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?

Regular meals, yes definitely. There is no need to have 'breakfast' as such (you can have it later, and not eat breakfast foods for it - definitely not sugary/carby stuff) but 3 meals might well help stop you going crazy for carbs later in the day.

Calorie counting works for everyone. The way you do that is up to you.

No diet works if you can't stick to it. The vast majority of people can't, which is why diets mostly don't work.

I can't do IF - it just messes up my digestion horribly. If I were you OP, I'd read 'Why We Eat (Too Much)' and go for 3 meals a day, initially not worrying about calories or portions, but trying really hard to avoid processed, sugary and carby foods. Lots of veg, protein, olive oil, some nuts and unsweetened dairy, and some natural whole grain stuff (oats etc) until you break your processed carb addiction. It's still hard, but not as tedious and restrictive as calorie counting or full-on low carbing etc.

I think fasting and then saying you can eat whatever in the window is so misleading. It assumes good habits. I could easily eat two packets of fresh bakery cookies with a cuppa, so it really doesn't matter if I fast first then i consume a million calories in 10 minutes.

I'm currently reducing my calories which I'm finding really hard, because it has a knock on effect for me the next day too. Im basically struggling feeling weak and really hungry. I am loosing weight, but I can't seem to loose unless I really eat every little. But I have had some terrible habits and some of it is boredom eating and desires.

I would have thought food combining would be the best idea, protein ( like egg, chicken, fish, steak) , vegetables ( not fried, prepared yourself so no oil from the pre chopped sets)

Regular meals but portion size needs to be watched. I can't give up carbs, if I don't eat them I get weak and sugar levels drops. I'm losing weight still.
Taken me years of fad diets to actually just do the principal of eating less calories under my daily requirement. Also, no point in starving yourself as your body just reacts and holds on to the fat. Try my fitness pal app. Simple but effective.

OP, get yourself to the very supportive ‘weight loss chat’ board and see if there is a thread you could join that would suit you.

Not one of the ‘drastic’ ones.

1lb a week is a healthy weight loss.

Or maybe start your own thread such as ‘anyone else with diabetes and PCOS looking to lose?’ Because I suspect that lots of approaches really aren’t healthy or efficient for those conditions.

Good luck to you!

The weight loss chat on here is really helpful and supportive, I didn’t post on there whilst losing weight but read through lots of threads.

Lots of people will swear by different methods to lose weight but what works for one won’t work for another.

I’ve lost the 22 pounds I put on through the lockdowns by eating 3 meals a day and a snack before bed, I counted calories, didn’t fast and didn’t worry about carbs, fat or sugar.
Little exercise apart from walking the dog.

I’m in full peri so I was worried I wouldn’t be able to lose the weight but it was easy. I put 22 pounds on through comfort eating and sheer greed.

For me personally, 3 meals a day is the way to lose weight and maintain.

For me, under active thyroid, it’s about skipping meals not eating 3 times a day. Intermittent fasting - basically just not having breakfast if I can - plus low carb when I can (I relax this quite often) but the real key is combining this with heavy weight lifting. Creates muscle which helps you stay more lean.

@CooooCoooo

I lost 3 stone in three months on a keto diet. All I ate was protein, veg and fruit with absolutely no exceptions/treats. Ever. First two weeks were tough but then it just turns into a routine.

Oh and I had 5 meals per day:

Breakfast - 2 egg whites with green veg
Mid morning - protein bar and fruit
Lunch - chicken or fish with salad
Mid afternoon - more protein (shake or bar or leftover chicken) with fruit
Dinner - meat or fish with veg.

The meals sound boring, I know, but I made some really nice meals using keto recipes I found on Pinterest.

Please don't do keto.

I agree 100%, but the problem is so many people don't understand proper nutrition, or what's in things. Like, people might opt for 3 meals a day, but have portions that are far too big, make poor choices, too much fat/sugar, not enough protein/fruit/veg etc.

3 meals a day is a great habit to get into, but you have to understand the kind of meals you should go for, first.

@tiktokontheclock what's wrong with the egg yolk ?

Like, people might opt for 3 meals a day, but have portions that are far too big, make poor choices, too much fat/sugar, not enough protein/fruit/veg etc.

Yes. I don't think counting calories or macros is necessary or desirable. I'm firmly of the belief that just having a policy of eating 3 meals a day and eating as little highly processed food as possible (especially sugary stuff and processed carbs) would slowly bring most people down to a healthy weight, and that these are the priorities. Reducing portion size (very slowly to avoid reaching for the biscuit tin due to hunger) will be much easier once you've got rid of the sugar highs and lows. It's still so hard though, because temptation is always there.

I don't loose on three meals, I find 2 is perfect

Same. Two meals a day not 3 cuts out about 500 calories at one stroke

One main meal and one snack is fear I need to do to maintain

@dumdumduuuummmmm

One main meal and one snack is fear I need to do to maintain

Aye right. One meal and one snack a day. Okey dokey...

OP the things you are eating are very calorie heavy, because you are starving the rest of the time. It's so hard I know, but I find a little change a week is the way to go. Definitely eat regularly, so you aren't so deprived and ravenous.

My friend laughed at me eating crisps instead of biscuits, but it was one step in my process, then I swapped crisps for bread sticks, then bread sticks for carrot sticks (and a couple of bread sticks hee hee.) I swapped milky hot chocolate for options low cal hot chocolate made with water, and then swapped to tea.

I'm a firm believer in if someone else can do all the cooking and washing up of interesting and healthy meals, then it's much easier to loose weight.

It was much easier to choose healthy options when there was a nice spread on the cruise I went on, compared at home when fruit and veg go off too quickly which makes it not worth buying an interesting range and you don't have the time to make 3 cooked meals a day anyway.

I put 22 pounds on through comfort eating and sheer greed

Well done on your weight loss I do think it's easier to lose weight when the cause of weight gain has been over indulgence, because cutting back will make a difference. The problem is when people put on or carry extra weight for other reasons; it can be so difficult to lose then.

Agree with the pp who mentioned lifting weights. Building muscle burns far more calories than cardiovascular work.

I don't lose on three meals, I find 2 is perfect

So do you go back to 3 meals a day when you've got to the weight you wanted then? I tried eating 2 meals a day (intermittent fasting) and it didn't work for me. It messed with my digestion and didn't really make me lose weight either, for some reason!

3 meals a day here, no snacks, have lost almost 5 stone in a little over a year

You need to find something that becomes your normal life otherwise it will all just go back on again!

@MsTSwift

You need to find something that becomes your normal life otherwise it will all just go back on again!

This is the most important thing. Whatever you choose to do OP it has to be a permanent change.

There is no one size fits all with dieting.

Different strokes for different folks

My DH can't bear being hungry. He needs 3 meals a day and likes to be full. So he needs to be verycareful about what he puts on his plate.

I do 5:2. I far prefer this and it works for me. I often have 2 meals day, 3 meals usually means I'm not hungry at the next mealtime unless I have small meals. But I prefer to eat well when I do sit down to eat. That's my style.

Probably we all would do better reducing refined carbs and upping our veg. But apart from that, I don't think there's any one diet that works for everyone. The best diet (if it results in any weight loss) is one that you can stick to long term. Otherwise the weight just comes back.

I am trying this www.nosdiet.com/

It is working slowly for me and seems to be a sensible approach. Maybe if your new to cooking get a cheap student cookbook? They are fab with simple, easy to follow recipes to get you started... they are budget friendly aswell