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

I find low carb works best for me - I try and also do low fat and low sugar
I love most protein foods and fill up on fruit veg and salad
As a child of the 60s snacks weren’t really available in my house unless it was an apple orange or banana
Portions were smaller but as meat poultry and fish were expensive we had to eat lots of bread and potatoes to fill up

£80 per month?

£80 per MONTH?

LOL literal x-post

I've started getting simply cook to simplify my eating.......I found I was spending a fortune before bulking out meals.

It's saved me an absolute fortune, I have the bulk of my veg at lunchtime when I'll have salad or soup. I have fruit with breakfast and as a snack, bonus is I've saved a fortune as it helps me prepare a shopping list, hoping to lose some weight off my fat arse along the way too.

When we go out we usually just have a main course and we always say imagine having a starters and sweet as well ! We only eat one meal a day really . Perhaps soup and bread at lunch time . And were not slim ! I do agree that alot of people overeat.

Restaurant portions are a red herring to a point because they're probably working on offering generous portions so people feel they're getting a good deal, and nobody's going to want to pay for a meal out and leave feeling hungry.

Eating out in a restaurant used to be a rare event. The idea of people eating out regularly is a relatively new trend, just like drive thru coffee and drive thru fast food. It's part of a shift in how we eat as a society.

But portion sizes have changed over the decades, plate sizes are bigger, snacking is all the time now, the rise of UPF that leaves people craving more and more poor quality food of low nutritional value, and overall people are eating more whilst living a more sedentary lifestyle. It's skewing things, which is why the average person is overweight.

A good starting point is check the recommended portion size of food before you cook it, bearing in mind your personal requirement might not be as much, e.g., 60g raw rice or 75g pasta is the recommendation. I allow 50g rice and 60g pasta, which suits me (and OH).

I think some people no longer view food as fuel. The human body only needs so many nutrients in a day, and definitely not a lot of carbs. (Lasagne and garlic bread is probably nice if you like it, but nutritionally it's madness.)

What's most telling is the number of people who leave positive reviews for pubs and restaurants based on the fact they serve "big portions".

I’ve got awful digestive issues and tend to eat the same thing every day (until I’m sick of it). I’m 51, size 8.

I have four squares of 70 percent choc at 9am, half a tin of red salmon and one gluten free pitta for lunch, 3 very high quality eggs and one gluten free pitta for dinner. I always have proper butter in the pittas and I’ve given up farmed salmon. Then I have one big tub of coconut yoghurt and a Trek protein bar as snacks. I don’t eat after 6pm. I do have the off banana and orange too.

Sometimes I get a Thai red curry delivered and it’s enough for two meals.

It sounds a bit mental but it’s mostly driven by my terrible digestion. I’d say I have orthorexia though.

From what I've been reading recently, it's all about gut health and the impact on the microbiome on all our other physiological systems through inflammation. It's important to give your gut microbiota time to recover and do other things <bit vague on this bit now haha>, so it's good to:

1. not snack or graze but eat clearly at defined mealtimes
2. contain your day's eating within a shorter window than most of us now do, ie don't have your first food when you wake and your last just before bed (doesn't matter if you can't do 8:16, 12 or 14 hours without eating still has a real impact)
3. And/or - probably or) do 5:2 or something similar where you limit calories on some of the days. This aids weight loss, if that's what you're after, on the basis that you're taking in fewer calories over the week - but also keeps your metabolism on its toes which is good for all of us. New research seems to indicate that it also increases microbiome diversity too (again, essential for good health for us all.)

My pitiful diet plus (human grade) food for two dogs costs around £15-£20 a day!!

I'm trying to lose weight although I'm currently at a healthy weight and I'm eating about 1600 calories a day. I run 3 days a week and lift weights 3 days a week and I'm losing a pound a week at the moment.

Over Christmas I ate too much, way too many mince pies, too much baileys, wine, cheese and so I put on a lot of weight.

Yes on the whole we eat too much but to be honest it's not a surprise to most people. I knew I was eating too much even as I shoved that second mince pie in my mouth but I still carried on. I know that portion sizes in restaurants contain more calories than I need but I still eat out from time to time.

People have more sedentary jobs leading to weight gain even if they haven't changed their diet but there is enough information out there for people to know if they are a healthy weight.

There is no one size fits all either, I like to eat breakfast, other people find it makes them hungrier so they skip it. I can't cut out carbs, it makes me grumpy so I keep them in my diet, same as wine and chocolate. They are empty calories but life is too short to always deny yourself treats so I enjoy them and fit them into my allowance.

If you think you eat too much and are unhappy with your size it's up to you to do something about it and the same goes for everyone. I don't want McDonald's to be banned because some people are overweight and if I'm overweight and want to eat McDonald's then that's my prerogative.

Ooops haha per week! I wish it was per month 😂

I’m tiny, 5ft 1 at a push and I tend to eat around 1600 cals a day if not dieting, 1200 if I am. Currently on a diet and have lost 9lbs since 1st Jan. I am odd and eat similar food when dieting, just makes it easy, maybe 1 or 2 evening meals I change, same breakfast, same lunch. Even when not dieting I eat the same breakfast and lunch. I do have a sweet tooth so have to save room for some low cal ice cream or mini choc bar to end a meal

Looking at packets for portion sizes. So many things are sold a sharing bags not individual portions eg 8 mini eggs is a portion! Bupa had a sensible guide to healthy portions.

I eat 2250 calories per day, but I exercise 6 days a week (weights x5). Before I started lifting weights I would put on weight eating 1400 calories.

It’s very easy to overeat, especially if you eat out regularly. You really have no idea how much you’re eating, even if you go by the calories on the menu (they are very inaccurate). It’s not very surprising so many people are overweight.

I'm 5 foot 1 and when not pregnant usually hover around the 45-48kg range. I don't like food rules as I think pleasure should come from eating but one rule I do follow is to have 2 portions fruit / veg with each meal. That way I easily get my 5 a day.

I don't have a huge appetite but if I'm having a meal where the constituents are separate I'll generally use my hands as a guide. So 1 cupped hand of each fruit / veg, 1 cupped hand of whatever carb source I'm eating and 1 cupped handful of protein (easier if chopped up). Enough to not look like too much food on my plate and keeps things relatively in balance.

I have severe IBS so prefer a little and often approach. I love food but really dislike going out to eat as find the portion sizes huge and usually get comments about not eating everything on my plate. I prefer to feel comfortably full and satiated after a meal rather than absolutely stuffed. I also have a very sweet tooth so like to leave room for dessert!

I'm much more of a snacker so like to have "healthier" snacks in the house and out and about with me. Dark chocolate, unsalted mixed nuts, lower sugar biscuits, oatcakes, etc.

Our favourite pub does smaller portions for a little less on some options, which is brilliant. I wish they'd do it on all of them, even if it cost the same, I hate wasting food or being tempted into overeating.
And why can't an adult get a child's option meal, or a child's size portion if they want to?

If it helps, I find an m&s ready meal for 1 is plenty for 2 meals. Also I only eat deserts on weekends. I completely agree, portion sizes are insane these days.

I once read that 30 pieces of fruit, veg, nuts a week is better and more cost effective than 5 pieces of fruit and veg a day.

This. By strength training I have also increased the amount of calories I eat to maintain weight by about 400 from 1500 to around 1900. Muscle is metabolically active and will burn calories even at rest.

I also think changing what you eat helps a lot. Not all calories are the same and are metabolised by the gut differently. I eat min 30g fibre and reduced starchy carbs and zero upf.

If you're looking to lose weight and save money, basic vegetables are a lot cheaper than some other ingredients. Eat loads of veg. Fills you up and very good for your digestive system and gut health as well.

This is fascinating - the idea that you can generally eat more if you're more muscular, and not simply in order to fuel the addition of muscle. I'm 56 and have gradually put on weight - I'm having real trouble losing using the methods that have previously worked for me (slight calorie reduction, fewer carbs, more veg, very little alcohol.) But I know I have lost muscle for eg in my legs, because it's taking me more energy to get up the stairs/get up from the floor etc.

What I've found work for me over the years...

On a workday having porridge for breakfast (topped with nuts & seeds) fills me up and keeps me going. If I have cereal or toast I tend to get so hungry in the evenings and just want to snack.

I weigh out portions of rice and pasta (2oz per adult) as otherwise I just pour and guess and over estimate and then over eat.

I eat breakfast, lunch & dinner and then in between only if I'm really hungry and after I've had a drink have a snack. I've found when I usually had a snack in the past I wasn't hungry I was either thirsty, bored, or just wanted a sweet treat but wasn't eating for hunger. (I used to snack A LOT)

I try to eat as little ultra-processed food as possible, though it is hard!

I have little to no self control with chocolate so I just don't have it in the cupboards, I know if I buy it I'll just eat 3 chocolate bars in a evening or an entire sharing bag in one go. Instead I buy myself a chocolate treat once a week and then have it over the weekend. Once it's gone it's gone vs bulk buying sweet treats and thinking I'll have 1 a day and never do.

I eat around 1,300-1,500 calories a day.

I do eat out, but only occasionally, but the portion sizes are always too big. I don't feel I have to eat it all though. Often stop eating the main even when I could eat more to squeeze in a dessert!

There are days when a kids portion would be good for me too, but the places I go to don't allow it.

"Do you suggest they give men bigger portions.
What if the woman is bigger than the man"

It's not about height - presuming that's what you mean by 'bigger'. Men have more muscle than women. In general, yes, men should be eating more. Various portion sizes would be good and the portions in general shouldn't be as big, it's a recent trend to have massive portions. Fine dining restaurants still have reasonable portions, but then people feel they're not getting value for money because they're so used to the massive portions.