To ask you all a question about weight?

[Onceinabuemoon]

If you are slim and in good shape. What's your diet like? Do you eat a healthy diet, do you exercise regularly and so on? What I mean is do you work at keeping in shape, even if it's not difficult for you personally? Or are you slim but live on coffee and fags?!

If you are overweight or know you eat a bad diet and don't exercise, do you feel a bit rubbish? Or are you bigger but feel healthy and great?

The reason I'm asking is although I've never been overweight, I've always been bigger than I'd like upper end of a healthy weight. I eat what I want and don't really exercise and I don't really feel particularly healthy. Tired a lot, bad pms, feel unfit.

I can lose weight ok if I try and have often lost a stone but find it a real drag, hate limiting calories, hate cutting out food groups. Always put it back on. I figured I'm going to try a different way. Instead of disliking my body and trying to change it, I'm going to try and forget altogether but try eating better and exercising to feel healthier in the hope things will fall into place.

I'm just interested to hear how others manage their diet/weight really.

[BabyLlama]

I'm overweight at the minute and would love to be healthier. I used to be a 'normal' size for my height, but since having a baby I've put on a stone and a half that I can't seem to shift. I think eating well and exercising for health benefits is the best thing really

[disastrouslee]

I'm overweight but extremely fit. I try to eat healthily and probably 65% of the time I do. But my social life is really really active and I know that if I just reined it in a bit I'd probably lose a few pounds.

I'm also quite muscular so much heavier than I look. A friend guessed my weight last week and was out by 2st!

[twirlbite]

I eat more or less what I like, within reason, as in general I prefer healthy foods. I exercise regularly - run 4 x weekly and walk 4 miles on the other days. I would like to be half a stone lighter, but think that I need to give up chocolate for that to happen - exercise alone isn't enough unfortunately.

[allegretto]

I've never been overweight and I eat what I fancy but not a lot of junk and dont tend to snack. I am thin and flabby however! Not good but I don't exercise .

[allegretto]

I've never been overweight and I eat what I fancy but not a lot of junk and dont tend to snack. I am thin and flabby however! Not good but I don't exercise .

[2beesornot2beesthatisthehoney]

I was over weight but with the help of WW I lost 50 lbs.

That was over a year so a healthy weight loss and that is the key to keeping weight off really as what happened was my taste buds changed as I made slow changes.
An example I disliked the taste of fat free natural yoghurt so I bagan by adding a small spoonful of jam to it plus fruit. It was the equivalent of a normal low fat fruit yoghurt but I controlled the amount of jam. Gradiually I reduced the jam content to zero it took many weeks. Now I eat the yoghourt without anything added and like it. I used a similar technique with changing to skimmed milk.
I think this is the key make very regular small, good changes which will be long lasting. Look at the changes as healthy , life long eating not a diet.
It's more than a year now since I stopped losing weight and although my weight goes up and down a little I know what puts it on and I know how to get it down again.

[peachgreen]

I'm overweight. To lose weight (which I have done consistently for about 2 years now, barring holidays when I relax) I eat around 1000 calories a day and exercise 3 times a week. I loathe exercising but do it because I have to. I've never enjoyed it and never will. To maintain weight (I'm currently pregnant) I eat 1200 calories a day. It's shit and it sucks but it's the way it is and there's nothing I can do about it. I'll be tracking calories for the rest of my life.

[MsHippo]

I'm slim and fit. I don't diet but I am conscious of what I eat (I do put on weight if I just eat whatever I like). I have treats but in moderation and not too often. My everyday meals contain a lot of veg.

I walk to work every day (about 25 mins each way) as well as lots of other walking (easily 2-3 hours on a weekend day) as I don't have a car, run 3-4 times a week, and row/rock climb as well.

[bonzo77]

I'm bmi about 22. I consider myself in reasonable shape. Depending on what I'm wearing I can look slim and toned, or a bit bigger. Never waif like. In my early 20's I lost about 20lb (weight watchers) and I've lost another half stone since then (gradually, no super effort).

I do no formal exercise, a bit of walking, riding / stable chores most weeks. Diet is terrible: carb heavy with red meat, chocolate, crisps, booze, minimal fruit / salad. But critically not huge amounts and because I snack a lot I tend not to have big meals, maybe once a week a takeaway, meal out or at my parents.

[Butteredparsnip1ps]

umm I used to think that if I ate healthily and exercised moderately all would be well. The trouble is this works quite well at 25, less so at 45

Unfortunately, we are sold the myth that an average women needs 2,000 calories. If like me, you are short and in your late 40's you need far fewer!

OP, find out how many calories you actually burn, based on your height, weight and age - it might depress surprise you.

[MessyBun247]

Im 5ft4 and around 8stone 7. Ive always been slim and didnt really have to do anything to stay at my weight. But since having DD2 if I want my stomach to be flat i have to eat low-carb. To be honest, eating low carb high fat makes me feel great, so I eat that way about 80-90% of the time just because of how it makes me feel, rather than to lose weight.

Ive recently started doing 30 min brisk walking 6-7 times a week. Again, just because it makes me feel good. I cant commit to any exercise class at the minute but would like to do pilates or yoga in the future. Also thinking of getting an excerise bike. Doing moderate exercise gives me more energy, I feel very sluggish when I dont do any (running after 17mo DD2 doesnt count lol).

Basically I try to eat foods with a high nutritional value, drink 1-2 litres of water a day, and get out and walk in the fresh air every day. Also try to get a decent nights sleep, not go on my phone too much (also makes me feel sluggish if I use it for hours every day) and do 15 minutes of meditation a day helps me massively.

[bluesbaby]

I've been slightly overweight, not huge but not small either.

Currently fit and relatively slim. Most people think I'm smaller than I am - hourglass shape hides it a bit, with a small waist.

I'm active - gym at least twice a week, weekly gym class, and cycling, hiking, climbing or whatever in between.

Yes I do watch what I eat. I can't just pig out or I'll put on weight - like everyone else! I'm still finding a happy balance between nutritious food and foods with more fat, sugar and salt. I do still indulge, just much less often and moderately.
It's not possible to be fit without some form of exercise... people who are "naturally" slim eat small portions or irregularly regardless of whether it's healthy or not. It is pretty rare to have an actual metabolism disorder that causes you to be thin no matter what you eat ....

[Onceinabuemoon]

No idea how many calories I actually burn, probably hardly any because I'm not very active.

I do know I can lose weight eating 1200 calories a day, but I find it miserable to stick to. Probably because I love carbs, cheese, mayo and cake.

[BendydickCuminsnatch]

I'm exactly the same as disastrouslee, overweight, very fit, very healthy, very active, much heavier than I look, generally eat well (too much choc though).

Pregnant with DC2 so we'll see what happens... after DC1 I ended up smaller than I started with but had a hard recovery and couldn't exercise for a year so that really fucked me over.

[Lobsterquadrille2]

I'm 5 foot 8 and about 8 and a half stone. I hate fatty and sugary food, apart from liquorice which I could eat every day. I've been in recovery (alcohol) for nearly 10 years so don't drink. I just naturally like fish, salad stuff, sushi, stir fries etc. Occasionally I have a weird blow out day and eat lots of chocolate or something, and my fingers are swollen the next day and I feel sluggish. Don't eat meat apart from fish. I don't exercise at all but wish I did - I'm 48 next month and am sagging. I'd rather be toned and fit but I'm inherently lazy. Wish I could be that person who really enjoys getting sweaty 🙂.

[CosmoClock]

I've gone over 9 stone recently and I went on a 'd' word yesterday. For me that means not buying any different food, no washing, no chopping, no weighing. I will just eat less and remember what it's like to be hungry. I actually feel at peace with the fact that this decision to lose half a stone will mean that I am hungry in the run up to meals now. No snacking.

[CosmoClock]

onceinabluemoon just read your post properly and I agree that it is miserable to stick to 1200 every day. Can I suggest that you zigzag. Do 900 / 1500 on alternate days. It is so much easier and it stops your body getting used to only 1200 calories.

[RaspberryBeret34]

I'm 5'3" and 8.5 stone, size 8. I don't do much formal exercise - just walking, lots of activities with DS, bits of trampolining! I try and eat reasonably healthy, don't have chocolate/biscuits/cake/puddings every day and try not to buy them. I sometimes reduce carbs for a bit if I'm feeling a bit bigger than normal (which I need to do at the moment really, am usually 8 stone 3!). I could do with cutting out wine!

[ohhhhhshit]

I've recently lost almost 2.5 stone. I am now just on the border of the normal / overweight BMI category. Although I still have another 1.5 stone to lose, already I am feeling the benefits of carrying less weight. I have so much more energy, both mentally and physically. I am happier and more patient with the DCs and DH (a big downfall of mine previously). And this heat is so much more bearable.

[ComtesseDeSpair]

I'm slim, right at the lower end of the BMI chart. Always have been.

I go to the gym three times a week, and I really work when I'm there. You could wring the sweat out of me at the end. I walk five miles a day as part of my commute: I don't even really count walking as exercise, it's just getting around really.

I eat when I'm hungry and I don't eat unless I'm hungry. Sometimes this means I eat no breakfast or lunch and then a massive dinner at 9pm. Sometimes it means I eat bits and pieces throughout the day.

And sometimes I don't eat if even I am hungry - such as if I know dinner is a short time away or if I'm going out for a meal later on.

I frequently say no to snacks and treats in the office. Connected to the above - if I'm not hungry I won't eat just because there's food about, whether what's on offer is cake or carrot sticks. I like cake, but don't see the point in empty calories just for the sake of it.

From what I know of people who are constantly trying to lose weight, it's the above that they seem not to be able to crack. Resisting tempting food and learning to recognise when you're actually hungry and when you're just eating because there's nice food available are tough - probably because it's biologically programmed in us to be that way.

[ohhhhhshit]

cosmo I couldn't agree more re your hungry comment. I think I got to a stage where I had forgotten what hunger felt like. I was almost scared of it. I know that sounds odd. But I have now retrained my brain to accept that hunger is a perfectly normal, healthy state prior to eating. It's not something to be avoided at all costs.

[Laiste]

I think much depends on your age.

In my teens/20s and most of my 30s my weight was easily managed by knocking a few calories out of my daily intake alone. Middle finger up to the E word! I'd look in the mirror, think time to shed a few pounds, and a stone or more would be off within a few weeks.

Now in my 40s it's suddenly harder. I think i could eat actually nothing and still stay miraculously alive and the same shape

[skyzumarubble]

I'm overweight but the fittest I've I've been. I'm a 14 now and have been between a 10 and a 20 in the past. I'm much more toned now and fairly confident.

I eat healthily, portions are too big probably. Generally eat 1400 a day during the week and a lot more at weekends.

[Onceinabuemoon]

Cosmoclock that sounds like a good tip actually.

[ShowOfHands]

I've always been slim and eaten healthy foods but have been really healthy recently (7 months). No caffeine, no refined or processed food, as little sugar as possible. I run several times a week, do daily cardio and weights, walk/jog at least 5 miles every day on school runs, cycle to work (14 mile round trip) and am training for an endurance event.

I'd still be slim if I stopped the above as my diet is good but I would feel worse.