To think we don’t need that much food

[Moonpiecake]

I feel portions in restaurants and takeaways are bigger than most of adults need and also majority of people buy and eat more food than is necessary for our bodies.

If you are over 30, fit, healthy and manage to remain within the healthy body weight for your age and height how much do to eat.

I want to save money on food but also loose a few kilos and look and feel good so looking for advice

@sprigatito , we're so slim we're almost invisible.

I like the advice to only eat when you’re hungry. It’s difficult though when my DH cooks a nice supper I usually join because I simply like the food too much. But I’d say 3 out of 5 times I’m not really hungry in the evenings.

😂 that must be it, the teeny tinies all turn sideways and disappear when they see me waddling into view

Even Jack Mlnroe doesn't manage 20 a week shop. 😂 It's bollocks but people still like to put this out there. Very rarely followed by truthful "that's for fresh kind of top up weekly shop, we also have about x hundreds worth in bulk bought food like rice, meats etc which we get once in a while"

Your diet is not a one size fits all.

Eat the least processed food you can, fill up on plenty of vegetables and smaller amounts of fruit.

You don't need sugar, sugar and carbs together are probably the worst thing you can eat, especially if it's highly processed cake type things.

Limit carbs, stop eating when you are full.

These are pretty much basics if you want to be healthier.

However as an underweight/just on minimum bmi, type 2 diabetic (probably in remission). I eat a lot of full fat but unprocessed products (grass fed butter, 10% fat greek yoghurt) which wouldn't suit everyone but as I don't have sugar and eat low carb and slightly higher protein, I still need to keep calorie levels up and I mostly intermittent fast but not so strictly as I would have in the past.

So today so far I've had greek yoghurt with a few berries and a sprinkle of seeds and a little paleo granola. I had a few oatcakes with pate and salad for lunch and half an apple spread with whole nut butter.

For dinner I'm making the hairy bikers Spanish chicken tray bake with extra veg and less potatoes. I'll have a couple of squares of 90% dark chocolate after.

I'm around 5'10 and weigh between 8'11 and 9'3.

Christ, of course adults need carbs! Everyone needs carbs!

Definitely
I live alone and spend £240pm, and that's for all food as I WFH and make my lunch
The only thing it doesn't include is washing powder and cat food
£20 is impossible - butter would be nearly 10% of your shop!

You don’t have to read or use mumsnet if you don’t want to; plenty of other things to do

I like decent portions when I eat out or get a takeaway and if I can't finish my takeaway I'll have it for lunch or my son will happily take it off my hands.

I'm 57 though so have a smaller appetite than I did. In my 20/30s I could easily eat takeaway starter/main and extra sides and still have room for a treat after.

@JacquiDaytona , I get the carbs from foods that have other nutrients, like pulses and vegetables. Can't be bothered with rice, pasta, pastry and bread.

I like decent sized portions if I go out for a meal as well. If I'm going out and I'm paying I don't want to go home hungry.

I don't skip meals it tends to make me dizzy and tired. And then I have to use my wheelchair rather than walk.

You're an adult OP it's up to you to manage how much you eat and exercise, and don't worry about anyone else.

You can't just buy what you need in restaurants!
Luckily asking for a doggy bag is becoming more acceptable, but people my age were taught to finish their plate so the big portions lead to overeating unfortunately.

Restaurant portions are also about value for money. If you are charging £8-£14 for a meal, people expect value for money and to be able to say, I was stuffed and there were still leftovers.

A few cafes round us offer light bites, my only issue with light bites is they are Toasties/ sandwiches or soup with salad or crisps. Sometimes I really fancy the lasagna or one of the mains, just in a half portion. Some cafes do senior meals (main meals in half and smaller portions) around us but they are very gatekeepy over the over 60/65 age limit. I wish instead of calling them senior meals and gate keeping they sold them as lighter meals and open to everyone.

Over half the UK population is overweight. Of course some of that is the wrong kind of food, but a lot of the reason is just too much food so you're obviously right OP.

I eat what I want but I've got quite a small appetite and get full fast and I think that's what keeps my weight low. I tend to only have two meals a day. Don't eat breakfast on work days and at the weekend il tend to have something about mid day then dinner excluding holidays when il eat three meals. If I'm out for food in a restaurant I just get a starter as a main as I can't finish a main so total waste of money and never get dessert.

If you want to lose weight you need to use a bmr calculator or one on the James Smith website is free and then use my fitness pal to track your food intake. Up your water intake, focus on eating protein and cut out processed food and simple carbs and be more active.

Good for you. May try that soon too.

I only eat my tea, so one meal does me.

Competitive under eating? Nope, I'm just a lazy bastard and can't be bothered to make breakfast or dinner.

It's difficult and we can struggle to get the balance right. I certainly do. One way to go about food is to treat it purely as fuel. Make it fairly bland/ unattractive and then you'll eat just the amount you need and no more. I'm increasingly trying to do this during the week by eating solely what my children eat ... It turns out the incentive to overeat isn't there if you're feasting on plain porridge and blueberries for breakfast, a plain cheese sandwich and some chopped apple and carrot or cheese and tomato omelette for lunch and then breaded fish with a side of boiled potatoes and veg in the evening 😂.

But as well as fuel, food is also meant to be a shared joy and it's part of our heritage. I think we lose something by treating it as something always to be controlled and limited. So I'm trying to cook more at the weekends no-holes barred - sugar, fat, carbs, multiple eggs, slabs of butter. Because sometimes there is just joy in making something absolutely delicious, even if it should come with a health warning.

I think the worst problem I have is using food as a temporary dopamine hit when I'm feeling tired or low, in place of healthier but more time-consuming ways I could get this like exercise. I can identify this as a problem, but with two small children still waking at night and constantly busy and exhausted I can't seem to solve it right now.

It isn't a restaurant's job to police what and how much you eat. It's their job to offer choices that people will like.

I often order two appetizers instead of an appetizer and a main course. Or soup and an appetizer.

You do NOT need 3 meals a day unless you want it. The whole breakfast is the most important meal of the day was created by Kelloggs.

Eat little and often can work for some people, but it's not trendy at the moment where a lot of people are doing intermittent fasting, giving their bodies a break and avoiding blood sugar spikes. Also probably better for the teeth than constant grazing.

I don’t believe you only spend £10 a week each on providing 3 meals a day that are good quality! Not in UK anyway with these prices!

The thing with restaurants and takeaways is that in most cases they don't want people to go away feeling hungry or like they haven't had good value for money. Therefore, they try to provide enough food that even someone with a large appetite will be satisfied- that could be someone who's obese (I know there's more to obesity than that) or a 20yo rugby player! That's always going to be too much food for many of us. When I'm eating out, I'll eat until I'm full and then stop. I do accept this creates food waste, but it's pretty inevitable. I do like the idea of a "smaller" adult portion!

For me, eating out/takeaway is a pretty occasional treat- usually once every few months, so it's unlikely to have that much impact on my weight anyway.

In terms of eating at home, I often don't eat breakfast because I'm not hungry or don't have time. If I do, it's usually a small pot of porridge at work. That wouldn't work for a lot of people, because they'd be starving by lunchtime- so they maybe need to have a more substantial breakfast. I then usually have a sandwich or salad for lunch and a larger meal when I come home- although sometimes I don't fancy that.

I'm by no means super active, but I'm not sedentary at work, either, and I have a horse which means I'm mucking out every day and riding 2-3 times a week. If I worked in an office and did no exercise, then I imagine I'd gain weight?

I do think listening to your body is a good idea, but also just bear in mind that just because you're presented with food, doesn't mean you have to eat all of it?

We've noticed restaurant foods getting a lot smaller portion wise. Even in the US the portions have moved from humongous to very large.

I agree with the small plate thing, except for salads. Sometimes I just like having enough space to spread my salad around. Also, because like you, I only eat in a window and don't have breakfast my lunch is a bit bigger than it used to be so it's not always about having small meals.