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!

Small portions and eat until I'm satisfied, not "full". I'm a size 6 (if you ignore the pregnancy bump) and love food, but I only eat small quantities and saviour it. If I eat a smaller dinner portion, I have space for dessert without stuffing myself . Eating slowly helps too, it gives time for your brain to receive signals that you're no longer hungry.

There was a program on a year or do ago that followed people who apparently ate loads and stayed slim - basically they are a normal amount and naturally self regulated (or ate a pizza one night, then skipped breakfast). They also tended to be very fidgetty and busy. There was no metabolic miracles. They basically had appetites that were balanced with their activity levels.

I lost 5 stone low carbing, whilst being a foodie :) It doesn't have to involve meat - I went more or less pescatarian - not because I went off meat, but because I passed a great fishmonger on the way home from work every day and fell in love with their fish. A typical day for me would have been something like scrambled eggs and smoked salmon for breakfast, then maybe cheese (a goodly chunk) and salad leaves and a small tomato with mayonnaise for lunch, then pan fried fish of the day (all sorts from cod through swordfish, John Dory, whiting, skate wings, whatever looked good) with broccoli and courgettes in a Parmesan and cream sauce. I've never been a fan of fruit, but occasionally would have some full fat Greek yoghurt with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries or blueberries. Other things I cooked (love cooking!) and ate included spiced cauliflower soup with harissa, tandoori fish or chicken with a yoghurt, mint and cucumber dressing, globe artichokes with garlic butter to dip the leaves into, loads of crustless quiches with all sorts of fillings (asparagus is good). I've never eaten so well!

I can honestly say I was never hungry, and never felt deprived. It's not a cheap way of eating - but at the same time I was saving the money I would have spent on bread, pasta, rice, biscuits, chocolate and cakes etc. I also drank vodka and diet cola throughout my weight loss. I drank black coffee with a sweetener, but gave up on tea, as I don't like it without milk.

I maintained the loss for 3 years, in perimenopause at that. I never put the entire 5 stone back on again, but family situations and related stress meant I reintroduced more carbs after a while - I could probably do with dropping a couple of stone now, and may well do - using the same method - before the summer.

I'm just trying to say that it is possible to be a foodie and lose weight without feeling deprived. I actually enjoyed it.

I am in my 40s and was always slim until a few years ago when I packed on the pounds during a stressful time in my life and comfort eating. I have lost 2 stones since June and still have about 1 1/2 stone to go. I am as much a foodie as always. I eat 3 meals a day but breakfast and lunch are fairly modest: fresh fruit and yoghurt with a little muesli for breakfast and homemade soup for lunch, with half a bagel. I have a little snack every afternoon and a more substantial dinner. Every Friday I indulge by making us a delicious desert or cake and dinners at the weekend are a bit more involved and decadent than throughout the week. I enjoy trying out new recipes and appreciate my food more - it is all about sensible portions and realising that some of the richer, more calorific meals are meant as an occasional indulgence not every day. I am only 5’4 and eat between 1200-1500 calls every day and this approach is really working for me. I don’t feel deprived at all and can see this working for long term maintenance too

I love food and come from a family of obese people. I love to cook, I love to eat. I’m a size 10-12 in most clothes but I don’t know what I weigh because I don’t have a pair of scales. The key to me moving away from my very overweight family was to find movement I enjoy as well as food I enjoy. It took me a long time to figure that out. Now I try out new sports and new movements and new running routes and exploring local places just as much as I try new recipes, foods. For me it’s all about moving. As much and as often as I can!

I think a lot is down to your metabolism and whether or not you crave food.

Both my parents were thin but while my dad ate and drank for Britain, my mum hardly ate a thing (piece of cheese, fruit, toast, thats it).

I really struggle to stay at a 'normal healthy' BMI and have to watch every mouthful as my BMR is only 1300 (5' 6"). Its depressing as I love food but yes, in my experience, thin people are just not bothered about and dont crave food).

I think intermittent fasting is the best. It means you can have anything you want, within reading, which isnt the case with Keto.

YES ... I am a total foodie.... I can do it but it is hard work.

This is what works for me:

• Doing 16:8 as many days a week as possible ... so for me it means eating between 11 and 7 or 12 and 8, so just an eight hour window. Usually six days a week. The amazing thing is I can eat a lot and feel full and really enjoy my food but there is only so much you can eat in such a short window .. and means I have to plan my food
• Cutting out most carbs.... so some in my muesli and do eat beans/pulses but other carbs are a no no on a regular basis
• Having special meals but not more than twice a week - proper pudding etc
• Training myself just to have al little of the pudding if I've already had a couple that week... My husband is naturally tall and super slim so I just have a small amount of his on my plate
• As other posters have said, really relish the food I eat... letting go of absentminded eating - actually relishing each mouthful
• Being aware of how health and food are interrelated so I can genuinely say I am eating this with love for my body each time I take a mouthful... and Im honest with myself when I say to myself I'm eating this for pure pleasure
• When eating less healthy food eating really good quality stuff so that it is more satisfying ... I remember realising that if something wasn't very good but I wanted it to be like a type of biscuit I might end up eating 5 or 6 rather than truly enjoying 1 or 2

Good luck! It is possible.

And the other lovely thing is that if I'm eating less/losing weight slowly I notice how much better my food tastes - somehow all my senses get tuned up a level when I'm eating less regularly. I need to keep reminding myself this though cos I forget it rather easily....

reason not reading.

@loveyouradvice this.

I'd rather have one delicious biscuit from waitrose than a rubbish pack of custard creams from the co-op.

Prodigious amounts of exercise
Skipping meals
Cutting white carbs completely 6 days a week

Have all seen me (at various times in my life) go from a “naturally curvy” size14, to a rake thin size 8.

I’m a 14 right now

If you’re never really hungry you’ve lost touch with your body. If you’re eating when not hungry but because you fancy the blue cheese on crackers then you’ve found your answer.

As others have said it's counting calories and exercising a lot. I would eat 3 meals but lunch always salad or soup, snacks only fruit, this meant I could have a proper dinner. But I found it a bit unsustainable and I eat less healthily now and I'm a dress size bigger. But I love food, eating is a pleasure.

However I would say I do eat quite healthily anyway, like you I rarely eat crisps, sweets, chocolate, biscuits, cake, processed food or take aways. Those are all treat items. Yet not eating lettuce and starving either. Use proper butter and cream, full fat milk, beautiful bread, cheese, meat, fresh fruit.

I have fat, but I'm a healthy BMI. But I do definitely need to up my exercise as been so bad during lockdown. And definitely heavier then usual.

NRTFT, but I am slim, and would have chosen one of those meals for a Sunday treat. Other "meal" of the day would be homemade soup, or a bowl of veg heavy salad, or a homemade smoothie. If hunger strikes, celery and tea fill the gap.

That way you get the treat, without holding back, but without the weight gain.

And that's every day for me.

The main impact on my (over)weight is that I'm greedy, plain and simple. I'm never satisfied with just a 'few' of anything - be it carrot sticks or chocolates.
But I'm not full of self-loathing or hate by body but I do have to manage it. I stay on the "health wagon" most of the week and only have a quality piece of cake or whatever at the weekend. On high days and holidays I give myself free reign, then it's back to moderation.
Michael Moseley's "Fast 800" system gets me back on track e.g. over the last month I put on 7 pounds and have managed to lose it this week (took about 6 days but required discipline). My weight will now remain in a healthy bracket until Easter, when I'll no doubt stuff my face with choc and add on a couple of pounds. But I'm accepting of that and know what I have to do to lose the weight and keep my blood sugars and cholesterol within a healthy range.
There are times when I wish I could bypass food altogether because I lack self control in relation to it. I don't care for drink and found staying off fags (after the initial craziness) easy, so I don't think I have an addictive personality. As I said, I'm just greedy!
The good news is that trying to be healthy most of the time makes a treat, really feel like a treat!

Definitely, things like crisps and biscuits are not especially delicious.

Lovely flavours are what makes good food and eating smaller portions keeps the weight down without missing out.

I love things like good chunky morrocan style soup for lunch or smoked salmon on toast (1 slice, if I'm trying to keep trim) with salad or a poached egg, spoon of hollandaise and salad on toast (1 slice again). All very tasty.

Evening meals, home made curry with plain rice, chicken and roast veg with lebanese spices, serve with rice and pitta, both pretty light but very tasty

You just need to eat less food, not less tasty food

I should point out this is years' worth of self training, and probably not the medically advised approach. I've got into the habit of a few cups of coffee in the morning, a healthy veg "thick" soup as an early lunch, and a proper healthy dinner Mon to Thu works for me. Fri - Sun typically unhealthy dinner, but still only 1 X soup/salad to compensate over course of day.

All the time. No exceptions. On rare instances join friends for brunch, etc., that's the main meal and soup (as in JUST soup, no bread and butter or anything) gets shunted to the evening.

I don’t have the ability to feel hungry or full either, no cues whatsoever (I had a total vagotomy) so I don’t think that’s a reason for being overweight.

Yes you can be “a foodie” and lose weight/be slim but it depends what sorts of food you’re being a foodie over. If you’re eating bread, potatoes, pasta etc then no, you’re probably not going to lose weight. If,however, you’re making delicious meals that you enjoy that are largely vegetable based with herbs and spices for flavourings then that’s going to be a different kettle of fish. By and large, thinking has moved on from “eat less, move more” because for a lot of people it’s WHAT you eat not HOW MUCH.

I fast a couple of days a week, but I don’t tend to eat until lunchtime on any day of the week. If I am hungry in the morning I’ll have some scrambled eggs or a piece of fruit. I love fermented and pickled food so if I want to snack I have some kimchi or pickled vegetables (I make my own and yes, I know not everyone has the time or interest to do it).

Meals are largely vegetable based, for example this evening I’m roasting some Jerusalem artichokes with garlic and having that with some crisped chilli greens. Tomorrow I’m planning some lamb koftas with roast vegetables (courgettes, aubergine, onions) with a lot more veg than kofta. And so on - foods can be delicious but still good for you. And meal planning helps.

You burn about 100 calories walking a mile, not 300-400!

It's tough. I love food and all through my twenties I was able to eat an excessive amount of indulgent food and stay a size 8/10 which I put down to genetics. Now on my mid 30s I'm a 12 and I'm having to reset my eating habits to stop the weight creeping on.

As a rule I really try not to snack, and if I do it's on fruit or nuts. Plan ahead for all meals. Give myself a small portion otherwise I would just keep eating until full (which would be loads!) If there's a day where I have a big brunch and 4 course evening meal with lots of alcohol, I really reign it in for the next 4 or 5 days. But I don't count calories.

If I had to try to lose weight, I honestly don't think I'd have the discipline. Would love to be a size smaller but also I love food too much so 🤷‍♂️ just have to try and keep a balance

I disagree that is is more difficult if you eat potatoes, pasta etc. I have lost my 2 stone whilst eating white pasta/ rice/ potatoes every evening, just a sensible amount, plus bread/ bagel every lunchtime. I also use quality olive oil in all my cooking and avoid ‘diet’ products. The only exercise I take is a gently walk/ plod around the village with my dog every day

Depends what you mean by foodie. cooking food with flavour from scratch can help you maintain weight as you’re standing, rolling, kneading and moving AND the preparation means you often eat less as a result.

But if you’re eating bland food it’s really, really easy to overeat without realising it - I’m Indian and I remember both sets of my grandparents (who were normal weights) eating really small meals with a few raw green chillis and a quarter of a red onion. This meant they were often full with much less food. I can’t do that and so I have to be much more careful with my intake - because Indian food made at home can be bland without the accompaniments. So I weigh ingredients and try and not have too many carbs everyday. The Nook / weightwatchers method of filling up mostly on green veg also helps.

@coldsunnydays

I would love to be able to retrain myself like that, my eating is totally out of touch with hunger, physical hunger almost scares me.

Glad you could retrain yourself, do you mind me please asking how you did it?

I feel like people aren't even reading my OP anymore. I'm not a whole pack of biscuits sort of fatty. I cook from scratch every night. I know what makes a meal nutritious and filling.

Intermittent fasting, which lots of other posters have mentioned, is great for re-setting your appetite. Everything tastes so much better when you're truly hungry, too, so maybe that approach would work on a few levels for you - you can eat what you want on 5 days and not be constrained by calorie counting, but also I found (and many folk do) that I enjoyed my food so much more when I was truly hungry for it rather than just eating because it was a meal time. I also discovered how delicious plain old vegetables can be when you're really starving!