Would this work? Would it be feasible for a character to survive with no healing spells or potions and living solely off of cooked food on a vanilla game? Has anyone else done this or something similar, and does it work? I figured I'd try something different with the limited range I have on Xbox. Also what other similar substitutes would make a gameplay run different?

Many of my characters are non-magic Warrior/Barbarian characters who don't use potions, spells, Shouts, or enchantments. I don't encounter any major problems playing this way. I'd say it's a little tougher than normal during the first ten levels or so. After that it seems to get easier for me. I always play on default difficulty, though.

None of these characters wear helmets or shields either. Most of them wear Light Armor. The last time I did this, my character wore Hide Armor and used an Ancient Nord Greatsword the entire game. She did do a lot of Smithing, though. That seemed like an appropriate thing for her to do.

And you this on console? I take it it was more of a challenge?

Yes, it is possible on console. I'm on the 360 and I've played a couple of characters that didn't use magic and would only use potions in non-combat situations. If the fight is over and I have one, I'll drink it. I would imagine food, especially the stews that regenerate stamina and health over time, would be very useful. Eat before the fight. The stews don't weigh any more than a potion anyway.

Would enchanted gear count or is that also forbidden? My PC never drink healing potions, but they do use healing spells. I could see managing without the spells and eating food, but a ring or necklace would go a long way to keeping that magical feel to the game.

I like the idea, though, seems like a tough challenge. In the end, I think it would just slow the game as you retreat and wait to heal.

Funny, there's no Restoration perk for faster health regeneration outside of spell casting. There's one for faster magicka regeneration...

I did a light armored 2H playthrough on Xbox a while back with the only healing being found potions on expert difficulty. It was not that big a deal and I only rarely used found healing potions. Most of them I sold. Going to a total no potion or spell use would not be that much harder. Biggest issue is you cannot run from battle to battle, since you need to regen your health between battles. If you don't mind standing around after battles or hitting the wait button. I would not think you would have that much trouble unless you were playing on master or legendary difficulty, but it will be a slower paced game, since there are times you may need to run away and you will need to wait/rest between battles.

Yeah the main incentive of this is to slow down my gameplays, as I find I burn through them too quickly at the expense of the character's story. Plus a legitimate challenge would be nice It would also make me put a little more thought and effort into the game, plus it's a new realm of roleplay I've not at all delved into as of yet.

Nope, never played on a console in my life. I'm not sure what playing on a console has to do with it. Playing without potions or spells is the same on console as it is on PC.

The same? erm, mods? If you weren't playing the vanilla game, then I'd hazard a guess that it's got quite a lot to do with it