How do slim people think?

[Episcomama]

...because I really do think there is a difference between how slim and overweight people think. I am very overweight - BMI of 33. So obese rather than overweight, technically.

I've been off and on diets all my adult life, and the only thing I've really had success with is intermittent fasting and keto. When I stick to it, it works. The problem isn't my body, it's my mind. It's as though there's a switch that gets flicked from time to time. A voice in my head telling me to eat in case of famine. Food occupies much of my waking hours - once I've had a meal I'm thinking ahead to the next one.

A dear friend is very slim and once mentioned that she just doesn't really find satisfaction in food in the way I do (comfort, commiseration, celebration, whatever.) When I spent the weekend with her recently, it really became apparent how differently we see food. She was mildly horrified at both the quantity and frequency of my meals whereas I couldn't understand how she was satisfied with what she ate.

Eating disorders aside, do you think there's a difference between a "thin mind" and a "fat mind", to express it crudely. And if you have a thin mind and used to have a fat mind, can you share with me how you flicked that switch?

I have never had a BMI over 23, it usually hovers between 21 and 22. DH is the same. All our kids are slim. We like and enjoy food, but all of us absolutely hate the feeling of being excessively full, so have relatively small portions.

I never eat breakfast - food in the early morning just makes me feel sick. If I have a big lunch, I just have a small snack for tea.

I only really eat if I'm hungry, just don't really fancy food otherwise. I also don't mind feeling hungry. If I'm excited or really upset I lose my appetite completely. I do think all of this has a big impact.

For me it was an eye opened to do the 45+ health check (NHS) and the nurse asked how active I was, and I said moderate (walk dog an hour a day, plus sport 4/5 times a week), she said compared to the average person my age that is very active. I was honestly surprised as I think of myself as quite lazy and spending too much time watching Netflix

It just shows not that I am particularly active (I am not) but how inactive most people this age must be then

I know most people say diet is everything, but I think exercise helps regulate appetite (well, it does for me) and is overlooked a bit

Episcomama its been quite eye opening, thank you for starting the thread

Also need to get another dog , have put loads on since he died

I am slim - 5ft tall and 50kg (although I used to be 47kg). For me it's about willpower and eating within your tolerance. I would have loved a croissant for breakfast this morning but because I was eating out for lunch I decided to stick with my usual 1 large piece of shredded wheat. I ate out at lunch. I won't ave dinner because I hate a big lunch. Whilst I could eat a meal, I won't because I don't need to as I am peckish but not hungry after my big lunch. I have minimal snacking - nothing in between breakfast and lunch. After lunch and after dinner I'll eat 2 biscuits (or equivalent calories in something sweet).

I don't eat when I am bored. I eat either because I am hungry or because I am craving something in particular.

I just weighed out 75g of pasta for dinner (which is apparently an average portion size) and it’s less than half of what I normally have. Just goes to show how much I’ve gotten used to huge portions which explains why I’m never full as I’ve probably stretched my stomach

but if you add a hand full of spinach leaves (or other veg) and a few nuts to the sauce, it is nice and filling.
and do measure the cheese - that's another shock

All this measuring and restricting sounds so miserable to me though. Eat that croissant!

I had a bagel with butter and a boiled egg for breakfast, a veg curry and whole naan for lunch, some biscuits later, lots of cups of tea, and spag bol for dinner (large portion)

That’s what a person (well, me) can eat when active, without putting on weight, that’s why I prefer exercise over diets

Frumpety, so sorry about your dog dogs are our soulmates 🐶 xx

All this measuring and restricting sounds so miserable to me though.

It isn’t-and it only needs to be for a short time until you get used to what a sensible portion is.

clippityclop
I think it must be miserable for people who can't naturally self regulate their portions but it's necessary to get better eating habits rather than overeating, being overweight and then not doing anything about it because lots of people are your size or bigger (because the norm is overweight now)

A lot of people's ideas of portion size are really out of whack, so they see what an actual portion is and think it's tiny and restrictive when the reality is it's probably enough for them and they're used to eating too much.

Like you, I exercise and have a diet I'm happy with and can adapt my portions with little thought. Some people need scales to weight it out until they adjust their expectations.

I'm naturally somewhere between slim and very slim. I never diet. I eat super healthily ( I actually find junk food unattractive and my idea of junk food is a cheeky Nando's about once or twice a year). I thoroughly enjoy tasty, delicious food but food doesn't dominate my thoughts AT ALL.

My cousin who I'm very close to is obese and I noticed our approaches to food are very very different. She is obsessed with food and finds my laidback attitude to food very strange. She uses food as an emotional crutch. I view food more as nourishment to keep the body energised and healthy. If I was seeking an emotional crutch I imagine I'd veer towards booze or drugs rather than food. The idea of bingeing is not attractive to me and I imagine it'd make me feel worse, not happier

I'm thin, I have a very active sense of "fullness" and once my stomach tells me it's full I simply can't eat any more, but I LOVE food. I also rarely eat breakfast, I never usually feel hungry until about 11am.

I'm slim-ish 5'8, 10 stone, size 12, if I didn't go to the gym every other day, i'ld be another size up.

I exercise to keep fit, feel good but also to burn off the food I do eat & enjoy. I also have a sedentary office job so don't burn off many calories in the day so need to move more. I try to eat a healthy diet but love cake!

I used to work in a stables and on top of that walk a dog for two hours a day. I was very very slim even though I at a the way your horrified friend would hate, lots of fruit and veg, but lots of packaged food, take away and fizzy drinks. When I got a desk job I started running to keep y ability to eat what I wanted. I now have arthritis and have to watch wh a t I eat and I HATE it. I crave bread and junk and give in a lot so teeters on the edge of putting weight on and have developed a tummy that looks like I'm pregnant. If there is a fat mind, I have it and I'd rather love food than not but the trying to hide the tummy etc ... I'm not totally sure

I'm slim (5'5' and 8 stone), never dieted, now in my sixties. Whilst I enjoy food, I only eat when I'm hungry. We do have a healthy diet and I'm on the go a lot. Echoing some PPs, I hate feeling overfull so stop eating as soon as I start to feel full.

I’m an emotional eater and love food. I’m mid 40s though and still the same weight as age 20. Lighter actually.

I’m utterly determined to avoid middle spread as I think it looks awful (sorry) and is very bad for you. So I exercise, don’t snack at night, I eat very well but lots of good v veg, good proteins, good fats, dark chocolate for treats. The key is never to starve yourself, not to mindlessly snacks and avoid alcohol.

I also work out with weights rather then endless cardio

Don't eat when not hungry, 5ft 3 and. Between 8 and 8 1/2

@Rowrowboat I'm there with you on the exercise eating thing. I exercise 14 hours a week, mainly running, but cycling and swimming too,just so I can eat more or less what I want without putting on weight. I'm obsessive about it, I know, but it's a discipline I'm used to. If I can't do at least an hour of sport a day I suffer....and feel terribly guilty eating anything. In France we call it bigorexie.

I am slim, size 8.

I do find pleasure in food, and I love unhealthy food BUT I don’t particularly crave food passed the point of hunger and I get full quickly, so for instance tonight we had a dominoes but I was full off three slice of pizza and a handful of wedges. I also enjoy healthy foods and, as I cook for my children every day I eat relatively healthy by default. I will day that I don’t turn to food when I’m sad, or happy. My emotions don’t dictate what I eat.

The only difference between slim and fat people is whether or not they eat more calories than they expend. There are many different ways to achieve that.

I have always maintained a healthy weight (around 52 kg at 5 foot is my usual) without dieting, counting calories or thinking too much about it. But I also have never eaten everything I would like to. I would eat cake, or chocolate but I don't go back for the second or third slice I would like.

Recently, I have been thinking more about my diet because I have been trying to maximize my strength to weight ratio for sport. I dropped to 48 kg by tracking my food and running a small deficit, and I am now maintaining on an average of 1750 cal a day. I eat frequent, smallish portions of healthy food, which I enjoy. I can usually fit in something like chocolate or cheese as well.

I had to pack a full day's worth of food today, because I'm out all day and it is:

Breakfast: 45 gram muesli, 150 gram greek yoghurt

Morning tea: Banana

Lunch: Salad with tuna and egg

Afternoon tea: overnight oats

Dinner: Chicken curry and rice

Then I have training and afterwards I will probably have some chips with a friend. MFP says this comes to 1770 cal.

That's plenty of food, and I don't think it is disordered. I feel that the threads where people talk about eating a whole tub of icecream or a whole pizza are a much odder way of eating.

I also meant to say, I love food, love cooking, like trying new things. I think about what I'm going to cook a lot. I make my food as enjoyable as I can.

I'm slim, always have been. Tbh I've never really been that interested in food. Its eating because I have to as I find it an inconvenience to eat if I can be doing something else. When I'm at home I can forget to eat and then wonder why I'm feeling hungry. If at work I eat much better as I have structured breaks like everyone else. If I'm stressed instead of eating for comfort I lose my appetite altogether.

A lot of people's ideas of portion size are really out of whack, so they see what an actual portion is and think it's tiny and restrictive when the reality is it's probably enough for them and they're used to eating too much.

Me in a nutshell.
Question is how long does it take to naturally shrink your appetite ? I am not an emotional eater, which I imagine is much harder to deal with , I just eat way too much. Would it work better to do something quite restrictive in calories like the Fast 800 for a few weeks to reset it ?