to think that women who are a size 6/8/10 are permanently on a diet?

[SabineUndine]

I don't mean diet as in counting every calorie, but diet as in they hardly eat any carbs and don't eat cakes, biscuits etc more than a couple of times a year? I am not a thin person (you guessed?) and I look at what my really slim female colleagues eat and it's salads with no carbs and just a tiny bit of protein, or soup or smoothies. Is that what it takes to be a thin person?

And echoing the PP about remembering to eat

If I'm working at home, I will very often forget to eat lunch. If I'm working in-house in an office it's a lot easier because the routine of going out to get something to eat means I don't get to mid afternoon and think, oh, I haven't eaten yet

rookie when I started tracking I found I was probably only getting about 1200-1500 calories. I just wasn't eating enough!

For IVF I was aiming for 2000-2500 calories a day, and to get loads of protein and good fats. Tracking for a little bit helped me to get a sense for how much I should be eating - I didn't track for more than a couple of weeks, it was just a useful tool to help me develop new habits

I think slim people are generally probably less greedy and probably take more exercise.

I noticed when we went out to dinner with all the Mums in ds's class - the two slimmest Mums (who work as Pilates instructors and therefore take lots of exercise) just ate a normal starter and main course. The heftier Mums saw the night out as a good excuse for a high-calorie pudding as well (and drank more).

I think there are some people - like me - who eat between meals out of boredom, not hunger. And I am a stone overweight. And others who don't, and aren't.

Not meaning to offend anyone with my post, but this is my observation.

Someone at the start of the thread mentioned thin on the outside, fat on the inside. I imagine that is exactly what I am. Size 6/8, 5"5, 8 stone 3, bmi roughly 19, body fat mass though is 27%. Dh is 'eating healthy' so I log everything on my fitness pal for him, today so far I have had 2946 calories. Have never in my life dieted or exercised to lose/maintain my weight

I'd also guess that those who say they eat a lot but are naturally thin don't tend to snack a lot between meals.

Size 6 - 8 here post DS and apparently can eat like a horse. I eat whatever I want including cakes, sweets, carbs as well. I don't know if the fact I don't drink alcohol helps or not.

5'4'', size 8 here. I don't diet. I am careful with what I eat (if I overeat one day, I try to compensate the following day and so on). I try to walk 30 minutes every day. I eat chocolate almost every day.

It's just a matter of moderation, I think.

I think about this often. My eight year old dd is tiny, very petite in height and weight. We have opted out of the school weigh in, as she feels very conscious of her small frame. According to the gp, she is perfectly fine and healthy. She eats small amounts of whatever meals we are having and drinks mostly water. We have no restrictions on any food or drink.

She sees me go the gym at least four times a week. I do work hard to keep myself in shape. I have to control my intake of calories or my weight skyrockets. I am concerned about modeling healthy eating and exercise behaviour to her, without giving her the message that your body size defines who you are. Body size is important though as her father is a type 2 diabetic.

Ah interesting bananafish - just goes to show that whilst you think your diet is poor, and it might be in nutrients, vitamins and fibre, it's low in calories, hence why you are thin.

Whereas I'm the opposite, I make sure I have my 5 a day - actually like fruit and veg, but just eat a bit too much.

I'm not sure in truth which is healthier as I mildly overeat and am mildly overweight, but do quite a lot of exercise.

I'm 50 & size 8/10, been the same weight unless pregnant since my teens. I eat what I want, when I'm hungry & tend not to snack. Pretty active too. I find I often ignore being hungry if I'm busy, unless I start to feel wobbly.

If I got fat I'd really struggle to diet as I love food

tinkylaugh exactly. When people comment on how much I eat and how do I stay so slim I always say that what I'm eating now will probably do me. I won't be eating more upon more food after it.

I am a 6-8 and I eat less than most people I know. This is not because I am restricting food though. I eat when I am hungry. Some days I am hungry all the time and other days I don't eat much at all.

I get full up very quickly eating a proper meal but am happier grazing.

I think a lot of slim people who aren't on diets just don't eat as much as others. It also love veg and eat a lot of it.

I teach primary and on Fridays I eat in the hall with the kids. I can't finish the adult size portion I am given. I'll be stuffed full, but in a couple of hours will be hungry again.

While the French Women Don't Get Fat book is pretty obnoxious, it does make a good point about eating all sorts of thing (including pastry, chocolate, carbs, etc.) and exercising a bit. Again, it's all down to moderation and what is right for your body. Boring but true.

grumpy my overweigh rellies are like that

If it's easter you have to have easter eggs, AND hot cross buns, AND roast lamb with all the trimmings, AND a pudding.. because it's easter.. and you're being an unfestive spoil sport if you don't want ALL of it

same for christmas. I'll have christmas cake OR mince pies OR christmas pudding if I'm doing a christmas meal, but they'll have to have all 3.. because it's christmas..
(they also make all the variations of stuffings, and insist everyone have all of them on their plate etc)

It gets to the point where you aren't enjoying what you're eating because you've eaten so many things. i don't enjoy it. I would rather savor a few festive things, than work through ALL the festive foods there are until I feel sick!

yes to the not eating when stressed . I can't eat at all if I'm upset or stressed. I'm very grateful that it's not the other way round as I think it is for most people.

"I like more than one slice of pizza, but never a whole one (unless its one of those pizza hut legera ones with the middle missing) because I enjoy the first 2 or 3 slices. I don't enjoy a 5th/6th slice that just makes me feel uncomfortable and sore."

I agree, I think 2 or 3 slices is about right, but just one slice seems too abstemious to me. Is it a meal? No - but not really a snack either... One biscuit also just seems too meagre to me. But I do struggle with impulse control

I eat really slowly which i think really helps keep me slim. And I walk a lot - really enjoy being out and about. I eat whatever I fancy, but I only really fancy meat, veg, toast, nuts, fruit etc - not fussed about processed food or puddings or sweets at all. I really savour my food though and get full pretty quickly so eating slowly really works for me.

Going back to the OP I think maybe actually YANBU. Probably most of us naturally slim who think that we eat what we like actually just have an appetite and preference for food that to others would be classed as diet food and require conscious calorie counting. By that standard then yes I suppose I am always on a diet, but to me it's just the normal way to eat and I don't give it a second thought.

Agree with you completely distance. It's about knowing what suits your body. Whilst losing I discovered interesting patterns to my weight. Bread and I don't get on. Anytime I have bread more than a couple of times in a week, I will struggle to lose weight, or even put a little on. However I eat pasta/rice/potatoes, once or twice a day happily with no weight gains. If I have my fibre as a cereal based thing instead of bread, I'm fine.

Moderation and listening to your body is the best way. I also discovered that many times we eat thinking we are hungry when we are not, we are bored, or thirsty. Having a pint of squash or a cup of green tea, usually got rid of those feelings of "hunger" and stop me needing to snack between meals. Those things make the difference I think

rookie It’s an emotional thing tbh, and laziness. I always always ate loads of fruit and veg - my snacks would be a big pile of biscuits, and a load of raw veg and fruit. I just would eat loads of that and not eat proper meals! I'd get 7-10 a day, I just wouldn't have 3 square meals a day.

If left to my own devices I often wouldn’t eat an evening meal, I’d just pick at stuff in the fridge, because I wasn’t hungry and couldn’t be arsed to actually make anything.

I had a miscarriage 6 weeks ago and my emotional eating pattern fell right back into stress mode. Grazing on chocolate and sugary crap, snacking on loads of fruit and veg, but not actually eating any proper meals. Emotional stress makes my appetite diminish - so then I have to work at overriding my natural instincts, and basically stretch my stomach and grow my appetite, by eating more. Once I eat more, I want to eat more. I just have to work at it. When I was pregnant I was properly hungry, and ate loads. When we lost the baby, appetite just vanished.

I used to be very thin as a child - I put on a bit of weight in my late teens.

After having two children and breastfeeding I lost a lot of weight - and very slim now without doing much exercise and not ex thing what I eat - I'm not sure how I'm thin. I think I'd be healthier if I did some exercise though

I am a size 10 and I eat everything and anything I fancy. I just can't eat huge portions. I think IMO opinion anyway that a lot of obesity problems are due to people eating excessive portions rather than snacking. Obviously 6 packets of crisps per day will have an impact but one a day combined with small portions.. not a problem

Dd 23 is a size 6 and has been all her adult life,I'm not Dd eats more chocolate, biscuits and cakes than I ever have.She has never dieted and doesn't like or eat salad or low calorie options.She eats out regularly and always has a pudding, She isn't at all sporty but I think she must have a relatively fast metabolism as missing a couple of meals really shows and something like a cold and so a reduced appetite makes her quickly look uncomfortably skinny.

Size 8-10 here, but I don't have an especially healthy diet - Pringles feature quite heavily! I'm actually underweight for my height, 'thanks' to a combination of Crohn's disease and a very fast metabolism. Don't assume everyone thin is healthy!

I actually had colleagues have a go at me when I was pregnant for "dieting" when pregnant.

I wasn't "on a diet". I had a lunch of avocado, oatcakes, smoked salmon, fruit and loads of other little bits'n'pieces that 1. I enjoy eating, and 2. was healthy for the baby

One of them (3 ganged up on me in the lunch room) actually said "you're pregnant! you should be eating cake! its not right to diet when you're pregnant"

I was eating a normal healthy lunch, hadn't weighed or counted anything.