Is it possible for you to exercise enough to eat whatever you want and not gain weight?

Yeah I do. I don't really have any fat and I eat whatever.

Suspect that the experience of hunger varies from person to person, from an overwhelming urge to eat to a feeling of 'well I could eat but I'm not that bothered'

Sorry first sentence doesn't make sense - wine seems to make all the negative evidence fade!

I feel the same way Mislou - although I must admit the imbibement of wine seems to make all the negative evidence regarding chocolate/cake/crap! Doesn't happen too often though.
I actually aim for eating enough protein in each meal that I don't need to 'snack' (that new verb that crept in to the language in the seventies after the Milky Way advert). I do feel slight hunger about an hour or two after a meal, but it fades with a drink. I'm 5'7'' and have to eat about 1800 cals to maintain (am over 50 and my metabolism slowed overnight when I had my gallbjadder out).

I think yes, you can eat what ever you like and be slim , even with moderate exercise. It depends what kind of food you like.If you genuinely like making healthy snacks and meals , and this is what you want to do, there's no need to be all controlling about your diet. Reading about processed foods and all the ingredients put me off eating it years ago, so I don't crave unhealthy food in the same way as I don't crave cigarettes.

How bordeom affects eating

I think one problem is that various factors in modern life predispose humans towards visceral fat storage and once that start there is a snowball effect

actual and metaphorical as the torso begins to resemble a large snow ball
with twigs for arms and legs

I found the Kathleen Desmaison book, Potatoes not Prozac, really helpful in helping me give up sugar years ago (17 actually - have since fallen off the wagon but now I'd say cravings are pretty rare). Think she was about the first to start down that route.
There's now an online community, Radiant Recovery, which gives the'seven steps.' It's a gradual thing rather than cold turkey, and it works.

Nope, about 15 kilometres.

wholehealthsource.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/body-fat-setpoint.html

It's easier for men to do this. Exercise affects weight loss more in men because of their higher muscle mass.
To be eating loads of junk you'd need to do hard except use everyday for hours. It would be difficult and time consuming to do plus you wouldn't be very healthy. Even if you kept slimmer it's not good for you to eat a lot of high sugar, high fat, low fibre foods all the time. Think health not appearance.

I am able to "eat what I want" and not put on weight, but I do suspect it's my appetite and food preferences that allow me to do that.
I exercise, but my taste in food seems to lead me to making low calorie choices.
I'm not a fan of bread, greasy or very sweet food I find unappetising.
The thought of eating a cupcake with buttercream literally makes me heave at the thought, I don't eat cakes , the odd biscuit perhaps.
I don't limit my food- I just eat what I fancy- today I was on my own, I had a seeded cracker from aldi, spread with a thin layer of chilli jam,a slice of chicken and some cherry tomatoes with a strong coffee. Exactly what I wanted.

I notice my kids are the same. They both have unopened Easter eggs still sitting in their rooms, I have a sweet cupboard in the kitchen which they have unlimited access to but rarely take anything.

interesting read Sleep :)
I've read various articles/studies which suggest that we tend to gravitate to a 'set point' of body composition, in particular the amount of body fat and if we lose fat various mechanisms start up cause us to want to eat more and/or move less
(oversimplification)
I will (once again) recommend this blog
wholehealthsource.blogspot.co.uk/
(Stephan Guyenet)

Martial arts training for 2hrs 3x a week
Cycle commuting 8mi a day
AND running 3x a week
Plus a ft job

The only period in my life when I could genuinely eat what I wanted. Having said that I was so bloody busy I often didn't have time to eat!!!

Mommybunny - please can you expand on the article about boredom eating you mentioned. This is a really big problem for me.

I agree that most people who eat what they want and don't put on weight just don't WANT to eat as much as I want to eat.

roarfeckingroar

I was really confused for a bit there - you walk 15k steps every day, not 15 kilometres, right?

this article on the subject is really interesting. The studies mentioned seem to find that if you do more than a moderate level of exercise, your metabolism compensates at other times so that the increase in calorie burn drops off...so sort of if you cycle 4 hours a week then that would burn (just for example) 800 calories but if you cycled 8 times you would only burn an additional 500? I can't decide if that's good news or bad !

I can eat mostly whatever I want, I have always had a BMI of about 21 and have never really thought about what I eat. I walk about 7-10 miles a day, swim 3 times a week (in the sea if summer) and do Pilates once a week. In the holidays I climb mountains and surf and if I do a week of that I find that no matter what I eat/drink I loose about half a stone.
However I do naturally prefer home cooked foods and have a fairly active job. I probably eat around 2500-300kcal a day. I doubt I could eat takeaway/fry up everyday and have a sedentary job and still maintain my weight

I think there are a few factors -

1. Agree that most people who "eat what they want" despite not doing much exercise tend to just have smaller appetites or rather, to have very good appetite regulation. I know a lot of people think these people are lying and secretly starving, but I do know people who are really just not very interested in food or who just have small appetites'

2. Assuming you have a desk job, I reckon you can probably get to being able to eat around 2,500 cals per day and exercise it off if you were super diligent and got up early the whole time or had free time in the day, but after that you'd have to give up work and have the kids adopted to have time to fit it in. So it really depends if "whatever I want" fits into that. For me, it probably does 8 times out of 10 but not if you include a bottle of wine.

Yes - when I'm doing full time hours at work.

ATM only part time so a few pounds have snuck on.

Left to my own devices I'm generally the high end of a healthy BMI.

Working full time with horses plus 2 of my own = low end of heathy BMI and eating a LOT. But I'm talking on the go 6am-7pm 6 days a week, walking 25,000 steps plus, mucking out 15 stables, carrying buckets, riding 5-8 horses a day.

When I do that I can eat 2 lunches, a packet of biscuits and a giant galaxy bar and not gain an ounce

It's a strange issue.

Personally, the people I know who 'can eat what they want and stay slim' naturally eat healthy and/or eat small amounts. Many of them are extremely active as well.

I exercise (intense exercise) about 8 hours a week and can't eat what I want. I think the people who genuinely can have a fair bit of muscle mass and/or train several hours a day. There are very few people who can eat what they want, spend most of the day sitting down and only exercise a couple of hours a week.

It might just be that the people who find it easiest to be disciplined enough to exercise tend to also find it relatively easy to be disciplined with food

Or are exercise addicts actually people who eschewed their drug / alcohol/ sugar addiction in favour of marathon workout sessions😋

If you're struggling with a refined carb/sugar habit, it's worth reading Always hungry? by David Ludwig. I'm about to start the meal plan (takes a bit of prep!). It's a plan that is meant to help you release fat stored in your fat cells by changing the way you eat.

I trained for a half marathon and I did lose weight but it was a positive cycle - after I exercised I didn't want to eat junk to undo all my hard work!

I read an interview with Andy Murray a while back. He's incredibly disciplined with his diet alongside his training. He's about 18% body fat! He was asked if he ever slipped. He explained after a tournament he has a 'blow out' and eats a massive pizza. Next day he's back on it though!

Exercise may not help everyone to regulate appetite but it remains the case that a sedentary lifestyle is detrimental to health

Use your body or it will wither and malfunction prematurely