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☺

Thank you Vietnamese
I knew I had put on some weight before Christmas but then went ahead and ate and drank all round me as it had been stressful leading up to it.
I came back to work and all work clothes were feeling tight. I had one important meeting with a dignitary and an official photo was taken and I was absolutely 100% shocked at how I looked.

In my head I was disguising it fine, in reality I looked exactly what I was - a middle aged, heavy set, broad, tired looking woman.

I got motivated immediately. 7lbs down now and really really determined as I have 2 very big work events coming up in April and in May and I want to look and feel great for them. Vanity is such a motivator!!

Yes.

I eat pizza etc, but only at weekends, and I compensate for it the next day (eating less or exercising)

Same caperplips, I had to have a photo taken for work too and it shocked me. I didn’t look like I imagine myself in my head. I looked fat!

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

Weigh portions, or use a different plate. For example a cereal bowl or a side plate. So you can’t actually eat an oversized portion. Or use regular baking measuring cups to see what a portion is. We’ve all absolutely lost sight of what a portion size actually is.

I eat whatever I fancy, so cake and pizza etc I don’t calorie count or anything. I’m a size 8. I’m not really sure how I maintain a size 8 to tell you the truth. I guess maybe it’s portion size that’s key maybe? I eat whatever I like (I do eat healthy food too) and eat until I’m full/satisfied but maybe compared to other people my portion is smaller?

Before I had my first child 3 years ago I was very into exercise and long distance running. I was convinced once I had my children and stopped the exercise I’d double in size but I haven’t. I had 2 children in 18 months and after each baby just ate whatever I liked, yet the weight fell off without any effort. Maybe how fit I was before getting pregnant helped, I’m not sure?

There are theories that if you are overweight you create more fat cells and losing weight can only ever shrink those cells, you can never eradicate them. So it would be more difficult for someone who has been overweight to maintain the same weight as someone who has never been overweight even if they ate and exercised exactly the same.

It was so easy to stay slim and a size 8 when i was younger, once i hit mid 30's i only have to look at cake and i pile on weight.
Almost 40 now and im a size 10, i go to the gym 3 times a week and walk daily (have a dog)
No carbs in the week, weekends ill have a all those yum things so it balances out.

I always used to eat what I wanted and stayed at size 8 for years. Now I'm older it's more difficult and I only put weight on around my waist (middle aged spread) which makes my clothes very uncomfortable and doesn't look good, but isn't worth buying a size bigger as clothes then hang off my bum and thighs. I've started doing the 5:2 diet recently having never dieted before and it works for me. I do that most of the time now with breaks for holidays and Christmas. I eat quite healthily on the non-fast days, cooking from scratch etc but I do eat pasta and bread and I'll have a small piece of cake or a couple of biscuits but I don't go over the top. I do have pizza or a takeaway once or twice a month but no more really as i enjoy cooking and I'd rather have wine! I don't think I'll ever be as slim as I was, but I feel ok about it so long as my clothes are comfortable.

I’m an 8-10, don’t really have much of a sweet tooth so never go for cake/chocolate/pudding.

Carbs are my weakness though. I’m a sucker for pasta, chips, bread etc.

I do work hardish to maintain it though and I try to be good as I used to a be bit bigger before I started eating healthily. I often tell myself off and have a piece of fruit instead. We meal plan and I use MyFitnessPal pal to regulate, and I excercise 3/4 times a week.

I’d never say no to a meal out/takeaway or glass of wine tho, life would be rubbish without a few treats!

I really do think it's not just down to the amount you eat... unless an awful lot of people are not being honest about how much they eat.

I've always been fairly slim (size 10 to 12 and about 5ft 6in) and have always eaten pretty much what I like. I'm 45 and don't do any exercise as such, unless you include walking and housework. I always have full fat dairy etc. No low fat anything and no artificial sweeteners. I eat chocolate or biscuits or cake every day - not all day long though, usually a bar of chocolate or a few biscuits mid-afternoon. I've been vegetarian since I was about 10.

Something that might be relevant is that I'm a pretty anxious and restless type. Probably use up lots of nervous energy and also loose my appetite and skip meals when my anxiety is bad - maybe 2 meals a week.

Yes
and the further 50 heads into the rear view mirror, the harder it gets
but its worth it
so I keep going

I think it's entirely genetic for me. I'm 36 and have been in or around 8 stone and size 6-8 since I was 15 (apart from pregnancy and a couple of months thereafter!).

I have a large appetite and would eat a bar of chocolate and a bag of crisps every day, along with big meals (4 Weetabix for breakfast, ham sandwich, banana and yoghurt for lunch, a large portion of something carb-laden for dinner, eg spaghetti bolognese, burger and chips, burrito, chicken curry). I do happen to like fruit and yoghurt so I will snack on that as well as on sugary stuff, and maybe a bowl of cereal. I rarely go an hour or two without eating something - if I do I feel hungry. I do no deliberate exercise (!) - I might walk into town if the bus doesn't come.

I consider myself extremely lucky and I can't bear it when people make mean comments about other people's weight. I was glad and unsurprised to see that recent article about genes and slimness. My best friend has struggled with her weight all her life and she definitely eats less and exercises more and always has. There is no way I would have the willpower to count calories or exercise religiously - if I had to, I would choose cake!

I eat shit loads of food and am very thin. I do not know why. I am sure my metabolism will slow down as I get older (I am 38), sometimes I wonder if I have worms because I seem to eat so much crap and get away with it.

I consider myself extremely lucky and I can't bear it when people make mean comments about other people's weight.

I think the mean comments usually come from people who make a lot of effort to stay slim though. I'm like you but my daughter (who eats less than me) struggles with her weight so I can see that it is much easier for some compared with others.

I really do think it's not just down to the amount you eat... unless an awful lot of people are not being honest about how much they eat.

It’s been shown time and time again that people underestimate the amount of calories they’re taking in and overestimate the amount of calories they’re burning (through exercise for example).

If there’s anyone reading the thread who wants to lose weight and has never done calorie counting before, try it for a week and you’ll be amazed. If I want three decent 400 cal meals per day, I can’t have that massive soya latte with two sugars I fancy when I see friends. If I fancy grabbing a bag of Doritos from the vending machine at work that’s fine, but it means later on instead of a nice sized evening meal I can only have a very small snack.

It’s down to what people eat not just amounts. My carb intake has shot up recently (the baby seems to really like carbs 🙄) and the scales are going up. Part of that will be the baby but part is definitely carbs and I will need to get a handle on it as soon as I stop throwing up every few hours!

No I'm 50 and always been slim as are most of the family on all sides tbh.
I eat whatever I fancy but generally have a healthy diet and lifestyle I am very active always on the go and not really a snacker. Also have a smallish appetite.
I'm not buying into this age is a reason to put on weight business.

@AnnabelleLecter See this is exactly the sort of stuff that pisses me off. "I am 50, genetically slim, I don't like to snack, I have a very active lifestyle and a small appetite. I have not put on weight. Therefore there is no excuse for anyone who is 50 to put on weight."

I am 6ft and a size 10-12.
I have always been slim but as I got older and had kids I defo put on weight. Lost about a stone before my 40th and have pretty much keep it off.
I have a fit bit and track every calorie and still 5:2 most weeks.
It takes a lot of time.
Today I have had porridge toast tea latte and croissant and a Costa hot chocolate so not diet food BUT have already walked 12k steps and will do another 4K in the rest of the day . So I eat well but exercise well too. I reckon I spend 15 mins a day tracking calories

Yep pisses me off too. I exercise a ton. I don’t overeat but as I have a thyroid disorder I am prone to weight gain unless I stick to under 1500 a day. Before I hit about 30 it was much easier to manage.

So congrats you’re genetically slim but you know what you can do with your applying your lucky genetics to everyone don’t you....

@Dungeondragon15 Yes I agree it is usually slim people who need to work at it who make these comments. Maybe they are looking to validate their choice to avoid cake?! I think because I am slim other people think I will join in with fat-shaming. I have raised an issue about this with colleagues previously, I just hate people who think that their body type makes them superior to others, whether they've worked at it or otherwise.

I have to work hard in terms of making sure I have enough exercise and eat a balanced diet. Part of that balanced diet allows for treats; pizza, cake, fish and chips etc.

But when I do have those things I have to think about what else I’m eating that day. So if I’m going out for a pizza and a beer lunch and/or brekkie that day might be a bit healthier to offset it.

I am not genetically slim. And I control what I eat. Low carb and all.

I do agree with people that there is no excuse for putting on weight. It’s really up to us.
What/how much we eat impacts on weight.
What we eat is a choice.

OP - for example - wants to lose weight in some theoretical sense. But says she is happy to be size 14 if she can eat pasta and cake.

I have a lot of friends like this. They moan about wanting to lose a few extra kgs and ask me how I mange to keep my size. But when I tell them that there isn’t a magic solution and they’ll need to eat less - they say - oh no.

It’s OK to be happy with the size one is. But I don’t see the point of being unhappy about the weight, and wanting to lose it - but not doing something about it.

I work hard at staying slim.. 10-12
I eat about 1000 calories max per day and run five times a week.
I love pizza and never deny myself but I eat small amount and when I have it I know I will have to compensate somewhere else.
I lost five stone a few yrs ago and now eat what I want but only when I am very hungry and only enough to stop the hunger.

I am size 10 and eat what I want. Most days that includes cake. I eat pasta and pizza regularly.

I am trying to eat a better diet for health reasons but don't find it necessary for my weight.

I'm a size 8-10 and I do have cake/biscuits etc. I don't do much formal exercise. However when I say I eat cake/biscuits, I mean one or two, here and there. If I ate my normal food plus a large slice of cake and glass of wine/handful of crisps etc, I would expect to see either the same weight on the scales the next day or half a pound or so up.

If I ate cake every day plus wine and a few crisps on top of normal intake I'd probably put on 2-3lb a week.

Basically, make hay when the sun shines (i.e. when you don't have any particular reason to eat rubbish, then don't) and then when you do, it either will have minimal impact to your weight/figure overall.

I'm 40, have had three kids and have a desk job. I have to work at it. I train about 6 times per week with a mixture of boxing/circuits and high impact boot camps. I also follow a healthy diet which is high protein to help me maintain muscle mass. I'm a pretty toned size 8/10 at 5ft 11. I didn't used to have to do as much but it seems to have become more challenging with other age and lifestyle changes.