Out East, the couple watched what they ate (6)
I believe the answer is:
dieted
'ate' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both related to consumption as well as being past participle verbs.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for dieted that I've seen before include "Followed a food regime" , "Aimed to lose weight" , "Lost weight" , "Ate sparingly to lose weight" , "Went on controlled food regime" .)