To think the secret to weight loss/healthy relationship with food is three meals a day?

[secretspooner]

I am obese, I have PCOS and type 2 diabetes at 29 years of age. My eating is horrendous, very carb heavy which I know is not good for PCOS and diabetes type 2. However, I can go most of the day not eating and then having a very carb heavy dinner at night, I wouldn't say I eat loads but what I do eat is a load of shite. Very little veg/fruit/protein. The thing is I like all these things when I do have them however, my cravings for carbs take over and so I don't ever fancy veg/fruit/protein. Everything I eat is processed, stick in the oven, I don't know how to cook from scratch and don't know where to begin. I am also on a tight budget.

I have been watching a few people at work and speaking to some naturally slim friends and have noticed that they all eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some snack, some don't but always 3 square meals. I always skip breakfast as I'm not hungry and find it counter productive to force myself but am I missing a trick? Should I force myself to eat? If so can anyone recommend any healthy, tasty, easy, quick breakfast ideas? Any advice on how to cook dinner from scratch cheaply?

Noticing one thing slim people do, and doing it, without also doing everything else they do, won't work. They also eat a small dinner, few carbs, no snacks, lots of veggies, few processed foods, mainly home cooked foods, fast at times, exercise a lot and don't eat junk food. But you are ignoring all that and are focusing on the one habit of theirs that would allow you to eat more.

@LimeSegment

Noticing one thing slim people do, and doing it, without also doing everything else they do, won't work. They also eat a small dinner, few carbs, no snacks, lots of veggies, few processed foods, mainly home cooked foods, fast at times, exercise a lot and don't eat junk food. But you are ignoring all that and are focusing on the one habit of theirs that would allow you to eat more.

All slim people? I’m slim. I don’t fast. I eat big dinners. Two snacks a day. I eat junk food.

There isn’t one way to be slim. I wish people would stop saying there is.

Don’t agree 2 meals only if over 40. I have lost over 3 stone aged 44 in middle of menopause. Eaten 3 meals a day plus one snack. Been really hard and slow but been a complete lifestyle change that I can manage for the future. Everyone is different.

Intermittent fasting is the way to do it. You do it either by skipping breakfast and having 2 good meals reducing carbs or 3 good meals reducing carbs. The fasting happens between meals.

intermittent fasting is the way to do it.

intermittent fasting is a way to do it. Not the way. A way.

@PurpleDaisies I was referring to the op. My dh has just reversed his diabetes and is no longer obese by doing just that. Too many carbs and processed food messes up insulin levels for people with insulin sensitivity.
If you level out insulin, the cravings reduce, you lose weight and your sugar levels go back to normal.
It’s not easy but the cravings do reduce after a few days.

Fasting worked really well for me. I have pcos as well and am now a normal weight.

If you are eating 1 meal a day and still not losing weight then either it's over the amount of calories you need daily or you're getting calories from somewhere else eg snacking or even liquids such as fruit juice which is full of sugar, milk which has carbs sugars and fats.

You need to look at calories in vs calories out. How you ingest them makes not a tod of difference. The reason fasting works is because you have less calories from the skipped meals plus most people dont feel hunger until they consume something with sugars which then cause an insulin spike snd craving of yet more sugars (carbs).

If you must eat breakfast cut out any cereal, bread, grain, etc and don't touch carbs until you're evening meal. Just have plenty of vegetables and small amounts of lean protein (you don't need loads, you aren't a body builder. Most advice way over estimates.) Avoid sugars from other places. Sugar in tea of coffee, sweet drinks, fruit, all carbs. Avoid drinking anything that isn't herbal tea, water ot black coffee. No milk in anything. Definitely no alcohol.

I do still have treats and eat crap sometimes but I'm careful 90 percent of the time and that consistency is key.

I would say yes, 3 meals and some snacks with protein, vegetables, some not too sweet fruit every time will help against cravings for quick energy food. It might be difficult at first but then you will feel very well.

Don’t force yourself to eat breakfast. Try intermittent fasting…between 10am and 6pm or you could even start at midday. It’s very very difficult to stop the evening binging but you do get used to it after a few days.

I try to keep my carbs under 80…for me the easiest way is to keep my meals as carb free as possible so that I can still have treats. It’s not ideal but I have such a boring life I can’t give up everything.

Look at the Daily Connoisseur YouTube channel for some ideas.

I get migraine if my blood sugar drops so I always have 30g oats and fruit and yoghurt for breakfast. Wrap or salad lunch and balanced dinner. Fruit snacks. Actually am doing Gousto which is getting me back in cooking habit.

I think the secret is plenty of good fat and protein, no sugar, few carbs, no bread, no processed food. And eating when you are hungry.

Check out this article
www.you.co.uk/the-full-diet-weight-loss-plan/

Or read the book Why We Eat Too Much by Andrew Jenkinson

I agree.

Was never a fan of breakfast, I could quite easily go until 4PM without eating. I already did 'intermittent fasting' without trying but I still managed to pack a lot of calories into that time.

Now I make sure to eat breakfast and lunch so that I don't make stupid choices later on. I eat overnight oats every single day - oats, greek yogurt, seeds, fruit, honey, whatever you want. Stick it all in a bowl the night before then eat it in the morning. I'm trying to build muscle rather than lose weight but I definitely feel better.

No I think the secret is high protein, low carb, cut out sugar except minimal fruit, all junk and high water intake. The less carbs you eat the less you will crave them.

I eat three meals a day and don’t binge eat and I’m still fat. Used to be skinny and able to eat anything until I was about 30 so not sure what happened to me Even if I eat a protein rich evening meal I still often wake up ravenously hungry at about 5am and can’t get back to sleep.

I’ve suspected in the past I may have PCOS but I’ve had hormone blood tests and they came back normal.

The only way for me to lose weight is obsessively calorie count and be hungry most of the time.

No, you don’t need breakfast. Fasting is actually very good for you for many reasons, longevity being one of them.

What you should be focussing on is learning how to cook, and eating as much made from scratch as possible. You’ll lose weight naturally without even thinking about it.

I'm slim and haven't eaten breakfast since I was a kid because I just don't wake up hungry. I start getting hungry around 11am and eat lunch around 12.

"I always skip breakfast as I'm not hungry and find it counter productive to force myself but am I missing a trick? Should I force myself to eat?"

No you shouldn't force yourself to eat ever, if you want a healthy relationship with food.

And yes, learn how to cook. There are video tutorials all over the internet that suit all budgets.

There's no single rule for all. The most important thing is to find a healthy way of eating that's personally sustainable. It's great to find a way of losing weight but unless it's something you can follow forever, you are likely, sooner or later, to regain the weight.

If three meals works for you, OP, go for it.

People always say you ought to have breakfast but that's only true if you like to eat breakfast. I don't happen to. I tend to have a yoghurt mid morning. Soup or salad for lunch. Evening meal fish, seafood or chicken with salad and veggies. I do no carbs and cut out sugar as far as possible and cheese and go low fat. Skimmed milk.

Maximise your protein, it keeps you full and helps mitigate muscle loss, minimise carbs which will help to stave off cravings.

Forgot to add, "break (your) fast" have at whatever time you are hungry, no rules to say it must be first thing.

And thirdly, a protein heavy breakfast (first meal at whatever time) is best.

@MsTSwift

Two meals a day not 3. If you over 40 anyway.

Such bullshit

I think there is a lot to be said for regular meals. Particularly if you tend to overeat, structure will help reduce that.

You don’t need to force yourself to eat first thing though.

Eggs with a side of spinach, mushrooms or tomatoes is a good breakfast.
So is Greek yoghurt with fruit and sone seeds or chia pudding.

The other major to lose weight is to eat mainly fruits and vegetables with low fat protein all served in the most unprocessed way possible. Timing of meals and number of meals will vary from person to person but those are the basics