to be sick of diets and diet clubs...calling all skinny people to help!!!

[ChocolateBiscuitCake]

I have always been, in the words of Bridget Jones, 'a little bit fat'. Three children in 4 years (and copious amounts of chocolate biscuit cake ), I am fed up of being fat and all the effects that it has on self esteem, energy, fitness etc. I have two stone to lose and am 35.

I have tried every 'diet' going and fallen off the wagon within weeks. I have been to WW and SW. I am sick of them. They are limiting, I feel hungry and then when I can't have something, I want it and the 'diet' falls apart.

I am binning it all.

And I am going to eat a normal, healthy, balanced diet with small portions. I am going to start exercising and moving more (my personal trainer started today to keep me motivated...I am lazy!).

In the park this morning there were hundreds of thin people exercising - I long to be fit, healthy and 'thin'. What I want to know is:

to all you skinny people - what do you actually eat?
how much exercise do you do?
how much alcohol do you drink? (I suspect this may be where I am going wrong!!!)
any other tips?

Hope you don't mind me posting here - I doubt there are many skinny people in the slimming club section!!!!

haha crosspost you beat me to it!

Now, I am a size 8 bottom, size 12 top (due to boobs)

I was a size 14.

I don't exercise. I cut out a lot of carbs and eat mostly protein. I switched from white bread to wholemeal low fat bread. I eat more fruit. I make home-made soups (mostly veggie/lentil based). I can drive but I don't mostly, I walk.

In 9 months I have shifted 2 stone. I am 40 ish.

I still have the odd blowout on lasagne and full fat garlic bread. It's lovely because it's my treat. But it's also amazing how I have got used to the low fat bread and enjoy a lean ham sandwich and salad for lunch.

Also, I take vitamin supplements, drink lots of water.

Ok. I'm slim and always have been. My weight fluctuates by no more than half a stone whatever I'm doing re eating and exercise. While I appear to be able to shovel anything away larger friends have always commented that the difference between them and me is that they will eat whatever is in front of them (and sometimes more) whereas I will just stop when I'm full. I hate feeling overly full. So many people have told me this is they key - learning to recognise when you're full rather than stuffed.

Very true about the age related increase in weight. I used to so mush food when I was a student. chips, instant noodles, chocolate, cake, what ever I wanted. and I was only 7 stone.
I have recently gone down from 8 stone 5lbs to what I am now, so nearly lost a stone in the last 3 months, and I was over eating massively, due to stress of looking after 2 small DCs and hunger from BFing. I was lucky to not have gained weight, I just wasnt' losing my pregnancy weight as fast as before. I stopped over eating and lost the rest of the weight.

What I find very interesting is that, when DH is not exercising much, when he is on holiday (he is a teacher), so no 20 mile cycle runs every day, he eats much less. He truely knows how to eat to his bodies demands. Whereas I tend to eat the same every day regardless of how active I've been. Some days I must be eating more than I need, and some days less. But I feel the same amount of hunger each day, unlike DH.

I have always weighed between 81/2 and 9 stone and am 5ft 6" (but put on a couple of stone with each of my two pregnancies. Lost the weight very quickly with BF). Now mid 50s and no sign of creeping middle-aged spread yet...

I am fairly active (walk for probably 20-30 mins most days, I cycle a bit and play tennis).

Perhaps the reason I have stayed slim is down to recognising when I am hungry and when I am full. I don't have any ridiculous ideas about sins/naughty foods etc. I eat what I fancy, and what I fancy, mostly, is food cooked from scratch that's tasty and which I feel is nourishing me - so balance of fats, carbs, proteins etc.

Typical breakfast - wholegrain toast with jam/croissant/high fibre cereal with semi-skimmed milk and fresh fruit (not usually all three but often two out of three).

No snacks but mid morning black coffee/cappuccino.

Lunch will be soup and a sandwich/pitta with hummous etc, then yoghurt and a chocolate biscuit/fruit.

Perhaps slice of toast or a hot cross bun at about 5pm.

Dinner - anything from curry and rice to chicken/fish/steak with veg/salad and potatoes. Glass of wine, rarely two (but the glasses are quite big!)

Pudding - may not bother, may have a yoghurt or icecream.

I have never looked at my portion sizes, but I guess you would call them modest - I always have seconds and thirds if I want to, though.

HTH

Sleep is important. If you don't get enough sleep it messes with your hormones and can make you fact, quite apart from the fact that being awake longer allows more eating time. I suspect that it is the reason that a lot of new mothers either put weight on or find it hard to lose the baby weight, even if they don't throw sensible eating totally to the wind. They just aren't getting enough sleep.

I know Solo and Mardy mentioned the Paul McKenna thread earlier but but I will agree witht them that it could be what you are looking for as it is all about eating only when you are hungry, eating what you like but stopping when you are full. It is not a diet and there is no forbidden food, just a natural approach to eating. The McKenna bit comes into it with the hypnotherapy which is helpful for those of us who have struggled for years with motivation and willpower.

And can I just say, you are absolutely right to ditch the diets. There was some research out last week which said that diets don't work because your body regards diets like being faced with famine so the minute you stop the body tries to put on the weight again. The only way to keep the weight off is to keep dieting - fab for the diet industry but not so great for normal sensible, balanced eating.

Don't want to be cheeky, but I'd start by changing your username!

I definitely agree on the sleep issue.

It is very easy to mistake tiredness for hunger, and to eat to stay awake, or simply to lose track of your actual feelings/level of real hunger when you're too knackered to function properly.

I do remember that from when my two were little. It really does mess with the whole thing, when you are really, really tired.

First, work on your head. I got a bit heavy in my twenties and found it so much easier to eat right and exercise when I got in the right headspace.

First, accept that it's going to take time to lose the weight and don't get disheartened. It may take a year or two. But look at it this way: Two years are going to pass anyway, so in two years time, do you want to be slim? Or do you want to give up now and still be unhappy with your weight 24 months from now?

Second, stop feeling deprived. Every time you don't have a packet of crisps or a cake, don't think of it in terms of 'poor me, I can't have my treats, boo', think of the gift you are giving yourself; the gift of a lovely slim body. Think about how great you are going to feel when you look good, and you like the way you look. That's the gift you are giving to yourself every time you make healthy eating choices.

Think about the triggers you have for eating and, if you think it will help, think about hypnotherapy to deal with emotional eating triggers. I did hypno for other reasons (anxiety) and found that, once we'd dealt with my issues around fear and guilt, the unexpected side effect was that my appetite decreased. I didn't realise that so much of my hunger was actually emotional.

Find some treats for yourself that aren't food or alcohol: trashy novels; walks in the fresh air; long, hot bubblebaths - whatever does it for you.

Practical stuff:
-have a couple of biscuits or a small chocolate bar every day - learn to have treats without going overboard;

• find an exercise you enjoy;
• cut down on alcohol - no more than once or twice a week, and don't go crazy. Whenever I want to drop some weight, I cut out alcohol;
• cook food that's tasty and enjoyable, but healthy;
• Gradually decrease your portions - even healthy food can make you fat, in large portions;
• don't follow any fads (cutting out wheat/dairy/red meat). There is nothing wrong with wholemeal bread, semi-skimmed milk and lean red meat! Lean red meat is full of Omega 3, milk and dairy will prevent osteoporosis in later life and wholewheat is full of vitamins and minerals, helps you feel full and keeps you regular! If you do get bloated from wheat, it means you are having too much and need to cut down, not that you need to cut it out altogether.

HTH

I second/third/twenty-fifth the suggestion to use a calorie counter. Myfitnesspal is free. I prefer weightlossresources but it is a subscription service. They basically do the same thing though. I use these to get back on track when I put on a few pounds. I think this is the key to staying slimmish over time - as soon as you notice yourself carrying just a few extra pounds, do something about it. Don't wait until you have put on stones and it is going to be a big job to shift it.

I'm 5'6 and ideally weigh 9'7. I'm a few pounds over that now due to being on steroids for the last 6 months, so back on the calorie counting for a couple of months.

what do you actually eat?
Breakfast - museli and juice (brunch at the weekend is something like toast/bacon/eggs)
Lunch - salad usually plus fruit
Snacks - a couple of squares of good chocolate every day, fruit, almonds, good quality cereal bars - nakd, trek, etc. but be careful because these can be quite calorific
Dinner - always homemade (takeaway once a month perhaps and we don't do processed food). Pasta with sauce, soups, stews, curries, stirfries, chargrilled chicken, allsorts. The key is portion control. And it helps that neither of us is that bothered about dessert. A couple of nights a week we will get in late and just have cheese and crackers or a slice of toast which probably evens things up with the heavier meals on other days.

how much exercise do you do?
I walk as much as possible, including part of my commute. I run/gym 2 or 3 times a week.

how much alcohol do you drink? (I suspect this may be where I am going wrong!!!)
Usually, a couple of glasses of wine maybe 3 times per week but nothing now as we are about to start IVF.

any other tips?
If you calorie count, find foods that are low cal for those days when you just have to eat SOMETHING. I used rice cakes when I have the munchies. 3 large ones are only around 100 cals.

5.4''' 8 stone

Eat pretty much anything but fairly healthy

Never go for no sugar etc options as aspartame replacements etc are worse

I only drink water 95% of the time, and min 2 litres a day

Typical day

Breakfast : porridge ( half water/ half milk), half banana, raisens, honey

Lunch: bagel with various fillings, yogurt, fruit

Dinner: salmon, chilli noodles, veggies / lasagne / anything really but all freshly home cooked.

Basically I eat very few processed foods. And rarely snack, if I do it's late after dinner ( and I eat evening meal around 8pm due to work

I think being busy all day means I v rarely think about food, I literally don't stop until 1pm ish when I make myslf eat, the busy again after hour until 6.30 ish.

Walk 30 mins fast walk each way to work. Don't sit down at work all day except lunch and easily do another 2 hours solid walking at work plus general moving/ walking in between. So 11 ish hours of constant movement at work

Gym/ gym class approx 2-3 hours a week

With young children/ babies good exercise is a fast walk with buggy for an hour or so a day

Oh also.. I would prefer a few squares of dark quality choc than bar off milk. Tis healthier too

to all you skinny people - what do you actually eat?

not enough really or I wouldn't be skinny! Berries, non fat greek yogurt, salads, poultry, fish, vegetables, oranges, jacket potatoes, stir fries. That's about it really.

how much exercise do you do?

Running for 30 minutes a day. Gym class 3-4 times a week.

how much alcohol do you drink? (I suspect this may be where I am going wrong!!!)

A few vodkas most weekends.

any other tips?

Relax and don't crash diet. Starvation works but you either have to do it forever or put it all back on. I'm smaller than a size 6 but if I eat more than about 1200 calories a day I start putting weight on.

I'm not quite sure why I'm so skinny, other than the fact that I'm generally a restless sort of person and because I dont drive I walk everywhere and before I got poorly with cardiac stuff I used to cycle places. I've also noticed when I'm with others I dont get as tempted to have snacks as the others do. I seem to have a pretty strong 'no thanks' switch.

Today I've eaten
yogurt with fruit and linseed
shredded wheat

left over salad stuff and a couple of biscuits. and a dime bar (would normally be a sandwich and a bit of fruit)

Tea tonight is pasta with tomatoes, mushrooms and chicken.

I'm pretty much off alcohol, but coming off it hasnt made the blindest bit of difference to my weight.

I do believe that everyone's body is different first off.
Usually I weigh about 8.5 - 9 stone, I'm 5'6" currently I'm nearly 8 months pregnant and to be honest I can't say I've particularly increased what I eat due to being pregnant as I usually eat then I'm hungry and I rarely feel ravenous.

what do you actually eat? Today I've eaten:
7am: cup of milky tea with 1 sugar
8am: 2 weetabix with lots of milk and 1/4 tsp of sugar
10am: a chocolate biscuit, eg a penguin or similar
12ish/1pm:sandwich on brown (decent) bread, today was PBJ but usually cheese and pickle or maybe ham.
2pm snack: an apple
3pm: a banana or an orange
5pm: usually a biscuit (small cookie) or two
7:30: evening meal, usually something reasonably healthy but not a massive portion
8:30: some maltesers or a biscuit... when i say 'some' I mean about 10 maltesers which I know sounds pedantic!
Drinks through the day are decaf tea - weak with full fat milk and 1 sugar or usually squash/water in the evening.

how much exercise do you do? I used to walk to work 15 mins briskly each way but have recently stopped this so will need to keep track of whether that helped. I do tend to think of food as fuel so if I know I'll be sat at my desk all day I tend to eat less or stretch out what I am eating - I usually eat v slowly anyway.

how much alcohol do you drink? Virtually none most of the time, am pregnant at the mo so zero!

any other tips? The only tip I have is to try and tense your muscles rather than flop everywhere, this probably makes no sense but usually I am holding my tum in and trying to sit up straight and I'm sure that must use some energy!

Oh, and I never ever eat diet versions of foods...

Oh and the main thing is prob that Iv never eaten white bread/ pasta /rice

Actually that's a lie I do eat stuffed white pasta occasionally ( say once a month if eating out or something)

I think whole meal/ wholegrain makes a difference in how full you feel etc

I can't be a slave to 'the diet' anymore. I have vowed to never diet again.

Don't base your eating plan on what skinny people eat.

My sister and I could eat identical portions of the same food for a year and one of us would still be scrawny and the other wouldn't. Completely different body types.

But you're absolutely doing the right thing by banning diet foods, and diets altogether.

Yes -ban diets and diet food.
I didn't lose it until I decided to change my eating habits for ever.
I eat 3 meals and very few snacks. Keep off processed food. Eat slowly. I have one piece of chocolate a day.
I walk everywhere is possible and try and run at least 4 times a week.
Your body just gets used to it. If you have a treat one day, e.g. go out for a meal then compensate the next day.

It is ok to leave food on your plate if you are full. If you are full you are full.

If other people comment on it, or think its rude its their problem not yours.

I also think portion sizes are really important - including knowing how your portions actually compare to recommended portion sizes. People say they have X amount and calculate it as X calories, not realising their portions are significantly bigger than the 'standard' portion sizes. Eg: we are conditioned to think that the steak you get in a restaurant is standard sized. You'll rarely find one less than 6oz though and the recommended amount is only actually 3oz.

Ready meals are pretty deadly, as the size of them is far to big for smaller women, but the temptation is to eat the lot anyway. If you only need 1500 calories a day, then a meal which has 750 calories in it alone, then thats half your calories for the whole day in one go. You don't have to eat the entire thing in one go! This business of women needing 2000 calories a day needs throwing out or recycling with the packaging. Its about as helpful as a ice feature in the sahara.

I don't think you should try and alter what you eat drastically. Just think about it, rather than obsess. Getting into the mentally that you are denying yourself, makes you crave anyway.

I also echo everyone who says to avoid diet foods. They are a con.

I hadn't actually thought about that amicissimma...but yes the only dieters I know are fat too.

Many of them I've known for 20+yrs and they're still losing and gaining all the time.

Alright.Im very very skinny. Today i have eaten:

Pack of crisps
Sandwich (turkey, brown seeded bread)
Soup - bacon and leek
Small freddo bar of choccie
a yoghurt
5 crackers with butter and cheese
jacket potato with mushrooms , carrots and chicken in white sauce.

No idea if thats helpful toyou :)

oh and a coffee with milk and sugar with a chocolate finger.