How do you manage weight liss if your a foodie.

[Imtoooldforallthis]

I know irs all about self control, but just wondering how others manage it. I cook from scratch every day, spend a lot of time deciding what to cook.i love to be inspired and hate that I am restricted. Things I would have liked to have cooked this week are, crispy belly pork on bbq, homemade bread. A lovely old recipe I have for ginger cookies. Homemade pizza. Just to name a few. I get so much enjoyment out of eating and cooking, it's what I discuss with friends. I know to lose weight permanently I would have to cut these things out permantly or cut portion size so small it's not worth having.

Just to add - I have found some people on Instagram which help with ideas eg broccoli_mum who has lost weight eating BIG vegan meals.

I eat all those things but I don’t mind not having chips with a steak I can make something else. It’s the carbs I limit out of everything so small portions of bread and potatoes. I do eat them but far less. I prioritise the protein element and watch my portion sizes. Previously I would have had bread with at least 2 meals in my day now it’s once every few days. I make things with rice/grains a lot as I find this is a better use of my carbs

I always wonder how those food judges/critics maintain their weight. But watching Masterchef Australia (two men one woman, all normal sized - and I don't mean in the 'we don't know what normal is anymore' way) and notice: one man has hollow legs and gets teased for it - he eats almost all the food on his place. The other man eats about half. The female eats a couple small bites. Like Cherish on Bake Off the professionals here, she takes micro bites of the pastries/desserts. Now these people are professional eaters, but have figured out how little or much they can eat.
While. Also sometimes think 'how can you trust a skinny chef'? It's a matter of balance. I love food, but don't eat calorie rich foods except on rare occasion. I like volume though, so bulk up any plate with vegetables.

Tbh I think being a foodie is a huge advantage in losing weight because you understand food and are in control of it. If you need to cut something out you have the skills and knowledge to know how to replace it.

You can still have those things but as a cheat meal once a week.
I have one cheat meal a week which usually involves carbs and alcohol. The rest of the week i don't drink or eat starching carbs. I go to the gym and count calroies.

If you love food (I’m the same!) then you’re far more likely to lose weight if you work around your food preferences. So, have the potatoes but reduce the portions- instead of 3 or 4 roast potatoes have 1, that kind of thing. Portion size is key here. Fasting works for me - I do 14 or 15 hours, find 16 too many. Do your baking but look at healthy options (some really good recipes out there) and cut back elsewhere that day.

Dont deny yourself anything, just increase the protein and decrease the carbs and fat.

I’m a foodie and I consider this a huge advantage for healthy eating, because I’m interested in getting the best ingredients I can afford, trying new recipes and new cuisines and putting a lot of effort into food presentation. Eating too much and stuffing myself full has little to do with loving food in my opinion.

I don't think quantity it my problem its more I like butter in my mash, I prefer the fat on my lamb chops to the meat, prefer the skin on a roast chicken to the meat. I need to re-educate my taste buds.

I am a huge fan of fat too so I know what you mean. However if you cut down the carbs there is still room for some lovely fat in your diet. And half as much chicken skin has half the calories but more than half the enjoyment.

As you say these are just preferences. I wouldn’t touch mashed potatoes with a barge pole but I go to bed late because I need to get my dashi right!

Me too ! I would live to eat more butter , it's very hard . Have to restrict myself a lot ... It's so hard when your life revolves around food. But can't just eat what I want if I don't want to have a heart attack ! Think of it that way, rather than depriving yourself.

I love food!! And I'm losing weight radically on 800 cals a day. The recipes are actually really tasty (I have 3 books), like smoked haddock frittata, creamy chicken and mushroom stew, sausage 'lasagne'. All from scratch. Mostly it's just cutting lots of carbs, not totally but mostly. Obviously no desserts. Actually, I still miss chunky white bread more than chocolate! I'm usually fasting from 7.30pm to 1pm so just 2 really nice meals a day. I've been so surprised at the amount I've lost (5kg in 2 weeks) and definitely enjoying the good food as a pick-me-up. When I've lost what I want I can do this twice a week and maintain the weight loss.

Slimming World. I have never cooked so much lovely fresh food since I started! I eat loads and love choosing new recipes to try. It's definitely not all about ready meals and Muller Lights!!

" I know to lose weight permanently I would have to cut these things out permantly or cut portion size so small it's not worth having."

No, you'd just have them less often and balance your calories through the week.

Yes, I'm interested in how foodie is being used here. I thought it meant someone who would travel far to a certain shop to get special ingredients and not just someone who eats a lot of pies and chips.

If it means liking to cook, that's a huge advantage for losing weight.

This is the way I understand it. I commute 3h one way to work and I regularly travel like a bag lady on public transport because the Japanese shop in that city has better purple potatoes than the one close by.

Yes, that's a foodie. Someone who cooks and eats a lot is not really the same thing.

You sound like me op...it's a real struggle. I also think a lot of weight loss advice and discussion assumes overweight people are eating loads of processed crap, junk food and take aways. I have never ate like that.

Flavour and texture, lots of fresh veg, herbs and spices, pulses.
'White carbs' are mostly bland and mostly not really 'foodie'. Enjoy good bread or roast potatoes occasionally not as a staple.

Interesting thread. I'm pondering 16:8 as could be a a good solution.

I think you can carry on as you are but reduce your carbs. Instead having mashed potato, have celeriac instead.
Be inventive with pies and try a keto approach.
I'm trying the same and just had 'pizza' with sweet potato as a base.

I also love cooking, I find it relaxing! DH and I are doing the Atkins diet, so low carb but not no carb.

I picked up all the recipe books online secondhand and I'm really enjoying making different things. For context DH eats anything (honestly!) and I'm vegetarian. This time of year feels especially conducive to Atkins, lots of charcuterie type stuff and salads (homemade coleslaw, Waldorf etc not limp lettuces!) for DH, cheeses, frittatas etc for me.

Worth checking out OP, good luck with your journey 💐

IF is for maintaining and for health. It's not really for losing weight because you change your meal times rather than reducing your calories.

This is what works for me. I tend to make really big meals but they are well padded out with veg, pulses or lots of fruit for deserts and snacks.
Also still make bread every week but it is sliced, portioned and frozen straight away.
Am currently baking a banana walnut loaf and that will also be portioned and go straight in the freezer.

Bread is my biggest regret. I had various mysterious issues until I found I was gluten intolerant. I’ve still got my sourdough that is now over 16 years old and I bake rye bread that I very rarely eat myself. But I used to go through the whole Hamelman bible like wildfire folding, scouring and steaming.