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 used to be doing now size 14. The difference is, in my slim years I swam a mile a day and ate carefully. Was very aware that if I ate "normally" ie three decent meals a day I'd be naturally stout. So here I am. Just lost the ability to be arsed. Fir me being slim was constant work and I reached 45 and ceased to care. I don't eat junk but Nirmal eating has me stout. The only difference it's made to my life is less unwanted sexual harassment and bigger clothes.b

I’m slim (size 6/8) and I love food not the healthiest of foods either. I’m a big biscuit/ crisp fan. The thing is I never eat breakfast because eating in the morning makes me feel sick, so I probably save a lot of calories there without realising. I also stop eating when I feel full because that’s the point I stop enjoying food.

They want to be slim more than they want to eat

I don't consciously think about it! I love food but don't eat for the sake of eating. I'd rather have good food than lots of food.I couldn't eat a whole krispy kreme - yeuch. I don't use food for comfort or to alleviate boredom. I don't diet - never have. If my clothes begin to feel tight I rein in the eating.

I think it's often down to emotional eating, this trait will be embedded in childhood by various means: bribery with "treats", a weight conscious parent (usually mother) and the one that's still used far too much - using food as a reward.

I dropped 5.5 stone on the cancer diet, I had tonsillar cancer and now I can't eat properly,every meal takes two pints of water get the food down.

I still love food, although it is limited, no chicken, no steak, no lamb, no dense fish, so yes to sea bass, but no to cod. etc. etc/,

I just don't get hunger signals at all any more, used to get limited ones, now get nothing.

But even still, if I find a treat that goes down, I am aware of what I am doing, I was addicted to millionaires shortbread for a while and then I just stopped them, not because of the calories , but more about it was controlling me, more than I was controlling it.

So tiny element of control and two pints of water with every meal helps.

I am 5' 3 and weigh 8 stone 3

Your definitely onto something there.
I think the issue is like with all addictions the time passes, hunger is a feeling, it doesn't hurt and will pass without any real discomfort, people tend to over indulge to prevent the natural feeling of hunger.
DP think he is going to drop when he is hungry.
Most of the time thirst is mistaken for hunger, like most addictions too smoking drinking over eating the more you have the more you want.

And exercise?

Is that not self explanatory?

I’d have thought eating more sensibly would have been obvious too...

I'm fairly slim, but I genuinely don't like eating much. I hate having to put the time and effort in, and planning the family's evening meals is my worst ever chore! I often get busy in the mornings and then realise I forgot breakfast, at about 11. I like a supermarket sandwich for lunch because I can't be bothered to make my own. If I was on my own I'd probably cook a big spagbol or something and eat it every evening for a week, to save effort. My worst sin is that I love to eat nibbles in the evening in front of the TV - crisps or peanuts, so I do eat too much junk and never enough fruit.... But apart from that I definitely eat to live not vice versa - and it's really not because I'm thinking about my weight.

Dunno how to flick that switch though - and I do think I miss out because people get so excited about food and I just don't get it.....

i was fat and had been my entire adult life. at 5'3 and almost 12 stone, i was at the top end of overweight..borderline obese. i started having chest pains and getting out of breath way too easily. one night, fueled by dutch courage (i was extremely defensive about my size) my husband pointed out that he really didn't want me to die. and would i please choose him over chocolate/pizza/cake. so i did. i lost 2 stone in 8 months by cutting down the portion sizes, finding alternatives for my favourite things, setting myself attainable targets and treating myself when i hit that target. for instance i said when i ot to 11stone i would get a takeaway curry, but when i got there, i didn't want to blow all my hard work and instead i decided to make myself a healthier turkey curry with an oven baked poppadom and a small amount of rice. i started buying low fat ice cream, and having a small portion once a week. i started eating humous on crispbakes and most importantly of all, eating breakfast. i hate exercise, and i still do, so most of the weight came off through dieting alone.
also i weighed myself every week at the same time. regardless of whether i'd had a good week or not. kate moss is an asshole, but she is partly right. nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.

I am slim and I think people do think differently about food. I don't feel any emotional responses from eating and can be easily distracted away from food, I'll think about it and then find other things to do. If I'm excited, nervous or tired I lose my appetite. I didn't like eating as a child, it seemed boring to have to stop and sit still. I think the anticipation of food and eating is more important to some than others. I would rather be busy, see a nice view or read a book than eat. I would like to be more in the middle and genuinely enjoy eating.

To those asking about age, I’m 42, 5’7 and 8.5 stone. I was 7.5 stone until about 32 and ate whatever I wanted portion wise. I was embarrassed about my skinny legs and flat arse, to the point I used to wear two or even three pairs of leggings at once as a teenager.

Early forties is a little different. I’ve gone from 32B to 32D in the last couple of years. Arms aren’t as wiry, but if I don’t life leg weights at the gym, I’m still in possession of two pipe cleaner limbs. Plus I don’t eat whopping daily portions of pasta like I used to.

Today I ate:

Berries and yoghurt
Nut butter on gluten-free toast
Three-egg omelette with spinach, side of olives and a whole avocado
Protein bar
Apple
Sautéed chicken with cauliflower rice and Brussels sprouts roasted with maple.
Handful of macadamia nuts

So yes, I definitely eat on the lower-carb end of things, but eat a good amount of food.

I’m 41. Size 8. I put on 30kg when I was pregnant because my body snatcher also took over my mind and I was unable to stop eating multiple chocolate bars every.single.day. I was a fiend.

The uncontrollable chocolate demolishing stopped when I gave birth and lost all the weight quickly despite still getting into the chocolate more than I did pre-conception and not exercising. I suspect it was a combination of breastfeeding, stress and exhaustion from a high-maintenance baby who never slept, good food choices and some genetics.

I’ve always been slim but never ruminated about weight or food. I ruminate about other things instead. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter to me. I love food and plan diverse, healthy meals and snacks for my family every day from scratch because we don’t have money to eat out and my son has allergies. I do eat crap sometimes because my husband brings it home but if he didn’t I wouldn’t often buy it myself.

I feel physically ill if I eat too much crap or simply too much. We all know which foods are healthy, what a healthy portion size is.

I am a size 12 and I love food, but I dont think about it every wake moment.

I have noticed as I get older the weight is easier to gain. I think it helps I am allergic to chocolate and don't tend to eat thinks like ice cream, crispis etc.

I have had days though of going through a ben and jerrys tub of ice cream.

I also have to do a 10 mile commute on a bike so I guess I am staying off any weight gain with that at the minute

I know quite a few people who have always been thin in the 30 years I've known them

It's not because they don't like food or don't have the same enjoyment as I do, they just eat in moderation which is something I struggled with until last year. Well I lost the weight last year, I still struggle with it

@stopgap
Yes, I agree about the amount of food v food group being an important factor in weight management.

Like you I eat a good amount of veg and a moderate amount of protein. But my carb intake is small. If I eat as much carbs as I did when I was younger I would undoubtedly gain weight.

I guess I don't really think about food much. I cba with cooking even though I can. I like very healthy food and don't like junk food.

Also I don't really understand 'emotional eating', when I feel emo I don't want to feel full and sick as well. When I'm stressed I don't eat though which is a kind of emotional (under)eating.

Meh. Some thin people are drug users and more interested in amphetamines or cocaine than food. Some have mild - or serious - eating disorders. Some are mugs who have bought into the idea that avoiding food and appearing thin is an indication of moral superiority.

I think you are right. I'm 37 and have always been slim (slimmer now than on my 20s when I drank more wine). If I have a carby/heavy lunch, I'll always have a Greek salad or similar for dinner - It's not something I think about consciously, just habit. Likewise I never buy cake or chocolate at the supermarket - again, not consciously denying myself, it just doesn't cross my mind while I'm there. I think slim people often have a more straightforward view of food. I largely think of it just as necessary nutrients and I've never really understood the idea of eating chocolate because you feel sad - not criticising snyone who does, it's just never really occurred to me to do it.

Fair bit of frustration directed at slim people on here. I have no doubt some slim people are slim because they’ve gone to extreme lengths to get that way, but some of us don’t. Food choices/portions and exercise.

BTW I consider myself a 'normal' clothing size (anywhere between 12 nd 16 depending on the brand) and have no idea how much I weigh because I don't own any scales. Because there is more to life than fussing and whining about the exact dimensions of my body, which functions perfectly well as a body (I am able-bodied, can run for a bus if I need to, like dancing... parts of me hurt sometimes as I am mid-50s and occasionally do something like strain my back hauling bags of books around).

I’ve always been slim - I thought it was genetic but then I realised that actually I eat less/better than my peers without realising because I think I grew up that way. I don’t feel hungry and I never need to count calories.

• I have what I think is a healthy breakfast every day: scrambled eggs, weetabix or porridge (Which I like). I never ate sweet cereal or pastries growing up so that puts me off now.
• my lunch is functional: I am eating for energy and nutrition so chicken steak and veggies or sushi will do. I’m not bothered about this meal but I try and walk for a bit after lunch just to calm myself down
• I go all out with a homely cooked meal and I don’t mind a glass of wine. This is the meal that treat myself with - so curry, shepherds pie, pasta, chilli - hardly ever a clean stir fry as I want to enjoy this meal!

• I also have one/two coffees, sparkling water (rather than come) and i grew up thinking of biscuits/chocs/crisps as being unhealthy so I hardly ever want to snack on them

I don’t feel like I’m missing out at alll - I think it’s in built into my psychology because of how I grew up

*rather than coke!

I’m slim, love food and sometimes completely stuff my face, sometimes not. I get enjoyment out of food and look forward to meals. I think one of the biggest factors is moderation. A lot of people just don’t have any sense of moderation. I have been genuinely shocked many times at the amount people put on their plates and the amount they snack throughout the day. I do not judge them though, and literally 5 seconds later I am thinking about something else. However, yes, I have been a bit at the pure amount a large number of people eat. I’m interested in how someone who struggles with their weight thinks.
I mean, if I happen to stuff myself silly I feel horrendous afterwards. Full tight belly, nauseous, indegestion, hiccups, heavy, sluggish and just generally uncomfortable and yuck.

Interesting that a lot of people are saying they're just naturally slim, but whenever someone suggest they might just be naturally on the fat side, they are usually told that's impossible and they just need to stop being a greedy bastard.