to ask if you have to work hard at being slim

[Tobythecat]

Do you ever eat cake/pizza? Im trying to lose weight and stop binge eating, but the thought that even if i become slimmer, will it mean i can never eat cake?

I really enjoy cake/pizza/pasta and would rather be a size 14 and eat these things once a week or so than be a size 8 or 10 and never get to eat them.

Interested to read your experiences☺

It's genetic in my case. Everyone on my DFs side is slim. But I guess I don't know what other people's appetites are like either.

No, and I eat cake, pizza and pasta, but they are not my favourite foods.

No not unreasonable to ask but yes, I do. Have been to SW for 13 weeks and lost a stone and feel great.

But to maintain this i will have to continue making some lifelong changes to my diet, which will include restricting cake and pizza to rare treats only. Pasta is doable eg bolognese is no problem at all as a healthy dish. Sometimes it's a case of taking your favourite meal and preparing them in a more healthy way.

I have healthy versions of banana cake and carrot cake for when I have sweet cravings.

NB i also exercise for 30 mins 5 x a week but always have done. However have a totally sedentary job so this is the only real exercise I do in the week.

Hope this helps but I love my new weight and body and my clothes look wonderful so it's worth all the effort!

I don’t really like cake but I do eat fibre one bars because they’re lowish calories and high fibre.

I don’t really buy full fat anything, butter, cheese, cream, mayo etc are all the light versions and I rarely use oil in cooking, or if I do it’s only a small amount.

If I have pizza it’s usually half a pizza with a load of salad and reduced fat coleslaw.

But I do have a takeaway every couple of weeks where I don’t care at all about the calories! I just stick to lower calorie stuff the rest of the time to balance it out.

I lost 4.5 stone 13ish years ago and have kept most of it off.

I work very hard to be slim (size 6) I gym 5 times a week, I run, I count calories ....

Can I eat these things occasionally? sure

Can I eat pizza and pasta and cake every week and not have it affect my weight? nope

I’m size 8 and yes I eat cake and pizza. More pizza than cake - I’m not a massive fan of sweet things luckily (except chocolate but I eat dark so less of it) but I love butter and cheese and meat.

I used to be able to eat loads and stay thin, just luck I guess. As I’ve got older I do find I have to rein in my calorie intake and especially white carbs (sugar bread mash etc). I tend to eat more when there’s really nice food on offer and then eat fairly little other times, just a weekday lunch for example.

Unfortunately I do think some people just have higher metabolism than others... You can improve your metabolism by building muscle and you can also make it worse by eating lots of sugar and processed carbs .

No I don't have to monitor my weight, maybe the opposite way if I am very busy, depressed or under pressure I get skinny so I need to keep a healthy balance.
I can eat pretty much what I want in moderation. My portions are definitely smaller in comparison to DP, I stop eating when I am full, but i do eat biscuits or some treats every day, mainly as I am rushing about and they are easy to grab, I do move lots as DS is really active, plus I walk everywhere, again not a conscious decision as I can't drive
When DS grows up I will more than likely get heavier.
I also don't like take away much, DP loves it so every fortnight is plenty for me.

No I eat want I want, I also love all bad foods , pizza, pasta, sugar etc
What works for me is not eating before 1 each day and walking - generally an hour fast about 5 times a week. I'm 8 stone and 5 7 and I have a v young body (pity about my face)

I eat a lot, just during 1 to say 7-8 and it seems to keep the weight off.

When I was younger and had a physical job I didn't have to work at it but now I'm older and don't have the job I do have to watch what I eat a bit and I do make myself do exercise. I still have pizza (homemade)every week but only 2/3 slices plus salad. I don't have a sweet tooth so I don't have cake that often. When I do I really enjoy it but I'm a cake snob I like a nice homemade type of cake, a Mr Kipling French fancy type thing just seems like a waste of calories.

Yes unfortunately. I soon put on weight if I am not careful 90% of the time

I have yet to meet anyone over 30 that is slim without either watching what they eat or do loads of exercise. I do think some people that think they are naturally slim just don't eat that much.

I've never had to watch what I eat, I take after my dad's side who are all slim. Never dieted or done exercise. I'm 34 size 8-10 and have 5 children. My sister takes after my mums side, she's 23 size 14 and has no children 🤷🏻‍♀️ I think it's all comes down to genetics.

I'm a size 6 or 8. I eat cake, pizza etc. I don't watch my calories but I do make sort of an effort to eat healthy as in 'did I have veggies today? Did I have enough protein? Should I eat an apple before I go to bed to make up for the chips I had for lunch?'

I've never been able to eat a lot at once either, which helps. I get sick if I keep eating after I am full so that puts a natural cap on my ability to binge eat favourite foods

At the moment no, because DC is draining all the calories out of me BF and I've been a lucky so and so in that I'm slimmer now than before pregnancy. However BF will be coming to an end soon, before pregnancy I was losing weight (got down to 10st 10, I used to be 12st 10 and now I'm 8st 7 and 5ft 2) by low carbing and doing a LOT of exercise. Mainly body pump and spin.

I can forsee having to work extra hard though, having DC now means I can't run out for the odd late night spin like I used to, going back onto low carb and getting out the Jillian Michaels dvds. That 12st 10 crept up, now I feel so much better in myself and stronger too. I'm even thinking about couch to 5k, I can run 2k but then get knackered. Everyone I know who runs seems to be in very good shape!

Yes, and it's getting increasingly difficult.

Losing weight and keeping it off is going to require a rethink of forty and a half decades of eating more or less what I like and doing minimal exercise. My chickens are coming home to roost, and they are fat bastards.

I'm sick of worrying about it, to be honest. It's just so bloody hard.

When I say I get sick, I mean I feel sick. My stomach hurts.

I didn't want my post to read as though I make myself sick as in vomit, which is not he case and obviously not a good way to stay slim!

I'm a size 10 (currently 10/12 at 6m pp and eating loads while breastfeeding) and I eat what I want. Generally I make good choices but I always have a big evening meal with lots of pasta or potatoes or rice and I love cake. I have a "treat" every day but also eat a lot of fruit and veggies. My weight rarely changes. I'm turning 29 this year and nervous about what will happen next year as everyone says once you hit 30 you have to try harder

I’m an endurance triathlete so can pretty much eat what I want within reason but obviously I train very hard which takes a lot of time and effort. I dread to think what would happen to my body if I stopped training tomorrow with this appetite.

@Gromance02 I posted just after you so didn't see your comment. Im naturally slim and I eat tonnes through the day. It's not even midday yet and I've eaten 11 Jacobs crackers with Philadelphia cheese, a big bag of mini eggs, and 2 slices of cheese on toast just for breakfast 🙈 i don't gain weight and I don't exercise either. I've been trying to put weight on for 2 years and I can't get past 9.5st

I’m 41, tallish and size 8. I work out five times a week, and gravitate more towards healthy foods. On a typical day I will have:

No breakfast

Lunch is either a tuna mayo sandwich with sautéed greens and avocado, or a salad with salmon, olives and avocado.

Mid afternoon I have a protein bar and some nuts or a sachet of nut butter.

Dinner is a variation on protein, vegetables and sweet potatoes, potatoes or brown rice.
I sauté the protein and vegetables as I hate steamed food.

In the evening I’ll have a bowl of berries and if I’m still hungry a bowl of plantain chips or a toasted paleo bagel with butter made by my local bakery.

I think I eat plenty, but I’m rarely eating junk.

Yep. I work at it. I run long distances, which allows me to eat whatever the hell I like and maintain my weight. I run (when not 4 weeks post birth, like now!) 40-50 miles a week. I also walk a lot as I don't drive and don't like the bus.

I could run less and eat less cake, but I like both running and cake. When the Grand Big Mac was a thing I ended a 15mile run at Macdonalds in order to eat one!

I’m not sure about working hard? I mean, if I just ate what I wanted I would be fat (been there) but I think it’s more of a balancing act than hard work. I’m a size 8 and I still eat pizza a couple of times a month—it’s my favourite food—but then the following day I would eat very little to compensate, it’s not even a conscious effort. I just know that that’s the trade off IYSWIM? I don’t think you need give up cake to be slim, just don’t make it a daily occurrence. I think it’s more a case of being aware that to have those treats your daily, regular diet needs to be healthily, nutritious, non-processed foods and when you do have the cake it’s a single slice of something that you really love so that you actually feel satisfied (I can stand these substitutions that people come up with—just makes me want the decent treat even more!)

I have always been slim and certainly eat cake every now and then. I eat pasta quite frequently too (is that supposed to be restricted?) but I don't like pizza much, Ultimately, I am sure that you can eat all these things but not as much of them. Portion size is the most important rather than the food itself.

I am slim but flabby. If I exercise I am just slim (I am mid 30s and have 3 kids).
I eat scrap, but have a small appetite, so not tons of anything.