If yoi are slim or losing weight: what do you eat on a normal day?

[Croissantsfordinner]

I am 5ft2 and 11 stones heavy. The heaviest I have been in my whole life.
I need to get back in track with gym and moderate eating, was wondering if you’d like to share an average day pf eating, if you are someone who is careful not to gain weight/stays slim.
Obv I appreciate it also depends on how much movement, metabolism, age etc.
I have a big appetite and usually have big dinners, as well as a couple of take outs a week which together with a sedentary office life, have slowly contributed to my weight gain.

Not at all, I'm critiquing disordered eating and poor nutrition when I see it, and posts which seems to fly in the face of good nutritional and diet advice, or ones which seems condescending towards people who struggle to maintain a lower weight, and am trying to make the point that managing your weight is not the be all and end all of good health as there are plenty of other considerations.

Particularly as many of us here are in our 40s and 50s when muscle tone and bone density are a concern.

Some of the posts have been very helpful and sound like people do eat properly and have a nice balanced diet. Even the disordered eating ones are helpful in a way as it makes me realise that I don't want to go down that path to be that light if that is what it takes.

I would certainly not claim to be a weight loss expert. I am two stone above normal BMI, have been overweight since I had DD1 in 2005, and only briefly got down to normal BMI before I got pregnant with DD2 in 2008. I'm 49 now.

The lowest weight I've been was within half a stone of normal BMI when I did the Fast 800 in lockdown, but when normal life resumed I piled the weight back on, as that diet was so severe that I found myself craving alcohol and carbs in a way I never have before. And I'm sure the mental effects of the pandemic and other stuff going on in life had an effects also.

The highest weight I've been had me at BMI 32 and that was in 2017. I've never been anywhere near that since and can maintain at BMI 27 (as I am now), but struggle to get down to BMI 24 which would definitely be the lowest I'd go, as I'd be a size 8 in clothes and am fairly tall. Even now I am a 14 absolute maximum, but mostly a size 12. I'm actually 5kg less than when my weight settled after having DD2 so I think being lighter at 49 than you were at 35 is pretty good going anyway. I've also overcome serious depression, anxiety and several cancer scares in the last 15 years, and have endometriosis and PCOS. I'm now at menopause.

What I can say is that all my effort in doing plenty of exercise and trying to lose weight has actually stopped me gaining the 5kg to 10kg most women gain in this age group.

My waist to height ratio though is in the healthy range. I have very good muscle mass. I am fit and strong and hardly ever get so much as a sniffle, and have lots of energy. My cholesterol is very good, I'm not at high risk of diabetes or heart problems, blood pressure and resting heart rate are on the low side of normal. I am still trying to get down to BMI 24 though as the extra weight will be a strain on joints etc as I get older. I have a lot of stress at the moment as my DM is unwell, and am just trying to stay as healthy as possible.

I do two cardio sessions and two weights sessions and one yoga class a week. My job is sedentary and full time, but I try and fit as much walking as I can.

Yesterday I ate granola, defrosted berries and a naturally high protein yoghurt for breakfast with two black coffees.

Lunch was four Ryvita topped with half an avocado, hot smoked salmon and sriracha. Snack was a banana and a cup of tea.

Dinner was a thin steak with a small portion of home made skin on air fryer chips, carrots and cabbage, and a glass of beer.

I drank about two litres of water. Went to the gym. Burned 787 calories in exercise. 1687 calories, 80g protein, 28g fibre, 118g carbs. 8.5 portions of fruit/veg.

That's a bit low for me on protein as I normally hit 100g.

Most of the time I eat like this and stick to <10 units of alcohol a week. I'm not losing weight at the moment but seriously struggle to eat less than this.

I had a meal out on Valentine's Day and consumed over 3000 calories that day and didn't even feel full. I can seriously put it away unless I've very careful all the time.

This level of analysis of what you eat - tracking every calorie in, calorie burnt, counting macros, knowing the calorific value of a nice meal out - seems 'disordered' to me in it's own way and certainly no better than some of the posts you've critiqued above.

I'm 54, 5'7" and 10.5 stone last time I weighed myself. I'm pretty active, but recently had some illness/injury so not quite as fit as usual.

I eat intuitively, whole food, moderate carbs, adequate protein, lots of veg.

I don't really like breakfast so have either coffee with mct oil/coconut oil if fasting or coffee protein shake, if I've done a workout.

Lunch is usually leftovers eg chicken stew with lots of veg, curry; or scrambled eggs and veg, tinned fish and salad. Usually a small piece of dark chocolate.

If I'm hungry a snack such, cheese, fruit, nuts, though often I'm not.

Dinner is protein and veg-based sometimes with some carbs, occasionally a small glass of wine. Things like: salmon teriyaki, stir fry, soba noodles, beef stew, prawn curry etc. A little dark chocolate and herbal tea after.

I do eat takeaways and eat out, but it depends what you choose and how you balance it with other foods. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat and if I am I will. So, sometimes I eat a lot and sometimes not so much.

How do you suggest I lose weight then other than by tracking everything to make sure I have a good nutrtional balance and don't overeat, or indeed eat too little then be tempted to binge?

I have tried tracking all my food, not tracking all my food and eating mindfully, low carb, Weightwatchers, Slimming World, 5:2, eating all my food in an 8 hour window, "just eating healthily" and everything else under the sun in the last 15-20 years and yet here I still am at BMI 27.

5ft 4 and weigh 60kg. I have a tea and a coffee with oat milk first thing. Late morning about 11 I have a carby snack like a hot cross bun or a slice of toast with butter and peanut butter, or on the weekends I have some overnight oats with fruit, nuts and peanut butter. Lunch I have a cup a soup, some raw veg like carrot sticks, a boiled egg and a banana. Mid afternoon I have an apple sometimes with peanut butter on and usually some biscuits with tea. Dinner is usually something like chilli, fish pie, casserole, stir fry, quiche and salad that sort of thing. I don't really drink but very occasionally I will have a small glass of wine after dinner or a Baileys.

I don't have any suggestions for you. It's not an area I know anything about.
I do know that this is unfortunately where dieting leads people.
As someone who is overweight and a serial dieter, you really aren't in a position to lecture others on their approach to weight loss, weight management and nutrition, yet you've dominated the thread.

You have been through a lot @jellyfishperiwinkle . I also have PCOS and at age 58 am post menopause which is heaven. I am wondering if BMI doesn’t work for you. You may have a lot of muscle for instance. Also have you ever measured your wrists? Mine are 6” exactly which puts me in the small boned category (though in India I couldn’t find a bangle big enough for me, everything is relative!). BMI 21 has me in size 10 or 12 clothes high street. My DH hasn’t an ounce of fat, exercises 6 days a week but is an ex prop (rugby) with a 19” neck, a broad chest and muscular thighs. BMI always puts him at 27 or 28.

I have an unscientific little theory that stress and poor sleep affect our weight a lot. Too much weighing food, tracking and analysing long term would be stressful to me. I do best when I am sleeping well, happy and eat wholesome nutrient heavy foods like pulses, a lot of veg (roasted in olive oil and steamed greens). No takeaways, ready meals, biscuits or really processed stuff. Just don’t have it in the house. I usually just eat a big meal at 6 pm which I know horrifies some people but I feel great. My oldest friend eats 4 small meals a day, feels faint otherwise and unlike me loathes fish. We are all different. Maybe forget BMI and the scales and focus on how many squats you can do or your waist measurement or fitting in your favourite jeans.

I wonder if there's some discrepancy in your measurements and the systems you're using - you mentioned earlier that a BMI of 24 would put you in size 8 clothes - even with size inflation, I don't think I know anyone with a BMI of 24 who's in size 8 clothes... Do you have a lot of muscle mass that's raising your BMI?

I've lost 2 and a half stone on mounjaro and generally eat 1200 calories a day. I can't exercise because I'm waiting for orthopaedic surgery. If I eat 1500 I just maintain. Now I'm older I just can't eat as much as I used to.
It doesn't seem to matter what I eat, as long as it's 1200.
I have a banana for breakfast, main meal at lunch because I get hungry at work and a snack before bed. I don't eat massive meals, I find very small amounts fill you up just as well and I'll add steamed vegetables if I'm really hungry.

There is very strong evidence that poor sleep affects your eating habits and metabolism, and therefore, your weight. Ditto stress and emotional eating

On tracking: I used to track for years post dc, but have moved to eating intuitively. I think tracking can be useful to recalibrate your eating, but not as a daily activity. I know I was very fixed to it, but it's not healthy long term, as you need to be in touch with your body and how you feel. If you're eating whole foods, it's easier to be in tune with eating well and in balance.

On "skipping" meals: it's about having metabolic flexibility, so you can manage without constant eating and switch between fuelling your body with carbs to fat, and vice versa, as necessary. It's not about starving yourself because you ate too much. Again it's about listening to your body, if you're hungry eat, if you're not, don't.

Yes, there may be something in that. My measurements are 38" 30" 38" and I'm 5'7" - size 12 in most shops and 12 stone 9lbs. BMI 27.8.

@jellyfishperiwinkle I have similar measurements to you but weigh less, so it could be muscle. I have an omron scale that measures fat and muscle %, which is better than bmi. I tend to put on muscle reasonably easily and can fit into clothes from 20+ yrs ago, but weigh a stone more - so weight and bmi aren't always helpful.

Breakfast: glass of fresh juice and a glass of smoothie with a high protein yoghurt or porridge
Lunch: tortilla wrap, with chicken, ham or tuna; sometimes just a tub of cottage cheese
Nibbles: cashew nuts, mini bars of chocolate (2), vine tomatoes, piece of cheese, shortbread.
Dinner: pasta with e.g. chicken, peppers, sweetcorn etc, or sometimes savoury biscuits with meat or mackerel pate if not particularly hungry.
I'm 5' 5 and weigh 8 stone 7

8 and a half stone and 5'6

Today for an example

Breakfast- 1 slice of sourdough with avocado tomato and cucumber + an apple

Snack- carrot sticks and hummus

Lunch- tuna salad with rocket, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives and pepper

Snack - cup of tea and a croissant

Dinner- roasted vegetable and sweet potato tray bake with halloumi and pesto dressing.

My BMI is 22/23. I’m 53 and have never been ‘ overweight’. I’ve been at the higher end of healthy bmi after menopause but I’ve got back down with intermittent fasting( I stop eating after dinner at around 6pm until lunchtime the next day. I’m also interested in the health benefits.
lunch: salad of all sorts chopped up with protein such as chicken, tuna or egg or beans, followed by fruit.
dinner: homemade meal like spag bol / chicken curry/ stir fries etc.
I don’t eat sweets or cakes very often. Occasionally eat some chocolate. I never have though as don’t have much of a sweet tooth. I do drink alcohol at the weekend but not lots.
My only exercise is dog walks and some home exercises when I feel like it. My experience is that your weight is 80% diet and 20% movement
TODAy:
1pm- 2 poached eggs on leftover cous cous salad. An apple, a kiwi.
Snack at 4- handful mixed nuts and a carrot.
6.30pm- spag bol made with lean pork mince and tagliatelle. 2 glasses of white wine. Walked the dog for an hour and a half today and did some gardening. .

Im on slimming world, Im losing 0.5-1.5 lb a week on average, Ive lost 10lb, since November, 3lb to go to target.

today I have eaten:
45g raisin wheats cereal, blueberries and semi skimmed milk

lunch jacket potato with homemade chillincon carne- (frozen leftover earlier dinner in week), 30g grated cheddar, tbsp blob of creme fraiche

today snacks: slice of ham, grapes, hifi cereal bar (slimming world brand).

tea: home made chicken tikka kebabs, hkme made dhal, rice, raita salad, yoghurt

Im treating myself to two double gin and slimline tonics, snack: the gin is measured. I also had half a bottle fever tree ginger ale

this comes in at 14.5 syns - my daily allowance is 15

tomorrow i will have a similar breakfast but the dhal and rice for lunch, possibly do a gammon roast for tea

Not a muller light or a babybel or wheatabix cake in sight!

Today's meals:

Brunch: fruit and veg smoothie, eggs on wholemeal toast

Snacks in the afternoon (at a party): strawberries drizzled with chocolate sauce, salmon blinis

Dinner: baked sweet potato topped/filled with chicken, mushrooms and tomatoes mixed with yoghurt (probably sounds weird but tasted delicious)

B- skinny cappuccino
L- ham salad protein bagel
S-protein yogurt
D- five guys little bacon burger lettuce and tomato

I've lost almost four stone since the end of August. I'm also taking mounjaro. I would like to lose another half a stone. I'm currently 10 stone 7 and I'm 5"7.

Quite light today

Jam and peanut butter on toast

Apple
Orange
Handful of chocolate buttons
Slice of cake
2 bags crisps

Hot smoked salmon sandwich

Pizza ( homemade with cheese olives chilli mushrooms pepper and onion )

Glass of wine

Days not over yet

Today:

Two slices white bread, butter and marmalade. Tea.

Left over Chinese takeaway from last night (big bowl of noodles/rice)

Handful of mini eggs/chocolate eggs

Lots more tea

Carrot cake in a cafe

Massive piece of breaded chicken, 2.5 potato waffled and baked beans.

Chocolate protein pot.

This is by no means a nutritionally good day but first day of kids' school hols and I'm carb loading for a run tomorrow.

I am 5'3 and weight about 60kg ish.

Do 1 gym class a week, personal trainer once a week and run about 30km a week.

Usually eat much better than this in terms of fruit and veg! But quantity about the same.

Healthy & slim - plant based!!

5'1

Morning coffee/water

12pm heavy lunch , easy on carbs as I feel sleepy after

6pm Dinner, omelette and veg

If I want a snack, then it's porridge and honey