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 used to be slim and fit and then I got long Covid. I would never have described myself as active beforehand but once I got LC, I had to rest so much and the weight piled on. I didn't have as much energy to cook and because I was tired, I was eating more to get energy and it became a vicious circle.

I can't believe how quickly it changed. I look back and I realise how active I was. I walked the dog every day, I ran 5km a few times a week. If I look back at my Apple Watch, I was averaging 8000 steps a day and 45 mins of exercise a day. Now I'm lucky to do 2000 steps and 0 mins exercise!

But really the main difference is my eating habits. Being bored a lot and tired a lot definitely means you eat more and make worse food choices. So I would have a look at these habits and see what you can change and whether you're sleeping properly as tiredness is terrible for driving bad eating.

Good luck with your weight loss!

I’ve always been slim and age 69 now.

I don’t make food a big issue. I believe that it’s simply calories in and energy expended. If you eat more than you need you’ll gain weight so size of portions is important. I have also always cooked using fresh ingredients, never have takeaways or pre-prepared foods. If I eat more than usual on a particular day I then eat less the next day to counterbalance it.

I hate phrases that try to sum up eating styles except conscious eating. Having food is one of the most pleasurable things we do. Yet we dismiss its importance. We all eat while we are doing something else. If you sit down at the end of the day and try to recall what you have eaten, most people will not remember. It is subsumed by the other “more important things” you were doing at the time.

The food hits your mouth, without you really tasting it, is digested by your guts without really savouring it. Whooshed into your stomach and then sits there till your bowels decide to evacuate. All the money spent the prep time are all just wasted.

What ever you eat, sit down and give it your full attention. Stop eating before you are full. Don’t rush on to the next task as soon as you have finished eating. Take time to savour the food, let it do its work, produce its endorphins and allow it to be pleasurable.

As someone over weight I have found this thread really interesting and hope to make some changes. Thank you.

I also think I've made things very confusing in my head by doing too many different "diets" for example I've done keto were you get high quality fat and avoid low fat foods etc
Then I've done fasting were you don't eat before your feeding window. Then I've done skimming world with the point system then I've done simple calorie counting

I've think I've gotten myself into a jumble by doing a bit of everything and getting it all wrong and making it worse

I definitely need to quit the fizzy drinks
Move more
Eat more veg
Snack less

Before Chrisrmas having a smoothie for breakfast and soup for lunch ( both with plenty of protein) and a normal evening meal was helping me lose weight. I also stopped snacking. I am going to have to start this again after Christmas!

I can clearly see that I'm eating too much now compared to life before kids. I think I was much more active because having freedom before children allowed me to walk anywhere I wanted and I adore walking but now due to timings I have to take the car to work and I have to drive them to various clubs they are involved with whereas pre children my hobby was walking. I walked 25 min to and from work 5 days a week and woukd have gone out in the evening for a dander with my headphones. and back then I worked in retail which ment I was on my feet 9-5. I dont really think I had the same amount of junk food in the house either but somewhere along the line that has crept in. I used to also enjoy making stir fries but both my kids are extremely picky so it made sense to eat what they wanted ( or would at least eat)

I made a video of a client's weight-loss journey, she was in a very similar situation to you - tried every 'diet' under the sun and constantly thinking about what to eat (or not eat!) next. Happy to send you the YT link if you'd like.

That is very wise. Just do one thing at a time so that it is not overwhelming.

Today i suggest the first thing you should do is slow down dramatically. Sit down and give your time to really think about your food today. Don’t rush out and buy a load of healthy food. That is the path to failure. Do that one thing over and over again until it becomes a habit. Today’s rule Sit down when you eat. Still eat the other stuff you have been eating if you want to. Eat it slowly, even if it’s a donut. Think about the taste, swirl the sugary loveliness around your mouth. Then throw half of it away

Eating a healthy diet should not be a chore. It should be invigorating and life affirming. I would think that most slim people who answered had to really give some thought to what they eat. For them making healthy choices is a natural as breathing.

That is what should do. Not obsess about every calorie, enjoy every calorie.

Exercise is important for cardio health, muscle strength and tone, but weight loss is more down yo calorie intake

Myfitnesspal app is v helpful for tracking food habits. Sometimes, an extra biscuit feels less attractive when you have to record it. A bit of accountability, perhaps

Oh I'd love that . Extremely kind of you

My tip is to start reading the back of what u are eating and seeing what's actually in the food - read ultra processed people. Also there is nothing wrong with fat, but it needs to come from nuts, avocado, salmon yogurt etc. Most stuff in the super market is rubbish. If you make the majority of your diet whole food, ditch the coke and the upf and you will lose weight.

That's interesting. More than 30 years ago when I was very slim, about 9st4lb / 5'7", and pg, I shall never forget the hunger of the first 12/14 weeks. I put on a stone in the first 12 weeks every time and a bit over 2.5stone. After the last baby I only got below 10stone once and that was for a brief period when she was 10-12 weeks old and had a growth spurt and I literally couldn't keep up with her.

My weight then crept up gradually and decades later I have only just got it off and am 11 stone.

It's funny because I'm sitting here and I'm obviously very aware of my situation right now and I want to change things. I went up to get washing out of the machine and automatically went to have some after eights that the kids opened yesterday. This is the problem I just hoover up food as usual see it. I need to take my food goggles off and really be aware of what I'm
Doing

I'm not skinny bit slim. I do 16/8 (so eat during an 8 hour window each day). I also aim for a minimum of 10,000 steps a day. I believe these two things keep me slim. I'm 50 and finding it very easy to maintain my weight.
I dont restrict foods, I don't calorie count, I don't do any exercise other than walking. I eat pretty much what I want. I do enjoy very nutritious foods with lots of vegetables, pulses, and proteins. I think these foods are very filling so I don't feel the need to snack much. I tend to have a big brunch and a big early dinner. Having said that, I will eat biscuits, chocolates, crisps, etc, if I fancy them. I usually have something between brunch and dinner.

Something that has stuck in my mind for years: I was offered a piece of cake in office, declined cos ‘I had a piece yesterday’, and everyone thought that hilarious.

Slim people don’t eat cake every day, or even several times a week.

This is why writing everything down can help you to take the goggles off. You don’t have to add up the calories but it helps keep your eyes open. I wasn’t able to hide from myself

Then they automatically assume you are ‘depriving yourself’ of pleasures, when in reality it just isnt pleasurable for you to eat daily cake. Having a sweet tooth and not having a sweet tooth really makes a difference.

That's exactly why I found giving up refined carbs, wheat, and sugar so helpful (giving up sugar includes alcohol btw). Inam not restricting food, just types of food. I have lapsed a bit at Christmas but the price has been no breakfast and no lunch. I have been on the scales this morning and am surprised and relieved in equal measure not to have put on a pound.

This is actually very effective. Even without the thinking about the what you are eating angle, if you are only eating at the dinner table, you will snack far, far less.

I agree - I don’t restrict any foods but am comfortable with what I’m eating as I know I’m burning off calories with regular exercise. I want a strong body not just a slim one.

I'm not slim either, I'm a solid 14/16, but carry it quite well.

My mum is slim however. Always has been, so has good genes. My dad was a chunky fellow, so I think I favour him more.

Mum is almost 70 and goes for long, fairly strenuous walks with her local walking group twice a week, sometimes more. She does a weekly line dancing class, and swims once a week as well.
She has a good relationship with food as well, tends to have fixed meal times, and rarely snacks in-between meals. In the evening, rather than having bars of chocolate etc, she'll have an orange, slice up an apple, or have a bunch of grapes.
She never has takeaways, but does eat the occasional ready meal or processed product. I'd say her diet is about 50:50 natural to processed. Whereas mine probably leans more heavily towards processed.
She doesn't really drink alcohol, probably having between 5-10 small alcoholic drinks a year.

She has put some weight on over the years, but also has maintained over the last few years at about 9 stone 4, and a tidy size 12.

Someone else said it OP , the key is mindful eating and finding healthy stuff that you really like- I'm still on a very ample downwards weight journey but found it far easier when I stick to 1 portion of blueberries, raspberries and 10% fat Greek yoghurt - sometimes breakfast, sometimes middle of day - also cheese oatcakes gluten free and canned sardines- have at least 3 times a week at lunch - and ' chaffles'as per previous mumsnet thread- like mini fluffy omelettes done in waffle maker - I genuinely love all these so don't feel deprived!!

Yes! I don't know how to stop the gain (already a stone heavier at 17 weeks pg).

Interestingly my mum was always slim (apart from her pregnancies, like me) and then gained huge amounts during the menopause and has stayed bigger post menopause.

I do think there's a big hormonal component!

I'm going to try snacking on only fruit and veg for the rest of pregnancy to see if it makes a difference

Re fizzy drinks - I drink a lot of sparkling water to which I sometimes add Moju ginger shots to make a kind of ginger ale or fresh lemon or montmorency cherry juice (all no added sugar) etc. I’m also a fan of Cawston sparkling apple & rhubarb in cans. No reason why you can’t drink fizzy drinks - just cut out the sugar.