If you're slim, what's your lifestyle/ eating habits like?

[thefedupmummyofgoats]

I'm a size 16 which is slightly on the plump side as I'm quite short. I'd love to trim down to about a size 10 so that I'm not crossing my arms or wearing baggy clothing to cover my belly.

If you're slim or have lost weight what is your secret? Do you eat takeout very rarely? Do you walk a lot? Do you make home cooked meals?

I just feel I can't seem to stick to any long term goal. I'm 43 and probably peri which is probably why I've put on weight.

Can we have a little discussion on what the key is for slim living please 🙏

So here a round up of me in bullet points
• too many take away calorific coffee/buns
• take away once a week
• about 5 Coke Zero a day
• too much grazing
• convenience food for tea
• too many UPF
• sedentary most of the day ( office job)
•no fruit or veg

I'm ashamed now that I've written this down

Change your coffee to americano and oat milk not latte

Early 50s and recently lost 2st and have kept it off. I cut out sugar and carbs like bread, potatoes, rice and pasta. I eat lots of protein and fibre, oats and fruit and veg. I rarely exercise.

If you use my fitness pal to keep a food diary you'll sort yourself out quickly

5ft 6 size 10/12, 10 stone (so not skinny but def slim)

I have take away once a week (but don't eat huge amounts), eat mostly what I want but don't have a huge appetite, so would only eat a half muffin if out for coffee and rarely have dessert. Rarely eat crisps but do like chocolate (although just a couple of squares). I would definitely not be slim if I "ate what I want" at all times (was 12 stone at one point).

Proper 1hr walk in the countryside daily (dog).

I eat anything I want but I eat very small portions (never overeat) and I don’t eat anything after 6pm

I am a size 10 now from an 18. No surgery or injections

I don’t eat any takeaways
I don’t eat ready meals/frozen party food I would choose a fresh food option
I don’t drink alcohol very often
I don’t eat cakes/biscuits/sweets/crisps often
I would measure something like cheese if I was going to eat it in a meal rather than just guess
I don’t eat much bread or pasta but I do eat a little bit I tend to eat rice more
I count calories and exercise a fair bit

I count calories as I like carbs and they go well with exercising. It’s hard to decently exercise and eat low carb and it’s not what my body wants

This is not a boring diet before anyone piles in, I eat lots of interesting tasty lovely foods every day. No cardboard ryvita lifestyle here.

I just got to the point where there isn’t much fun about feeling sick from over eating or feeling stressed about not fitting in my clothes.

I cannot eat what I want all the time. I have to be mindful

I also have IBS. This would destroy my gut. Doesn't your stomach hurt?

Yoga daily
walk everywhere
Never buy food or drinks from places like Costa
Have lost taste for alcohol so maybe no more than two or three units a week
Cook meals from scratch
drink lots of water and only one cup of coffee a day
Sleep well

I realised I was using food to fill an emotional hole. I was eating when I didn't need to. Now I'm on board with losing weight to reach a healthy BMI and I'm not far off my target (5lb). I have gone from a size 14 (clothes snug) to a comfortable 12. I'm happy with my progress so far having lost over a stone in weight.

I eat breakfast and then eat a light lunch. I go easy in the evening having something that will fill me up - sometimes carbs such as pasta but I watch portion size as before I was loading my plate/bowl up. I've also stopped bingeing on chocolate and swopped to a lower fat cheese. Christmas has made me feel a bit uneasy because there has been a lot of these foods in the house for the dc.

I walk often. Do at least 10,000 steps daily (occasionally less) but I don't beat myself up about it, it is something to aim for. I try to stay active and try to move more. I'm not a fan of cardio exercise. I would like to take up dance classes eventually though and this can be energetic.

There are many reasons I would like to lose weight. Being healthy is at the top of the list. I knew it would take a while to lose the weight I've accumulated. It's coming off gradually but moving in the right direction. I've just got to be patient with it. I'm also peri-menopausal and taking HRT. The weight isn't easy to shift but it can be done it seems.

I’m 9 stone and have been for 20 years-before my kids I was about 8.5. I eat regular meals and hardly ever snack. I drink maybe 4 glasses of wine a week. If I want something, I’ll have it. I’d say the main things are sensible portion sizes and lack of snacking. I exercise but think it’s mainly diet which keeps
me a steady weight. I’ve never dieted in my life. Sometimes, I eat crisps, like at Christmas and I eat chocolate every day/ it eat it as a pudding after my evening meal. I eat lots of fat-butter, nuts and olive oil. I don’t eat much ready food. I think if you want to lose weight and keep a stable size, you have to commit to a certain lifestyle.

I don't eat too much now and always make a sacrifice - so if I have a sandwich I'll not eat the top slice of bread.

It's great that it works for you but this seems a sad and wasteful way to lose weight. Do you just bin the food you've 'sacrificed'?

Everyone always says things like this to me too when I don’t eat something. It’s not sad, why is it sad? I just don’t want to be all bloated from bread. I would rather eat something else. Bread isn’t all that, you don’t miss it when you don’t eat it for a while

I'm 61 and a size 10.

I run for 45 mins, twice a week. I don't drink alcohol and I cook from scratch, mostly grilled meat or fish with lots of veggies or casseroles/stews. Generally I avoid processed stuff. I don't like sweet stuff much. I drink water or weak coffee. I dislike fizzy drinks.

There are no takeaways within delivery distance so that's not an issue that arises.

I'm slim and I'd say the thing that helps is a lot of protein which fills you up and is good for energy and strength. I also only eat full fat dairy, and mix fruit veg into my cooking rather than stand alone as I find salads boring and need heavy dressings or sauces to liven up. Tbh I do wonder if a lot of it is also genetic as I think I have a fast metabolism like my parents so burn calories very quickly.

Breakfast is porridge or muesli with honey, bananas, raisins, nuts or whatever fruit is in season. A lot of milk with it. For fry ups I choose bacon over sausages as I think they're lower fat and grill where I can. Lunch when I'm home is an omelette (I eat a lot of eggs) with whatever spare veg/meat and cheese, at work I do meal deals but will pick a sandwich or wrap with chicken and veg in it, and little/no mayo. Dinner is one pot or bake recipes like curries, pasta, casseroles with salmon or pork/beef - oily fish and red meat are important for omega 3 and iron and fill me up. It's easy to add veg to these dishes so it's all one meal. I'm Asian so rice at dinner is standard or pasta but I choose whole grain/whole meal. I love carbs and think portion control is more important than wholesale cutting things out. I don't like creamy sauces so rarely add it to food (maybe sour cream) but prefer tomato or coconut milk bases. I only cook with olive oil unless it's a special meal. Also don't like deep fried anything, prefer grilled or pan fried.

I don't deny myself puddings and wine but portion control it - so a few squares rather than whole bar, 1-2 glasses with dinner rather than whole bottle. Prefer deserts like mousse to heavy cakes (rather get my calories from chocolate and dairy rather than sponge), and I will choose a fruity desert if possible. I don't tend to snack during the day but when I do i don't worry about it being healthy tbh as it's my treat and my other meals are healthy.

The biggest weight manager for me is staying active as part of my daily routine. I don't like the gym so do a LOT of walking, always take stairs, gardening, carrying heavy groceries home etc. I do run, bike and hike but it's only at weekends or holidays. I do body weight and dumbbell exercises at home to maintain physical strength - the Sweat app is great for this.

I am partial to take aways and do eat out often but try to go for something with protein and vegetables so prefer Chinese or Thai to a curry or pizza.

Nobody will be able to give you a secret. You already know that eating healthly is better than eating cake and chicolate and that exercising is better than not. You can only do your best.

There have always been people who are slim and eat way more than people who are fat, it is not a metematical thing.

Personally I am at my heaviest now and I take care of myself now more than ever, I used to eat tons in my twenties/early thirties and was very slim naturally then, so it is is not just what you do or eat, it is way more complicated and hormones play a factor.

Lattes are probably my downfall. I drink too much coffee but have switched to decaff in the afternoons. Using food as a comfort it is difficult to let go of everything and not reach for something as the underlying issues haven't been completely resolved (work in progress). I've done well so far but I guess if calories were to reduce further it would be to cut down on the lattes. I do watch the calories a bit (less so now because I'm more conscious of what I'm eating).

Don't drink. Quitting alcohol did it for me!

I’m a size 8-10. I don’t eat breakfast and lunch is something light - fruit, Greek yoghurt, seeds and nuts or a vegetable omelette. I then have a snack around 5pm (couple of slices of toast and marmite for example) as we eat dinner late. Dinner is home cooked most nights and we don’t get many takeaways. We do always have something fun on a Friday though like homemade burgers with salad, and Saturday could be pizza or pasta. I love wine and beer but don’t drink large quantities. I also don’t really snack or eat sweets or cake (I don’t like them). Daily drinks are black coffee, water, herbal tea or a CBD Trip drink in the evening after dinner.

I go to the gym twice weekly and run around 5k once a week. I hit at least 10k steps a day and some days over 20k.

I do 4-5 sessions of exercise a week. Gym, pilates, running or similar. I eat mainly no UPF but good sized home cooked meals, with lots of fruit and veg but also meat/fish. I don't buy things like Starbucks coffees but do have treats like cake/sweet things if I want them but not on a daily basis. I am 50, 5'6 and 10 stone.

I'm 5'7 and weigh about 9.5st so neither overweight or very slim. I don't drink but I don't exercise either. I'm a grazer rather than a meal-er and I love sweet stuff. I'm 45.

The ‘formula’ my pt has given me is pretty simple and seems to be working

• High protein (2g for every 1 kg of goal weight)
• calorie tracking and calorie deficit
• weights 3 times a week
• increase steps - not necessarily to 10k but mine have gone up from about 5 to 8 k average, I’ve stopped driving the school run and now walk and look for any opportunity to walk!

in the new year I plan to start running twice a week and train for a half marathon

good luck!

Forgot to say i don't drink as much alcohol as I used to either. Maybe 2-3 glasses of wine and week max.

Add in rather than take away stuff to start with.
For example make sure you have protein with every meal, and either fruit or veg with every meal.
This is a good way to start.
There’s no easy answer though, it’s very very hard!

Size 12, eat 1800-2000 calories a day, 11.5 stone

When I was a size 8, ate 900 calories a day, weighed 8 stone. It was a sad existence but I looked great lol