Anyone over 45 and still naturally thin?

[Mummysgogetter]

What I mean is that you do not consciously track your food or exercise, or eat less in order to maintain your figure? If so, what does your typical day of diet/exercise look like for you?

im not one of these lucky types btw and have to really consciously think am I hungry before grabbing a bite to eat. In addition I have to force myself to exercise as I’m naturally sedentary, so I have a lot going against me as I also have a huge appetite.

I find the over 45 and naturally thin types are rare

@mummysgogetter I'm not keen on shop bought cakes, they taste incredibly sweet to me. A lot of more recent cake recipes are very heavy on sugar. If you look at cakes in a 1970s (my dm's) cookbook, they had much less sugar and I prefer them.

So yes I like cakes, but not very sickly ones. I like dark chocolate - 70% cocoa - but not milk chocolate which also is too sweet.

I think that comment about 'if your granny wouldn't recognise it, don't eat it' is probably true.

Hello OP, me, I am naturally thin without having to do ridiculous amounts of exercise and always have been.

I'm 53 and just done the NHS BMI calculator and according to that I have a BMI of 19 (I'm 5ft 10 and 9.5 stone) According to the same calculator I'm classed as active because I do more than 60 minutes exercise a week which is a joke as that's less than 10 minutes walking a day which in my book is not very active!!!

The only regular exercise I do is walk, to the shop etc but I also enjoy hiking, but not even each week. Most of the food I eat is home-cooked and I don't drink much alcohol although I do have a bit of a sweet tooth and love nuts and cheese because I am a big nibbler :) I try and eat as high fibre diet because I believe it's good for you.

That is now though, when I was younger I ate any old crap, smoked a bit an drank a huge amount of booze, I also moved around more than I do now though because I was younger and had more energy :)

I've had 3 children which meant I put on about half a stone which I've never bothered to lose because I like it :)

Like a PP I also lose my appetite when I'm under stress.

I think it's mainly in the genes OP. I take after my nan who after 4 children was still a size 10 till the day she died without any effort. Although maybe if I still ate crap all day and smoked and drank lots I might be really fat instead?

Do you know you are genetically blessed or do you think overweight people must eat a shed load of crap? I am 55 and eat 1.5 meals a day. If i are 3 meals a day I would be obese

I'm fidgety too (adhd), so I'm always on the move. That might be a factor too. Parents and my extended family are all quite slim, even now at 80 my mum is still slim and quite toned and eats anything and everything. Hope I'm like that at her age too!

I’m 49 and did put on weight a few years ago (5’1 and creeping up to 11 stones). I’m about 8 stones 10 pounds now. I lost the last bit through intermittent fasting but I’ve put a bit back on.

Breakfast: 1 or 2 small bars of 70 percent chocolate.

Lunch: 3 scrambled eggs and 1 slice sourdough bread plus a bit of passata as a sauce. I also have salad but I’ve currently gone off it.

Dinner: Fish (cod) and boiled rice (half a microwave rice) with sweet chilli sauce.

Snacks: Another bar of dark choc, 3 corn cakes and marmite, maybe a Solero, maybe a bit of milk chocolate. Decaf tea, maybe a glass of milk, usually an Aldi Berrocca.

1 hour walk in the morning which includes a lot of exercises (based on Callanetics) that I’ve incorporated into the walk. Just started this and it works really well because I have to walk anyway because I’ve got dogs. I do a sprint or two as well.
A second walk of about 45 minutes.

This thread is interesting - I'm amazed at how similar my diet/lifestyle is to that a lot of the naturally thin people are describing on this thread -yet I am still 11stone (5"8") and a size 12 - I'm not overweight but I have to restrict my diet and exercise every day just to be this weight. I eat around 1200 calories a day and don't eat breakfast /rarely eat chocolate/cakes etc. and hardly ever drink alcohol. I'm always thinking about what I eat/what I'm going to eat that day and really feel like I have to "work" at it.

The only thing that differs is I wouldn't say I'm a fidgeter.

I’ve been slim all my life. I’m 49, 5 foot 5 and weigh 8 stone 11. I walk every day, no other exercise. I do eat lots of crisps and crap like chocolate but tbh I don’t eat big portions of any food, I have eaten my meals off a side plate for as long as I can remember. I believe our obesity crisis started when the size of our plates started getting bigger and bigger. My MIL still used all her plates from the 1970’s and when you compare the size of a 70’s dinner plate to now, they are tiny. I also don’t drink alcohol.

No fraught relationship with food here. I’m 45, 5’1 and weigh about 45kg (don’t own any scales so rarely weigh myself). I’m a size 6-8.

I have three meals a day plus snacks whenever I want them, and could eat more healthily (snacks are usually biscuits or chocolate). I don’t do any formal exercise but I do walk most places

One key thing that I’ve noticed is that I have a much smaller appetite than others. In restaurants, I couldn’t manage to have a starter, main course, and dessert, and even if I just went for two courses I’m unlikely to finish everything on my plate (I do think portion sizes have increased).The muffins in coffee shops are usually too much for me to eat. I often only eat half a pack of crisps and leave the rest until later. I could never eat a full packet of biscuits - I’d feel stuffed and ill afterwards.

To be blunt, I know that almost all the people I know who are overweight eat a lot more than I do - I can see them eating larger portions, having more snacks, that kind of thing.

I know that I am lucky as my low weight and small appetite are probably genetic - my mum and my sisters and my aunt (mum’s sister) and cousins all have similar builds. As a result, there were never any issues around food at home - my mum never dieted or talked about good/ bad foods. I also stop eating when I’m stressed, rather than comfort eat.

Me. I am size 8 and my diet is shocking. I eat all the wrong things. I do quite a bit of exercise though so maybe that helps.

Me. You just have to watch what you eat. I guess that is “eating less”, but how can you expect to stay thin if you just eat whatever whenever?

@Booboobibles don't you eat any fruit or veg?

I don't know whether I would count myself as naturally thin. I like to eat healthily, and I do exercise. But I don't spend ages thinking about it and I don't really snack, I guess. My BMI is apparently 21.2. I have a consciously healthy diet, I suppose I actively don't tend to buy things like cake and biscuits. I have this rule with myself that if I want a cake or a biscuit, I have to make it.

And I have a job where I don't ever get to sit down, so that makes a difference.

OP body fat is so much more complicated than what you eat. If you are the exact sane foods and a) you have an under active thyroid, you would gain fat b) had an over active thyroid, you would lose fat c) were given insulin you would gain weight. Our hormones are intrinsically linked to how much fat we will store. Each person is different. The change in sex hormones has a massive impact on some women and very little on others. Some women begin to store fat within weeks of falling pregnant without changing what they eat. Others don't. Some women lose weight on breast feeding. Others hold onto it until they finish breastfeeding. Some women gain fat over menopause. Some women become precariously underweight abs develop very brittle bones.

Yes, me. I'll be 50 this year and my weight has been just under 8 stone for my entire adult life (with the except of two pregnancies and the first few weeks post-birth).

My body shape and fat distribution has changed very slightly (waist a little thicker, hips a little wider) but I'm still the same size in clothes that I've always been, with the exception of jeans, where I'm a waist size bigger.

I eat anything I fancy, without worry. I've always had a big appetite (and felt slightly irritated by people expressing surprise/disbelief when they see that I eat). I eat pretty healthy meals but with large portions and do have lots of not-very-healthy snacks (a large biscuit/chocolate/cake consumption!) I eat a varied diet and include red meat, white meat, fish and meat-free meals. I don't restrict fats (e.g. I have butter and full fat milk). I eat the same size portions as my (slightly overweight) OH.

I've never been very fussed about alcohol, I maybe have 2 or 3 glasses of wine a week.

I don't exercise as such, just rushing on the school run and gentle dog-walking.

I always wondered if I'd suddenly start putting on weight when I hit 40, or 45. But never did. I feel like this is just going to be the way I am now.

I'm 46 and slim. I'd like to carry a bit more weight as I think I look a bit gaunt at times.

I eat fairly healthily. However, I do like crisps. Don't we all though?

I don't exercise. I go for walks at the weekend and sometimes during the week.

I can't think of any obese family members so I suspect it's genetics.

Can we stop with the judgy 'thin'. Why not say 'slim' or healthy weight?

45. BMI 21. So not thin. Just expected range. Martial arts and run (sparring is very very hard at my age to maintain stamina). Vegetarian. Not overly bothered by junk. Drink too much caffeine. Fidgety. Don't hit 2000 calories a day but am short. I just eat a balanced and varied diet and aim for 7 plus portions of veg or fruit. Pulses. Tofu. Homemade bread.

I just feels natural to me, if I feel I over indulged one day, I just eat more fresh stuff the next. Its self regulating. My cat self regulates too.

I’m just turning 45 so not sure what will happen now but I’m 5’ 8” and 9 stone. I don’t drive so mainly walk everywhere locally and am still running around after a 5 year old, which I think has a lot to do with still being slim.

However, both of my parents are tall and slim so it’s likely genetics as well. I do have a bit of a tum and I’m not really very toned and suspect I will gradually expand over time.

My DM is in her seventies and she and most of her friends are very slim. They all walk a lot because they don't drive and some never have. I would say my DM has always watched her diet without having an unhealthy relationship with food. So one biscuit after lunch not five etc.

@dumdumduuuummmmm
i agree with you for the most part however if you have an under active thyroid your appetite also lessens significantly; same if you are overactive thyroid you would get a large increase in appetite- there are people that actually gain weight with overactive thyroid! Same with a sluggish metabolism = less appetite. Same with breast feeding - higher metabolism and if you don’t eat enough you lose weight but most people have the hunger to match the increase in metabolism. However, ghrelin and leptin hormones, which control how hungry or satiated we are, genetically vary in people. Some people are more sensitive to the hunger hormone ghrelin and others to leptin, the satiety hormone.

I'm 56 and slim. I was a naturally lanky and slim teen, and the same up until my forties when things went literally pear shaped. Put simply I was eating and drinking too much and moving too little! Now through eating more sensibly I think I've cracked it and hope to remain slim and healthier than I was at my heaviest. I'm 5'8 and 10 stone 8. I can't work out the BMI but think that's ok!

Also, I’m not talking about body type - as in a small boned person versus a broader shouldered, hip type person - I’m just talking about being a healthy weight for your height.

im 50 this year and still naturally slim, i was thinner before i had my daughter , i did put of quite a fair bit of weight when pregnant , if i wasnt eating i was being sick 😂 most of it came of , but i never did get my practically flat stomach back , but apart from that im the same as before , i eat one main meal of an evening and thats it , feel to fragile to eat in the mornings its just coffees and fags , i dont eat whilst im at work and after i pick dd up from school and cook our dinner so apart from the odd snack which can be anything as i dont watch what i eat thats it really , im one of those naturally anxious people and i get depressed quite often , both of these things make me not want to eat either . i often just dont feel hungry for literally hours and hours

I’m 5’ 8” and my BMI is 21, which is higher for me. I’m a 10 usually. I’d like to lose half a stone but can’t really be bothered. I’m 46 and at 16 my BMI was about 18, so it has slowly crept up, though I’m comfortable with where I am. Most of my adult life I was a size 8.

In the last few months Ive noticed that I’ve put on a bit of weight so I’ve started to gently keep an eye on what I eat but normally I’m pretty good at just eating when I’m hungry. At the moment the issue is that I’m menopausal and exhausted so trying not to reach for sugar for energy boost.

I'm 46, size 8 and over 5'8. BMI is 19ish.

I walk an hour every day.

I tend not to eat breakfast but if I do fancy it, I'll have toast or porridge with fruit, honey, dates, pistachios, pumpkin seeds etc.

For lunch I'll have soup and a sandwich or salad if at work. On days at home I'll have a sandwich.

For supper I'll eat a big bowl of whole grains with seeds and nuts, lentils, lots of raw or cooked veg, homemade guacamole, houmous, fruit.

I haven't been snacking much recently as I haven't been buying as much treat food as usual (been conscious of keeping the food bill down recently) but I do like to snack on chocolate, crisps and cheese from time to time.

I tend to drink alcohol at weekends, and sometimes during the week.

I don't really think about my weight but if I'm feeling bloated or starting to struggle to fit into my jeans I'll cut back on the treats for a few weeks, and skip a meal most days - usually breakfast.

I wouldn't say that classifies me as obsessive but I do like to fit into my clothes easily so I'm aware of my figure and if I start to put weight on I'll take action quite quickly. But I certainly don't exercise obsessively or starve. Ever.