I did this for a year and it was fine once I got into the groove and found a balance of nutrient dense/slow release foods I enjoyed. It allowed me to reevaluate my relationship with food, develop an appreciation for cooking from scratch, and get down to a healthy weight.
For context I’m 5’3 and lost 9 stone that year having started at 18 stone.
Meals
I'm a creature of habit happy to have the same meals regularly, so my breakfasts and lunches were the same each day, while my evening meals were mostly on a weekly rotation, with more room for experimentation at the weekends.
As an example, my calories would look something like this:
Breakfast: 100-200 calories
small slice of wholemeal toast with Laughing Cow light cheese triangle and sprinkle of chives and dukkah
or
muesli with almond milk and blueberries
Mid morning snack: 100 calories
yogurt and satsuma
Lunch: 200 calories
porridge with almond milk
or
ham salad
Dinner: 500-700 calories
e.g.
Sunday dinner leftovers ‘bubble and squeak’ style with extra green veg
or
lemon salmon/basa fillet with new potatoes and green veg (asparagus, tenderstem broccoli, mangetout)
or
chicken curry with rice, mushrooms and green veg
or
lentil dal with rice/quinoa and veg
or
roasted Mediterranean veg with couscous, chickpeas and light cottage cheese
Treats
Once a month I’d have a Chinese takeaway at home and also a brunch out along the lines of avocado toast with poached eggs.
Counting
Like other posters I used MyFitnessPal. I tracked my water and multi-vitamins as well as my food, and spent time upfront adding things in as custom recipes and meals so I could track more quickly on a daily basis.
I’d say the key is plenty of water and veg, and weigh/measure everything accurately.