To ask how much slim people eat in a day?

[InSpaceNooneCanHearYouScream]

I know this is an odd question, but bear with me! I used to be a normal healthy weight when I was young, but over the years my BMI crept up to 30. I've been battling with my weight for the past few years, and have managed to wrestle my BMI down to 27. But I've yo-yo-ing up and down for a while, and I think I've lost sight of what a normal daily food intake looks like.

My worry is that if I manage to get down to a BMI of 23 or 24, with a reasonable amount of activity per day, how will I manage to sustain it long term? I know how to eat healthily, but I also like the odd takeaway, wine and occasional junk food. I suspect that slim people maybe just don't eat that much? Except for the few with high metabolisms of course.

So, it would be really helpful for some slim people in their 30's, 40's, or older, to give me a quick example of their daily diet. Thanks in advance!

My friend and I were discussing this at the weekend. Im a size 8 (5'5') and my friend is a size 6 (5'0), we are both wine guzzlers at weekends and love our food, the things we have in common are: we are both quite old fashioned in our approach to meals: 3 meals a day, never skip breakfast, protein, carbs and veg/ salad (no faddy dieting), what I would call average sized portions and we don't snack, sit down to meat and 3 veg on a Sunday. Both from traditional working class backgrounds and similar childhood habits. She goes to the gym 3 times a week, I go for the odd run once every fortnight or so. We have friends who do the no carbs, faddy diets, vomiting, obsessed by exercise etc and we feel a bit lazy, but this habitual routine seems to work for us.

I've found this totally fascinating but has confirmed what I've always thought - I'm fat because I eat a lot more than slim people. I'll eat out of habit and eat to excess if I can. I am an expert in taking in a large amount of xaliries, fat and sugar v quickly. It's taking a lot of relearning, but I'm slowly losing weight by changing lifelong habits.

It always surprised me when going away on eg hen weekends how little everyone else ate... Now I realise that in fact, they were probably eating about the right amount to stay slim.

i'm trying to put on a bit of weight, or at least not lose any, hence all the cheese and chocolate

I've had friends say to me in all seriousness, "What's the point in going to an all you can eat buffet, if you're only going to eat one plate of food?"

But I can't see the point in eating after I'm full up.

I'm finding this thread fascinating. Although I don't eat much and rarely snack I just can't eat a lot. If we go out for a meal DP will want a starter then a main course (never do puddings) but I know I'll be full after the starter and he'll have to finish up the rest of my main. It's great in an Indian though as they usually box it up for you to take home and that's his dinner at work the next day!

The one thing i've found has helped keep my weight down is going to slimming world.

You can eat so much and its really easy to follow - but it completely changes your attitude to food and what you eat!

Would highly recommend !

The thread definitely suggests it's all down to your saity mechanism/leptin although for most people even those who are happy to eat a lot eating a lot of good fats and veg does tend to mean they need to eat less often.

I don't like buffets or all you can eat either, as I always feel i am not making the most of it. Would not suddenly eat 2 or 3 plates of food!

I like a big hearty meal, but hate overeating.

I also feel slightly unwell at al this "stuffing your face" you are supposed to be doing at Christmas.

I hate feeling too full.

That's why I also rarely eat puddings, as I am not hungry anymore by the end of a meal.

Not wasting away here, BTW< am a big strapping 6ft1 lady who has a good appetite, just don't get this culture of overeating. Lucky me I guess.

Surely though that's why people have to keep going back to slimming world, because they can 'eat so much'?

If they gradually cut down their portion sizes of healthy food, they'd probably be eating far less in say 6 months time than they are now.

The more food you eat, the more food you need to eat in order to feel full up.

We don't really eat any more at Christmas, we just eat differently I suppose.

I agree, fascinating thread. I've taken from it that in general, slim people do eat very little - Which is probably the amount that we are actually supposed to eat but so many of us are overeating.

Im not quite 'slim' yet but almost. Size 12 down from a 16 and obese (BMI was 30 category). I've probably halved what I used to eat.

Actually, a 'before' and 'after' daily food intake thread for those of us who were overweight would be interesting. The funny thing is, I genuinely wondered why I was so overweight. Fooled myself into thinking what I was eating wasn't that bad

Agree with poster who said there are many different ways to stay slim.

DP NEVER snacks, drinks very little alcohol, does sport twice a week and eats healthy food. But he has edged into being overweight. I think this is partly an age thing (his belly suddenly appeared after the age of 35) but also related to a lack of portion control at meals

He disproves (or is an exception to) the theory that not snacking is a good way to stay slim.

I'm 5ft 5 and about 50kg, size 8. 40 yo and have been this size all my adult life.

b: 2 weetabix / bowl of bran flakes etc + 1 slice of toast with jam
l: sandwiches (3 slices of bread) with eg cheese, ham etc then fruit or cake
d: eg last night: rice with chilli (lean meat or if I make vege chilli, I put a bit of cheese on it) then 3 scoops of ice cream. I use medium size dinner plates not the bigger ones.

• 2 biscuits or crisps in the evening, and a couple of oatcakes late afternoon. Gallons of tea.

If my friends cook they often put out big portions - I just don't need that much food. I eat at regular times, never diet or miss meals, don't like junk food / processed food / low fat yoghurts etc. I don't snack much and don't drink a lot cheap date . So I eat in a very similar way to my parents and gran. I never go hungry though - if I'm hungry I have toast. I'm quite disciplined in eg I save half a big bag of crisps for the next day and I dont' eat whole choc bars, just a couple of squares. You get the same taste however much you eat! That is probably a habit from having little money, making treats last.

I loathe sport but I can't drive so I cycle to work every day (25 mins fast + hilly each way) and walk quite fast. I fidget a lot .

Really interesting reading what other people do!

Not snacking is a great way to stay slim, but obviously it has to mean not eating massive portions at meal times too.

I'm 44, 5'7" and 9 stone. I've been this weight all my adult life.

I think I naturally just eat what I need. I don't have a particularly healthy diet, I like my chocolate and butter. I am a runner so that keeps things in line, but I think the main thing I do sub-consciously is to self-regulate.

So, after a few days of big eating (Xmas, a large meal out, or a few days of eating too many chocs) the next few days I'll just naturally eat less.

So, my weight fluctuates here and there, but always goes back to about 9 stone.

Last w/e I had a big do which involved a three course meal and quite a bit of booze. The day after we were at Chessington and I had chips and a MacDonalds. This week I've simply not eaten as much as I would normally.

For me its all about snacking, if I succumb to the constant snacks in the office I easily and quickly put on about 3/4kg.
That and I limit wine to the weekend only.
I find I can then eat whatever I want but I like healthy food and have no sweet tooth.
Snacks and biscuits are so calorific its like eating another lunch or dinner sometimes more and for me that is what makes a difference.
I also found I was super slim on mat leave as I walked everywhere and was never tempted by office cake etc!

I agree with the posters who say it's all about balance. Yesterday I ate loads because I was hungry (although the portion sizes were not big) but today I'm not hungry much at all so am eating significantly less.

I used to be size 18 (verging on 20) and ate until I was over-stuffed (I have MyFitnessPal records to prove it); I loved all you can eat buffets. Now at size 8 I literally/physiologically cannot stomach so much food. I hate feeling stuffed or eating when not hungry. It took 3 years to get to this point though (and 5:2 helped me get back in touch with my hunger signals - I never felt genuinely hungry when I was obese).

I've never worked in an office so I was genuinely stunned to read on Mumsnet, that so many office workers spend the day eating.

How would they cope if they did a job where eating was limited to two 10 minute tea breaks and 1 half hour lunch break?

Some things others are saying doesn't apply to me, like I am not fidgety, feels like I snack all day at my desk (have adjusted in jobs when I couldn't).

I love my food so much I don't want to miss out on enjoying it fully. I like food most when truly hungry & can only eat when things are calm. It's like a mini-love affair I don't want to be distracted from my beloved (saddo!) Since I can eat almost any time I am hungry so there's no pressure about having to eat "now in case". It's usually worth waiting a bit longer, too, because food tastes even better when you're hungrier.

I wasn't always like this. Until my 20s I was pretty much a gannet & prone to being pudgy. Had to learn to respect how much I love my food & want to enjoy it properly.

I'm 5'5'' and 133lb (about 9 and a half stone). I've just come down from 10st 2lb by tracking everything on MFP. The feeling of hungriness only lasted about 3 weeks, then I adjusted to less food.

I'm a researcher (university) and so read the research evidence: the only intervention which is proven to work over and over again is self-awareness and tracking.

I guess naturally thin people do this, well, naturally. I know I used to. Then I had 3 kids and long term sleep deprivation, and my hunger / satiety signals went all to hell, so now I track on MFP.

I haven't read all the posts, sorry (age 44, weight 50kg). I know its not that great, but I very rarely eat breakfast. I just cannot stomach any food before around 11-12pm. IF I do have breakfast, then I am hungry the whole day. So I eat a small lunch (salad or leftovers etc) and then supper. I don't eat everything, only until I feel I have had enough. It drives dh mad as I will leave 1 chip or 3 pea's etc.

But I think its genetics really.

My bmi edges me into being underweight. I don't limit what I eat I snack and have a piece of cake or a biscuit most days. I do no formal exercise however I walk briskly almost everywhere (I think I probably average 1 and 1/2 hours a day) am fidgety and have a hyperactive 2 year old.

When I worked in a sedentary job with a long commute I was a stone and a half heavier and watched what I ate. I think lifestyle is key, although it's the hardest thing to change, especially if you work in an office. Tricky.

Goodness, horrendous punctuation, sorry.

I used to be big but I grew into it, now, i'm less healthy than I was back then, and I'm under 5' tall. i'm less healthy now than I ever used to be and I don't know how I keep the weight off. I sit down all day, i drink and eat whatever I want, and although I'm not toned, I'm a size 6-8.
I don't get it.
I work in an office so by rights, I should be massive. But I'm not. I think my metabolism slowed down then sped right back up again.

I'm 37, 5'7" and 13 stone. I'm overweight. In the past year I have lost 3 stone by following the Slimming World diet but I have already gained 1 stone of what I lost. Although the SW diet teaches healthy choices, I find that members try to find as much (alternative) food as they can possibly fit into their daily allowance. You can eat 2 slices of a small 400g loaf which could weigh in at 60g but they will search high and low for a larger sized loaf that lets them have 3 slices of bread which also comes in at 60g (if they trim the crusts off). Portion control is not really taught and unhealthy habits are not really dropped, merely adapted to fit in with what they can get away with. I'm not denying it works, because it does. I just think more needs to be done to teach healthier ideas so that the diet becomes easier to maintain for life.

That said, I know why I am over weight.

B - Huge bowl of cereal with Skimmed milk (cereal is my downfall)
S - Fruit (not just one piece though - maybe a whole pack of grapes)
L - Left overs so maybe pasta bake or chili etc with fruit
S - Fruit
D - Pasta bake, Chili, Curry, roast etc (done to SW methods) but huge portions because it is often considered a 'Free' food and therefore I believe I can eat it all

mostly drink tea, very little water, alcohol at weekends.

I over eat. I have too large a portion. I exercise very little. I never feel full so never leave anything on my plate.

I need to re-train my mind and my stomach.