Favourite foods 'diet' - suggestions?

[Witchazel]

I really really hate diets... Have tried a few in the past and just can't bear denying myself yummy foods. I have willpower for a few weeks and the just go nuts, stuff my face with cake and give up :-(

Sooooo I had an idea about six weeks ago to make a list of all the foods I love but happen to be lower in fat... and just eat from that list. OK so it doesn't include cake, but because it does include loads of stuff I really do like.

It appears to be working. I was 14.5 stone six weeks ago and am now 14. So steady gradual loss without feeling like I am denying myself.

Food examples:

Porridge
0% fat organic yoghurt
bresola
Palma ham
lean wafer thin ham
smoked mackerel
smoked salmon
oat cakes

Could do with expanding my list to avoid possible boredom...

What are your favourite 'diet' foods?

Crumpets with scrambled eggs!
Overnight oats with added grapes and tinned mandarins

All of the food you listed is good

My favourite lunch atm is to spread a wrap with hummous and fill it with a big pile of roasted veg - peppers, courgettes, baby corn, sundried tomatoes etc. Yum yum yum.

I do a big batch of veg every few days and warm it up in the microwave as required.

Chargrilled artichokes!

celery and peanut butter

patatas bravas

boiled egg

baked potato and everything

roasted brocolli with garlic and parmesan

So long as you eat in moderation you CAN eat anything you like and lose weight - just don't stuff yourself with it. If you only eat when you're hungry, and check you're hungry first by having a drink (often we're just thirsty not ravenous) and don't eat to excess then you can eat that cake!

Protein will keep you fuller for longer, so if you can incorporate that into your meals you should snack less.

Congrats on the half stone loss, that's brill

I think the key is to find a way of eating that suits you and if you are eating fewer calories than you were before you will lose weight

My trouble was that what I was eating before was making me fatter and fatter, doing Slimming World which lets you eat loads of the lower calorie parts of your previously shit diet left me frustrated, Weight Watchers let me eat smaller amounts of the same foods left me just plain hungry. Both them and others I tried made me feel deprived. I found lower carb works for me (not no carb)as the protein fills me up

I have previously tried Slimming World and Weight Watchers and did loose weight but then just hit a wall and couldn't cope with the smaller portions and general denial. I actually found going to meetings and talking about food made it worse. Hated the chats and the texts / postcards from the leaders.

Also tried books by Anna Ryder Richardson and India Knight. Again... worked for a bit, but neither in the long term.

Thing is, I don't really feel like I'm on a diet. For example, my porridge this morning was a massive bowl. I can quite happily eat a whole pack of bresaola / salmon / ham for lunch with a salad and not feel in the least deprived. Yet the weight is coming off.

I no longer have the book, but there are a few paragraphs in one of Nigella's cookbooks about 'dieting' and she had/has a similar approach. Fact is: I like good food. So this seems the best way round.

The other thing I'm finding is strong flavours help - chilli, garlic, ginger etc. Weirdly make you feel more full. I always sprinkle the chilli flavour Munchy Seeds on a salad. Elevates it completely.

Some more foods on my list:

popcorn (tiny bit of salt and sugar)
smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with chives on seedy brown bread
antipasti: olives, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes etc, oil drained off

Please keep ideas coming! Loved the toasted veg idea and will try this for sure.

roasted not toasted!

What about a noodle soup? Small portion of noodles and some veg that you like, with lean protein (chicken/prawns/tofu/sliced omelette). Season with chilli/garlic/ginger/soy/sesame seeds/seaweed? Use miso soup or vegetable or chicken stock for the soup base. Takes about 5 minutes to make and a massive bowl is about 300 calories.

Or, for the protein element to the above, marinade a tuna steak (the frozen Aldi ones are good for this) in soy/chilli/sesame oil and sear on each side for one minute and then slice up and put on top of your vegetable and noodle soup.

^^
YUM! YUM!
Defo trying that!
Ta x

poached egg on brown/seeded toast with lots of watercress/rocket salad, yum!

Also love smoked salmon.

well done on your weight loss btw

Scrambled eggs are delicious, they must only be cooked in the traditional manner another never in the microwave or they will not be nearly as nice.

Broccoli roasted in oven with salt, pepper, chilli flakes and some garlic. It is delicious and I have been known to eat an entire tray full at a time

Any form of smoothie!
the best is with un sweetened almond milk (29Cal per 200ml) with strawberries, banana, blueberry and raspberry full of vitamins and very yummy. Have it for breakfast every day

How longs can smoothies be kept for I don't have time to make them in the morning but would love to have them for breakfast. I'm assuming shop bought ones aren't good for you?

Smoothies are wonderful! Shop ones are rubbish.
Made ones can keep for 24 hours in fridge but once the fruit is "pulped" the vitamins ect start to degrade so you will loose out a lil bit making it much in advance. But still better then shop.
I don't know how long milk ones last for as I use unsweetened almond milk or oat milk.