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!

BMI 20/21

Breakfast: piece of toast with peanut butter or small bowl of muesli or a banana if I'm in a rush
Cup of coffee during my break
Lunch: half a container of fresh soup, probably a biscuit too (or two) or homemade salad with feta, olives or quinoa
Dinner: tonight it was sausage and mash (4 chipolatas, scoop of mash, homemade gravy and lots of veg) and a glass of wine
Snack: two jaffa cakes and some hot honey and lemon

Only make it to the gym once or twice a week but I have an active job. I'm rarely hungry eating what I eat, and I eat more if I am hungry.

I tend to graze, so I take fruit to work so I'm not tempted by the crisps in the vending machine. I normally eat 2-4 pieces during the day, typically bananas, apples and mandarins.

Exercise does have an effect but one needs to mix it up eg weights once q week to boost tone and metabolism, jog/swim steadily once a week for an hour, run at a medium speed once a week for 30 mins, and sprint training once a week.

Athletes tend to have slim physiques, and whilst it is tricky to train regularly, amateurs can make considerable gains if they stick to a schedule and crucially push a little further each time. With the stamina exercises, there should be an element of pushing through the pain barrier each session (if you're not knackered at the end it is unlikely you've achieved much). With regards to resistance training, doing 3 sets of 10-20 reps with a weight that makes this tough is the aim. I like to do super-sets where I exercise each muscle group in either the upper or lower body for 10-20 reps with moderate weights, without a break. I repeat each superset three times. I am in better shape than when I was in my 20s.

despite the nickname...

I am size 10, 5'8, weigh about 63kg

For breakfast I eat porridge/cereal/granola with almond milk

Mid morning I have coffee with almond milk and a glass of juice

Lunch I have a vegetable soup and a tuna/salmon/avocado/egg/lentil salad (so high on protein)

At around 4pm I get a sugar craving and I drink some diet coke and eat a small chocolate bar (like a Fredo or a kit kat)

For dinner my DH might roast a chicken or pan fry a sea bass fillet, and with it some vegetables and potatoes.

I'll have a few more sips of diet coke after dinner and another small chocolate bar.

I'll preface this with a few relevant facts about me.

I don't put much effort into eating healthily or having good food habits. I genuinely prefer it. I genuinely don't like to drink anything but water, for example. I also never eat when I'm not hungry or when I'm stressed. While there are some sweet deserts I'm a sucker for, and will order if out, I rarely make dessert at home. I am absolutely not a sweet tooth when it comes to sweets or chocolate.

I also spend a lot of time making stuff at home that others might buy in a can. Like fish fingers, chicken nuggets, baked beans, soup, dips like hummus, bean etc

If I have a big meal, the next meal is either non existent, or a small snack. Not because I have willpower. My appetite isn't that big.

So breakfast could be anything from a smoothie with banana, milk, oats and vanilla. Or it could be two eggs on rye toast with hummus and maybe beans on the side. Or fried tomato. Or it might be just a cafe latte. It all depends on my appetite. This morning it was about cup of porridge with mixed berries and no added sweetener like sugar or honey. That's a cup after it's made. Not a cup of oats and then with milk added and cooked. I'll have a coffee in about an hour.

I'm going to be out for lunch and I'm planning on buying a pulled pork and rocket and gherkin sandwich on sourdough. It's just a regular size. It doesn't have ridiculous amounts of meat.

I've made dinner. It's a thick lentil soup with vegetables. I'll have a regular sized bowl of that with some french bread and butter. Last night we had home made meat, veg and mushroom pies with peas. Tomorrow I'm making portobello mushrooms stuffed with...I'm not sure what, yet. A vege meal, anyway. Sometimes I make home made burgers. They're not big - about as big as a McDonalds burger. With more salad though, and a thicker beef patty obviously. I would do home made chips with that. Well, just fried up potatoes in olive oils, butter and salt.

Sometimes later in the evenings I'll have plain greek yoghurt and lashings of honey. Maybe twice a week. Every now and then I'll make a dessert. A crumble, or pudding. Perhaps a few times a month.

I never snack unless as I said, I had a very small meal earlier. If I do, it's one biscuit, or a handful of nuts and dried fruit, or marmite on a cracker or something. We don't have snack foods (beyond the odd cracker) in the house because I never think to buy them. We always have fruit and nuts though.

I drink alcohol whenever I want. But often that's only once or twice a week, if that. Much more often during festive seasons etc. Occasional glass of wine or a beer. That sort of thing.

The carb thing is lost on me. I will often have carbs with all 3 meals. I would gouge out the eyes of anyone who denied me bread and butter or potato. I don't eat huge amounts of refined carbs though. We go out for dinner regularly and I'll eat whatever takes my fancy. I rarely polish off a full plate though.

BMI is about 20ish and I'm in my mid 40s.

I'm 5'7.5 and just under nine stone. I used to be just under eight stone until I hit 35. I've always been thin, and so are most of the people in my extended family. Today I ate:

Breakfast: Two-egg omelette with feta cheese, strip of bacon and one strawberry and almond milk smoothie

Snack: Apple

Lunch: Salad of spinach, olives, avocado, sauteed salmon and tomatoes

Snack: Handful of macadamia nuts

Dinner: Grilled chicken, crispy brussel sprouts, and chips. Small bar of 85% chocolate for dessert

I eat large portions, have a few bits of junk here and there, but don't go overboard. I also go to the gym 3/4 times a week, and mostly weight train.

This is fascinating!

Right now anything goes because I'm pregnant and feel horrendous if I don't eat often, but I'm saving up this info for after.

I've only been slim rarely.

I put on well over 20 kg with all my pregnancies. But my starting weight was only about 53kg anyway. I ate huge amounts, but just of the same stuff. Though I did love loads of brown sugar sprinkled on stuff.

I'm a size 8-10 and generally hover around the 60kg mark weight wise.

I'll normally eat a bowl of porridge for breakfast. I'm always starving at lunchtime, and I often make that my biggest meal of the day. If I eat a small lunch I'll be starving all afternoon and that's when I hit the sugary snacks. Dinner is usually pasta or curry or something. We have takeaway once a week.

I think portion size is key. My DH got himself to a stage of being really overweight eating the same as me, just loads more. I bought smaller plates, and although it still looked to him like he had a plate full of food he was only getting half as much. He never ever complained about being hungry either, and dropped 30kg in about 4 months!! He was brought up to clean his plate, regardless of how much was on it, and I think he'd just overridden the signals from his body to stop eating when full.

What However said. I'm just the same, except I can't face a nice breakfast on a workday. Too depressing.

I'm 8/10,BMI 24.

I don't eat 'breakfast' usually brunch . I don't like any 'breakfasty' foods. Just put myself on a tea drip until I've been awake a few hours then have brunch, which is any sort of food I'd normally eat for dinner. I eat a fair bit, sometimes four or five meals a day. I watch the carbs. I don't eat junk. I don't carry on eating when I am full.

I do 30 min exercise per day.

Not much use putting my diet itself as I am a vegan and a low-ish carber. But one thing I will say is, I have been overweight in the past, and I ate a lot less then!
I eat a lot and I eat often-but I've found that starchy foods are what puts weight on me.

I'm 177cm (think that's about 5'9.5"), hover around the 67kg mark. BMI is 21 and I'm 40. I'm a solid size 10, which means an 8-12 depending on the shop. Sedentary job.

I have two days a week when I eat very little, probably around the 600-650 cal mark.

This enables me to live a little, especially at the weekend.

A typical day when I'm not restricting calories:

• I pretty much always skip breakfast, as I'm just not hungry in the morning.

• Mid-morning snack of a handful of raw nuts.

• Lunch is usually a sandwich or sushi, and sometimes a piece of fruit. Water to drink.

• Afternoon - handful of raw nuts.

• Dinner is always a small portion.

I do snack a bit in the evening - maybe a slice of cake, cheese and crackers. I have a G&T on non-restrictive days, and DH and I pretty much always share a bottle of wine on Fridays and Saturdays.

Nothing is off limits. I eat carbs (love them too much) and sugar if I want it. I probably drink about 3-4 cups of coffee today, my main daily vice.

Things that have popped up in this thread that I rarely, if ever, eat/drink:

• fizzy drinks (except for tonic water in G&T)
• biscuits
• crisps

Having said that, if I do feel like any of these, I will have them and enjoy them.

I have recently got into running, but prior to that, didn't really do any exercise. IMO, for me, it is down to diet, and basically just not eating too much. I am running because I want to get fitter, not to lose weight.

I can see that portion size has been mentioned a couple of times and I think that, along with consumption of sugar and processed carbs, is a huge factor. It is more about what you don't eat than what you do.

I'm not as slim as I'd like (size 12/14 currently could do with making an effort food wise and lose about 10 pounds) but my weight has been pretty stable for all my adult life.

My observations of friends, family and colleagues that struggle with their weight is consumption of a lot of sugary drinks, which I almost never drink and large portions.

For example, fish and chips or other takeaways make two meals for me, but they eat it all in one go. If they go to the Toby Carvery they have what looks to me like massive portions with loads of roast potatoes, stuffing and multiple Yorkshire puds if allowed and I will have a lot less, but with proportionately more veg. They might even have a pudding too, whereas I am too stuffed to contemplate this.

So they are probably eating twice as much as me - I see numerous examples of this where I think a 'normal' portion what you get in a restaurant or whatever is huge and they think it is tiny or normal.

I also almost never diet so don't have the feast and famine mentality that a lot of yo yo dieters have. They will either be on or off a diet, so are either gorging on large portions of unhealthy foods or 'being good' which to them seems to mean existing on salad drenched in crappy full of artificial shite dressings and muller lights, which I don't believe is good for you anyway.

Better to eat smaller portions of more real food and cut right back on the processed rubbish and sugar I think.

Looking over a few daily food shots, it is clear that there are a variety of eating patterns.

Those who have been overweight or largish in the past seem to be the ones who have more restrictive patterns of eating (intermittent fasting, limiting food groups). I do believe that one does need to do this if one has been large in the past - our bodies naturally want to return to our larger selves, and a lifetime of discipline is necessary to maintain weight - there was a recent dietary study which pointed this out (was not the main message, but the one which really stood out for me).

Those who have always been slim - thus there is a lifestyle and genetic background which naturally supports being slim, have less restrictive diets but have a natural checks and balances which are intact (we have never gained weight to reset our natural body weight and never dieted) and our bodies are set at an intrinsic body weight which is low.

The key message to our children is promote a healthy pattern of eating and NEVER, EVER DIET! I really do believe it is dieting which screws up metabolisms, and advocating healthy lifestyles will prevent issues when an adult. It is possible to lose weight and keep it off, as some of the posters have been able to do, but only by constant discipline and a complete permanent change in the way they eat.

place marking so I can read properly later

This thread is very civilised for AIBU

I find it really interesting, hopefully it will help people.

FWIW I was never very over weight. I found 5:2 an easy way to stay a happy size while enjoying good food and wine.
I've carried on "intermittent fasting" for the well recognised medical health benefits.

OP I could have written your post. I was slim in my teens and 20s, but over the last 5-10 years I seem to have lost sight of what is a normal amount to eat, and now have a BMI of 34.

Interesting reading on here. I think the things that contributed to my weight gain were buying a car (previously I walked / used public transport), yo-yo dieting and more recently, developing an underactive thyroid. I've had some success recently with the 5:2 plan, which allows me to eat normally for most of the week. I've lost 1st 5 on it since the summer. I do worry though that it's going to turn out to be another "diet" which at some point I will break and regain the weight, plus some, as is the pattern. No idea what the answer is I seem to have lost touch completely with what is "normal".

I am 5'3" ish and the lowest weight I ever was was 9 stone....that gave me a healthy bmi and I was slim but not skinny. ....however, I basically had to starve myself to stay that weight. I would eat one meal a day and was always hungry. I think a lot of it must be genetic as I just couldn't seem to get below that weight despite not eating much.

I am a size 8, BMI 20.7.
yesterday I had:
A large bowl of porridge with chopped banana.
2 boiled eggs on wholemeal toast.
2 chicken breasts with broc and carrots.
1 penguin bar.
Handful of Brazil nuts.
1 Apple.
A Greek yoghurt before bed.

I practice yoga everyday and lift weights 3x per week.
I eat loads and never deprive myself anything, exercise is key.

5'8. Size 10 with boobs. 45 yrs old.

I don't eat crisps, cake, chocolate etc; my tastebuds prefer 'healthier' foods like nuts, fruit etc.

Yesterday's menu:

Breakfast
Two scrambled eggs with spinach

Lunch
Pret soup. It was the low fat / low calorie Indian Tomato with lentils

Dinner
Roasted salmon fillet, broccoli, roasted tomatoes, asparagus.

Snacks were a handful of almonds and two skinny cappuccinos.

This is a very typical day for me, although I exercise everyday also. On days I'm doing hardcore cardio, I'll have something like rice cakes with almond butter and a banana two hours before the class.

Two litres of water every day also.

I eat loads and never deprive myself anything, exercise is key

I have not found this to be true. I exercised a lot for several months and didn't change my diet...it made no difference at all.

46, size 10 with boobs, 5'7"

Breakfast - loads of coffee with sugar
Mid morning - crisps?!
Lunch - sandwich or homemade soup
Main meal - usually a big meal with the 3 DCs and DP and they eat like horses, lasagne, burritos, whatever but last night I just had carrots and humus. Wasn't that hungry. Oh and a beer.

I find that if I've had a big meal one day I tend to eat little the next day. It works for me. I also don't have a sweet tooth so cakes and sweets aren't a problem. I always have chocolate in but know I won't binge on it if I know it's there.

Smaller portions seems to help for me, no seconds ever. And no drinking (even water) with a meal as I find I eat more. And no eating or snacking after 6pm unless we're out for a meal.

mominatrix - Yes, I think you have something there in your analysis. I come from a slim family (been a 6/8 all my life), who probably did a lot of 'every day' activity rather than exercise. No diets. Home cooked food in the main. Less healthy food choices in the house, so crisps/sweets/chocolate not seen as somehow desirable because they were banned. But we seemed to naturally restrict ourselves anyway.

I don't eat through boredom, if I am not hungry and I lose my appetite when I am stressed. Restricting myself 2 days a week so I can eat 'bad' choices seems mad to me, but that's absolutely fine if it works for others.

Years ago, I used to run marathons and run 50/60 miles a week. I was always hungry, could never fill myself up. When I stopped running, I thought I might gain weight. I did a little, but I Paula Radcliffe thin then and needed to, my appetite adjusted itself accordingly.

I am pretty active generally now and walk the dogs for 90 minutes a day, which adds up. No specific plan fitness activity though.