Naturally Non Overweight People - What do you eat?

Anoneemoose

Thanks again for the responses, they are really opening my eyes.

It has dawned on me that over the years, I have probably been looking for the ever impossible eat what you want and still lose weight diet. This has probably been confused by those out there that claim you can do this. As soon as I put any restrictions on myself I automatically want what I can't have.

Today has been good. Similar food to yesterday with water to drink. No mindless snacking (just 7 brazil nuts mid afternoon and some fruit)..I also pinched the skin of my daughter's jacket spud! Best bit that is!

I have felt tired today but that isn't unusual for me and it is that time of the month soon so that makes me worse. I must admit, just cutting out the artificial sweetener in the diet pop and the biscuits etc, has made a noticeable difference even just over the 2 days.

I am getting a full thyroid profile done because I discovered a lot of fibro symptoms can overlap with an underactive thyroid. I ticked off a HUGE percentage of the symptoms list on the thyroid uk website. I have always felt like the fibro diagnosis was a bit of a cop out and a label just because the docs didn't know what else to do. I believe a lot of fibro diagnoses occur that way.

Now, I dont expect that I might be diagnosed with an underactive thyroid and given some tablets then the weight will fall off. I would however love it it I could get something that would relieve the rest of the symptoms and then maybe I would have more energy and inclination to get active and healthy. It is quite frustrating being told 'there's not much we can do'.

Thanks again all!

purpleshoes_2

Personally, I dont like wasting food, if I cant finish something I'll use it as leftovers. I dont eat fast food these days, Ive reduced alcohol, but I have never felt deprived but its about getting balance. My brother who is a personal trainer doesnt eat salad when we go out, he'll have a burger and chips but he eats clean most of the time, a lot of people follow an 80/20 eating rule, 80 per cent clean and 20 per cent not.

I have a big appetite and I like my food and I always will, just that Ive learned what food I can eat more off and what food makes me feel crap the next day or later that day and what food makes me feel better.

I dont do a stuff my face over the festive season, I have one day off and even then its not wall to wall food. Its just food now as far as Im concerned, I dont need excuses to pig out, if I want a bit of junk food I will have it and then get right back on with healthy eating.

A.Penny.Saved

Anoneemoose wrote: »

Thanks again for the responses, they are really opening my eyes.

It has dawned on me that over the years, I have probably been looking for the ever impossible eat what you want and still lose weight diet. This has probably been confused by those out there that claim you can do this. As soon as I put any restrictions on myself I automatically want what I can't have.

Today has been good. Similar food to yesterday with water to drink. No mindless snacking (just 7 brazil nuts mid afternoon and some fruit)..I also pinched the skin of my daughter's jacket spud! Best bit that is!

I have felt tired today but that isn't unusual for me and it is that time of the month soon so that makes me worse. I must admit, just cutting out the artificial sweetener in the diet pop and the biscuits etc, has made a noticeable difference even just over the 2 days.

I am getting a full thyroid profile done because I discovered a lot of fibro symptoms can overlap with an underactive thyroid. I ticked off a HUGE percentage of the symptoms list on the thyroid uk website. I have always felt like the fibro diagnosis was a bit of a cop out and a label just because the docs didn't know what else to do. I believe a lot of fibro diagnoses occur that way.

Thyroid testing is useless with fibro/cfs because the hypothalamus dysfunction affects things so much. There is always some degree of hypothalamus dysfunction AND pituitary dysfunction which tends to affect the thyroid as well as many of the bodies hormones.

Now, I dont expect that I might be diagnosed with an underactive thyroid and given some tablets then the weight will fall off. I would however love it it I could get something that would relieve the rest of the symptoms and then maybe I would have more energy and inclination to get active and healthy.

I suggest that you try and keep your stress levels as low as possible and NEVER eat when stressed! Avoid eating when your cortisol levels are high ie stressed because it will increase the problems. There are times of day when cortisol levels are highest, I suggest that you find out about this and try and avoid eating at those times. Cortisol increases aspects which work against you in a very big way.

It is quite frustrating being told 'there's not much we can do'.

Thanks again all!

They are still some years away ATM. I estimate it could be 8+ years before anyone else works it out. Taking into account current research should stop too much progress until the results of the Digestive permeability research at East Anglia University become available in a couple of years time. Then research should move in a different direction and should start to investigate where the cause lies.

The digestive system disturbances that occur because of fibro/cfs will take a lot of overcoming. The bacteria balance changes which can affect many things including weight gain. When the bacteria in the gut changes, they produce a lot of fatty acids which increases the calorie intake and resulting problems losing weight. This effect has been shown in animals, mice or rats I think it was.

Jellybro

I'm naturally slim. All my family are too. I hated it when I was younger, as I got teased for it.
I guess alot of it is in your genetic make up.
I eat 3 meals a day.... But... I'm not a snacker, so I spose I'm not consuming extra calories that way.

ruthkeith

I just try to maintain a balance. Eating proper portion and balanced diet with fruits and vegetables included and work out everyday. That's it!

Jasper1

Hi Anoneemoose,

You have been complaining about not having enough energy. I think you should work on the energy in your body. Start doing some Qigong which works on getting the energy moving in the body. It's quite gentle but very powerful exercise. If the energy is moving better in the body, I am sure your digestive system will become more efficient and burn the fat. I am sure you have tried lots of not eating this and not eating that and it does not appear to have worked. Go at it from another angle. Exercise always speeds up metabolism but if you are getting very fatigued it is not always good. Qi gong /Chi Kung etc is much gentler than doing aerobics. Anyhow good luck whatever you do.

faerielight

I have M.E and hypothyroid and I can't exercise , so I understand your frustration. I couldn't lose a single pound until my thyroid meds were doubled. but I have changed my diet since, I am vegan but I've upped my protein and lowered my carbs and I've lost almost 3 stone in a year. I've got 2 to go, but I'm doing well and I've dropped 3 dress sizes. The protein helps me to feel fuller.I eat a lot, but that's a lot of fibre.
My typical day is: breakfast: a smoothie with soya milk, a banana, a handful of frozen blueberries and a scoop of protein powder
I don't eat lunch as I sleep in the afternoon.
dinner is a quorn burger with a HUGE dinner plate full of salad( raw peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, letuice with 1tbs low fat dressing.,
pudding is half a large tub of soya yoghurt with a large handful of mixed nuts, grapes and berries.
I do eat a bagel at 10pm with low fat humous, only because i'm on psyc meds and I crave carbs at night, I know i'd lose more if I cut that out , but I can't seem to.
So I eat a lot, but i'm losing weight slowly and steadily. I recommend upping protein a bit, it's a miracle worker for hunger!

saveallmymoney

Nobody has mentioned MyFitnessPal in this thread yet I think.

No magic, just eat within the recommended calorie and nutritional levels, enter it all in. Pure science, no weird diet, Free.

I've lost a stone and honestly its been pretty easy.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com

A.Penny.Saved

faerielight wrote: »

I have M.E and hypothyroid and I can't exercise , so I understand your frustration. I couldn't lose a single pound until my thyroid meds were doubled. but I have changed my diet since, I am vegan but I've upped my protein and lowered my carbs and I've lost almost 3 stone in a year. I've got 2 to go, but I'm doing well and I've dropped 3 dress sizes. The protein helps me to feel fuller.I eat a lot, but that's a lot of fibre.
My typical day is: breakfast: a smoothie with soya milk, a banana, a handful of frozen blueberries and a scoop of protein powder
I don't eat lunch as I sleep in the afternoon.
dinner is a quorn burger with a HUGE dinner plate full of salad( raw peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, letuice with 1tbs low fat dressing.,
pudding is half a large tub of soya yoghurt with a large handful of mixed nuts, grapes and berries.
I do eat a bagel at 10pm with low fat humous, only because i'm on psyc meds and I crave carbs at night, I know i'd lose more if I cut that out , but I can't seem to.
So I eat a lot, but i'm losing weight slowly and steadily. I recommend upping protein a bit, it's a miracle worker for hunger!

Protein is a ME/fibro suffers greatest enemy due to the digestion of it. How you find it useful is because of the form you consume, a much easier to digest form of protein ie powder and therefore liquid.

Liquidizing foods could be helpful to assist digestion and make it easier to digest. However ensure that you get some fibre which should be present in healthy whole foods.

Eating liquid foods ie essentially pre-digesting/breaking down foods helps a lot. The speed of digestion is key! It lessens the problems faced by ME/CFS/fibro sufferers.

I was protein deficient for many years, in some ways it helped by reducing the negative effects but in others it did not. I have upped my protein considerably recently and my skin healing has improved a lot, healing faster and forming scabs when it did not previously. However I have increased protein by using powders such as pea protein which is fairly inexpensive and some whey protein powder. Pea protein quality is not high and ideally it should be mixed with other protein to make it more complete, such as rice, but that is more expensive so I do not use it.

Reducing carbohydrates can be helpful which is how many diets work. Low carb diets are what humans are designed to eat and the current western high carb diet is very harmful and aging. High carb increases the tendency to gain weight due to insulin.

lexbubbles

saveallmymoney wrote: »

Nobody has mentioned MyFitnessPal in this thread yet I think.

No magic, just eat within the recommended calorie and nutritional levels, enter it all in. Pure science, no weird diet, Free.

I've lost a stone and honestly its been pretty easy.

I was just about to suggest this. Tracking is the best way to go about things. Most people will underestimate the amount they eat and overestimate the amount they burn exercising. Be as honest as you can be.

MFP will calculate a calorie goal for you (which doesn't include exercise - any cals burned in exercise you can eat back but always leave wiggle room for errors)

Or you can also use a TDEE calculator to work out how much you should be burning/eating a day if you're not seeing results with the number you get after 4 weeks, alter it. But it's a good starting point.

I can't post a link to one (yet) but there's loads on google.


*Unless you have a metabolic disorder or something, such calculators will be a good rough guide and you'll be "in and around there somewhere". If you do and your numbers are skewed, afraid you'll have to start there and fiddle about until you find out how much they're skewed by. Trial and error, and all that.