really don't count calories, but those things are a full meal! It's just nonsensical to drink them if you care about your health on any level.

I used to teach these Korean guys who were going to the US, and one once sent me a voucher for Starbucks. It was for me and my husband - for two coffees and one piece of cake. I think that says it all really. To them, a piece of cake is for two people, whereas I think we'd almost always buy two. As a result, they're almost all skinny.

"What angers me is the lack of insight from most people that

1. it's hard with and it requires a lifestyle change forever, hence why a lot of people lose weight and put it on again.
2. some people will find weight loss easier through being 'privileged' be that through education, financial situation, time, fitness, height, appetite and any number of other things.
3. What works for one person doesn't work for someone else. People tend to be quite evangelical about their weightloss and think everyone should do it their way.
4. a lot of money is made from people being overweight and wanting to change."

Why is this making you angry though? You don't have to listen to those people. It just sounds like excuses. "Oh they can lose weight because they're privileged".

But yes, it is hard, and you have to want to change. If you don't, that's ok too.

Much here depends on what you personally regard as ‘nice’ / ‘foodie’ food.

I lost two stone with Noom - essentially calorie counting and eating more low ‘calorie density’ foods, basically veg etc has fewer calories by volume than fats, nuts, avocados etc. And far fewer / smaller portions of high ‘calorie density’ foods. I’ve still cooked plenty of family recipes ranging from veg tastic to the traditional roasts, lasagne etc, but baked few cakes!

Boring healthy meals throughout the day in moderate portions

And have very a nice meal in the evening but a small portion.

So basically,

Breakfast porridge and berries
Snack orange/apple
Lunch salad with leftover meat from dinner
Afternoon tea banana and spinach milkshake and peanut butter, or yoghurt with granola and honey, or carrrots and hummus dip. Or tea with some crackers and cheese. Or cereal

Dinner anything my heart fancies but not junky. With a moderate portion. Preferably enriched with lots of salad.

Eat with a small plate and small spoon so you take longer, it takes 20 minute for your brain to get full.

Increase the proteins and reduce the carbs on the plate.

Have no sugar in your beverages and have any sugary treats on the side of non sweetened beverages.

Drink lots of water before dinner

I regard myself as a ‘foodie’ as I enjoy almost all food, thinking about and preparing food, eating with friends, eating out.

I also used to be overweight and had a longstanding binge eating / overeating problem, often consuming a lot of v processed foods. Remains a work in progress!

I think it’s possible to become and stay at a healthy weight, eat nutritious things, and still enjoy food.

Like a PP I fast two days a week, eat healthily on another two but Fri to Sunday I eat what I want. I love cooking and nevery use any low fat items

People need to get back in touch with what a normal size portion is and also their body and relearn identifying hunger and full signals.

Agree. The portion size on a package and what people think it is, is usually two different things. I bought a kitchen scale from Wilko for £12 and used it to weigh my portions and found I was eating double the portions I thought I was. Glad I tend to err on the side of healthy foods but it was definitely a great learning experience and more thought to how much I was really eating.

@phoenixrosehere

People need to get back in touch with what a normal size portion is and also their body and relearn identifying hunger and full signals.

Agree. The portion size on a package and what people think it is, is usually two different things. I bought a kitchen scale from Wilko for £12 and used it to weigh my portions and found I was eating double the portions I thought I was. Glad I tend to err on the side of healthy foods but it was definitely a great learning experience and more thought to how much I was really eating.

Absolutely different yo the idea, I agree. I remember laughing at suggestion of 30g of cornflakes on the box for example Yeah. It is enough...

Yes I weigh food - cereal, bread, cheese, pasta, rice. If not I cook or eat too much. Bupa had a sensible guide to healthy portion sizes. It’s a lot less than people think.

I don’t eat much cereal but if I do bulk it out with fruit or veg - 40g oats and grated carrot and cinnamon for a sort of carrot cake porridge or I do it as baked oats so adding eggs for protein too. A portion of mini wheats 45g is pitiful but fine if you add fruit but most people would fill bowl will just mini wheats so probably 3 portions.

I struggle with not eating swiftly and leaving food on my plate. I love food so much and have an emotional response to it. I am overweight and struggle a lot with not being able to eat whatever I want. I also have a mild thyroid disorder (not bad enough to medicate 'yet') and am short so genuinely don't need much.

I pick my battles. I use smaller plates so I can still eat a plateful even if my portion is much reduced because my brain feels that it's had its feast (it's a bit thick). I make my meals in the week fairly repetitive and nice but dull. I let myself have pudding every day but it's Greek yoghurt and fruit or the occasional bit of dark choc.

What I'm trying to teach myself is that it's then ok to have a takeaway once a month or a nice meal on a Saturday or a pudding with Sunday lunch.

At the moment I am too much 'on' or 'off'. Learning moderation is bloody tricky if it's not your natural setting - my mother is ace at moderation but it skipped me....

I've given up on cereal after weighing out 30g. What's the point?

@SnuggyBuggy

I've given up on cereal after weighing out 30g. What's the point?

Or just eat more? Depending on what you buy, it’s not often hugely calorific. Cheerios are 115cal per 30g.

"People need to get back in touch with what a normal size portion is and also their body and relearn identifying hunger and full signals."
This is it.
Lots of people dont even know what hunger feels like, or they mistake thirst or boredom for hunger.
I see my friends that have always been over weight forcing their kids to eat one more mouthful or bribing them to eat dinner so they can get rewarded with puddings and it makes me so uncomfortable to watch.
Its just setting up such unhealthy habits and thinking around food.
Not surprising there is a massive obesity crisis when food and drinks are so readily available when it just wasnt before.
The idea of sinful foods or reward foods is also problematic and not a healthy way to think about food.
Slimming world from what I know about it just looks like trying to find ways of still eating massive portions of food or cheating your way to eating cakes and things by using fake ingredients so not actually solving the problem of those hunger/full triggers being relearned.
Constant snaking is also not really normal until relatively recently.

Pasta is a killer. Recommended size is what, 75g dry? I used to easily have close to double Was bloody starving when I started weighting it! 😂

@SchrodingersImmigrant for me, 75g is absolutely enough if it's together with salad or whatever.

People eat too much. That's all there is to it. If you kept eating like that, it would be normal for you.

What Bluebells said.

Also, there was a really interesting The Life Scientific interview on this this morning.

Giles Yeo says that each person's body reacts differently to excess food, because evolution hasn't had time to develop a universal response, like the universal response to a drastically-reduced calorie intake (which is slowing metabolism to hold onto the remaining reserves...)

He also touches on the role of genetics and how it can also be observed in labradors (or "flabradors")

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000rmp5

[quote FunkBus]@SchrodingersImmigrant for me, 75g is absolutely enough if it's together with salad or whatever.

People eat too much. That's all there is to it. If you kept eating like that, it would be normal for you.[/quote]
It should be enough for most of us. I am now actually fine with 65g and bit of extra veg😱 Who would have though that year ago. Yes. Checking portions can be a revelation