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☺

I've maintained a 27kg weight loss for 17 mths and am 5ft 2in, 8st 4lbs and a size 8-10. It's hard. I exercise every day and count calories. I can't eat normal servings of "naughty" things so have low calorie versions but I do end up having binges of 4000 to 7000 cals every 10 to 14 days. I don't advocate this but it's working for me.

I have to work VERY hard. So I have very little sympathy for people who say they ‘cant’ lose weight. You can. Anyone can. If you’re prepared to make the effort.

I keep it off by being strict 6 days a week (no carbs or junk) and then eating what I want on one day. I need my treats

I too work hard at being slim. I prefer being slim to being overweight and I'm happy to forgo foods as a result.

I don't eat:

Pizza
Pasta
Sandwiches
Cake / biscuits
Chocolate
Potatoes / carb heavy veg
Rice
Burgers
Fried Chicken type food
Fish and Chips
Chips alone!
Ice cream
Crisps

I eat lots of chicken, fish (lots of sashimi), soups, salads, green vegetables, fruit, yoghurt, nuts, eggs, lean meats etc etc.

I may very occasionally have a small piece of good chocolate but mostly, the stuff around just tastes of fat to me now. I also like a G&T and a glass of red but I only drink on Saturdays (and much prefer waking with a clear head).

I also exercise 4-5 time a week (a variety of types).

And I like it. I lost 4 stones and much prefer to be able to walk into any store and wear a size 10-12.

My tastes changed when I overhauled my diet.

Real patterns showing on here. I'm naturally slim, size 6 always and in my 50's. Small appetite, stop eating the second I feel full. Move and exercise a lot. Probably only have cake if it's someone's birthday and rarely eat pizza, do love a bit of chocolate and bread every day though.

No I don’t OP I am naturally size 8-10, weigh 8 st 7-9 at the mo. Eat what I want, minimal exercise. I eat biscuits every day. However, I struggle to clear my plate and always have and absolutely LOVE fruit and veg. Eat very little meat and cook from scratch most of the time. And walk lots with the pushchair!

Growing up we spent hours round the table (French Dad) and would talk and talk over meals which resulted I guess in us eating less? And lots of Mediterranean cuisine.

DH has quite a large (weight wise) family, they eat in front of the TV and it is like a race to eat! They clear the plates immediately and don’t just sit and digest, which I think makes you eat more because you don’t realise how full you are when you’re rushing, IME.

I know my size is purely genetics and it isn’t a healthy way to live though. My grandparents were all slim but ended up with heart disease!

Yes, you can be slim and eat pizza and cake. It’s a simple equation Calories In Calories Out. Don’t ingest more than you spend.

However, having reached maintenance weight after losing 5 stone, my current issue is that I need to adjust my diet to meet the fitness goals I want.

If you only care about fatness, it’s a lot easier.

I was always naturally very slim. I am 5ft 9 and was a size 8 / 10 until I hit my late 30's then I went to about a size 10 / 12
I am now almost 49 and hit my highest weight ever just after this Christmas - 12st 7lbs! I was shocked really.

I have cut out all the crap and alcohol since the end of the first week of Jan and am now down to 11st 13lbs - BMI 24.6

I have another stone to go and will be happy with 10st 13. But would really like to get to 10st 7.

This past month I have cut out cake, biscuits, pizza, chips (have had a few sweet potato oven fries), chocolates, wine, G&T, fancy chocolates (xmas!) and I have upped my exercise

I am getting used to it now and love waking up at the weekends with a clear head. And I am enjoying eating 'real food' for every meal.

I have had the odd bisuits / chocolate but that's fine too

I have a shocking metabolism and I blame a bout of glandular fever as i was slim before and didnt put weight on as fast as i do now. I look at carbs and gain weight. I also work a desk job so am fairly in active for 8-10 hours a day.
To not gain weight I have to eat under 1500 calories a day and go for a 30-60 minute walk every day.
To lose weight I have to have under 1200 calories and run 2-3 times a week on top of daily walking.
It sucks as I have a major sweet tooth and it's hard to run on a restricted diet as I lose most of my calories on carbs to feel good on my runs.
It is also so hard to stick to because my dp (slim/natural muscular) loves carbs, good food and huge portions. He also hates me "going without". He's only just started supporting me on the weight loss front and how strict I have to be.

hazandduck has good points to make.
I also eat slowly, really enjoy my food.
I'm not bothered about calories, if there's a low fat option (e.g. yogurt or sandwich) I'll get the not low-fat one because it will taste more satisfying and keep me going longer.
Most slim people I know exercise, eat veg with protein type meals (chicken salad or omelette with salad, for example) and tend not to eat between meals.,

It’s not a question of never eating cakes and pasta, it’s about moderation.
It took me several years to shift 2 pregnancies weight gain to pre-kids size of 8-10. And now it’s settled in the healthy eating / excersising routine most days.
With ocassional weekend or special occasion sweets and other foods i normally eat.
Low on starchy carbs, lots of veg and fruit and protein does the trick for me.
Plus excersise

I put on weight so quickly it's a joke. I do loose it fairly quickly but involves eating super super healthy and doing 2/3 gym classes a day. It's exhausting! I'm trying to loose around a stone now. I'm hoping if I exercise normally and regularly it will really help! All of my friends eat what they want don't exercise and are a size 8!

Rather than binge eating, I would say things you like in moderation. So if you like chocolate cake have a moderate sized slice. Make sure you also do regular exercise

Well done caperplips! We’re the same height. I was absolutely horrified the day last year I realised I’d hit 12st. I was at my sister in law’s house doing my makeup and moved for a different angle as I thought there was a weird shadow across my neck. I realised it was a double chin. Literally a double chin 😫 I was so surprised I thought maybe I had some kind of glandular fever or something causing swelling around my neck and kept poking it but when I got home and weighed myself I realised I was a whisker from being clinically overweight and though oh shit, I need to act on this. It was a real wake up call. Took a photo of myself from the side to remind myself so when I get tempted to sack off my weight loss I look at it. I could cover up the bumpy hips and tummy with Spanx and floaty dresses, but once I saw it on my face reality hit.

I think that some people are genuinely never hungry (as in peckish, not actual hunger) because they eat all the time!

This is true. I was one of them. I am a massive foodie, I adore food, eating, cooking. I was having like three meals in a night just cos I wasn’t stuffed. My main meal with huge portions, then later marmalade on toast, then before bed a snack of 400+ calories. No wonder I piled the weight on. My first week of doing 1200 calories whenever I felt hungry I reminded myself hunger between meals and snacks is absolutely normal and isn’t gonna kill me, and it’s actually a good sign I’m eating less than I was as I didn’t give myself chance to feel hunger before.

I do have a healthy diet though, lots of salad and veg no processed foods. I've just never been toned really even tho I do exercise! Would love to know what I'm doing wrong!

Sorry took me ages to post that was supposed to be next to mine

I think it's a mixture of good genes, balancing exercise with a good diet and moderation? Definitely portion size, I'm terrible for not monitoring that! My friend posts pics of her meals on Instagram and I'm always shocked at how small her portions are compared to mine. I try to put less on my plate than what DH is having but often fail with things like pasta. I don't think it's a coincidence that I was at my heaviest when I first lived with a boyfriend and was eating the same as him (and he was built like a brick sh*thouse).

I'm a 12-14 (more of a 14 really), 5"8 and I love my food. I exercise a lot, am always pretty active (I have two small children so never really sit down!) and don't get much sleep, so can turn to sugar to get me through. I hate the thought of dieting so just try to practice moderation and listen to what my body is telling me. Sure, I could be smaller, but as the OP said, if it's a choice between being a bit bigger and still getting to eat cake/pizza etc and being smaller and not having these things, I know which camp I'm in!

Although I turn 40 this year and am hearing how hard it is to lose weight as you get into your 40s, so that's always at the back of my mind.

No, I don’t have to do anything really. Normal eating seems to keep me quite slim and that includes cake and pizza and whatever I feel like. Usually I feel like normal meals of a sensible portion and wide variety. I like a good bit of home baking or desert. Don’t have them all the time (who has time to make them all the time is a good filter for over eating them I guess).

I read an Italian diet book years ago that suggested eating a slice of (good quality home made) cake for lunch, perhaps followed by a piece of fruit, once or twice a week while otherwise eating a carefully balanced diet. I follow this advice!

I’ve alwaus been slim (6-8 on top, 8-10 on bottom) I’ve always eaten what I’ve wanted when I’ve wanted really. I certainly don’t deny myself anything.

But then I’ve always been a fairly active person.

Now I’m older (31) I’m more conscious of putting on weight and so won’t eat 3 mars bars a day well, slight exaggeration but I’ll only have 4 biscuits instead of the whole pack sort of thing. And if I do have a few days of overeating and my jean waistband feels a bit tight I cut down for a week or so to slim down again.

Being above 8st 4lbs doesn’t suit me, my ideal weight is 7st 12lbs, but I have to REALLY watch what I eat to be that. I’m generally around 8st 2lbs and can eat a fair amount of junk on that weight.

So, in answer to your question, I eat A LOT of chocolate, crisps etc, and maybe if I wasn’t so active I’d be bigger than I am. But I always have been active through my hobbies so I’ll never know for certain.

I couldn’t ‘let’ myself get anymore than say 8st 10lbs though. If I ate so much crap that I crept up to that weight i’d Diet like a mad thing to get back to a more ‘normal’ weight. Being slim is important to me, for my mental health so I will prioritise it. But I do LOVE food, especially junk food too!

I'm naturally 'slim' (size 8-10 if I do no exercise etc) and eat whatever I like, however that doesn't mean I'm healthy, so I do exercise daily (if possible!) to get strong and fit.

I watch what I eat, I do the NHS recommended amount of cardio every week, I strength train 3 days per week too.

I eat something sweet once per week. I love food and planning a treat every week works for me. It's something small, not a binge - 500 calories at most which is still tons of eg chocolate to eat in one sitting! The thought of cutting out all sweet things forever makes me so unhappy. Planning to eat something once a week helps me feel like I'm not depriving myself, if i get into that scarcity mindset I'm much more likely to break my diet and binge on unplanned junk food.

I wouldn't plan to eat pizza but if friends are going out for pizza I'll join them and not worry about it, I'll just have a light lunch (don't eat breakfast anyway) and then I can enjoy the pizza without going over my calories for the day.

I'd recommend calorie counting, it gives you a lot of flexibility which is crucial if you're going to carry on enjoying life and food. I did quit drinking too which helps a lot - alcohol itself is very calorific and hangover munchies are a thing of the past.

Oh and get some muscle on you! Having a good muscle base helps you to look slimmer too and will help you like your body.

From the age of 14 to my early 40s my life was a constant cycle of starving myself, losing weight then weeks of overeating and putting it back on. Then I started doing the 16:8 way of eating which means eating during an 8 hour window and fasting the remaining 16 hours of each day. It's changed my life. I've lost weight, have loads more energy and most of my niggling health complaints have disappeared. I do naturally prefer healthy foods like vegetables and pulses but I eat whatever I want on this diet (I don't even like to call it a diet because I never feel deprived). So far today I've had TWO cheese and onion toasties for breakfast with loads of mayonaisse and ketchup. I had a piece of cake midmorning. I'm eating chocolate right now and about to have lunch which is pasta with a tomato and vegetable sauce with lots of cheese. In the past I would never have dared eat these types of food when trying to lose weight but I know i'll be fine and won't put on weight if I eat within the 8 hours. I've gone from a 14 to a 10 and everyone tells me I'm looking slim. I just wish I'd discovered this way of eating earlier!