To think that slim people have different habits re food and exercise

[WhatWillSantaBring]

I've been overweight most of my adult life, and find I put on weight very easily. BUT I also think I have had very unhealthy food habits - I think of food as treats, I avoid the scales, I eat when I'm not hungry, I always have the cake, emotional eating etc. I know all the things I do wrong (and that I'm sure a lot of overweight people do) but what I want to know is what do thin people do "right". i.e. what are the habits of people who are consistently a healthy weight (i.e. BMI of 20-25).

I've got some very petite friends who will do things like:

• weigh every day and take immediate action if their weight goes up by more than 5lbs;
• never accept a biscuit
• only drink one glass of wine (unless its a very special occasion when they may have two)
• never order themselves a dessert/ice cream etc (will just eat whatever their kids leave)

- exercise 5-6 days a week without fail, including Christmas Day

• never have seconds

If you're slender, and have maintained a healthy weight for years, what habits do you have that you think help you?

I'm size 8-10. I don't weigh myself. Actively count that I have 5 fruit/ veg a day. Enjoy healthy eating always trying new recipes with different flavours from different cultures. Mainly vegetarian. Love food and known for eating a LOT. I don't eat breakfast. Don't like sitting down much during the day. Don't really like biscuits. Find them a bit boring which seems to annoy people. I usually eat dessert, love double cream and interesting puddings. I think with me I don't bother eating if I don't find the food interesting or tasty, quite fussy in that way. Ooo and I love ice cream often eat a whole pot. I expect my arteries are thickened with all the cream I eat, but hopefully balanced by a lot of healthy food. The key is to love healthy food and being active. I also walk very fast. Take the dog out every day and I love doing yoga. I don't want to not be healthy when I'm older.

I’m extremely disciplined. My head would have to be hanging on for me not to exercise 5/6 times a week. I absolutely love it. I also do IF (eating 11-7) and don’t drink alcohol.

I do, however, eat a lot and have chocolate most days. My metabolism used to be lightning fast, and now I’m in my early forties, it’s still quicker than most.

I really think it must be luck / genetics.

I am slim and have been pretty much the same size my whole adult life despite going through phases of doing lots of exercise and phases of doing very little.

Key things I would say which are different between me and my mates who struggle with their weight:

• I don’t emotionally eat. If I feel stressed I lose my appetite rather than eat more.

• I rarely actually have a hungry feeling in my stomach. Quite often I would feel light headed or angry if I need to eat but not physically hungry.

This means I sometimes forget to eat.

• I get full very quickly. I struggle to eat large portions and feel sick or uncomfortable when I do.

I don’t deny myself anything, I normally eat a cake or similar every day. Sometimes that means I’m too full to eat anything sensible like fruit for a snack.

I had a revelation when I was taking the anti-depressant Effexor. It suppressed my appetite for the first few weeks.

I found myself saying what naturally slim people say - things l used to think they MADE UP like "oh no thanks that half avocado has already filled me up" or "no dessert thanks I literally couldn't eat another thing" and I meant them! I lost a stone.

I have always been a bit overweight and I just didn't believe people who said these kind of things before

I'll throw my hat into the ring. I tend to keep my BMI around 19-20.

It's work and it's not effortless. I set myself a daily calorie "budget" and I don't eat over my maintenance calories (I use myfitnesspal to track my food and a fitbit to estimate how many calories I'm roughly burning). I'm also a distance runner, I do some strength training too and I'm very tall so it gives me a fair bit of leeway with food. But it's all mathematics and willpower for me.

It's a conscious effort. If I ate whatever I wanted, I'd be heavier.

I don't spontaneously snack, I rarely drink alcohol, I only drink water or black coffee, I take a multivitamin and protein supplements and I'm vegan. I do have a sweet tooth but I plan for treats and incorporate them into my calorie budget (eg I'll have a massive carefree Saturday morning pancake blowout every week with my DD, but I'm fine with that because I'll eat a low calorie day on a Friday so it averages out).

I also sew a lot of my own clothes so I'm generally pretty much constantly aware of my own measurements. And I usually weigh myself a couple of times a week too. If my bmi drops below 18.5 or creeps above 20.5 then I'll either eat more or cut down.

If it sounds rigid then that's because it probably is.

But being totally honest, I really like the way I look and I like the way clothes fit on me and I like being able to run for miles and those things make me happier than a slice of cake. For others, they might think "oh well that all sounds pretty joyless" and that's fine too. I think it's just a personal choice of what gives you most pleasure.

Honestly I know this is unpopular but it's all genetics. My whole family are slim and we eat LOADS (now DH is home.ive noticed I eat double the amount he does per day ).

Obvs is good to eat better and less emotionally but I really wouldn't put yourself down about your weight and compare yourself x

I used to be very slim and my appetite small.... but in the last two years I have gone from 54k to 66k. (I’m short) my daily food intake goes cereal, coffees, sometime a slice of toast, lunch (sandwich or something) , biscuits in the afternoon, dinner, snack before bed like another biscuit.

I do no exercise at the moment as no time and drink 3 glasses of wine probably 5 out of 7 days.

And yes I don’t look and feel great but can’t find motivation to change no natter how hard I seem to try.

My habits have definitely changed from younger years I’m way more indulgent. And eating kids scraps does t help

I’m a size 8. I absolutely love eating and cooking, and luckily I love vegetables. I’m vegan now so I eat big portions of things like veg curries, stir fries, daals, plus some lazy oven food and the occasional take away. I sort of watch how much carb I eat and weigh rice and pasta portions so they don’t get out of hand. I don’t think carbs are evil though, I have toast literally every day for breakfast. For me, eating good filling main meals keeps me from snacking too much. My MIL who is perpetually overweight eats a tiny healthy main meal then fills up on cheese and crackers.

I’d definitely have seconds if I was round at a friends but at home, I keep leftovers for lunch the next day. I put them straight into take away tubs ready for the fridge so I’m less likely to just pick at bits. If I’m hungry, I’ll eat something and not feel bad.

I weigh about once a week. If I’ve gone up, I just try and eat more home cooked stuff and less oven food. That usually works. I walk every day because I love it and do boot camp classes two or three times a week. I wouldn’t really think of walking as exercise, I’d just think of it as going out and doing something nice. That’s the only exercise I’d be doing on Christmas Day!

I’d never say no to a vegan friendly biscuit with friends but I don’t usually have them at home. Again, at home I’d just have one or two alcoholic drinks but with friends, definitely more than two! Life’s too short. I think being “good” 80% of the time and not feeling guilty when you’re indulging a bit is the best way for me.

Other things that help are having a meal plan so when you’re bored and tired you don’t have to think what to cook, or having batch cooked things in the freezer to avoid the take away.

For me it's genetics and a fast metabolism. I come from a long line of tall and skinny people. It would never occur to me to deny myself certain foods or count calories. I eat what I want, when I want. It makes no difference to my weight whether I exercise or not...I do take part in a sporting hobby, because I enjoy it.
A friend of a friend who is very overweight eats less than me. I think the whole "you're overweight because you consume more calories than you burn" is too simplistic...genetics and metabolism plays a big part IMO.

Ok, so the biscuit thing. I literally weigh up how much I want this biscuit/cake/treat. it sounds a bit calculated, and it probably is. The question I am asking myself: Is this food item worth the calories? Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t. It’s a rational decision about how much I like what is offered. Have spoken to some people who think this is normal and some people who this b us a sign of an eating disorder. I’m not sure - but if I’m going to scoff it then it had better be worth it!

I am a size 8, 5'8", just on low end of normal BMI, mid 40's, 2 DC and have remained pretty much the same size my whole adult life. I don't do any of the things on your list and in terms of limiting the wine - I very seldom drink alcohol, it just doesn't really agree with me. I measured my wrist the other day following another mumsnet post and I come out well under the small category at under 6" wrist measurement. I have thought for quite a long time that wrist and ankle size can be quite telling of someone's natural frame size.

I eat chocolate everyday, rarely weigh myself and exercise less than I should however I eat a very balanced diet, loads of salad and vegetables, quite a lot of fruit particularly in the summer, rarely eat cheese, try to stay away from crisps (I could eat a huge bag so it's best not to start), generally have one meal a day without carbs. I eat regularly and don't drink calories. I have very much come around to the point of view that what I put in my body is down to me and don't feel pressure to eat something because others think I should. Good quality food cooked correctly tastes great and doesn't need lots of sauces (usually the unhealthy bit) to make it edible. I think I could happily live on chicken and fish, salad or steamed veg and jacket potato, rice or new potatoes. Unfortunately my family don't feel the same so I have to balance with more stogy foods my body doesn't really need.

A friend of a friend who is very overweight eats less than me. I think the whole "you're overweight because you consume more calories than you burn" is too simplistic...genetics and metabolism plays a big part IMO.

Comments like these interest me because you can’t possibly know for a fact what your friend eats when you aren’t around.

Lots of people, particularly those with poor relationships with food lie about what they eat (often to themselves too!)

My sister-in-law is very slim, she tries very hard to portray herself as a big eater, especially on social media, when in reality she skips meals, covers barely touched plates of food with a napkin and keeps individual squares of chocolate in the freezer to suck on as a treat.

An overweight colleague of mine used to be permanently counting weight watchers points out loud, but didn't count the office cake/chocolate offerings or the bags of crisps she kept taking out of her drawer.

I’m not sure what’s causes people to lie about what they eat, perhaps shame or embarrassment. Perhaps they genuinely just don’t realise what is passing their lips, but a surprisingly large amount of people are not honest about their eating habits.

To be honest, I hardly eat. I just had my first meal at 8.00pm. I snack a lot... well sometimes. I love eating crisps but if I'm full, I'm FULL.

Don't exercise, I see it as a chore. I hate deserts. So I never ask for this. I love cakes and icecream but I just would not get this after a meal at a restaurant. I would just feel full and very very sick.

When I'm sad or stressed I don't eat. I only eat when I need energy to do my work.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE food and my diet is not healthy. I just don't eat often.

I also love eating vegetables and salad. Yum!

Early 50's and weigh the same as I did at 16.
Size 6-8, 8st.

My motto is everything in moderation, if I want chocolate I have some. I think denial makes for want and food becomes too much of a focus.
I drink sometimes, I eat fairly healthily sometimes, i eat takeaways sometimes, I exercise sometimes.

The only thing I do do is weigh myself every week or so. Couple of pounds on ( sometimes happens); so take it off. Mainly because I would hate to have say a stone to lose and have to deny myself over a long period of time.

Sorry. Me again.

I also do not drink. I just don't like the taste of alcohol. I like the cocktails because of the low alcohol content and it taste sweets. But I only have this like once a year!! I probably would not even buy drinks as it's so expensive.

@likeafishneedsabike

Ok, so the biscuit thing. I literally weigh up how much I want this biscuit/cake/treat. it sounds a bit calculated, and it probably is. The question I am asking myself: Is this food item worth the calories? Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t. It’s a rational decision about how much I like what is offered. Have spoken to some people who think this is normal and some people who this b us a sign of an eating disorder. I’m not sure - but if I’m going to scoff it then it had better be worth it!

I used to think that it was a sign of an eating disorder and would have just taken the food offered.

Now I’ve learned that it will affect how I feel later that day (sluggish or sugar crash) and I’ve also learned to think about how much I’ll enjoy it or whether it’s worth it. I don’t vocalise these thoughts and make others question me or feel bad about eating it themselves, instead I’ll say ‘oh maybe in a little while thank you’ whilst I make my mind up.

My mum is mid 50s and in phenomenal shape. She will always indulge if she fancies something eg a sticky toffee pudding but she will then have soup, fruit and cut down for the next couple days. She won't eat multiple big meals a day. And she exercises every day (yoga teacher)

It's a lot of self control but it's also just ingrained in her behaviour I don't think it's a conscious thing where she withholds food, she does eat proper butter, cheese etc - never diet items. And she has never ever support diet fads.

I'm slim, size 8-10. I don't eat when I'm not hungry, if I'm stressed I barely eat, so can easily spend a few weeks eating 1 meal a day. I don't tend to eat breakfast normally. But if I do it's porridge or granola, I drink a few glasses of wine over the weekend, a take away a couple of times a month. I don't have a sweet tooth at all, so rarely eat cakes or biscuits etc. But do love crisps and cheese! I don't weigh myself, and never buy a bigger size, if I feel I've put on weight I curb my eating until I feel comfortable again. I don't exercise, I hate it! But do enjoy going out on long walks.

I'm a size 8. I snack several times a day between meals, but do often have a light ish breakfast and lunch. I eat takeaway or out once or twice a week and drink several glasses of wine Friday and Saturday. I don't weigh myself ever. I don't have a sweet tooth so no biscuits or desserts, but I could comfortably eat half a loaf of bread a day in snacks.

I walk and fidget a lot and strength train. I find with strength training you can eat an awful lot without putting weight on.

I think I’ve got good eating habits rather than being overly controlled.

I love food and don’t skimp on portions but rarely snack. Breakfast is usually porridge / granola / yoghurt or similar and lunch is usually salads with ham / chicken / falafel. Tea anything from curries and rice / pasta / tray bakes etc. Have a takeaway a couple of times a month. I tend to find my appetite regulates if I’ve eaten a lot. So (pre-lockdown) if I’d have gone out for lunch, that would probably have done me all day and I wouldn’t have felt hungry for tea or at the most a little bit peckish for a piece of toast or something. Similarly if I have a big evening meal I’m not that hungry the next morning.

I do walk a lot with dogs, and also run a couple of times a week, occasionally do yoga and weights but not obsessively so.

I do refuse to go up a dress size though. If my clothes get too tight then I up the exercise and do my fitness pal until i lose a few pounds.

I never drink more than a couple of drinks in one evening but that’s more toddler / unable to have hangover related than weight

I’m slim
I eat biscuits and cakes etc. I don’t drink. I tend to just modify things naturally so if I have a big day eating a lot the next day I’ll eat less. I suppose I’m mindful but I don’t give it huge amounts of thought.
I also have an active job and a dog I walk daily

• I think of food as treats, I avoid the scales, I eat when I'm not hungry, I always have the cake, emotional eating etc. I

but what I want to know is what do thin people do "right". "

They dont do what you just said and that's about it really.

Eat when hungry and listen to your body, you wouldn't fill your cars petrol tank and then just keep pumping into a few Jerry cans till the boot was full and overflowing so dont do it with your bodys fuel tank.

You may have damaged your sense of hunger now though so you may have to calorie count for a while till you learn when to eat ahain

@WhatWouldYouDoWhatWouldJesusDo

My friend does no exercise and eats all sorts of crap, she won't even walk to the corner shop. Yet is still a size 8 In her 50s.......what she does do tho is burn a lot of nervous energy. She's a natural pacer and foot tapper so always on the go. Even watching TV she'll be moving about. I think a lot of slim people are exercising without realising it.

So when you say "wouldn't walk to the corner shop"

What you actually mean is "she walks a long distance every day"?

@BronwenFrideswide

I don't think it's a good idea to wait until you're hungry before preparing a meal as you'll then grab the fastest thing possible.

Not in my case or in any of the slim/healthy weight people I know.

You''ve asked all the slim people you know about this very specific thing? It definitely is the case for me and I'm slim.