Slim women. Do you work at it?

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I always thought slim women could just eat whatever they liked naturally. But looking at the eating habits of my slim friends, they don’t seem to eat whatever they like - they are constantly making healthy, low cal choices and I can’t shake the feeling it’s deliberate in order to stay slim, rather than them just actually fancying the lower cal option.

is this your experience? Is this what slim women have to do forever? When did you start doing this and do you find it easier now?

I am not naturally slim. I worked at it for years but it all went to pot at some point after children. I just stopped being rigorous about what I ate. The result is I’ve piled on weight which I lost about ten years ago, then it piled on again. I wish I had never lost focus. I have never been able to eat what I wanted. I have a small frame and put on weight easily. I walk a lot but I eat too much. I don’t make bad choices as I don’t in general like unhealthy food, but I just eat too much healthy food now. It’s just not worth over indulging. The price to be paid is too high.

I used to never have to worry about what I ate as a kid or teenager, seemed to have a naturally high metabolism, was pretty much always underweight or low end of normal range weight. Then at 18ish developed anorexia for various reasons. This totally messed with my metabolism and digestive system. My weight went up and done over the years So that even eating a normal amount of food for average woman in her 20s for my height I ended up at nearly 9st (126lbs) at one point may not seem a high weight but was for me and is at high end of healthy weight for my height. I then lost weight again though still ok BMI. Finally got decent counselling and was good BMI and slim for about 5 years.

Suddenly over a month, even though I was eating normally with at least one take away a week, no counting kcals etc. I lost about a stone (14/15lbs) went to Gp as I did not want to be underweight or ill.

Got diagnosed with Graves Disease which is an autoimmune disease causing hyperthyroidism and can be very dangerous if left untreated. I was very tachycardia resting heartbeat was 140bpm, low blood pressure, hand tremors, felt really warm even when room cold, severe night sweats etc

Luckily medication worked for me after about 18-24 months.

I was then fine for a couple years after. Then annual bloods showed I was now hypothyroid. Only symptom was tiredness really. Basically autoimmune disease totally destroyed my thyroid. Been on eltroxin for this for about 6/7 years.

Since this I very much have to watch what I eat or put on weight, I'm sure my age doesn't help either (early 40s)! I'm a healthy weight now but definitely can't eat whatever I want and not gain weight.

I'm pretty active and do sport at least 4 days a week. I have to be very mindful of calorie intake these days or weight seems to go on very easily.

Nobody in my life would really know that I now have to work at being slim, I have to make good food choices if I don't want to gain weight.

I've no desire to be underweight anymore but do want to stay at a healthy weight. If I put on weight it also goes on my tummy which isn't healthy either so I am trying to avoid that!

Im slim (ish). Never been able to eat what I want. Always been very active tho.

I don’t particularly eat out a lot so would have what I fancy if I did, the rest of the time, I am careful about what I eat as in short I feel better when I eat well / healthy and this is my version of self care.

I eat anything I want just not huge amounts. I’m not a big drinker either because I get drunk really easily, an utter lightweight. I had one Pimms yesterday and was pleasantly buzzy. Last time I went out to bars with a couple of mates I had 4 drinks and was wrecked, they had at least double what I had and were still ok.

Heartbreak is sadly good for weightloss. I am sorry, how horrible for you.

Up until the pandemic I ate whatever I liked. Never thought about not eating something because it might be unhealthy, just ate what I wanted. I was always a size 8 - same weight at the midwife booking in appointments for both my babies.

2yrs into the pandemic, I was at least 6kg heavier and overweight. So now, yes I think about what I eat most of the time. I eat food that I love and I really enjoy but it’s real food that’s low processed and nutrient dense. I’ve massively cut down on snacks, treats, and takeaways 80-90% of the time but if I really want something, I’ll have it. Most of the time though it doesn’t seem worth it anymore. Overall, I’ve lost about 12kg, I’m back in the healthy weight zone and a size 6. I also exercise everyday now and I love it. I feel better and I wouldn’t want to go back to where I was before. So yes, I do think about it most of the time. I don’t believe people are genetically thin for the most part, I think some people have healthier habits around eating but most of us are victims to a food environment that encourages us to overeat processed nutrient deplete high calorie crap.

I'm naturally slim, I would say, but I also like being active (not obsessively), and genuinely don't like loads of processed foods. But if I fancy a pizza or chocolate bar, i have it without thinking.
I really think genes and dietary upbringing are very significant in all this for everyone.
Also, your lifestyle has to allow activity - difficult with a sedentary job and car based society.

I’ve always been slim. Mostly didn’t have to worry what I ate as I’ve always been very active. At 54 I’m still an 8-10 but am a bit more creaky and sore so I have put on a couple of kilos in last year that I put down to just moving around less. On weeks when I have been more active my weight will go down. By active I mean walking. I try to walk everywhere. Might do the odd 30 Mile cycle plus a longer hike.
during lockdown I ran 50 miles for a charity one January which meant on average running 5k four times a week. My weight dropped significantly.
I don’t gorge on shit food but will have treats when I feel like it. Tend to cook from scratch

I'm slim and wouldn't say I work at it but I do generally make what's seen as 'healthier' choices. I don't drink and I think that helps a lot. I'm also very active- easily hit 15000 steps a day and run 4 times a week on top of that plus do strength work.

I like healthy food and I don’t like shit food. A lot of what people regard as ‘treats’ on here is not nice food - newsagent chocolate, crisps, chips, burgers, pizza etc.

I’ve never counted a calorie in my life but I know how much to eat to maintain weight and how much to eat if I’ve put on a few pounds and need to lose.

I could not stand not being able to get into nice clothes. Clothes are easy when you’re slim - most things look nice. You can also get away with wearing cheap clothes as they hang ok if your figure is good.

I’ve developed a bit of a jelly belly since menopause, I definitely put weight on my tummy more easily. When people say 8-10 is slim it depends on your height. I’m 5’3 and small framed. At 5’11 it would be slim, at my height it’s just normal.

I lost weight through weight training and cardio and now stay slim mainly through exercise. Basically eat what I want but make sure I work our 3x a week. But I'm 29 so potentially won't get away with this in 10 years.

I was always size 6-8 for years - small bones, slim. I ate whatever I wanted (when younger I actually used to try and eat to get bigger but it didn’t work. I would eat and eat but was always very slim then). Stayed this way until the last year. I am now 43. Last summer was the first time I felt like I was putting on. This summer is the first time I’m trying to make an effort to get rid of a bit.

I love good food and hearty portions (though never much liked junk food or snacking)... until about 40 this was no bother as I was always very physically active so was slim.
Since life changed a bit I've had more stress, less opportunity to be physical (work hours) and my metabolism has changed with perimenopause.... now I'm not slim and if I want to be I have to curtail my eating more than I'd like (a lifetime of eating lots of good food is a hard habit to break)... I manage this sometimes but finding it hard to be consistent.

I just eat what I fancy. I don't tend to have a massive appetite and I'm not hugely monied so I tend to be there or thereabouts for the day's calories. Food is as often a chore to me as a pleasure so it all balances out.

If I notice my weight getting a bit too low, I'll try and eat a bit more. If my clothes start getting too tight, I'll just be a bit more mindful for a week or so until I've gone down a few pounds.

So no, it's not a gargantuan effort.

Nobody eats tons of take-aways, doughnuts and sweets and stays slim - what slim people do is compensate for overeating (some automatically, some consciously). So you might well see me eating a large pizza for lunch, but then I won't eat much for dinner. I've trained myself to want and enjoy healthy food, and discard fatty, sugary stuff in the main - I don't feel I'm missing out, because I do have a few treats, I just keep it balanced.

Some folk do all that unconsciously, others deliberately, but unless a person has a thyroid or metabolic disorder, or does tons of exercise, they cannot regularly eat extra calories without weight gain.

The reason so many diets fail and people regain the weight is that you can't let up on it - you can't go back to eating like a fat person without becoming fat again. It's a huge mental adjustment to make, it's a change of lifestyle, and it's hard going. Human beings have evolved to prefer fatty, sugary, energy-dense foods, and we're constantly being pushed to buy more food through adverts.

I know a lot of MNers blame people for getting fat, but it's actually really complex, and it's harder for some than others. If you grew up with overweight parents, chances are you'll be overweight yourself. Some people enjoy exercise, others don't. If you're in poverty, shit food is cheaper than healthy food. There are so many factors influencing food choices.

I am slim. Never had to work at it when younger and in fact had a pretty poor diet and too much booze throughout my 20s.

Am now 45 and gain weight much more easily but manage to keep it down with lots of exercise and not eating too much! I choose healthy foods for my meals for the most part; lots of veg, salad, fruit, good fats, grains, rice etc. I prefer this type of food now having weaned myself off my junk/processed diet of my youth! I notice the impact on my health now from food that is less nutritionally beneficial. If I overdo processed food or white carbs etc I tend to feel more sluggish, tired, brain fog etc. I do drink alcohol but fairly rarely as it makes my middle aged body feel like shit! I also don’t eat particularly big portions as I’m small and it doesn’t take much to fill me up.

Having said all of this, I also eat sweets or chocolate most days and I do have less healthy meals; burgers, fry ups, takeaways, ‘beige food’ etc, just not too frequently. I exercise about 12 hours a week which helps a lot as I have a fair bit of muscle, and muscle needs calories!

I never weigh myself and never think about how many calories a particular food or meal has in it, so in that sense, I wouldn’t say I watch my weight; just that better food (which tends to naturally have fewer calories) makes me feel physically better, especially in peri menopause. (But let’s not mention the daily sugar- I know it’s not good for me but I’m not ready to address it yet 😂)

Very few women probably can eat loads, do no exercise and keep slim, especially when they get older. Quite a few men can probably do this though, I have known very thin men who eat and drink loads but are still very thin. I'm quite slim but eat quite small meals, I do like my chocolate though.

I eat what I want but I do naturally prefer lower calorie choices. I don't mean that I never eat biscuits, cake or crisps etc but if I would genuinely prefer a fruit salad 9/10, and tend to go for the biscuits or crisps out of convenience rather than craving. Chocolate I do get a craving for though, usually when I'm tired.

Not a fan of greasy, fatty foods, or carbs. I like lean meat, fish, eggs, vegetables. Prefer a jacket potato to chips. Don't eat cheese at all (intolerance) and I'm not overly fond of bread.

Also I am just not really that motivated by food and tend to find it a bit of a hassle, I sometimes skip meals because I can't be bothered or don't feel hungry. It takes me about 3 days to get to the stage of being lightheaded and bothered by hunger. I don't usually get that far these days but that's from my more chaotic/student days.

I have put on weight since the last two DC but that's just put me comfortably in a healthy weight buffer zone, previously I tended to always be underweight and struggle to keep weight on.

Size 8, no I don't have to work at it. I eat full fat everything and don't watch what I'm eating. However given the choice of eating an avocado or a chocolate cake I'd eat the avocado. There are a whole raft of processed foods I've never eaten or never liked, same as fizzy or sweet drinks. I do actually like salad, but I eat a high fat, high calorie diet (because i consume far too much cheese) and I eat salad and a lot of veg. I cook everything from scratch. And although I've never been on a diet I do forget to eat some days if I'm very busy. And if I'm too busy to cook I wouldn't eat a microwave meal or take out instead. So I'm inclined to think that fasting diets such as 5:2 or whatever must work.

I always pick up the vibe that there are bigger people who simply don't believe that someone can be slim without suffering.

Yes that's true actually - if I have a large lunch then I probably won't eat dinner because I won't be hungry.

I've been skinny, very slim and slim. I'm the latter at the moment - a 10 but often an 8 - I do nothing to maintain it right now but I don't overeat. My diet isn't great. What I would say though is I'm not toned at all so feel flabbier than I actually am. When I exercise I'm toned but the same size and feel (and look) better.

I weighed seven stone in my teens and 20s, didn't think about what I ate whatsoever, but I was also never interested in food and often forgot to ate because I had such a small appetite.

Now, in my 30s and post baby, I have to work at it (but then again I'm still trying to lose baby weight atm)

Always been slim, size 6-8. I don't watch what I eat at all. My appetite seems to naturally regulate itself. Some days I pig out, other days I don't eat so much. I also think my appetite varies according to my cycle, i.e. craving carbs in the days before period but then after period appetite goes back to normal for 3ish weeks.
Also have fairly low sugar diet which I think is a big factor, I don't have a particularly sweet tooth and tend to lean towards savoury over sweet when it comes to snacks or treat food.

I've always been slim. I'm very active but I also don't eat large portions.

I have always been a size 4-6, now in my 50s size 6-8.

I love food. The more sinful the better. When I was younger, I could eat anything I want and not gain weight. That changed once I hit 40. My metabolism must have slowed down. Now I only eat one meal a day (with snacks, cannot resist) and with one 12 hour stretch between meals. This will allow me to maintain my current weight.

However, if I am out with friends or at work or on holiday, I don't watch what I eat. You will see me tuck into everything and think I don't have to watch my weight. But I weigh myself every morning and on the days I am home, keep to my maintenance diet. After a holiday, I will have put on 2 kg and will go on a crash diet to get back to my normal weight.

So my weight keeps within a tight margin. The key is not to gain a lot of weight at once but to maintain whilst allowing room for treats.