If you’ve never been overweight, what do you eat and do

[Kittenswhiskers]

Seems we always seek advice from fellow people with the same problems so I’d like to ask people that have never had this ?

The simple answer is that I hate the feeling of being full, so it doesn’t matter what I eat, I always stop eating before I start to feel full. I also make sure I do at least 30 mins of cardio every day, either a run or a trip to the gym or I have an exercise bike at home

I can’t say I’ve never been over weight as my bmi did get up to 26 a couple of years ago which sparked me to make changes I could maintain to get my weight back down.

I hate the way I look carrying extra weight. I don’t carry it well and I just look awful. I saw some pics of myself on stage at a dance show and thought yuk! You’re turning into your mother, you need to do something about this. In my 20s I could pretty much eat what I liked and not gain much weight, but that changed in my 30s.

I never got huge as I’ve never been much of a snacker, except biscuits at work, so those were cut out. I’ve also always been reasonably active with walking, dance and a bit of running here and there. Which helped me stay mostly at a bmi of 24/25. When it got up to 26 I joined the gym, upped my exercise and cut my portion sizes down. This is what I have maintained and my bmi is now about 21. I run between 10 and 20 miles a week and go to the gym 3 times or so. Once you get into it it becomes and habit and is no longer a chore. I also now hate the feeling of being over full.

my advice is to make changes you can stick to long term. Fad diets or types of exercise you hate won’t last and you can’t just stop trying once you’ve reached your goal weight or you’ll just regain and ruin all your hard work. Everyone’s different and you need to figure out what works for you.

No bread, no pasta, no rice and no sugar. I eat vegetables, fruit, chicken and fish.

Portion control. I eat whatever I want, just not a lot of it. Saying that though, I do eat healthily for the most part.

I would never let myself become overweight. I am very active and would not be able to do the things I do if I had rolls of fat in the way ie was short of breath.

I hike every day, rain or shine with my dogs and I'm outdoors as much as possible.

I’d die without carbs. Which just shows we are all different and you need to find your own way. I still eat all types of food, I’m just mindful of portion sizes and don’t over eat. Like if I know I’m having a meal out or a takeaway later I would only have a small lunch etc.

It's just body type. I can put on a bit on my stomach (and lose it again easily) but I'm just built this way. All skinny arms and legs. Same as my paternal grandmother. My mums side are all hourglass with magnificent boobs. I don't think i got the best deal tbh! I am not sure what I do and don't eat has ever had much impact (now 48). As it goes I do a lot of yoga and Pilates but I also love chips and beer. I don't have either of those as much as I would like, but more for health than weight reasons.

I'm 50. I have always walked a lot. I walk to work, carry stuff back from the supermarket and do two 5ks a week. Been a member of a gym for over 20yrs. I do things like always take the stairs and park in the furthest corner of the car park.
Mostly veggie my whole life, I've never had chicken nuggets / steaks or takeaways etc. Barely drank since I had DC's. Only drink water or tea. I do have chocolate and biscuits every day. I don't snack in the evenings. I have tea and a pudding.
If my jeans feel tight I cut back as I don't want to go up a clothes size.

Post menopause here and while never really overweight (I was within ok range!) I found it difficult to maintain a healthy weight when a bit older. It crept up so I decided on Intermittent Fasting and honestly, it works great for me. I know it's not for everyone, but it stops me snacking because of the "rules" and eating windows.

I eat between 11am and 7pm. No fries, high protein, lowish carbs, berries and veg. I just use it to keep within range and don't count calories but don't eat crap.

I break out a bit such as when going out to dinner or on a break away/hols etc. It doesn't seem to affect my overall weight as long as I get back on track without too much delay!

I’m in tune with my appetite.

I never used to be, I had to learn how to do this. (Though I was never overweight).

Once I had learnt how to recognize when I was hungry snd when I was satiated, I could eat what I wanted, when I wanted and stay a healthy weight ( I am a size 6/8, 5 foot 1 woman).

It’s great. Really freeing to never have stress or anxiety over food.

Moderation: I eat everything but I don’t over eat and I only eat when I’m hungry. Also if I gain a couple of pounds then I cut back - too much bread definitely makes me gain weight and too many sugary treats

I’m quite an active, fidgety person and I think that helps. I have to get outside every day and would always choose to walk rather than go in a car, so I generally cover well over 10km a day.

I think I eat quite large portions but I don’t massively love sweets or chocolate and I’m not a snacker. I barely drink alcohol, which probably helps.

Also, not something anyone else can deliberately emulate, but I’m almost 6ft tall, so that probably buys me a few more calories than a normal sized person! 😂

I eat normally with no restrictions but I do formal exercise 6 days a week, also walk everywhere. Even so my weight has crept up as I've aged. (BMI used to be 19/20 but is 21 atm) Planning to restrict chocolate/cakes to weekends only.

I intermittent fast. I do powerlifting and add in some running for cardio. I don't eat massive meals. Feeling full makes me feel sick and I have emetephobia. I eat just until the hunger has gone. I don't eat ready meals or drink fizzy drink. I drink mostly water with one cup of tea a day. I don't drink coffee.

I am 5’3”, just over 9 stone. Size 10. Mid forties.
I don’t drink alcohol, rarely eat out and have a fish supper takeaway approx once a month. No other takeaways ever.
I do eat bread but never supermarket bread, it is from a good local old school bakery. I eat meat everyday (beef or chicken) & veg. I eat potatoes, rice & pasta. Make a big pan of soup twice a week.
Drink redbush tea, water or milk.
I eat everything full fat, butter, milk, natural yoghurt. Fresh fruit every day.
Biscuits & crisps are a once a week treat. Only eat cake if it’s home made.
We try to limit upf’s in our house, everything is cooked from scratch. This is purely for health reasons but staying slim is an added bonus.
It sounds pretty boring when written down but my husband and I appreciate home cooked food. You have to be organised though.
I lead an active lifestyle, we live on a farm and have livestock.

I've always had quite a fast metabolism although Peri has slowed it down now. I do a bit of exercise, but mostly eat what I need to and not more. I can just feel in my body how much I need to eat, and some days that's more than others.

I eat what I want but not huge portions. I also hate the feeling of being really full.

I think a lot of it is body type - I eat Veggie/a lot of vegan but I still do eat quite a lot of food. I'm usually running around doing something. I've had chubby times when living on beer/biscuits/pasta but I do think it's just the way we're built half the time

I'm late 40's, 56kg. Was 49kg before I had kids, so an increase, yes, but I think I'd look really sickly if I was that weight again now? At least, I'm sure my body would look fab, but my face would look about 90. I put on a couple of kg after lockdown, lost them again in a couple of months.

Don't have a car so walk everywhere. Hate gym/running though. I walk 5k - 10k steps a day, usually around 6k or 7k. Sedentary job, usually WFH or from nearby office.

A normal day for me is:

7am: cup of tea (milk/sugar), 1 slice of toast (homemade bread/jam/butter). Black coffee at some point.

10am: two big tablespoons of greek yoghurt with whatever berries or fruit we have, pumpkin seeds and a bit of jam or chopped chocolate

Lunch might be a small bowl of leftovers and some salad, or a couple of boiled eggs with butter and a slice of toast like just now. I always cook enough dinner for there to be leftovers for lunch.

Never hungry in the afternoon. Maybe a mandarin and a square of chocolate. Tea, obv.

7pm: Dinner will be just.. normal? spaghetti bolognese, chicken enchiladas, roast chicken etc. I vaguely watch the carb part and don't go overboard. I don't eat til I'm stuffed (unless it's roast chicken with yorkies etc. YUM). We don't do pudding but maybe a couple of squares of dark chocolate and an orange.

Glass (small) of wine later in the evening.

At the weekends, I might have a fancy hot chocolate or coffee and a piece of cake in a cafe in town.

On the whole, everything we eat is homemade with a bare minimum of processed food and no ready meals, ever. Probably quite high in fresh vegetables. No frozen food at all. I think it's mostly about moderation though. And if it's a "treat" food, like a posh croissant from the bakery or slice of cake, I will split it with my DH, or bring the other half home for the kids. I don't do this to deprive myself - it just feels like too much.

Good point - I'm also a fidget, which I think helps a lot!

I think this is true up to a point and some people can eat more than other and stay slim. But I don’t think anyone is naturally built to be morbidly obese. That’s really down to lifestyle (as well as other factors such as mental health).

I am convinced it is all about the way the mind relates to food. I don't care about food much, I assign it no moral/ emotional meaning such as reward, punishment or comfort. Food is just fuel to me, so I mostly eat nutritious stuff as long as it tastes okay.

I hope this does not sound insensitive, but the bottom line is that for most people who don't struggle with food, food isn't a big deal and it does not occupy so much mental space.

I have been overweight, however it was almost 20 years ago and I've stayed a size 10-12 since losing weight (apart from when I was pregnant)

I go to the gym 5/6 times a week and do strength training.
I walk at least 15-20k steps a day without trying (school run, dog walks and an active job)

I eat fairly normally, a protein shake for breakfast most days.
A salad or sandwich for lunch.
Dinner is whatever OH cooks.
Snacks are full fat Greek yoghurt, fruit, salted nuts, cheese...

Recently I've been snacking a lot on biscuits in the evening and noticed my trousers are a bit tight, so I've cut back on that and I'm focusing on eating as low UPF as possible.

I've never been overweight.

my answer isn't probably all that helpful. I got slightly chubbier in my teens at a time when the skinny models were saying 'nothing tastes as good as skinny feels' and I then became borderline anorexic. Ate plenty of fruit and salad but avoided sugar, fat, very low intake of everything else. I lived on salad and brown rice for a time. Gradually I expanded that to a healthier intake but if I put on weight to the point that my trousers are tight I just revert to eating less. I try to make fruit and veg half of any meal - mostly veg- and I try to avoid white carbs. I rarely eat bread. I eat chocolate but only good quality dark choc or praline with real nuts and no vegetable oils. I exercise twice a week, more in the summer.

main point being: small portions, got used to feeling hungry, can't now eat larger portions even if I wanted to. Immediate action if I gain weight. I'm deep in perimenopause now and haven't gained weight.

Oh and drinks wise I don't drink alcohol.

Daily I drink water and tea with the occasional hot chocolate or fizzy drink

I try to only ever have one 'big' meal in a day. So if I have a big breakfast, I won't have much for lunch and dinner etc.