I LOVE food and HATE dieting. This is a really hard change.

Ultrahoon has a good point, sometimes the small substitutions make a large difference.

The thing is if you want volume then a large quantity of your meal will have to be vegetables, weight for calorie they are the most bang for your buck. I also find cooking from scratch instead of buying packaged meals make a lot of difference in the calories vs volume debate.

I'm making a beef casserole for tonight and for quite a large portion it's around 500cal not including the dumplings. Dumplings add another 200kcal (we make suet dumplings in the UK and I can make 8 using the recipe so about 4 each) after that I will be properly stuffed. I also make things like chilli con care (466cal without rice), which I would cook rice with but I would happily forgo the rice for more chilli con carne.

Have a look for recipes online to make 'skinny versions' of your favourites I found one for chicken fajitas that would give you 2 for about 295cal, add avocado, salsa and sour cream and you have quite a large portion for around 500cal.

You can have a regular sized meal anytime you want, just know you'll need to keep your intake to a certain calorie limit to continue to maintain your current or future weight. So, if you're expecting to maintain a modern convenience food diet from wherever, as you're chewing and swallowing your bites, consider how much energy the whole meal is supposed to provide you. Think about whether you want to finish the whole thing right away or if it would be better for your lifestyle/activity to split your regular sized meal into multiple meals throughout the day.

As others have said, small substitutions can make a big difference. Reducing starchy carb serving sizes and switching to more veggies will give you a lot of bang for your calorie buck and you'll still be satiated. It's about making smart little choices in order to hit your goals and still be happy and not hungry.

Also be mindful not to have too aggressive a calorie goal. Sure you'll lose slower but you'll get to eat more, fit more of what you like into your daily allowance and lose less lean body mass.

Finally, exercise is a great way to "earn" more food. No you won't be able to eat a whole cake in one sitting but you could get a pretty generous slice! I've earned a whole bottle of prosecco if I want it today with my workout (and I consciously worked a little harder to hit that goal).

This doesn't have to be torture. I absolutely love food too but I still lost and I don't often feel deprived in any way. And the longer I do this the less I find I want to eat anyway, I can't shovel down nearly the same amount of food in one sitting as I used to be able to!

I am a huge foodie, and I did not restrict any food from my diet. But you have to know that it's all about calories in vs calories out. You can't eat big portions of food that has a lot calories, and you can't eat it all the time. It's all about how and when you eat what food. And if you want permanent change you have to make it your life style, not a diet. Getting started is hardest part, once you are really determined you will find a way to still be a foodie and live healthy and fit life Good luck!

I'd say 99% of the people here felt the same way you do now when we started (it's unfair, it's not something I want to do, who cares if I'm fat if I get to eat what I want, etc). They are all excuses that prevent you from achieving your goals. Drop the excuses. Experiment. Find something that works and stick to it.

This isn't a punishment. It's totally fair. Sometimes we do things we don't want to do (like an overnighter when studying for that big test because we want an A) to reach a goal.

To me, right now, it sounds like you just aren't ready. And that's ok. Take the time to get ready, then come back here and rock it. It works if you wrap your head around it, get in the game, WANT IT. It doesn't work if you don't care enough to see it through. It requires a ton of patience. It's not weeks, sometimes it takes years. It's hard sometimes. It's a challenge.

I was where you are 3 years ago and finally decided to do it 2 weeks later, and I'm still here and I've been at a normal weight for 2 years.

The good news is that you don't have to give up everything. But you have to make choices and figure out what's really worth the calories for you, what isn't (for me, liquid calories), what you like that doesn't have a ton of calories (I like Greek yogurt with fruit, and apples, for example), and what you can still make tasty while cutting down on calories (with substitutions).

I don't agree with just making small changes, because doing that, I was just eating more of the 'healthier' options and still eating too much. I'd say, just start logging what you eat... you'll naturally figure things out - 'oh, wow, that was more calories than I thought and it wasn't even that good', or 'I really want a slice of pizza today, let's see what lower calorie breakfast I can have'.

Also, you don't have to pick the 'lose 2 pounds a week' setting. Seriously, 1 pound a week is just fine, and you won't feel as deprived.

Bottom line... You'll just have to think of what food you really want to eat every day and make better choices to make them fit. I still eat things I like, just not as often as I did, but I actually enjoy them more now.

smartparker wrote: »

So when I say I love food, I LOVE FOOD. I get such a joy from eating. The hardest part about losing weight is the fact that I feel I have to be hungry all the time. Is there a trick to being able to eat the things I want to eat and not in microscopic-sized portions while trying to lose weight/maintain weight? The whole "life-style change" response may be true, but it's kind of annoying. Any foodies about there who still eat delicious regular sized meals without looking like a Oompa Loompa?

I also love food -probably more so now than when I begun my journey, but I'm very rarely hungry. What worked for me is finding high-volume substitutions for the calorie-dense food and making sure that I incorporate adequate protein and fat into my diet (fat is not the devil). Instead of regular pasta, I like making zucchini noodles (which gives me extra calories to put on lots of toppings). I like roasting butternut squash and carrots instead of eating sweet potato (sweet potato is the devil for my blood sugars). Instead of breading and frying chicken breasts, I coat the chicken in a crapton of spices and sear it on the skillet until the spices form almost a blackened crust.

What's important is finding out what foods YOU can't live without and what foods you might not mind substituting. I can never give up chocolate, but I found that I am more satisfied with 2 squares of super dark chocolate instead of a whole bar of milk chocolate (and save about 100 calories with this substitution). With that "calorie savings" I can then add 1-1.5 cups of fruit or 150g of Greek yogurt and have a satisfying bedtime snack (and would have consumed about 170-200g of food compared to only 43g if I ate the milk chocolate bar).

I really can't relate to this post, sorry. I just don't get this mind-set. To me 'it's only food'... I can take it or leave it, it's nothing to get worked up about. I can appreciate that it must be hard for some people- and my advise would be to come to an acceptance that you don't HAVE to get your pleasure from food- maybe look for other sources of pleasure? Maybe that would make it easier.

For me personally if it were a choice between chocolate and shoes- I'd choose shoes everytime!

One of the things that helped me was eating large portions of vegetables as snacks between meals, even if I wasn't really all that hungry. It helps me to schedule my snacking so I don't get to the point where I feel hungry, that's when I fail. I really enjoy salad with regular dressing and grilled chicken, just make sure to measure it out. I was surprised that I was satisfied with what looked like too little of dressing and lots of lettuce or spinach has very few calories.

Like others have said... substitutions are your friend... if you are honest with yourself it can work.

If I were you... I'd not change a thing about the way I eat and only log. Logging will show you how much you are actually taking in, then find your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and this will show you how much you can eat without gaining or how much you can eat and lose.

I cook for a boyfriend and a 3 year old so they get regular food, I end up eating a large amount of whatever protein I am serving and a small amount of the sides... this works for me, plus I'll drink a protein shake and that will help me get that full satisfied feeling.

I love food too and still eat like complete crap sometimes but I eat smaller portions. Did you know 2 KFC chicken Littles are only 600 calories? Not bad if eating 1900 like me. I also try to make healthier choices that are still tasty. Like at the grocery store yesterday I bought spicy coconut chips and tomato basil lentil crisps. Should be pretty tasty and still be better for me.

TeaBea wrote: »

jessicarobinson00 wrote: »

I love to feel full...so I have found ways to eat a "regular" meal a little different by making healthy swaps. So instead of having lasagna...I might have meat sauce over a huge bowl of steamed veggies. Swapping beef/pork out for chicken/fish is great too because they aren't so calorie dense. Ricing cauliflower and broccoli and using it in place of steamed rice (AMAZING!). AND incorporate more spices into your food: My favorite is Hidden Valley Ranch Powder...and Cajun. They are delicious and kick every "bland" recipe I have up a notch to make it more satisfying. Healthy food should be delicious and filling, but it's up to you to make it that way.

Different strokes......

I like the taste of lasagna more than I like the feeling of being stuffed. Marina sauce topped veggies wouldn't do it for me. My approach would not be to ditch lasagna forever (lifestyle change) instead I have a small portion of lasagna with a salad. The salad with all its fiber is quite filling.

I choose to eat rice too. Portion control will be the forever thing for me....not elimination.

OP - look up "volumize." There are lower calorie ways to bulk up some meals that you will find acceptable. Other meals you might not want to tinker with. There are trade-offs. You will need to experiment to find what works for you.

This! You'll figure it out. Some things you might not be able to swap, some things you might find delicious "substitutions" for. Many on here HATE shirataki noodles but I love them so much I eat them even when I'm gaining weight. Just do a little research. The first step is to log everything you do eat. Then you can see where you can compromise, and where you don't have to.

Some people find that a low carb high fat diet reduces their appetite and cravings thus making it easier to eat smaller portions. It is mainly the sugars (added sugars and tropical fruits) and some grains and starches that are cut back on when eating low carb.

You don't have to change overnight. Make one change at a time, and give yourself time to get used to it before you change something else. You could start by finding a healthy, quick recipe that you like, and making it once or twice a week, for example.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

i'm a foodie...you're used to gigantic portions being "normal"...it's not...just cut back on portions a bit and actually savor the food. i actually enjoy my food much more now that i have smaller portions and eat slower and really savor and take it all in.

now when i go to a restaurant or something and get some gigantic "normal" portion of food i wonder how i ever used to do it...it's just too much food.

YAAAASSSSSS!