Can you be a bit of a foodie and yet still be slim?

[bibbitybobbityhat]

Oh I don't know where to start, really, have suddenly got tears in my eyes writing this. I need to tackle my weight problem but I do love food. So I'm wondering if I actually take more of an interest in what I'm cooking and eating, ie. get into asian cookery and do a few more vegetarian things and soups etc, it would help me?

Any slim foodies out there can reassure me it is possible to be both?

Why are you cooking so much to allow yourself seconds? I cook and serve and that's it. Nothing to go back to

I have no willpower so would almost certainly go back for seconds if there were any to be had.

Bibbitybob: It might be worth doing a food diary for a while to really examine what you're eating. Just jot down what you've eaten each day. Sometimes it surprising how it creeps up. You could even try writing the amount of calories next to each food you've eaten. It's sort of a pain and I'm not a fan of counting calories in general but taking into account seconds etc it might make you realise the amounts you're eating and where you are clocking up the calories and hence putting on weight or not losing it

oh Bettys look nice. They need to do a congratualtions on your new baby hamper. Those duck biscuits are a bit expensive for what they are.

Pre children I was this way. I never snacked or ate cakes and biscuits. In the week I ate simple meals and didn't go overboard with cooking, mainly things like chicken and pasta, chicken salad, stirfry etc. At the weekend the recipe books would come out and I never counted the calories. Pre children we also had enough money to eat out regularly and I always ate what I wanted, I never went for the lighter option. 75% of the time I was very good which was enough to keep the weight off.

...

so what's happened since you've had children dolly? or can't you bear to share?

Isn't that what the French do? Big lunches and small evening meals?

This is a great book for non fattening recipes that aren't full of typical diet foods.
Ruth Watson is a real foodie and the recipes reflect that.
I picked it up in charity shop, for the recipes not the diet aspect and I can't recommend it enough.

Put on lots of weight when pregnant and haven't lost it but haven't followed a proper diet though. More disorganised now and don't tend to eat so well. I am pregnant with number 2 and determined to get it under control after baby is born!

Yes it is.

After having ds however I do need to do light exercise. In my case swimming at the moment. (rather than eat alot and still remain slim)

I was very skinny as a child, and grew up with French food with cream, butter, eggs and good quality meat. I think I've built up immunity!

Good luck Bibbity , try cutting portions and some exercise like walking?

Can definitely recommend some exercise.

I love my food but try to put larger portions of veg on my plate than the main meal. And even though it is hard just have smaller portions and eat slowly.

I dont eat rubbish either and I am like you, I am not keen on sweet things but love savoury stuff.

Get into the habit of brisk walking (can eve be done with a buggy) and get your heart rate up at least once a day.

Re the Betty's cakes, they are quite big so generally I will just buy a small one to share.... (Don't want to lead anyone down the path of unrighteousness which leads to cake shops.)

I had a Betty's eccles' cake recently. It was pretty huge (but not quite huge enough to share!!) However, their mince pies are a perfect size, and absolutely delicious.

I do need to up the exercise, but have a lack of time problem.

See I don't get this, you can most certainly be a foodie and still be slim, it's all about exercise and cutting back on fat.

Little things like grilling instead of frying help. Smaller portions on your plate. Less meat and more veg. Swap white pasta for wholemeal - you'll never notice the difference.

And walk. You don't have to take up a sport or go to the gym, just walk instead of using the car. Walk the kids to school. Walk to the local shop every day for a paper. Walk the dog. Get off the bus a stop earlier and walk the rest of the way home.

Have a long leisurely walk every weekend in the countryside.

If you feel you need to snack, then don't do huge meals for yourself. Just split it into smaller portions throughout the day. Don't expect to have breakfast at 8am and then a huge lunch at 12pm. Have a smaller lunch and a snack at around 10am.

I honestly think that if you cut down your portions it would make a difference too. You should not be filling a plate, a healthy adult only needs half the plate filling.

I eat well, but I cook everything from fresh, I grill instead of frying, I make my own chips, we don't have pudding during the week just at the weekend, I snack on yoghurts and I walk everywhere.

HTH

Re the French: I lived there for years. They eat rich food but they don't snack much and their portions at mealtimes are small. They also eat very little processed food (pre-packaged meals). Green salad accompanies most meals which helps too. It works. I was always super slim when I lived there and felt like I ate well. Although on the other hand many French women smoke to curb their appetite which is obviously not advisable. The French don't seem to exercise in gyms etc. much by the way but the Parisians at least walk a lot. I think brisk walking as much as possible is a great way of helping shift weight and doesn't really feel like hard exercise.

You can if you have smaller portions. Eat whatever you like but less of it. Eat better quality stuff that doesn't have all the added crap to make it taste better. That way you don't feel obsessed deprived and over indulge.

oha re we talking about france?
ther IS a thing

My observation of my slim friends is that they don't eat a great deal.

They eat good food but just not much of it.

I'm definitely finding the older I get the more I have to watch what I eat. So super good in the week and then a few treats at weekends.

I'm beginning to see what you mean now DanDruff, and I definitely didn't bring up France in this thread!

I know how you feel Bibbity - my weight yo-yos and its definitely proportionate to meal sizes and activity, not so much what I eat - but I generally stick to a healthy mediterranean diet anyway (including the odd glass of wine!). I actually find smaller and more regular meals (otherwise known as snacks) are beneficial to keeping my energy levels without feeling bloated. When I keep very busy and active generally (but not so busy that I get stressed) and get regular sleep I don't feel so feel drained and tired and slob about and overeat to feel better. It's a constant battle to stay on top of the balancing act, especially when you work around food like I do.

Also, maybe try core-strengthening exercises like pilates - when I did I found muscles I never knew I had and could control my muscles better to hold myself in and up, and it was easier to see the results of weight-loss working.

Good luck!

Yes, someone apart from me already brought up the French. Read ilovemydoga & marsha further down the thread.

It doesn't really matter anyway, just making a point about how some people stay slim and still are foodies.

Oh yes twas me. Oh well.. . Being skinny and eating well is mostly genetic imo.

Anyway good food has got to be less bad for you than count the calories ready meals or fat free crap. In fact when I was in the US the girls I met really struggled with their weight, eating and exercise and scoffing fat free iceceam.

Marsha, I thought there was no such thing a a "fat" gene, that the genetic thing is more likely to be the inherited food and cooking attitudes we grew up with rather than pure genes?

My family are all slim, my mother grew our own veg, made bread etc.

My cousins family are all fat, but they always had free access to white bread and peanut butter, etc.

I agree that basic good food is much better for you than processed "reduced calorie" rubbish. And it tastes nicer.

Am I allowed to mention what Kate Moss said about nothing tasting as good as skinny looks?

(Cowers in corner waiting to be shot down!)

One thing I find useful to remember is that apparently it takes 20 minutes for the message to get from your stomach to your brain that you are full. So after your meal, if you think "I'm still a bit hungry", wait 20 minutes and then see if you still are.

I'm very much the same - love food, love cooking, love good things and so thought I would never ever really get slim.

I've now gone down two jeans sizes (from a 16 to a 12) using Paul McKenna. A lot of his suggestions have been said here already - eat slowly, always eat without distractions, and really enjoy your food, but then stop when you're full.

It has been brilliant - I am thinner but not deprived. I'm now definitely eating more nice food, controlling my portions much better (someone on here ages ago said, if you eat as much as your DH you will get fat, and that was definitely true of me.)

But I think you do need to use his self-hypnosis CDs for it to work properly - I've been eating less without really thinking about it.