Ask Lemmy

Make soup (from veggies and beans). Eat fruit for your snacks multiple times a day. Always go for whole grains (bread, pasta, rice, etc.). Eliminate cheese entirely (seriously, it is terrible for you). Replace milk with soy milk (doesn't have the saturated fat or sugar). Reduce or eliminate meat consumption. Avoid added sugars when possible.

A good rule of thumb that I find helpful is that the majority of ingredients in all meals should naturally contain non-negligible amounts of fiber. The things you eat should also mostly have plenty of water in them already for bulk and digestion. Dry foods (including oil-based foods) are far too easy to overeat.

These are relatively simple rules that leave tons of options for variety but force you to have a fairly healthy diet. They are easy to implement in a lifelong diet with no need for calorie-counting.

My experience has been that you need to pay attention to what I call the "satiety-to-calorie ratio." Some foods have really good ratios, meaning you feel full without a lot of calories. Some foods have really poor ratios, meaning you get a lot of calories but still feel hungry afterwards. Start keeping track of how full you feel after eating a meal or a snack, and also keep track of how many calories it has.

You will be surprised by some of the results. Some of what would be considered healthy foods can have pretty poor ratios and some of what would be considered unhealthy can have pretty good ratios. Obviously, the issue here is that we're only factoring in calories, not nutrients, so this isn't the end-all-be-all system that you need to follow. But if weight loss is your primary objective, this is a good starting metric.

You'll want to cut out or minimize foods that have a low ratio, and keep foods that have a good ratio. Keep a couple of good-ratio snacks for when you crave snacks. That way, you can satisfy cravings without getting too many extra calories.

I find that it helps me to set a daily calorie limit and aim to keep under it. Going over the limit is fine, but the extra calories get rolled over and need to be paid off over the next days. If you don't know the calories of foods that you ate, give your best estimate. You'll get better at estimating over time as you pay attention to the calories of the foods that you do know.

Also, when you cook, make sure to add in the calories from oil. And if you just need a way to drop your calories rapidly, I find that Soylent or Huel have remarkably good ratios and taste like milkshake, though they are somewhat expensive.

Long-term, sustained weight loss is about lifestyle change. Don’t set a goal and implement dietary and/or exercise changes you have to force yourself to stick to; instead, you have to find a lower-calorie diet and exercise routine that you actually like. Some “dealing with hunger” may be necessary in the beginning if you’re used to frequent eating or large portions, but your body/brain should acclimate to your new diet in a few weeks. If you can, the best eating schedule is actually one with no meals, but around six healthy snacks throughout the day. This is because the frequent eating keeps your metabolism up throughout the day, which burns calories faster. You want to aim for no more than 2,000 calories a day if you’re counting them. I would also recommend taking a multivitamin (most people should be taking one anyway).

Use foods with a low calorie density as fillings. Things like cabbage and other veggies are very filling leaving you feeling more satisfied

Obviously you cannot maintain a deficit over the long run. Eventually, you disappear.

But for any given caloric intake that can sustain you, you will eventually come to a steady state where your body doesn't grow or shrink any longer, because the bigger your body is, the more calories are required to maintain it.

But also be aware that this isn't a case of calories in/calories out. There are things that you can add to your diet, introducing new daily calories, and yet you will maintain a lower weight than if you had not added those calories. All calories are NOT equal (despite containing the same chemical energy).

Tracking my food made a big impact for me. I started not by changing anything, but just writing everything I ate down. From there, it was pretty obvious to me where I could make changes, but I didnt change everything at once. If I were to list the changes I made, nobody would be surprised. They were exactly the kinds of recommendations others have made here. It's just that it was so much easier for me to pick something specific to change and have a good idea of the kind of impact that change would make when I could see the numbers.

I just skip breakfast and lunch when I'm trying to lose weight. Your body gets used to it after a few days and doesn't send the same hunger signals.

It's been said and I'll echo it, there's foods that fill you for longer though might be higher in calories than foods you think you should eat. I found that whole grain items, brown rice or whole grain bread will keep you fuller filling for longer though are fairly dense calorie wise. Just be sure to rinse the brown rice if you include it in your prepared meals. Which is another thing, if you can meal prep and make a few days of meals ahead of time to say take to work or for a quick "I'm too tired to cook" dinner it helps a lot. You can measure out the portions and able to record it better. To point three, record what you eat, how many calories.

You need to track your calories and macros. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. You can go overboard sometimes, but you still need to track the calories. Someone else has recommended https://tdeecalculator.net/ which is a great starter point to set targets. Eat whatever you want, but follow your macros targets: I'd recommend a macros target high in proteins.

I think you're on a good track. Some tips i've picked up though: Switch the milk you use with cereal/tea/coffee to soya milk, i found that it helps. Also don't underestimate the power of a short stroll if you've been sitting down for a lot of the day - prompts the body to be in fat burning mode rrathee than fat building mode.

I think it's pretty simple. Eat less. But it is not easy for some.

nicotine, caffeine, gum, not buying candy

I wish you the best of luck!

Haven't been fat but have been hugely pregnant and had to lose weight and even though people say you can't outrun a diet, exercise has been the only thing that's really made a difference for me. The more I exercise the less I weigh, the "out" part of calories in, calories out makes the bigger difference for my body.

I did a keto diet for a bit back in the summer. It worked very well for me and I lost 10kg in about 7 weeks. The diet made me feel full for a long time so I was also on one meal a day and not snacking. It's not something I think I could keep up long term, the variety in what you can eat isn't enough for me, although since coming off the diet, I haven't put any of the weight back on so my metabolism must have changed somehow as a result.

Not saying it's for everyone, but I was surprised how well it worked for me.

I haven't experienced this yet myself, but I'm considering starting to take a fiber supplement and have read that it helps a lot with satiety.

Keep track, plan meals, don't bring home junk from the store, and be honest with yourself about what is junk.

Track everything you eat. I use the Energize app becasue it's private but there are lots out there. Eat the correct balance of carbs, protein, veg, etx. Get your daily calorie limit from your doctor..

Exercise as regularly as you can but remember you can't outrun your fork.

Hydrate.

That's it. Everything else is pretty much smoke and mirrors. It is not easy.

Mainly, cook your own food. Stop eating out.I found the America's Test Kitchen Skillet Recipes and Best Soups to be amazing.

Track everything you eat, even when you're in a good place, keep tracking. I have ADHD so I've found it best to treat it like I do financial tracking, it becomes habit very quickly and apps like waistline make it super easy to enter, especially if you're in the habit of weighing everything.

I have to minimise the smacks kept in the house, and what we do keep tends to be "better" or at least less calorie dense. I don't deny myself cravings, but I'll follow servings and budget for it in calories. Waistline averages out calories over a configurable period so I don't sweat going over one day, all balances out over the long term.

Therapy helped a lot, if only to help me have a healthier relationship with food, my therapist has a lot of experience with addiction & substance abuse and food can absolutely be a drug (which is not acknowledged enough imo). Between that and getting treatment for ADHD I've managed to get back down to one of the lowest weights I've been as an adult. I've tried to make it a lifestyle change which I credit heavily to success as well. My partner having a health scare that forced them to review their diet also helped tbf, but we were already on that path, was just some extra push.

What you eat can help too, fibre being a big one. Make friends with legumes, add them into your cooking. I like chickpeas and lentils, will add them into a lot of dishes I cook. Use seeds too, ground flax tastes great and adds a lot of good fats, sunflower and pumpkin seeds go well in salads. I like to do meals that can serve leftovers, stuff like soups & stews are great because they don't have a lot of active cooking (you throw stuff into a pot and let it simmer for a while). Higher quality calories are helpful, tell you that personally I'll feel fuller longer eating some porridge with flax and fruit in the morning than the occasions I'll grab a McMuffin or something.

Cut out the sugars (including pasta, potatoes, corn,...) and ditch that addiction. You'll not only lose weight and be healthier, but the cravings will also stop.