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’m 35, 161cm and about 56kg. Size 8

i don’t think I’ve got any secrets. but I’m not the epitome of physical excellence. I do really really need to start some sort of physical exercise, I try to go for lunch time walks and walk at the weekend.

i dont drink or eat processed meats or normal bread or pasta. I also don’t really eat cruciferous veggie or chilli’s as they play havoc with my digestive system. But everything else is fair game. I wouldn’t say I order desserts out and about

a typical day for me…

i don’t eat breakfast. I have 2 half tsps of flavoured instant coffee with a splash of milk (semi skimmed)

sometimes I have a banana mid morning

lunch: I seem to have 3 things on rotation atm. Jacket potato with tuna mayo (extra light). Greek salad with rice and about some feta about 1.5 thumb lengths. Or chickpea pasta salad bulked out with veggie. With a piece of fruit

mid afternoon- Pepsi max

dinner- sometimes depends on what we have, if it’s pasta I won’t have it, and would have some Greek yogurt as a dessert later. But if else then I’d just have anormal family dinner.

I put on 6 stone over 2 pregnancies. I lost all of it after getting an Apple Watch (other brands are available 😆). I resolved to hitting my exercise and calorie targets every day and when the watch prompted me to increase them, I did.

It basically took me from sitting on the sofa every evening to getting out for a walk, to joining exercise classes, to swimming and now a little home gym. As a result I naturally ate less and better. Now I am back to the same weight as I was before children and have maintained that for about 6 years. Still hitting those goals every day!

I'm in my late 40s and about 8 stone. I run about 20-30km a week. I'm veggie, but graze alot. They only thing I really watch in my diet is trying to not eat too much processed food and alcohol. I find I put a bit of weight on at this time of the year through drinking.

I'm 5'5, weigh 8.3 stone and in my late 50's. To maintain my weight i need two meals a day- lunch around 1/2pm and dinner by 7pm. So that's an 18 hour fast.

The problems start when I eat crap in between meals. The sad fact is at my age you just don't need so much food. I also do moderate exercise and a few weights.

I'm a steady size 10.

My rules:

• mostly eat 16/8 or 20/4. I don't usually eat breakfast and try to start eating as late in the day as I can.
• I do and love yoga or pilates every day.
• I walk at least 15000 steps a day
• Weights 4-5 times a week
• I watch what I eat. I work out whether calories are worth it. Pizza never is, wine often is. I limit carbs, sugars and saturated fats/crap foods. We have home cooked, relatively healthy meals every day.
• I don't eat biscuits, crisps or chocolates and don't have snacks in the house. (I'm not a snacker actually, but toast/sandwiches would probably be my downfall).
• No takeaways (I don't like them, they make me feel sick and the calories/expense are never worth it for me)
• I generally know approx how many calories I eat in a day. If I go really off piste one day, I rein it in the next day. The weekly average is probably more important than the daily total.

2-3 meals a day. Dont stand at the fridge serving yourself. No creamy stuff in the house and definitely no biscuits. 1-2 coffee or tea a day. No takeaways. You always over order and end up eating it. Pass by McDonalds although looking at our local ones there are plenty of people who cannot resist.

Don’t make excuses for the over eating and don’t tell people who hardly eat anything before you put on weight. No one believes you - sorry!

Im very similar to the second poster. Never dieted. Nothing intentional. Never been above a size 10. Im 5feet7 and just under 9stone at the moment. My weight really doesnt tend to fluctuate apart from with christmas baileys… I dont eat if i am not hungry. And a more recent poster and I have pretty much the same diet.

Do you eat takeout very rarely??once a month at the very, very most. It doesnt make us feel very good, and is so expensive we wouldnt consider it worth the cost to feel crappy all evening.

Do you walk a lot? yes we have a dog. His daily evening walk is a mile and a half at a good pace. But my job is largely on my feet all day. I may have an hour sat down at a desk on some days. We also have gym membership as a family, although attendance is sporadic!

Do you make home cooked meals? DH cooks every evening. My lunch at work is left overs from evening meals. Or salads. I love salads. Im also pescatarian, so no red meat. I dont digest bready / pastry stuff easily so dont eat pastry / pies and things like that.

like another poster, I always take the stairs etc. and we have a lot of stairs at work. I don't eat breakfast and portions are small when i compare mine to other people’s. I love fruit and veg so snack on both at work, apple, tangerine, peaches, grapes, strawberries, carrot sticks, celery that kind of thing. I don't have a sweet tooth, im very much savoury leaning, so dont often eat ice cream, chocolate, cake etc. but like a said, crisps are a weakness. I drink tea and water throughout the day. We arent big alcohol drinkers. Thats a lot of empty calories

i used to run 5k we times a week and was in my best shape then, but i have too many injuries now.

so id say it is a series of little things to slightly adjust rather than massive changes that will have long term impact. always have a bottle of water to hand. Have veg and fruit snacks in your bag at all times. Stop buying cakes and muffins and calorific coffees. Take the stairs. If youre not in a hurry, walk or bike rather than take the car.

If you eat to balance your blood sugar you shouldn’t really need to snack at all. The ‘sugar dip’ is because your blood sugar has spiked and then crashed. You want to avoid this.

Eating more protein and moving after meals helps. There’s loads online about it.

5’4” and 8 stone 3lbs. I seem to be able to be about 9 stone without any effort, ie, lifestyle and diet I gravitate towards naturally and this weight if I cut out snacks. I generally get 30-60 mins exercise a day, usually a run or a swim and walking. I don’t really drink and when I do, it’ll be a small glass of something only. I do snack a lot but try to have it be fruits or veggies. I don’t eat much processed food at all. We do eat out and do take away but tends to be from nicer restaurants, so not terribly processed.

Try to really listen to whether I’m full and if I am, stop eating whether or not my plate still has food on it. DH has gained quite a bit of weight but will often say, oh if it’s just a little bit, I’ll finish it off whereas I’ll put it in the fridge for leftovers or compost rather than overeat.

A muffin from Costa will be around 400 cals just for a blueberry one. Can be 500 for some of the chocolate/ seasonal special ones. A coffee could be between 150 to 350 or more calories depending on type, latte, cappuccino etc all higher than a black. If you add syrups etc then through the roof.
A muffin and a coffee could easily reach 700 calories so if you are doing that 3 times a week it could easily mean a stone a year if weight going on from that alone

Everything in moderation plus a daily dog walk.

I'm a size 10 and 5 foot 6.

I run around 15km per week and also go to a hiit class and use my own dumbells at home. Porridge with chia seeds and blueberries every morning for breakfast then a banana at about 11am. I work from home so will have scrambled eggs on toast, cheese on toast, beans on toast etc for lunch then a dinner with the kids once they're home at about 5pm. If I snack I snack on almonds, dried mango etc. Basically I try to avoid crisps and chocolate during the week and not snack on unhealthy foods. I tend to eat what i want at the weekends but I would say I'm always quite mindful of what I'm eating.

I also don't drink very much (like might have a couple of glasses of wine a year).

I have a sedentary job in an office. I make sure I go for a walk at lunchtime at least 3 or 4 days. I also set the alarm 30 mins early and do some dumbells, stretches or 30 mins on the stationary bike.
I go for longer walks/hikes at weekends.
Instead of sitting with a coffee and muffin while waiting outside your kids class go for a walk / run while they re doing their activity.
I only ever have tea or black coffee when in a coffee shop. I would tend to pick something like a toasted teacake or scone if I was having something with it but that would be breakfast / lunch on that day. I cook simple food from scratch. So things like pan fried fish or chicken with stir fry veg. Omlete with salad, poached eggs with avocado and sourdough. Stirfrys etc. If I want crisps I have one pack out of a multi pack. I only really drink water and tea at home.

I eat cereal for breakfast, usually a sandwich and crisps for lunch and then a small tea like chicken with salad or gammon and a few chips.
I might have a little cake bar for pudding. I don’t drink fizzy drinks.
One take-away a week which I share (we get a meal between us- say a small fish dinner and split between two of us).

But I have a physical job and physical hobby. I do usually 10k steps before I’ve even started work and then do my job (physical and on my feet) and then around another 8-10k steps in the evening after work with the hobby. I will snack on the occasional biscuit but just 1 or 2.

I’m size 10.

Im 42, BMI about 20. Eat 3 good meals a day and snacks (fruit/nuts etc but also a biscuit/cake most days) I dont drink much alcohol, try and cook from scratch/avoid UPFs where realistic and dont eat meat. I exercise 5 days a week (mostly running longer distances). I dont restrict any food groups and believe in everything in moderation and moving lots. We eat Gousto meals most nights, I often eat left overs for lunch and porridge for breakfast. We dont eat out/takeaways much-too expensive!

I binge ate/was v overweight and v underweight with bulimia/anorexia for most of my teens/20s and tried every diet going. It overtook my life and I spent 15 years thinking about every calorie, how much I weighed and full of self loathing.

The only thing that has worked long term is not dieting, throwing out the scales and exercising because it feels good (not to obtain a certain size). Ive stayed the same size 8/10 for 10 years now, including after 3 pregnancies. I spent years consumed by endless guilt related to food and attaching emotion to anything I ate. I rarely think about food/weight now and if I eat 5 biscuits it wont affect my mood or cause a spiral of despair.

My advice now is to focus on health not weight and find comfort/joy/coping mechanisms outside of food.

I’m 5’6 and 8 stone and I eat whatever I want. Two or three takeaways a week, a lot of chocolate, ice cream, big cookies,cake. It’s honestly really bad as so unhealthy! I can’t seem to break my addiction to sugar though! Funny my partner said yesterday as we tucked into our second cake of the day, “I wonder what would happen if you lived solely on desserts” and then I said “me. I’m what would happen” and he laughed and said “yeah you’re right”.oh and I also do about 1000 steps a day or less!

There have been times in my life where I have ran miles a day, strength trained, and eaten really cleanly and my weight actually increased, which I can only ascribe up the muscle as I had a six pack etc. Hoping to get more time to exercise in the new year.

I’m 5ft 2 and 9 stone, was 12 stone a few years ago and really uncomfortable.
Other than a few walks a week with the kids and a part time job (8 hours a week) I do have quite a sedentary life style.
I use a calorie counting app now to keep on top of my weight, it really opened my eyes to the fact I was consuming far too many calories and fatty foods for the lifestyle I lead. I still have the odd burger or a few slices of pizza at the weekend but it’s home made with a big salad on the side (not chips) and a much smaller portion size.
I have much more energy now and my joints don’t hurt any more so would really like to up my fitness in the new year especially after reading through these comments 😂.

I have got in the habit of going for a walk or run while my kids are at their sports. It dead time so can’t do anything useful, by the time I get home I’d have about 10 mins before heading back. It’s been a great habit former for me.

No exercise on its own doesn’t lead to extensive weight loss. You exercise for other health benefits. You can also eat more as you burn a little more so it’s a small benefit. It’s good for your cardiovascular health and your muscle mass being robust is good for you as you get older, decreases your risk of falls and osteoporosis.

I’ve had 2 children and was overweight all my life and then lost weight and it’s not mostly hormonal in my own experience, I was predominantly just eating and drinking too much through boredom, sedentary lifestyle, lack of sleep, eating what the DC eat (finishing off their food), not having time to cook decently, filling a hole with food. Added with some hormones but not the main reason

5'7, 8.5/stone, 44.

Very active lifestyle, average 15k plus steps per day plus ride 5or more times a week and do a job involving physical labour.

Don't have a great diet - a lot of sugar and caffeine. Really dislike complex carbs, meals are usually high protein and fat as that's what I prefer.

I think generally eating is not a big thing in my life -I see food very much as fuel - plus stress kills my appetite so if I'm busy I will miss meals without really noticing.

I don't tend to calorie count and will eat take out if offered but would jot bother to go out and get it. Food just isn't that interesting other than to provide energy to do what I want to do outside.

I rarely have takeaways and avoid ultra processed foods if I can. Remember that alcohol is high in sugar and calories

Walk as much as possible - use stairs instead of lifts etc

So much interesting info here. Seems like most people deliberately try to watch their weight. I thought some people were just naturally slim.

I'm going to do a nice healthy shop.
Does anyone want to give me a few healthy bits to add to my Tesco basket that might help me (and others) so nice little swaps that make the difference?

5ft 3ins, around 8 stone but rarely get weighed. Size 10/12.
60 so post menopause now, but always been slim.
Athletic build, long torso short legs.
Never dieted, never been to a gym.

Porridge every morning before 8am, light lunch at 12 ish, main meal at 6 - 6.30 but nothing much after that. Go to bed early, get up early.

Vegetarian, teetotal, no takeaways or coffee shop stuff, no chocolate.
I'm not big on snacking and don't have much of a sweet tooth.
Eat a lot of veg, pasta, salads, home made soups, breads and cheeses.

Have a big dog so walk for at least an hour most days and am on the go a lot throughout the day.

I was naturally slim until my mid/late 30s. Now I have to keep a loose eye on things.

I try to burn around 2000 calories per day according to my Fitbit but usually fall short. If I was sat all day I burn around 1400, so that means doing some walking and something that raises my heart rate and then I try to keep in a calorie deficit. It would be impossible to be in a calorie deficit without exercise and still be well nourished

Usually I eat breakfast at lunchtime and then try to have dinner not too late. I try to have carbs only with one meal. But if I'm meeting friends for food I have whatever I want.

Frozen fruit - pineapple and mango are winners (not berries). Put them in a box for work first thing in the morning and eat as a morning snack. You don’t have to worry about fresh fruit going off or costing the earth and it’s quick, easy and fairly cheap.

Soup for lunch. Cheap. Portion of veg. Easy to microwave in the morning, 2 minutes and pour into a flask.

What I’ve found has worked is routine. It is boring but it actually takes a lot of stress out of the day if you take your food to work. No brain power involved. Oh and avoid the office snacks at all costs. Especially if you are in the office every day. Deadly.