Are people really eating this little?

[ABugWife]

Thread after thread after thread I see on here of people posting tiny amounts of food that they eat, or fasting most of the day. 1200 calories, 800 calories, bananas are bad for you, don't eat any carbs, no sugar ever, it goes on and on.

I am short 5'2 and fairly light at the top end of 8 stone so by these threads I should be eating barley anything but I eat every two hours pretty much, I snack all the time, I eat cheese and crisps and sweeties and cakes, sometimes I gain weight, sometimes I lose weight but it's quite steady between 8st 10 and 8st 13

I really find it hard to believe that people are eating such tiny amounts of food and not losing weight.

Does everyone here have a massive drink problem they don't include in their calories or are people lying perfectly still in bed all day long.

Where are the people that eat a normal, mostly healthy but sometimes shit diet.

My type 1 dh, who's pancreas has done nothing useful for 30 yrs, despairs at some of the shit that's all 'the rage' at the moment!

When I was in my 30s and 40s
I only had to cut down a little and weight would drop off. Now in my early 60s, I eat very little and can not lose any weight. So disheartening. I am also very active.

Did anyone ever watch that secret eaters program? People totally misreport.

If a banana is so bad why does our swim coach insist on them before training?

I promise they’re all around you. On my team at work, there are 3 very moderate eaters I can think of immediately. They never ever touch the biscuits, eat super healthy lunches and only drink water. They are very slim. My boss fasts until about 2pm and I have tried it also (need to get back on it as I’ve gained weight in the last couple of years). Dieters are everywhere.

Secret eater was weird, voyeuristic, deeply invasive and strangely captivating. But bloody hell, these people volunteered.

I spent five years working with disordered eating, it was also very true to life.

I don't eat a great deal. I do track everything I eat.

Since I went into early menopause I have to be a lot more careful despite running 40 miles a week and doing weights twice a week.

However I never cut carbs as they are my main source of fuel.

They never ever touch the biscuits, eat super healthy lunches and only drink water. They are very slim

You could be describing me, except I drink tea and coffee. It’s not dieting, it’s called health eating! I eat lots.

This exactly!!!

Tha majority of the population are insulin resistant. Their body has been programmed to store fat and not release it because of a modern diet of ultra processed food and eating too regularly. I've overhauled my life style after a lifetime of battling my weight and have read the obesity code, fast feast repeat, the diet myth, spoon fed amongst others. I've learnt why for YEARS I couldn't sustain a low calorie diet and after losing weight with ww or sw or whatever I piled it back on again and more. I have read so much research supporting living an intermittant fasting lifestyle. We arent designed to eat early on waking and then eat intermittently all day. We are designed to have long periods of not eating which enables our body to turn into fat burning mode. I used to get shakey by 9am because my blood sugar crashed and I would reach for a snack and then same again 2 hours later. After educating myself now I know why. Since starting intermittant fasting 7 months ago I no longer get shakey, I eat added in more whole food and limit my processed food but haven't cut it out completely as that wouldn't be sustainable. I skip breakfast and dont get hungry until midday. I eat lunch and and dinner, snack between if I need but rarely need to. And I FINALLY after years of battling my body feel like I am in control. I am no longer insulin resistent and believe I was on the path to diabetes and heart disease but now I feel the best I have felt in decades. I sleep better, I have more energy, mental clarity, I actually crave veggies and fruit and nuts. I dont count calories or work out macros. I just eat whole food and limit processed food. I really recommend educating yourself about how ultra processed food, insulin resistence and the gut microbiome.

We all have different metabolisms......my dd for example eats ridiculous portions and is extremely sedentary. She rarely leaves her room,.she has a disability which means she lives with carers. (( disability doesn't affect mobility, she's just bone idle )) and more than once I've had a phonecall from a.carer concerned by the amount she's having for Dinner or whatever. Yet she's consistently a.size 12.

I on the other hand walk everywhere as I don't drive and work an active job meaning I'm often on my feet for 10 hours a day. Yet I'm overweight. If I ate the way my dd did I'd probably be 25 stone.

Ds is the same......he's active, he recently completed his Duke of Edinburgh gold. He isn't lazy, he doesn't really snack or drink alcohol or soft drinks. Prefers decent, home.cooked meals over takeaways or junk food Yet he struggles to maintain a healthy weight.

We're all different. I think some people burn a lot of energy without realising if they fidget a lot etc. But some people are just bloody lucky.

In the UK we are looking at 5 million people with type two diabetes and 7 million with pre-diabetes. We need to be talking about carbs.

I'm 5ft 2ins and eat 1200 to 1400 calories a day but I am also 46, on HRT and incredibly bone idle sedentary

I can't even imagine living off 1200 calories. I feel ill if I don't eat enough, really sick and light headed. I eat 3 good meals a day and a snack in the afternoon, don't calorie count but I bet it's a lot more than 1200!

BMI is 19ish but to maintain that I have to eat next to nothing.
Under 1000 calories a day. Every day. And usually two days a week nothing at all for a 24 hour period. I’m anaemic and often feel faint.
But I have little time for exercise so unless I restrict I gain weight very very easily. I only have to look at food that is carb heavy to put weight on.

Yep. Come back to us in ten years.

I suppose a lot depends on how much people weigh ? , so if you are relatively slim, you need an adequate supply of food to fuel your body on a daily basis and you also probably don't have a large amount of reserves to fall back on.
If you are morbidly obese like me, you can eat a lot less food calorie wise on a daily basis, because your body already has a larder full of calories that it has put to one side over the years and you want it to use up those reserves.
The lot less food should be nutritious though, so consist mainly of protein, good fats and lots and lots of vegtables and a bit of fruit. Just need to avoid refined carbs like cake, biscuits, crisps, chips, potatoes, pasta, rice and my own personal downfall anything bread related

A lot of people have metabolic disorders (go ask women with PCOS how easy they find losing weight to be). And the type of calories does actually matter. Just be thankful you can eat all that sugar without it affecting you.

HRT made me lose weight not gain it. If your body is crying out for oestrogen it will store fat around your middle. 6 months on HRT and a flat stomach appeared

Yes bodies do go in to starvation mode and you completely mess with your metabolism. It’s not healthy to eat a tiny amount of calories per day. There must be huge amounts of underfuelled women on Mumsnet mistakenly thinking that’s the way to lose weight.

I get that it’s harder when we go in to peri-menopause/ menopause. I used to be 8 stone 10 and I’m 5ft 8 and was able to eat what I liked. I can’t any more but I’m very active so need to fuel my body and accept a bit of weight gain. I’ve upped my protein and lift heavy weights. But what I won’t do is cut calories/fast as I know the damage it can do..

I've read that having a tablespoon of decent quality (cold pressed) olive oil, twice a day helps to burn fat. I read a study where after 2 months, people had on average lost 3cm around their midriffs despite keeping everything else the same. Has anyone had any success with olive oil?

People are different. I eat little compared to friends yet I am 4 stone overweight. People are often surprised at what I eat. But scientific research is increasingly demonstrating its more down to genetics than environmental factors

Absolutely and there is a strong link with pcos and insulin resistance. Pcos can be managed very well with intermittant fasting which reverses insulin resistance.

50% of women with PCOS are normal or underweight.

And yes little tweaks are key. Eat vegetables first - this will stop sugar spikes. Have a savoury breakfast with a decent amount
of protein and fat.