New to this - best go to recipie book to make life simple!

[Jamalias]

My diet is dreadful and weight has crept up. I find behind organised / making decisions incredibly hard but need to get my diet better for myself and my family.

I used to have an eating disorder so have always avoided ‘diets’. I really don’t want to do ‘calorie controlled’ as it makes me binge if I’m not full, but do want to do healthy ‘fresh’ protein based diets and could easily do something similar to 16:8 as I naturally am not hungry first thing (and often forget to eat until mid afternoon).

I know the only way I’m going to manage this is to have a physical recipie book full of the right kind of recipes, that I can meal plan from (I need it in one or two books to help with indecision) and perhaps something that explains nutrition and how to lose weight. But there is so much out there I could do with some pointers if anyone has some favourites?

I love most foods and so tasty is good!

an initial fast weight loss would be good - I’m embarrassed to go out any more and dreading the summer. But overall what I’m looking for is a way to feed myself on a long term basis that is healthy, improves weight, skin and energy levels.

thanks!

Oh dear! I mainly wanted to say that I’m not sure recipe books are a good idea when one wants to lose weight.

Recipes inherently complicate things. They require more ingredients than you would think of yourself; they put you in the kitchen (where the food is!) for longer than necessary; and they require you to spend time thinking about food. How is any of this helpful to someone who basically needs to eat less?

(But I won’t say any of that as you feel you need recipes …)

The other thing I thought - having only seen your title - was that 16:8 would probably really suit you because it is incredibly simple. I love food and don’t like complicated diets at all. And over the years I’ve evolved a really excellent way of eating that excludes meat and (pretty much) all processed food. My cupboards and fridge contain wholefoods, veg box stuff, almost no carbohydrates, very limited alcohol. No fizzy / soft drinks. No takeaways. (Maybe once or twice a year.) No shop bought snacks / biscuits / cakes. Everything cooked or just prepared as simply as possible - so I don’t linger in the kitchen wondering what to eat next …

But I still put on weight over lockdowns ++. And couldn’t justify the amount I consumed when I was so much less active than usual. Then I ‘discovered’ 16:8 and it feels like coming home. I stop eating sometime between 3 and 4 pm and then fast till breakfast. No evening sluggishness, no late night snacks. Utterly thrilled with the results. And it’s so easy to maintain.

Joe wicks cook books are really good