To wonder what exactly middle class and upper class Mums do to be skinny

[Humpy84]

I am a Mum of a two year old turning three July. Not an age that he can be packed up for long walks in buggy.

I have gained weight and feeling overwhelmed by everything.

I have noticed and I think it is obvious that middle and upper class Mums tend to be slimmer.

I want to know if you identify this and if so what is your weekly shopping routine, meal plan, how do you exercise with or without toddler/s, tips and tricks etc, diet plans, etc etc.

The reducing body fat is important to me too though, former. It's a big part of it. You don't have to look very far to find links to excess body fat and all sorts of disease.

And tbh it helps me love my body more. It's not nice feeling like a time bomb waiting to go off with regards to ill health. I decided to be the most proactive I could be. My motto at the start was 'Something is better than nothing'. And it is. It's proven.

"No. Creating a calorie deficit, which is more likely through diet for most people except for those on this thread who have time for 3 hours of exercise every day.

Which is covered by the word diet."

But you said diet AND exercise, which is not true.

Screen shot. 1,000 kcal

But you said diet AND exercise, which is not true.

I said diet and exercise which is absolutely true.

"I said diet and exercise which is absolutely true."

It absolutely isn't. People can lose weight with diet OR exercise, and diet is the most practical way for most people. You don't have to do both and there's some evidence to suggest that dieting is better for losing weight and exercising for maintaining your weight.

hopeful - your an 16 and something km in an hour and a half. Loads of people just can't do that. I can only do 5k and I've been jogging since September!
I don't think a 1k calorie loss in an easy option for the average person.

Agree with what's been said. It's a way of life. Salad lunches, runs in the park, pilates or yoga classes, a taste for lentils. You get used to it, so it's no effort and everyone else is doing it anyway.

There's also evidence that exercise can prevent type 2 diabetes. If you are insulin resistant it can be very difficult to lose weight. Maintaining a healthy system is good all round.

The screen shot was in response to you don't burn 500 kcals in 45 minutes- you do. I weigh 58kg btw and the app knows that, I just didn't have a 45 min run to post...

Fitness trackers have been shown to overestimate by 50% - 90%. Calorie burn depends not just on weight and height but also fitness and many other factors that fit bits etc cannot take in to account. It cannot be measured accurately by steps taken, distance travelled or heart rate. The only accurate way is to be hooked up to a machine measuring oxygen consumption.

I found that greatly reducing sugar totally changed my taste buds and healthy food became much more delicious.
birdflyinghigh you have a great attitude and am really pleased you're achieving your goals.

butter, it really doesn't matter. You track it then analyse and tweak accordingly. Tracking is just a starting point. It's better than not. It gives you knowledge of what burns more energy and what burns less. And knowledge of what foods and intake work for weight loss and what doesn't.

Dame, thanks.

I don’t think it’s a class thing either. My friend and I are both middle class (I guess), though she’s probably more wealthy given her husband earns a fair bit. She doesn’t work/have hobbies/study etc and she’s got an unnaturally easy kid, compared to mine who has terrible sleep and health issues, and throws epic tantrums throughout the day. I have zero help. No cleaner, no nanny, nothing.

My husband and I both work really hard to pay our mortgage. I never have time to myself and cooking is difficult given my son demands a lot of attention. She has a shit tonne more time and space to exercise and cook and eat healthily etc than I do, yet she’s very overweight and I’m slim. I’ve always been slim so I’m sure there’s a genetic component. But I also run around after my toddler, do lots of activities and play an active role in his life whereas she’s more of an observer and relies on tv to entertain. I have a dog I have to walk too so I’m forced to exercise. She eats large portions of heavy, fatty foods. I am more balanced. I’m sure there are many arguments for class or genetics or whatever, but our lifestyles are black and white. Behaviour has to account for some of it.

My example is not a reflection on you though, OP. Every situation is different and no one can really know yours. I’m just trying to make a comparison that suggests behavioural factors trump class.

Class determines behaviour though doskant. An example of this is my mother and grandmother both had a rule for dcs growing up of : "no sweets before lunch" in this context sweets also meant ice creams, cakes, biscuits etc. Now not only have I continued this with my own children, but as an adult just auto matically decline if offered anything like that in the morning. In our house there is a specific time (midafternoon) for treats and I doubt my dcs will change that when they leave.

So I would speculate that UMC mothers just grew up eating healthily and exercising.

@hopefulhalf Yes, but what’s that got to do with class? My parents were the same. It was a behavioural thing. Not a class thing.

One thing that comes to mind is a general link between class and breastfeeding. Breastfed babies are less prone to obesity later in life, as they learn to regulate food intake and have healthier gut bacteria. And although this may be changing now, for decades middle class mothers have been more likely to breastfeed. Some food for thought anyway, a few links below:

On breastfeeding and obesity: jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/1107563
On breastfeeding and social class: www.nct.org.uk/sites/default/files/KeyBabyFeedingStatistics.pdf

No bread, good personal trainer, pilates, not wanting not to be able to wear designer clothes bought at beginning of season

Vigorous exercise makes me starving hungry!

Ingrained healthy behaviours are more common in upper middle class circles. I think the upper class are a law unto themselves tbh.

I don't exercise at all, but I do eat really healthily.

I eat natural healthy foods. It's probably hard to start with and get used to, but as with anything you can get used to it. It's not a diet, it's a way of life.

Middle class families have always been like this, so it's easy for them. But you can do it if you want to and once it's become normal and easy it's great!

Funnily enough really intense exercise dampens my immediate appetite. I just can’t stomach much afterwards. More gentle exercise doesn’t have the same effect.

I cant eat immediately after a run but an hour later I am ravenous.