Calling all skinny women...

[daisydee43]

After successfully losing 2st (would like to lose 1/2 more but not too bothered). I would like to finally maintain my weight. I love supersize vs super skinny and am fascinated with the diets albeit extreme. Would like to get in the mindset of a skinny person who has never dieted. Have a few tips from friends and feel more in control.

Would be very interested to find out what all you naturally skinny people eat to help me out
Thank you

[PrinceRogersNelson]

I am 5 foot 2 and weigh just over 8 stone which probably puts me in skinny (but I have a large bum and worry about how I look like everyone else).

I don't fluctuate much but I am not someone who can eat whatever they like, but I find it easy to eat as I do.

So:
Breakfast: Peanut butter on toast (2 slices) cup of tea. On the weekend I will eat poached eggs on toast.

Snacks: nuts (unsalted), Nkd bars, 9 bar. Oatcakes.

Lunch: Salad. Salad leaves, tin of mackerel, avocado, olive oil on top, plus whatever other salad veg I have in.

Dinner is a family dinner. We will have spag bol (I will have jacket potato rather then pasta), fish veg and new potatoes, stew in slow cooker, sausages, fish fingers chips and beans. Had roast dinner tonight.

I don't drink much (a couple of glasses of red on Friday and Saturday night).

This is what I mainly eat and it means that I can eat other stuff when it is around. I don't really have a sweet tooth which helps probably. And I tend not to eat fruit. Not a huge fan.

I also try and do an exercise DVD twice a week.

[Jellykat]

I wouldn't say i'm 'skinny', although others say i am - i'm just under 6ft and 10st 11.

Breakfast is 2 slices of brown bread with honey,
I'm not a great lunch eater, but if i do its usually cheese and crackers, scrambled egg on toast or a yoghurt..
Supper is a salad/ broccoli/ spinach with a noodle dish/rice and tuna or soup.
I usually have choccy afterwards

I walk everywhere, always have done.. and don't really drink alcohol and i never eat Potatoes, chips, cereal or Pizza they sit heavilywith me IYSWIM and give me a tummy ache!

My top tips would be never eat past 7 o'clock at night, and drink plenty of water.

[Ledkr]

All the skinny people I know eat fairly erratically. Dh is slim and everyone says "oh he eats loads" well yrs he does appear to eat huge dinners but has frequently eaten nothing before that all day.
He's never bothered by snacks on a long journey or at the cinema whereas that's like torture for chubby old me

[FergusSingsTheBlues]

ive got a skinny husband who just seems to have a low tolerance for eating shite. he never touches junk food or anything processed, eats v healthily - roast fish is virtually staple diet in our house.

he forgts to eat at times too - he just has an inbuilt discipline that i envy.

[blueshoes]

I would say I was slim rather than skinny. I think my body shape is genetic as I eat loads (unhealthy and healthy) and snack throughout the day. I am not immune to gaining weight especially now I am middle-aged but (currently) use the 5-2 fast diet to keep that under control.

I think soft drinks and pop are the work of the devil though and avoid them.

[ChestyLeRoux]

I eat whatever I want and have never had banned foods. If I fancy it then I have it. I drink fizzys,eat sweets and eat junk when I want it. I always eat breakfast, and my whole life is very active.

[pennygallops]

I consider myself slim - 5ft 6, weigh 9st 2lbs isn. I would say I eat carefully during the week (about 1500 cals per day) and pretty much what I like at the weekend (2000 cals). I run 3 to 5 times a week 5k - 10k. I have a theory that lots of people don't need 2000 cals a day or they underestimate how much they eat.
Eat lots of fruit and veg. I am vegetarian. Breads, cereal and pasta are quite low. Hardly drink, I eat chocolate, biscuits or cake but love crisps and the odd proper old-fashioned sweet!

[MikeLitoris]

I would say i'm slim, size 8-10. No idea what I weigh, haven't done that for years.

I dont eat bread very much (1-2 slices a month) and dont have fizzy drinks.

I do like chocolate and have got into the habit of eating crisps while in work.

I think i must be very lucky as my diet is really quite poor (damn you takewaways) but my weight is pretty much as it has always been.

[Thisisaeuphemism]

Fairly slim here, since I was diagnosed coeliac twenty years ago? So no wheat etc - other than that I eat anything and a lot.

[OrbisNonSufficit]

I've always been relatively slim (currently 5'4, size 8, 35 years old) and I've never dieted because I can't (I always forget I'm on a diet after about half a day). I got a bit podgy for a while -went up to a size 12- but I stopped drinking for about 6 months and went back to normal. I don't exercise, I don't like it and it doesn't seem to make any difference (although I do walk about 30 mins a day to and from the station during the week).

What do I eat? Whatever I feel like usually, but I don't really like sugar (it makes me feel horrible afterwards, blood sugar crash) so I don't eat it, and I don't really snack (don't get hungry between meals, don't see the point). I mainly eat food doctor breakfast bars (no sugar), sandwiches for lunch and pasta or pizza or stir fry for dinner.

Sometimes I forget to have breakfast, but I try not to. I'm allergic to a lot of preservatives so that helps - I don't eat processed food because it makes me blotchy. I do love food and I'll pig out if something tastes amazing, but I don't see it as anything other than food. If I'm bored or sad I don't feel like eating.

[daisydee43]

Some great ideas, thank you

[forevergreek]

I rarely eat sugar based things or much bread. Never have. 5'4, approx 8 stone

[pennygallops]

Whoops! Meant to say I don't eat cake, biscuits or chocolate.

Size 8/10.

[newgirl]

Porridge

Hearty salads w mackerel or veg soup and toast for lunch

Family dinner - fish, pots, loads veg - roast loads veg

Snacks - always have homemade cake if offered but otherwise dong buy them. Odd plain biscuit. 2-3 units alcohol a week. Will ear more if eating out/at friends etc if fancy it

[Meglet]

I eat a 99% vegetarian diet. It veers between junky days and salady days. For instance I've just been for a run and am going to have some rye bread with avocado followed by a donut that is about to go stale.

Breakfast is often porridge but with lots of sugar. Chocolate several times a day. Some nuts when I'm at work. Don't drink much alcohol, I bought a bottle of white 2 weeks ago and it's just been finished. I eat late, often around 9pm.

I'm active though. In the last 7 days I've been to 3 gym classes and had a run. I walk the school / work run too, which is 40 mins on the 3 days I work.

[Sleepwhenidie]

I lost approx 2 stone when I stopped bf ds2 just over 2 years ago, it took maybe 8 months. I am still a size 8, 5'5", smaller and fitter than I ever was pre DC's.

For maintenance I would say

-avoid sugar and processed carbs most of the time
-build at least 30 mins exercise into your day every day (or at 4hrs over 5 days a week)

• if you know you have a day or a week where you overeat, balance it out with a day/week where you cut down
  

I eat a lot but I try to keep carbs (especially bread/pasta/rice) to a minimum and include plenty of lean protein. I don't think about the fat in things.

example of what I eat... porridge with berries or 2 eggs and buttered granary toast for breakfast, lentil soup with 1/2 roast chicken breast or tuna salad for lunch, fish or lean meat and roast or stir fried veggies for dinner (no starchy carbs on weekday evenings). Pudding usually Greek yogurt with berries and a few almonds and hazelnuts and drizzle of honey, perhaps a mini magnum.

I snack through the day on a couple of squares of dark chocolate, a skinny latte, a palmful of raw nuts, some raw veggies with houmous or if I need an energy boost, a small banana with peanut butter. I have a glass, maybe 2 of wine most nights, a takeaway or meal out once or twice a week. But I exercise a lot - maybe 6/7 intense sessions a week, lifting heavy weights, interval training kickboxing, occasional swim or run.

[chickydoo]

I am 5'7" & weigh 8stone 7lbs
Always on the go, but sometimes I can go all day eating nothing & then have a meal in the evening.
I do exercise every day though.
I never ban anything from my diet. If I fancy cake, sweets crisps etc I'll eat them. I won't have a meal as well though. So some days I just snack, some days it's 3 balanced meals, some days one big meal, some days not much at all.
I am a veggie, so no animal fat.

[pennygallops]

I don't ban food, except meat of course (being veggie). I don't actually like cake and biscuits. Chocolate - I can take it or leave it, never crave it.

I do avoid alcohol and white bread as they trigger my IBS.

[forevergreek]

Also I'm rather ' particular' with what types of food I eat. I would rather have 3 squares of good quality dark chocolate than say a whole box of basic choc. Or I would rather go out to an independent cafe once a month for a luxury hot choc with good simple ingredients , compared to say a basic Starbucks once a week.

[pensarefriends]

I'm about 5'8'', between 8.5-9st. I walk everywhere with DD in buggy or sling and also walk the dog everyday. I move around quite a lot, tidying, working, fetching - I can't keep still! I eat what I want. Sometimes on and off all day and sometimes almost nothing all day. Another vegetarian so lots of beans, pulses, rice, dairy (not cheese) and veg. Not a lot of fruit. Crisps, chocolate, biscuits too but I don't like fried foods and I don't have a main meal everyday. I never, ever miss breakfast though. I wake up hungry. At the moment I think bf is using up a good few calories because I am sure I'm eating more, but not getting any fatter....!

[Bluelightsandsirens]

I'm slim, skinny isn't a very nice way to describe someone who is slim IMO.

I've never had a very large appetite and will often miss meals during the day and only eat dinner.

I walk a lot and spend my working day running up and down stairs and striding about the workshop.

I don't believe my way is very healthy so I'm not recommending it!

[CardinalRichelieu]

I'm 5 ft 3, and hover between 7.5 and 8 stone. I try to be healthy but more or less eat what I like, but not that much of it in one go. This isn't due to self-discipline as I have none, but more habit I suppose. If I get a meal in a restaurant I can rarely eat the whole thing as I find them big.

I rarely eat breakfast, which is against all the rules, but I just don't feel hungry in the morning. I usually have a sandwich for lunch, and something like fishcakes and roast veg and potatoes or something pasta-ish for supper. I snack variously, though, which I think makes up for missing a meal in the morning. I have to have an afternoon snack. I have a sweet tooth but try not to OD on sugar.

Some weeks I am ravenous and want to eat a lot (and do) but the next week I might just not feel that hungry and eat less. I find that if I don't eat much for a few days, I find it hard to eat a normal amount after that. I had a stomach bug Thursday and Friday, and am still not up to eating my normal amount.

Although I don't eat loads, I also just have a small frame. I do think a lot is genetic tbh. My only particularly 'healthy' things are not drinking any fizzy drinks at all, not drinking coffee and maybe drinking peppermint or green tea like once a week. I drink loads of water and don't like other drinks much (except vodka and tonic).

[Shellywelly1973]

Im nearly 40. 5'3 & 9stone. Size 8. Have dc.
I've never been on a diet.

I only ever eat 2 meals a day. Only eat 3 when pregnant. I only drink water & couple cups of tea a day. No junk food. Rarely fried food. I've never really thought about it...

I don't do any formal exercise but Im a 'busy' person. On the go all th time. I would take the stairs instead of waiting for a lift as Im so impatient!

I should actually do some sort of proper exercise as i get older, i honestly think it will probably catch me up one day.

[Shellywelly1973]

Oh & rarely drink alcoholic drinks.

[rockinhippy]

I'm not skinny anymore, but now supposedly ideal weight, though I probably prefer to be a few pounds lighter, nothing too drastic & for my age I don't worry too much at size 10/12 & 5'4" I'm okay, but I used to be super slim & could eat like a horse, though I've never really had a sweet tooth & as someone up thread has said, I would rather have a small amount of good chocolate that lots of cheap stuff & it can last me too.

Like a lot of others I don't meat, eat breakfast & usually eat little wheat at it doesn't agree with me, I'm also lactose intolerant so don't drink milk & only eat smaller amounts of strong cheeses or goat cheeses.

The one big different between now & my pre getting ill & putting on a couple of sizes in weight is that I am a lot less active, I was always on the go, I'm not now & I believe that is the real key - also - I'm currently eating a wheat loading diet in preparation for a celiac test, so I'm eating bread, pasta etc up to 3 times a day, instead of 3 times a week or less as would be more usual for me - I feel bloated & have put on inches round my middle in just a few weeks - can't wait to stop as its making me feel awful