What do normal sized people eat?

[phonetedt]

Posting for traffic and I'm being deadly serious.

Always had issues with food (abusive childhood and neglect started it I think)

I'm on a weight loss journey, doing well.

What do people normally eat? Those who are average sized and not gaining weight?

I feel like my portion sizes are insanely large but I also don't know what people would eat for lunch and stuff? I feel like porridge, sandwich, crisps, fruit and then tea (dinner) would be a lot of calories for me.

I don't have takeaways frequently. If I do, I'll sometimes not finish it and save leftovers, other times I'll stuff myself but then probably not fancy breakfast the next day, or crave a salad at lunch. My body seems to average things out, as long as I don't continuously feed it unhealthy foods (which tends to happen if I'm stressed or unhappy or bored).

Breakfast:
I have an addiction to peanut butter and marmite and by choice would have it on a standard bagel or two thick slices of toast but I put on weight with that, so I stick to a Warbutons thin bagel (mainly the seeded protein ones) or 2-3 lentil cakes (like rice cakes but a little more satisfying because they're higher in protein). Plus coffee. I also make an effort to fast over breakfast a few days a week, doing a 16:8 with black coffee, though I do miss it.

Lunch:
If I fasted over breakfast, I'll have my (thin) bagel as I'll have missed my peanut butter hit!! Otherwise, soup with a slice of bread, a salad with filling stuff added like avocado and beans, or dinner leftovers from the previous night.

Afternoon snack:
Coffee and something smallish like an oat bite, 2 biscuits or a row of a larger chocolate bar. This is hard though, I could easily eat a packet of biscuits or the entire chocolate bar at this time of day - and I used to get away with doing that when I was young!

Dinner:
Things like vegetable and bean chilli with rice, mushroom risotto, homemade pizza, lentil lasagne or bolognese, fresh pasta, red lentil dhal, veggie sausages and mash, tofu katsu curry, and at least once a week, usually twice a week, just roast vegetables (like broccoli, cauliflower, courgette, carrot, asparagus...usually including some potatoes and/or sweet potatoes but very little oil) and hummus or a homemade dressing. This is where quantity counts, though - for my soups, salads and roast vegetable meals, I really fill the bowl/plate to bursting and sometimes go back for more as these foods are low calorie density and I'd rather fill myself up on them than end up hungry after a measly portion and go stuff myself with biscuits or crisps. Speaking of which, "broccoli mum" on Instagram and YouTube has a lot of good content related to big portion but low calorie meals so you're full and satisfied but not eating unhealthily.

Evening snack:
I try to avoid it, but a couple of times a week I cave and have some crisps or very occasionally some ice cream.

Do weights more than cardio at the gym. Running is so hard and it takes ages to burn off calories that way.
Avoid as many UPFs and white carbs and eat as much protein as possible.

I'm 43, 5'7 and 61kg.
Weekdays I eat overnight oats (oats, oat milk, tsp peanut butter, handful of raspberries) a banana, and a black cofee for breakfast.
Lunch is tuna salad with a couple of tbsp of rice/ potatoes/ some form of carbs.
Dinner is fish or chicken or vegetarian stirfry/ curry/ something or other with lots of vegetables.
Normally a snack of a piece of fruit or a bit of chocolate, I love those aero chocolate mousses.

I go to the gym every morning before work for half an hr.

At the weekends I eat whatever, including a takeaway, and don't do any exercise other than a walk.

Bmi 21

Breakfast - porridge with almond milk, prunes, nuts, chia seeds

Lunch - eggs with ham, onions & peppers or Tuna salad

Dinner - always homemade; curry, chilli, casserole, fish, chicken etc

Snack - Greek yoghurt with cacao powder & berries

Size 12. I eat erratically.

Often skip breakfast and will eat sandwich, leftovers, soup or similar for lunch.

Salad or veg meal for dinner e.g. stir fry, roasted veg w/cous cous, chilli or similar. Usually followed by 2-3 big bits of dark chocolate or a few truffles.

I'll happily eat a big breakfast, pancakes, grilled fry up etc but will then skip lunch.

Dont really eat crisps, bisucits or icecream. Used to share a family bag of crisps most evenings when I was a size 14.

I am currently very sedentary.

I like big portions and eating in the evening so I tend to pick lower calorie dinners and eat most of my daily food then.

On the occasions I'm home too late to eat a decent dinner ill just eat chocolate cereal. I could definitely eat smaller dinner potions, I just don't because despite not eating much in the day, I really really love food and associate the evening with dinner and pleasure.

Eta - I don't eat or enjoy takeaways. I'll only eat them if its a family thing and I really have to to be polite. Last ine was Chinese food at christmas and i cant remember before that. I much much prefer to eat in a good restaurant.

Eta again - I don't drink except spirits at christmas.

It's hard to describe portion sizes but I would say the usual pub grub size and maybe bigger. For a pub meal I would easily eat a mixed grill and dessert with maybe a starter.

For Chinese for example I'd share the salt&pepper box which is 1/3 carton of chow mein, 2 small fish fillets, 1 rib, 2 chicken balls, 1/2 bag chips, curry sauce, 2 pieces prawn toast, 2 small spring rolls (the small ones like starters), 2 small samosas (about the size of 2 cheese triangles put together), a chicken wing, 2 onion rings, maybe a few prawn crackers. And I'd eat all of that, which I'm ashamed to say.

I don't drink alcohol unless special occasions

This is exactly what I was like until a few years ago op, I’m the same height height as you and was about 13 stone. For health reasons I had to drastically change both what I eat, and how much. My portions are now so much smaller than they were (which is one reason I eat many times a day). Even eating so often, by having much much smaller portions I’ve lost half my weight. Eg, for lunch I will either have two two scrambled eggs, or a slice of toast and one egg. Previously I would have two of each, plus veggie sausages, baked beans, a brownie afterwards… you get the picture!

That's probably about twice what I would eat - I'm 62, 5ft 9 and generally a size 12 ish. I never weigh myself but cut back a bit when my jeans get too tight.

Today it was 1/2 an avocado on toast for breakfast, an egg salad roll for lunch and a homemade lentil and mushroom lasagna tonight with a salad and about 4" of a French Stick.

Drinks are black coffee, herbal tea and tonight 3 small glasses of wine.

If I was ordering Chinese I'd eat probably 2/3 of a portion of vegetables in sweet and sour and a couple of tablespoons of rice ( Our local take away is pretty dreadful for veggies)

I think especially if you're used to big portions, whilst trying to eat healthier you should also incorporate some high volume meals to mimic the fullness and increase fibre where you can. Years ago I'd eat a large domino's, now I eat a medium and save some/eat a small. Over time you will adjust but it's hard if you're used to always eating to feeling very full.

8.30 Breakfast: 1/2 tub (230g) of Greek yoghurt (20g protein :) )
Add to this some pumpkin seeds and flax seeds for fibre

1pm Lunch: 5 falafel with a big salad and a dollop of houmous / dhal / egg and cress sandwich / vegetarian sushi / 1 jacket potato with 2 ladles of beans from work cafe

6.30/7pm Dinner: Chicken Kiev with a whole head of broccoli / future tuna mayo spaghetti with sweetcorn / half a pack of spinach gnocchi with half a tin of cannelini beans, a random veg & pesto / 2 eggs and beans on 1-2 slices of toast / 'burrito bowl' with fried onion, peppers, quorn chicken, bit of refried beans and salsa. No sour cream or cheese, no wraps.

If I fancy dessert, a tube of smarties or a twirl. Tend to avoid if trying to lose weight.

Drinks-wise I have coffee with a dash of oat milk / coffee with half a sugar and regular milk / black iced coffee then water mainly. The odd kombucha for 35 cals. No booze if dieting as when I'm out I easily drink a bottle of prosecco which is the current reason I'm trying to lose weight!!

Also just to say I've since seen your reply about emotional eating and I wanted to say: you are so much more than your body and your relationship with food. It's great that you want to improve this relationship and viewing this journey as a gradual improvement of mentality rather than "get skinny" will hopefully do you better in the long term.

Don't feel shame about your current portion sizes, or if you eat more than planned on a given day. This is a marathon not a sprint. No food is bad or wrong, nothing is a "cheat day" and be wary of any kind of doesn't-fit-your-life restriction (looking at you intermittent fasting) because it will not be sustainable in the long run. On average, all the movement you do outside of exercise (called NEAT) burns more energy than planned exercise, so whilst it's great that you're hitting the gym, don't focus on burning off calories but instead on doing a form of exercise you enjoy that you'll want to keep doing long term and see any minor calorie expenditure as a bonus.

Thank you @phonetedt for this thread and for everyone who has contributed.

I have bemoaned my weight gain over the last few years without ever really understanding where I have gone wrong. I walk daily, eat just two meals a day and intermittently count on MFP. I think because I follow the Zoe 30 I should be slim and healthy when I am clearly not.

Reading the thread I realise how much I kid myself about what and how much other people eat.

I clearly have an issue with how calorie loaded my food is, my portion sizes and my snacking.

I will be keeping this thread and will be changing a lot of things immediately.

Thank you, thank you, thank you !!

Did not RTFT.
I get A LOT of exercise. I literally would eat 30-40% fewer calories without all the exercise. I suppose below describes a day when I didn't get so much exercise, Garmin says I needed 2450 kcal yesterday, Fitbit says 2812.

~62kg, 56yo
Yesterday food intake (with lots of exercise)
Many Mugs of tea with FF milk & cream

(late morning after tea mugs) Porridge with FF milk & peanut butter that is 50% canned peaches, 50% oats, large bowl

5pm? Glass of Wine & apple juice

Supper about 7pm Big portions of Oven chips, battered fish, steamed veg, ketchup, 3-4 onion rings

Mugs of rooibosch with cream & milk

Pudding: maybe 20g chocolate & a banana

I’m 43, 5 foot 7 and weigh 9 stone 12 pounds (size 14). That’s a BMI of around 21 I think.

i don’t eat gluten so that makes a difference but a typical day is:

Breakfast; Nutura porridge with berries and banana with honey and pumpkin seeds or scrambled eggs on a gluten free roll.

lunch can be home made soup or salmon with quinoa and salad.

dinner is a Gousto meal (gluten free) and normally vegan / plant based but I do have chicken on occasion. Gousto is a good way to control portion size.

red meat only consumed once a week.

Hardly no ultra processed foods and takeaway only once about every six weeks. I can’t eat gluten so that stops a lot of bread and cake eating.

i don’t drink much alcohol at all and consume a lot of herbal tea instead of milk laden coffees etc.

i walk a lot.

If you eat that amount of high calorie food very regularly then yes, that will lead to weight gain.

I can usually eat a 'pub grub' portion of food and would do so when out to eat. However I don't go out to eat often at all other than on holiday or special occasions. At home I eat smaller portions. I am also vegetarian which probably does help to some extent, I'd imagine there's more calories in meat based fast food items/takeaways than the veggie alternatives?

For a takeaway like a Chinese generally I will either have a rice or noodle dish and usually won't finish it all and have the rest for lunch the next day. Or will get one main and DH will do the same and we will share a portion of fried rice.

Like you I only drink alcohol rarely, same with fizzy drinks, juice, hot chocolate, anything with much calories in really.

For breakfast this morning I had a cinnamon and raisin New York Bakery Co bagel with Flora vegan spread on it, and a cup of tea with full fat milk.

Just had lunch which was leftover about 5 pieces of dolmeh from a restaurant, a cream of vegetable cuppasoup and a packet of Walkers ready salted crisps. Will probably have a coffee now with full fat milk.

Will likely have a snack late PM and then dinner I'm making us a tomato and chickpea stew which is pretty low calorie. Probably have some white bread and Flora spread with it as well though. Then another hot drink and some chocolate in the evening.