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 🙏

I was 62. Overweight. Had struggled since about 43/44 when peri hit, which was also when I went back to work.

After a health scare I gave up:

Refined sugar
Refined carbs
Wheat
Saturated fat
Alcohol

Significantly reduced Red meat and upped fish, veg, fruit and pulses.

I lost 2.5 stone in five months.

Also, every bit of eczema disappeared, my aches and pains lifted and my puffy ankles disappeared - within a fortnight.

I weigh the same and I'm the same size as I was at 16. (8st, size 6-8).

I eat anything in moderation as denial only leads to wanting to eat particular foods.

I've managed my weight by only ever letting myself put on half a stone at a time and at that point eating less to take it back off.

As I've got older, I've stopped eating on a morning and have breakfast type food at lunchtime. Often yoghurt or porridge. This allows me more freedom to snack in the evening after dinner.

I don't regularly exercise but live in a house on four floors, so loads of running up and down and walk locally to shop, visit cafes etc. I clean my own house and have just taken an allotment.

What time can you carve out for exercise - both going to gym/classes/out running, and more ancillary movement (walking to shops, work, etc, instead of driving)?

How much more time if you a) prioritise yourself, b) get partner to pull weight at home, and c) choose exercise over telly, scrolling etc?

The more you move, the less you have to cut calories to the bone to lose weight.

I am very active, weight train 3 -4 times a week, swim 3 times, ski 2 times and have a horse :) walk a minimum of 11k steps a day but even with all of that I am post menopausal so have to track what I eat and stay below 1700 calories a day. I gave up alcohol in May and lost a stone.

This thread is very interesting. I don't do many of the things posters do.

After decades of being overweight or obese, I lost a lot of weight by diet and exercise, and kept it off permanently. All the stuff you are supposed to do - daily 90+ mins of cardio, low carb high veg diet, no snacking etc - are all sustainable because of one key fact. I want to stay slim more than I want a lazy day/ junk food/ crisp and chocolate.

My weight is pretty static. If I put on half a stone I take action quickly. I am not looking to go too slim as in my late forties that shows on my face.

It’s consistency for me. I always have breakfast - cereal - and a lightish lunch. Try not to eat as much cheese as I’d like to. Sensible portion sizes. I eat when I’m hungry, mainly. So sometimes snacks. I eat a lot of popcorn.

I walk a lot, cycle sometimes and do Pilates and swim once a week or so. Nothing too excessive and have never joined a gym.

I think HRT is helping me as as oestrogen declines it can make you store fat differently, around your middle. And not having a lot of visceral fat round my middle is one of my key concerns (more than overall weight).

I am a size 8. I have always been this size since Adulthood. I have never dieted, and have always eaten what I like. I do not eat unless I am hungry, and have no real interest in chocolate, ice cream, etc. I do not consume drinks like coke, sprite etc. I will not consume drinks with sweeteners, or artificial flavours. I deprive myself of nothing food wise, that I want to eat, but do not desire the need to order fast food, kfc, pizza, or the like. If I want fried chicken, or pizza, I make it myself, using decent chicken, homemade pizza sauce, etc. My meals are home cooked, using high quality ingredients.

BMI of 21.

only eat between 11.30 and 7. Two meals a day and very little snacking. It’s rare if I do.

Plus swimming, running 2/3 times a week and cycling to work (8k), but not everyday.

I do drink alcohol though, not ready to give that up. I know I should.

Following this with interest. I've always been 8-8.5 stone or less and eaten what I want. However I'm on my second pregnancy and in pregnancy I eat absolutely non-stop and put on lots of weight. I've concluded that weight gain and or loss must be mainly hormonal

Also I do zero exercise. From studies, I don't think exercise leads to weight loss, only diet matters

I should add, that I do not drink alcohol, and I am limited by my disability, so the only exercise I can do really, is slow walking.

I'm 66 and weigh the same as when I was in my 20s which is about 9.5 stone and I am 5'8".

I have never been "on a diet" but I do have rules / habits which I have followed forever. They mainly involve not snacking and very little bread. I adore bread but my digestion does not.
Breakfast is all bran (for the fibre) and skimmed milk (skimmed because I don't like the taste of milk but want the calcium).
Lunch is salad with some protein or soup, no bread. Plus a bowl of fruit and Greek yoghurt.
Dinner is whatever I want , mostly home cooked from scratch but not always.
Takeaway once or twice a year. Eat out rarely.

Nothing is forbidden. I never choose "diet" or "low fat" versions of anything. I don't graze or snack during the day, ever, but I do have some crisps or cake in the evening, sometimes with a beer or wine.
I've eaten and drunk more this last week and probably gained a bit but it will drop off quickly.

Exercise wise I walk every day and do a dance class and pilates once a week. Nothing hugely demanding.

I rarely think about food except when a meal time approaches and I have to plan what to eat. That doesn't mean I don't love food but just that it's not on my mind.
I'd say I have good genes to some extent. My parents were born in the 1930s and were very slim all their lives. My kids are slim, as is DH.
Menopause had no effect on my weight, but I didn't alter my eating habits.

I'm a size 6-8.

Very restrictive in what I eat. Kefir and spinach and protein powder smoothie every morning for breakfast. Salad for lunch that is mostly just veg but I add egg or fish about 4 times a week. Dinner of a home cooked meal with the rest of the family but I'll have a very small portion of the carbs. Loads of veg with every evening meal, same goes for everyone in the family. Only snack on fruit or sometimes feel yoghurt and protein powder.

Weekends I'll have the odd snack or things like crisps or chocolate but only a very small amount. If I'm a guest at someone's house I eat whatever I'm offered including cakes and crisps etc and have found it makes no difference to my weight as it's still infrequent.

Active and busy and I run. But mostly I think it's about the restrictive diet. I always feel hungry before dinner in the evening.

AM 5.3 and weigh 50kg - I think as for a lot of people I only really eat two meals per day. In my case I usually have breakfast and late lunch - as I dont like going to bed feeling overly full. I also walk an hour or two per day. Will go back to doing weights after an op but thats mainly due to age and because I want to maintain my muscle mass rather than weight.

Used to be about 13 stone, size 14, now down to under 9 stone, and probably a size 8-10. The big shift for me came when we went into lockdown, because I started thinking about what I was eating much more.

Instead of buying a meal deal sandwich and snack every day for lunch, plus fizzy drink, I was making my own food, cooking from scratch, and the weight started falling off with very little effort. Don't really feel like I'm missing out on much, it's easier to say no when there are cakes etc in the office, because I know it'll make me feel worse & more sluggish - and I can make my own cookies that don't seem to have the same negative effects or prompt the spiral of snacking that store bought things will.

Once I lost the first stone, exercise became easier and more enjoyable. I do a class twice a week, a mix of cardio and weights. Want to up that next year, or include some yoga or pilates. And I walk everywhere; most Saturdays and Sundays I'll be doing 20k steps without really thinking about it.

I'm a size 8 bmi 18.7.

I am teetotal and eat a very healthy vegan diet with the odd treat here and there.

3 healthy meals a day, usually porridge for breakfast, lots of grains, vegetables, lentils etc. tofu. Cooking from scratch. Only have chocolate once a week.

I love keeping active. I plank daily, run 1-2 times a week and walk 2-4 hours every day. I have a greyhound who needs walking twice a day which helps.

I drink lots of water (and coffee oops!)

I do 2 16 hour fasts a week. 3pm - 7am just lemon water and nothing else, I love it and it makes me feel great.

I generally just try really hard to take care of myself.

However I do treat myself now and again. As I'm so healthy all the rest of the time I can relax occasionally- tonight for example I inhaled a dominoes pizza!

I think mindset is the ultimate key. I enjoy healthy living so there is no 'band wagon' to fall off and I don't need to motivate myself or feel deprived as I actively choose to and prefer to live the way I do. Sustainable for life, that truly is the secret. I have never been 'on a diet'. You have to find a way of enjoying it op x

I am a size 8. I have always been this size since Adulthood.

This seems strange as sizing has massively changed in the last 30 years. I used to be 8-10 in everything now I’m 6. I’m the same size as I always was it’s just vanity sizing.

I’m nearing 50 and have always been the same weight and shape my whole adult life (so just under 5ft 4 and around 8st 3 to 8st 5). I don’t have scales but over the years when I have used them it’s pretty much between these weights. I’ve always been naturally active so not just doing formal exercise but also using stairs, walking fast etc. Im a lifelong vegetarian (not sure that makes a difference) and I eat when I’m hungry. I am lucky that I have a healthy relationship with food and it’s not linked to emotions. I really enjoy my food and I eat very decent potions for my size but I do eat well, lots of veg, sourdough, home cooked meals each night. I do drink wine.

I have lost 20lbs since August and have calorie counted using Noom, so not actually excluded anything from my diet but just ate smaller portions and made sure I’ve bought versions of food that is low in calories. I walk lots and always choose walking over driving if it’s possible, and do a bit of weights each week for tone.

Interesting thread. My main issue is psychological.

*If I'm in need of comfort I will probably feel more comforted by a hug, a chat with a friend, or a soak in the tub than I will from food, especially 'comfort foods'.

This. At last I have more of this in my life. It has made a huge difference. I can self soothe (in a positive way) too now which is invaluable.

Also, as someone else as mentioned, now the first stone has come off, it seems accumulative because I feel more energised and more inclined to move. It is motivational too because you know it can be done. Pleased so far. I'm doing more of the same and it is happening gradually.

I’m a size 10 (was a 14/16) and I have takeaways sometimes but usually only for a special treat - I enjoy them so much more than I did when I had them more often! I drink mainly water or herbal tea, and I try to make sure I get plenty of protein in my diet. I go to spin class twice a week plus a couple of strength training classes and I aim for 10,000 steps a day (even if I have to walk around my lounge in the evening to get the last few in haha!)

Try having other snacks with you at that time:

Trail mix
Banana
Popcorn
Almonds
Protein based cereal bars
Small amount of dark chocolate

So you have something ready for the sugar low.

I am 158cm and UK size 8. I've always been slim, but during the lockdown I put on some weight because I was drinking way too much wine, not moving much and not eating well.

I do have take out once per week with my DH, but I eat pretty healthy (lots of veg & fruit, beans, pulses etc).

I think part of it is genetics, everyone in my family is pretty slim.

I do eat smaller portions, but more often. If i eat big portions I feel bloated and meh.

I do Pilates 2 x week mainly for my back and I walk a lot during the day as I have a very active toddler.

You're definitely right that it's less sad than not having a sandwich at all! I have a real problem with the thought of wasting food, but then I also have a real problem with my weight, so maybe I should give your method a try. After all, if I'm eating food in excess of what my body needs, you could argue that it's wasted anyway. Thank you for replying, I appreciate it.

This is a great thread. Thank you OP and everyone.