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Original poster

Slim women. Do you work at it?

378 replies

Colinfromaccounts · 10/09/2023 21:00

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?

OP posts:
Robotalkingrubbish · 10/09/2023 22:54

I’ve worked with slim women who ate like pigs. On a late one would have a jacket potato with a chilli sauce on top and then get fish and chips on the way home.

Brightonhome · 10/09/2023 22:56

I'm 58, 5ft 6 and weigh 12 stone. I'm a size 16 and I'm staying there. I was whip thin in my 20s and 30s, one kid at 38, slim-ish until 45 then gradually put weight on. Size 14 by 50 and now I'm size 16. I'm quite happy here. I eat what I like and I'm not mourning the demise of my slim figure. It's comfortable here. If I really really wanted to I could drop a dress size, but tbh I just can't be arsed. Answering your question, no, I never worked at it. Being slim was never a conscious effort.

Feelingsad12 · 10/09/2023 22:56

Slimish - BMI 22, work hard at it - weight in morning and night and do 3 hrs cardio a week. Will eat what I want when I go out but am careful with what I eat day to day. It’s a constant battle as I love food.

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Weight management
Octomingo · 10/09/2023 22:57

I'm told I'm slim and, depending on your angle, I am. In a woman in her 40s kind of way (5'9 size 10-12). I have a sweet tooth and I like a drink. Not a fan of fizzy drinks or savoury snacks. I like looking slim and fitting my clothes so, whilst I've never dieted, I think my size is always at the back of my mind. I know I need to eat fewer cakes than in my 20s. But I also exercise more. Bieber
However, injury has knocked me out all summer, so I do need to be more careful with what I eat at the minute. Not in terms of meals (3a day), but the treats.

Eyesopenwideawake · 10/09/2023 22:58

An example. Yesterday I had some egg whites, left over condensed milk and dark chocolate so made some quasi chocolate mousse(s??). Even though they barely filled a ramekin they were far too dense and filling to eat in one go. Might be finished tomorrow or thrown out.

Zone2NorthLondon · 10/09/2023 22:58

Work at it,no. It’s not hard. It’s not rocket science. No self control or denial just healthy food & excercise
I am vegetarian, don’t smoke,minimal alcohol,and exercise
Walk whenever I can. Have an active job

Mummy2Babba · 10/09/2023 23:00

I'm naturally slim and don't work at it. I also don't eat as healthy as I should or wish , and don't exercise like I should. I also have 3 under 5's and my body shape or weight hasn't changed after either pregnancy and I am pretty toned ( possibly due to running after 2 babies and a small child ) . I think it's genetics more than anything. But that's not to say I'm unhealthy inside and I wish I had the motivation to become healthier at times. I do get sluggish and tend to have vitamin deficiencies, so healthy eating whether it's to maintain a healthy weight or not is so important. I just really struggle with working full time (12 hours shifts) and the children to maintain this. I think it's important however you feel inside not about how you look to others. If you feel healthy inside you will have a healthy mind and vis versa. Xxx

Theroom · 10/09/2023 23:00

I'm slim. I was always skinny as a child and never thought about what I ate. In my 20s and early 30s I used to exercise every day and I played sport to a high level and I had to actively eat more than I wanted because I struggled to get enough calories.

However, in my 40s and post-baby it is harder and a bit more conscious. I never eat low cal cheese / yoghurt etc as I think it's vile and try to minimise UPF. I love cooking from scratch so what I want to eat really is generally healthy. But in a restaurant I'll order anything - very very rarely is it salad. I go to restaurants to eat what I fancy!

I also did put on weight briefly in my gap year, but that was on a diet of pasta, rice and potatoes (often all three in one meal) and literally 7 Mars Bars a day.

I guess I'm similar to my Gran and Dad, who were both skinny until middle age and by 60 were quite overweight. I don't want that to happen to me.

roastytoastysnowballs · 10/09/2023 23:00

Yeah, I eat once a day

Sometimes it's a Chinese, sometimes it's a small plate of tortellini, sometimes it's a cheese and ham toastie

I don't drink alcohol either and walk for one hour every day

Food doesn't really excite me. I do like M&S chocolate cashews but I literally eat 1/4 of a bag at a time - which is about 4 or 5

Control. Always

LateBloomingQueer · 10/09/2023 23:01

I am slim (size 8 at 5'6"), mid 30s.

I do mind what I eat but primarily for health reasons. I try to take really good care of my health and body so that I can live a long life in great condition.

Weight is not my primary concern when making food choices, more of a "side effect" of my desire to stay healthy.

NewPinkJacket · 10/09/2023 23:01

BrightYellowDaffodil · 10/09/2023 22:47

I can’t shake the feeling it’s deliberate in order to stay slim

And that’s bad because…? It’s not healthy to be overweight.

It's weird isn't it?

Like saying 'I can't shake the feeling they don't drink 2 bottles of wine per day, because they don't want to become alcoholics'.

Or 'I can't shake the feeling they're choosing not to smoke in order to not damage their lungs'.

Ok then 👀

KeepTheTempo · 10/09/2023 23:03

To a point. Some people are genetically more likely to be at risk of becoming overweight or to carry it differently or with more impact, but that doesn't change the fact that until the last very short time, very few people were overweight, there's no forced relationship. It's also true that once you've been obese, your body works harder to retain the weight, so these hormonal impacts can be a result of being overweight, not a cause (or not a sole cause).

Even without the science, anyone who's looked after dogs, for example, knows that it's actually quite hard to make a collie fat, but with many labradors you have to work hard to keep them trim.

However overweight dogs were a total rarity a few decades back, now extremely common. Overweight cats used to be even rarer, again now not. Not a different gene pool, but changing lifestyles and culture around food.

KohlaParasaurus · 10/09/2023 23:03

I'm quite slim, don't restrict my food intake to manage my weight, and didn't gain weight with the menopause, but I've noticed that over the years my appetite has reduced naturally so that, for example, if I want dessert I need to skip the starter. My DH is similar. When I met him he was in his late thirties, very slender, and would eat until he was lying under the table groaning. He's two or three kilograms heavier now and probably eats half as much as he did.

Crikeyalmighty · 10/09/2023 23:03

One thing I don't think anyone has mentioned is medication- the older you get the more the chance you will be on 'something' and many medications mess with metabolism and/or blood sugar-be it steroids or beta blockers or statins etc. I can eat like a saint at a level that when I was 34 would have easily lost me 3lb a week consistently - wherasat61 and on medication I would struggle to lose 1lb a week on a similar diet of around 1350 calories a day and low carb

Zooeyzo · 10/09/2023 23:05

Yes over the age of 30 I was careful about my diet. But when I say slim I mean less than a 25 inch waist. Unless you're the tiny percentage of genetically blessed people I don't think it's possible without diet and exercise.

porridgeisbae · 10/09/2023 23:06

Yep, my whole life.

Virtually anyone who claims to be naturally skinny is actually severely restricting their calories.

Applesonthelawn · 10/09/2023 23:08

It requires constant awareness. I do find though that if you never have any fast food, greasy food, sweet food, processed food - which I don't - then you just stop wanting it. So I don't go hungry and always feel satisfied, and so I wouldn't say it's effort, more just awareness and habit.

Purplebuttercup · 10/09/2023 23:08

No, I wouldn't say I have to work at it. I don't really give my weight much thought. Despite having not been able to exercise in years, I've still stayed the same (9st). I live by the saying "everything in moderation, including moderation" - I eat mostly home cooked meals, stop eating when I'm full, don't snack unless my tummy growls, and stop drinking when I'm feeling warm and fuzzy. Except for those few times when I don't!

FedUpWithEverything123 · 10/09/2023 23:08

Sometimes being slim comes naturally - it did for me, and several friends, when we were younger. We actually actively tried to put on weight because of all the negative comments we received for being slim

But after having children, the changes that makes to your body, metabolism, time pressures, lifestyle changes etc - now we have to make an effort to keep the pounds off

YabbaDabbaDooooo · 10/09/2023 23:10

porridgeisbae · 10/09/2023 23:06

Yep, my whole life.

Virtually anyone who claims to be naturally skinny is actually severely restricting their calories.

Utter rubbish.

This thread (and all the others in the past) are full of people telling you that they just don't have big appetites.

Hold the front page: Not everyone is exactly the same 🙄

Palindrone · 10/09/2023 23:10

I could eat whatever I liked and stay effortlessly slim, without an exercise routine, until I was in my late 20s. I was so tiny that people would regularly ask what I did to maintain my figure.

I'm in my mid-40s now and I still eat whatever I like. The difference is I'm now a size 18.

If I'd always had to work at staying slim I might have a different mindset and be slimmer. Realistically I love good food too much to have the discipline to change. Being fat gets me down, but cooking gourmet meals and eating out are two of life's greatest pleasures and the prospect of giving them up/cutting down makes me feel far more miserable. I don't eat bread, desserts, or processed food, but not because of the calories, I just don't personally enjoy them. I dread to think how huge I'd be otherwise.

I walk pretty much everywhere but don't do any specific exercise. I used to do circuit training but found this made me ravenous so I piled on the pounds!

The majority of my slim friends are constantly in a cycle of losing weight with Slimming World, gaining a stone when they stop, berating themselves then repeating the process again. I've tried their slimming world meals and they're so flavourless and unsatisfying that they make me want to weep.

I have one friend my age who is effortlessly slim - she's vegan, has never given birth, and rides horses several times a week.

The comments about skipping breakfast are interesting. I've always abided by 'eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper' but I can't deny that everyone I know who skips breakfast is a lot slimmer than me!

Vijia · 10/09/2023 23:12

Large people often have such cavernous stomachs they can eat 3 big meals daily and snack and drink too and not feel uncomfortable.

I am slim and always have been and I hate processed meats/junk/ soft drinks/ fast foods unless it's sushi so my choices are healthy as a result. I find salads that have lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber boring as hell but I am a real foodie and love trying out and making mainly plant based and seafood dishes from around the world.

As far as wight goes, the biggest I have ever got was an enormous 10 at as I was full term pregnant and hated the way the tops of my thighs rubbed and the weight of my boobs made them sweaty underneath. Yuk!! Having to heave yourself up and down steps etc, so uncomfortable!

I really don't understand how obese people manage in the heat and just movement in general without skin rubbing and sores and sweat and from my work I know many find it impossible to avoid incontinence later in life because of the downward pressure.

Most people are not aware of what life will be like after a lifetime of not caring about weight and health and it can be daily misery.

Obesity related incontinence, immobility, strokes, heart attacks, diabetes and pressure sores are sadly on the rise and there is national shortage of carers which is only going to get worse.

if you are so big you cannot sit on the floor from the standing position and get up again without holding on to anything then you are going to be in dire straits in the future if you have a fall so best do something about it now.

DragonScreeches · 10/09/2023 23:13

Friday was an apple, small baked potato with cheese and salad for lunch and dinner was Bolognese (no pasta or garlic bread)

So you just had the bolognaise sauce on its own for dinner?

bluegreenandcoral · 10/09/2023 23:13

Yes I do have to work at it unfortunately. I can get away without exercising and still stay slim (although I do look and feel far better if I exercise too) but I always have to watch what I eat. If I don’t I start gaining lbs pretty quickly.

I have two kids now and am not that far off 40 but to be honest I’ve always been like this, it’s nothing new. Even when I was 20 I couldn’t eat what I wanted without gaining weight.

Orangeglows · 10/09/2023 23:13

I eat what I want but what I want tends to be healthy. I love salads, would always opt for that over chips, don’t really like burgers, pizza etc. I like chocolate a lot and I guess there I do make a conscious choice because I don’t eat a giant bar a day like I would like to. But I have it fairly often. I also don’t really snack, I just never think to.