Genuine question - if you are slim do you feel hungry on a regular basis?

[Cruisebaby]

I'm genuinely curious about this and please, no responses of the 'I have two salad leaves a day and I'm full' variety!

The reason I ask is that although I'm not overweight, I do feel permanently dumpy. Not helped by being 5'3 and having 32G boobs admittedly and even though I've lost a little weight in the last few months I'm struggling to shift any more. I'm currently 9 st 7 and a sort of appley hourglass if that makes any sense.

What prompted my question is that I had lunch with a friend today who is the same age as me (late 50s) but very slim. The sort of slim where there is no excess fat at all and I am sure that every single item of clothing she tries on just fits without issue. When it came to ordering, she chose the lowest calorie item from the starter section and was adamant that was all she needed. Rather than look like a total glutton I also ordered a small meal but was bloody starving by mid afternoon. When I think about it, I rarely see her eat much and in situations where others might have a biscuit she will just sip on water or eat a few nuts.

It's left me wondering, is eating like that what it takes? I love my food but I really hate my body shape now and even regular strength training seems to make little impact. Is it possible to happy and ravenous at the same time? 😩

I'm 5' 6" tall and weigh just over 8st.

I'm not a big eater, but I do eat three meals a day. I follow the 80% full eating method. I rarely feel hungry, but I never feel bloated full either.

I find I feel hungry when I don't have a lot.on, butnifnim out and about or very busy at work can go all day without realising I haven't eaten

I think it's actually harder when I'm trying to be "good" becuase then you're thinking about food all day!

I think the 80% full approach might work for me, at least I wouldn't feel like I was missing out.

@Mugon I just can't imagine ever forgetting to eat, no matter how busy I am. Particularly as lunchtime approaches, I get quite lightheaded and definitely 'hangry' so I can't see how I'd function effectively in the afternoon.

High protein plus loads of veg, and limited carbs, stop me from getting hungry. I eat three times a day, but things like tuna salad with loads of leaves and tomato, maybe a hard boiled egg. Or prawn stir fry, or dhal, or salmon with roasted veg. Greek yoghurt with raspberries in the evening. It's quite a lot of volume but not many calories. I'm 6lbs down since I cut out carbs and would like to lose 6 more.

I'm 5 foot 4, weigh 106lbs and i feel hungry frequently. In the morning, then lunchtime, then about 4pm, then 6pm for dinner, then another small snack about 10pm. I don't eat huge amounts in one go and i usually only eat when my stomach is audibly rumbling. I have a chronic illness so I think that keeps my weight down somewhat, but i was also like this before when i was healthy. I eat vegetarian and pretty healthy but I do eat chocolate every day.

Your friend sounds a little disordered. If I were to go out for lunch I'd order a sandwich or something with chips. I don't purposefully eat low calorie food. I eat a lot of full fat yogurt, nuts, dried fruit, cheese, potatoes, full fat milk, pasta, etc. So not "diet" food. Although I do also enjoy things like rice cakes and veg sticks. Everything in moderation.

The people I know who are slim in their 40s and beyond really don't eat very much. It's depressing.

Just joining because I've often wondered the same thing.

I have a BMI around 20.
I definitely have lots of fatty body parts so I imagine OP's friend is properly anorexic in build, from the description.

I eat like a pig although far far less than when I was 20-30-40 yrs younger.
That said, I easily forget to eat, get too busy. Not at all constantly hungry.

No, and I think it’s because I eat a lot of UPF food and I fast intermittently.

Except Diet Coke. Can’t kick that habit.

I am very slim and fit and have, very recently due to illness, lost some further weight. I watch everything I eat and everything is weighed and inputted into an app. That doesn’t mean I don’t have treats - had an amazing four course meal last night which I didn’t input as an example and have a small chocolate treat and a small alcoholic drink most nights but i am really active and work out most days. Basically 80% of the time I am really good and eat very well and then the rest of the time I relax. But yes; it does take constant work

Sorry to answer your question - I do get hungry before meals and if I have been very active but not otherwise

Yes, I get hungry. I am 5 foot six and weigh around 58kg. I have recently lost 4kg and boosted my muscle mass by following a high protein diet that restricts me to 1400 calories a day. I maintain that sort of intake at my target weight, and if I have a day off, I record the calories and I generate a compensating deficit over the next week by reducing my intake by a little bit and upping my activity.

It’s normal to feel hungry when you are in a calorie deficit. If you want to lose weight, you need to eat nutrient dense foods that leave you in a caloric deficit. You need to do it slowly (about r 1% of your body mass) and allow your body to adapt. You also need to learn to distinguish what is hunger that needs food and what is craving/boredom/sadness/anger/defiance.

I have a BMI of 22 (so not as slim as your friend!) and mostly I only feel hungry when it's nearly a mealtime. I don't count calories though I have cut down a lot on sugary snacks recently - I'm mid-40s and put on weight more easily than I used to.

As others have said, focusing on protein and veg, and keeping carbs limited, is the way to go if you want to lose a bit of weight without being starving all the time.

Most of the people I know who are slim don't eat a lot. Some admit it and say they'd rather be slim so they are aware. They probably average 1,000 calories a day and are active too. I have lived with them at different stages of life so you get a feeling of their eating habits.

My bmi is 21 ish (probably more 22 after long summer holidays!) I don’t like feeling full so tend to graze during the day. But often when I’m busy a drink is ok. And if I run at lunch time that means I’ll skip lunch then won’t eat until dinner time (exercise often suppresses my appetite). Dinner is usually a salad and protein (as again I don’t enjoy feeling full). I don’t calorie count and because I graze I rarely feel properly hungry.

I don’t think about calories etc at all. I do get hungry, but if I haven’t eaten enough, or it’s time for my next meal. I’m 5’4 and weigh around 54kg. However, what I have noticed is that I don’t eat anything really excessively. I would never eat a whole packet of biscuits, as I just wouldn’t want to. I admit I am very lucky to be like that though! I also don’t eat a lot of UPFs, but I like to keep life realistic. It’s not going to ruin my day if I have a sandwich made with UPF bread, or one choc bar, one packet of crisps etc. I think being obsessive about anything is an unhealthy mindset, but I appreciate I am lucky enough to find the ‘everything in moderation’ mindset easy, as it just comes to me naturally.

I have a BMI of 22 and I’m tallish, slim but muscular. I eat quite a lot for someone of my build, I have three meals (not a salad person so soaked oats for breakfast with fruit and nuts, a sandwich plus more fruit and occasionally crisps then meat/vegetables/potatoes, rice or pasta for dinner) plus snacks.

I don’t calorie count or weigh food but I have an unconscious, mindful voice in my head saying “do you need three biscuits because two’s enough” or “pour some of that sharing bag of crisps into a bowl rather than mindlessly eating from the pack”. I’m a slow eater and don’t always clear my plate as I may realise I’m full before I finish. I’m not like your friend; I order what I really want from the menu and will always have two courses, sometimes three.

You say you do strength training, how many times a week? When I moved from mainly cardio to mainly weights my body composition changed and I started eating even more but haven’t gained weight, my clothes still fit but better as the muscle has produced a better shape.

As I said I don’t calorie count at all but I must eat well over 2000 calories a day as I burn 500-1000 exercising most days

Carnivore diet. Great for those who want to stuff their faces regularly (me) and still be rake thin.

I'm 5"6 and 8st 8 and my eating is very up and down so I can be hungry and eat huge meals until I'm more than full but I feel bloated and in pain but I can also be hungry and ignore it and some days/weeks eat barely anything so I think it balances out. Alot of it i think it Hormones and genetics as it depends where in my cycle I am. I also suffer from chronic anxiety which helps keep my appetite down which is the only plus.

I don’t tend to feel hungry. Depends on the day.

I aim for 1800 calories a day (135g protein, 180g carbs and 60g fat to be precise) which seems to suit me (set up by my PT which I use for my mental health rather than for weight loss).

I’m 5”2 and 47.8kg.

I’m pretty active and muscular and my BMI is about 20. I eat two meals a day but they’re big! Certainly more than 1800 calories a day. I definitely feel hungry especially before I eat in the morning (9-10am usually) because I get up at 5.30 and work then gym before I eat. I don’t mind feeling hungry if I know when and what I’m going to eat- it’s actually quite nice feeling hungry when you’ve got nice food to look forward to! But if I’m feeling out of control about my food I do get very hangry/hunxious.

If I feel hungry between meals (as in a bit of tummy rumbling kind of thing), I just have a glass of water and wait it out because I’d rather really enjoy my next meal than snack.

Yes but it helps if I don't eat carbs during the day as I will be hungry all day and want crap. I don't eat breakfast either.

In the evening I eat a fairly well balanced meal. Occasionally I eat some crisps and chocolate too in the evenings but not every day. I try not to keep stuff like that in the cupboards as I will just eat it.

On weekends it's anything I want and usually pretty heavy. But back to healthy again on Monday.

I’m 5 foot 2 just and slim, size 6 mostly and also very active, I workout every day. I don’t often get massively hungry and I get full pretty easily. I eat 2 meals a day but have a fair bit of fruit in between. I sometimes forget to eat and am not too bothered if I’m out and about and don't eat at my usual times.