Eat less of what I like or change altogether?

Options
b9r7gbmmyt
b9r7gbmmyt Posts: 5 Member
in Getting Started
I’ve had a yo-yo relationship with weight. I wouldn’t say I diet but go through phases of needed to lose weight and exercise more, it’s usually ok for a couple of weeks, then corners get cut and I have to be honest with myself, I love food, I love to cook, I love to forage my own ingredients, I love cooking with fresh ingredients, I just love it a bit too much and hence why I’m now 18st. Over the last 5 years it’s been a steady upwards trajectory of weight and I guess I have started this with the best intentions of losing 2St. Do I still cook the same food just smaller portions, or change the diet entirely and be miserable…advise would be great!
«1

Replies

  • Corina1143
    Corina1143 Posts: 2,918 Member
    Options
    It's not all or nothing. It's just about being a little better today than yesterday. Do what you love. Don't exercise. Find movement you love.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,400 Member
    Options
    If you think you can eat the things you love and just cut down, that's the best way to go because you need to find a way of eating that you can keep up for the rest of your life. As you've seen, if you "diet" sooner or later you leave it and regain. Perhaps you could just substitute a few things to bring your daily calorie count down. Weigh and measure everything on a digital food scale to get an idea of your portion size. Study your food diary to see where the high calorie foods are and see if you can substitute there. It's a lot of trial and error.

    As for exercise, you'll lose the most through calorie control, but exercise is good for health, so agree with the above poster to try different things and find movement that you like to do. Make it a habit.

    Good luck.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,911 Member
    Options
    Forage more, eat less. Cheers.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,953 Member
    Options
    ^What they said...and maybe try to develop a hobby that's not food-centered.

    I think it's really easy to get carried away with all things FOOD, cooking, foraging, shopping, etc. and it begins to take up a lot of mental space. I've noticed that my obese acquaintances talk about food all the time. That's a bad thought habit. My mother who was obese collected cookbooks. Can you see how all this thinking about food can cause issues?

    When I first started to lose weight I tried Intermittent Fasting and oh my goodness, all I could think about was food. Combined with just not eating enough in general didn't help my thinking at all. The best things I did were take up exercise and eat enough. Three meals, good sized meals, not just little snacky things six times a day. Three decent meals.

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,114 Member
    edited June 2023
    Options
    Good advice above!
    I would say 'be miserable' is the worst possible idea, you need to find a way to be healthier AND happy, long term :)

    I eat a lot of the same foods now as I did then (70+lbs ago), but:
    - smaller quantities
    - different proportions sometimes (smaller quantities of the calorie dense items)
    - substitutions (similar foods for fewer calories)

    You mention loving to cook: before of tasting your foods too much while cooking, those calories all add up!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,953 Member
    edited June 2023
    Options
    - substitutions (similar foods for fewer calories)

    This is one of the best strategies I found.

    Non-fat Greek yogurt is the weight-management Holy Grail, in my opinion. It is a sub for so many things...sour cream, homemade creamy salad dressings or dips, mayo, ice cream. Add a little Jello instant pudding and some protein powder, fruit, nuts, toasted oats, and it's dessert or breakfast.

    I don't use much butter any more, either. There are great substitutions for flavor(such as herb or bouillon), and non-stick pans. Butter is too easy to over-portion. Now I end up throwing it out because I can't use it before it goes bad.

    I use half portions of cheese, too. Half a slice is plenty!

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,520 Member
    Options
    Less of what you like, but as you age it's important to meet your RDA essentials as well. So institute a balance of vegetables, protein, fat and fiber.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • Rockmama1111
    Rockmama1111 Posts: 264 Member
    Options
    I think it might actually be easier to lose weight if you love to cook. Hear me out…

    You have the skills to experiment in the kitchen. For example, you might look at how much oil you usually pour into a sautée pan, and have the confidence to try using less and know you can still make it taste good. Also, you probably aren’t afraid to try new things. Since you mention foraging, I’m assuming you like vegetables. There’s so much you can do with vegetables! You can have a lot of fun with this new lifestyle, just add some new tricks to what you’re already doing.

    I have about 12 300-500 calorie meals I keep in rotation, all my own creations, tailored exactly to my tastes. I’m never disappointed.

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,440 Member
    edited June 2023
    Options
    A combination of both.

    First of all, weight loss doesn’t have to be misery, although if you frame it that way, it will be.

    Start by measuring portions of what you like and eating measured portions. You’ll be utterly surprised at an actual serving size. I know I was.

    As @Lietchi says…substitutions. Low fat versions, sugar free foods, even margarine versus butter.

    Lower fat meat cuts. There’s cuts of beef and pork that are 140 calories for a generous 4 ounces, and are still tasty. I’m going to smoke a large beef cut tomorrow that we can eat lunch off all week with a bit of bbq sauce or whatever pleases us. Chopped on a salad? Yes, please!

    Experiment. How can you change a favorite recipe? I’ve found I can dry stir-fry or brown meats and veggies in a superheated nonstick pan. (I recommend Ninja’s.) no oil or butter necessary.

    We eat stir fries on a bed of cauliflower these days. If we have rice, half a serving satisfies us. I can make perfectly acceptable scones with margarine (40% less calories than butter) and I can even cut the amount a further 25% and they still taste fine. If baking, I may use half the sugar, supplemented with some zero cal syrup.

    Try new things. I never had a beet before I started losing weight. OMG! Almost six decades without beets! Lotta catching up to do!

    Air fryers. Misto spray bottles. Ice cream maker. Electric smoker. Pressure cooker. Hauling out the long forgotten crockpot. Strainer (to make homemade Greek cream cheese) . Wavy fry slicer. Pull-tab good chopper. Fruity balsamics. All have been game changers.

    You’re not permanently “locked in” to anything food related. If you open your mind, you open your horizons.

    We are such creatures of habit, and food is probably the most habitual part of our lives.
  • pony4us
    pony4us Posts: 124 Member
    Options
    I am a very good cheffy style cook and have managed to still make good meals. For me I use butter if the recipe calls for it, the same for heavy cream or whole milk, low fat substitutions simply don't react to cooking the same way. What I do is take a good hard look at portion size, and set my menus for the week to balance out a weekly calorie goal. Summer here is a bounty of fresh goodness, it started with ramps this spring and fiddleheads then asparagus (only until Wed which is "the longest day--last day to cut asparagus" but garlic scapes just arrived and the greens have been fabulous.
    I would say portion size is the biggest issue along with a weekly avaerage goal.
  • b9r7gbmmyt
    b9r7gbmmyt Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    Thanks for all your comments - I’m based in the UK, and cook mainly Mediterranean style food with plenty of UK classics. I don’t use processed foods. I have 2 kids who play competitive rugby so have to cook a lot of protein and carbs for them, it’s hard looking at their food plates and then mine lol. I’m feeling really positive about the challenge!
  • pony4us
    pony4us Posts: 124 Member
    Options
    Yep--it's just portion size. BTW today I'm meeting friends at a good (for the US...but they're expats) British Pub. I'm trying to think light but the Bangers and Mash (they make their own from old recipe) are calling me.
  • b9r7gbmmyt
    b9r7gbmmyt Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    Ooo bangers and mash, but got to have proper onion gravy! Lol
  • hoarc1987
    hoarc1987 Posts: 52 Member
    Options
    Why not just lift moderately heavy weights and gain both muscle and fat? My guess is you are eating bad carbs like bread. Also, have you tried eating soup?
  • Rockmama1111
    Rockmama1111 Posts: 264 Member
    Options
    hoarc1987 wrote: »
    Why not just lift moderately heavy weights and gain both muscle and fat? My guess is you are eating bad carbs like bread. Also, have you tried eating soup?

    This is not real, right?

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    Options
    b9r7gbmmyt wrote: »
    I’ve had a yo-yo relationship with weight. I wouldn’t say I diet but go through phases of needed to lose weight and exercise more, it’s usually ok for a couple of weeks, then corners get cut and I have to be honest with myself, I love food, I love to cook, I love to forage my own ingredients, I love cooking with fresh ingredients, I just love it a bit too much and hence why I’m now 18st. Over the last 5 years it’s been a steady upwards trajectory of weight and I guess I have started this with the best intentions of losing 2St. Do I still cook the same food just smaller portions, or change the diet entirely and be miserable…advise would be great!

    If I'm interpreting this correctly, it sounds like your diet is pretty nutritionally sound (ie home cooking, whole fresh foods, etc)...so the answer would be to eat smaller portions.

Categories