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?

[Tootsey11]

Size 8 BMI 20 Age 44

I only eat when I'm hungry
Never drink alcohol
Don't eat chocolate
Small amount fills me.
I never sit still. Ever!
I don't care about weighing myself.
But, I basically eat what I want, and I have a sweet tooth.

[Ritascornershop]

I tell a lie! I did gain about a stone after my first was born, comfort eating, and then 6 months in barred myself from eating after 6:00pm (we are very early dinner eaters), and no seconds. 25 years later and it’s extremely rare for me to have seconds. I’d enjoy them, but I’m not hungry for them, so instead they are leftovers to take to work. I also started using smaller plates and bowls and found that super-helpful. Most of us just put more food on our plates than we need to.

I have read that we overestimate how many calories we burn exercising. Moving about is very important for muscle strength, cardio health etc, but I think portion control is even more important.

[MrMagoo100]

Being slim is very important to some people and they take the necessary steps to maintain it. Regardless of the impact it has on their lives. They prioritise it.
Other don't.
I find the more and more someone talks about their weight and food the more and more they struggle to keep slim. By talking about it they are trying to rationalise it in their heads.

Of course there are some who for medical reasons can't loose weight. These cases are a lot rarer than we're led to believe.

[idril]

I weigh myself every day except over Christmas and holidays and I do take action if I put on a few pounds. It's much easier to cut down for a few days than it is to tack a few stone.

I exercise most days but definitely not Christmas day, holidays, birthdays etc.

I will order a dessert in a restaurant if I want one but if I have a starter and main, I really can''t manage one most of the time. I always regret having a starter for this reason because I'd prefer to have a pudding than a starter but I hate waiting for other people to have a starter.

I watch what I eat during the week but relax on the weekend.

I don't find it too difficult to maintain my weight. I eat too much sugar at the weekend but go cold turkey during the week. I also don't have a massive appetite for stodgy carbs but my downfall is chocolate.

I don't drink much alcohol but that's because I hate the way it makes me feel the day after not for weight reasons. I only ever drink at the weekend but not every day of the weekend but this is no hardship at all for me.

[Chanjer]

The fact is that most slim people you see on the day to day don't do any kind of stuff like in your first post

In most cases it's genetics. I've got a mate who pretends like it's work for her cos it gets her likes and admiration. I know very few people IRL that adhere or need to adhere to such a regime

[Melassa]

I’ve remained pretty much the same weight and dress size all my adult life and don’t adhere to any of those rules.

I haven’t weighed myself for years, or at least since the battery died in my scales. I just tend to go by whether my clothes get a bit tight and allow for bloaty periods such as premenstrual etc. If my “bloatiness” persists For over a week then I’ll maybe cut down on White carbs for a few days and eat more nuts etc. (Yes, fatty food but I find it fills me up so I am full for longer)

What does help is removing the emotion from food. I used to be borderline anorexic in my teens and had periods of binge eating. At a certain point I managed to detach from this mindset and retrained myself to view food as fuel. I eat what I want, even crap in moderation, if I have a bad food day so what, I balance out with healthier days. I certainly never deprive myself, if I’m hungry I will eat until I’m full. The difference is I’m able to stop when I feel full, including leave a biscuit when I’ve eaten half. A bar of plain chocolate can last weeks in my fridge (unless DP is around). I suppose it also helps that I unwittingly trained myself off sweet foods, so fewer sugar surges and insulin spikes. I do love my crisps and my wine though.

I also try to do a short exercise session or power yoga every day and in normal times I would walk everywhere. Nothing more intense but I try to maintain some form of exercise using weights at least 3 times a week for muscle tone. In my 20s I did a lot of weight training which I think gave my body a good basic tone which has remained over the years.
Being a habitually late person meant I was always running for trains or dashing about to get to meetings on time, which certainly kept me fit. I’m pretty sure this contributed to keeping my weight down over the years!

[Panicmode1]

I have never been skinny, but have always been slim (5ft 8 and 10/12) but perimenopause has combined with lockdown and I am struggling - I don't think I am eating more, but usually I walk everywhere - do school runs, walk the dog, go into town etc, and average 16-18000 steps a day. Currently, it's about 6-8000. I've been using our rowing machine 3 or 4 times a week for at least 30 minutes, I don't snack, have stopped drinking bar Fridays or Saturdays and suddenly I can't lose the weight like I used to and I'm definitely getting a 'menopause middle'.

So, I am now rigidly watching my portion sizes - I have four children, three of them teenagers and they eat a HUGE amount, as does my DH who is 6ft 6 but who is always training for triathlons, so I have started eating off a smaller plate and really watching what I'm eating at lunch (I never used to eat lunch really - but now we sit down to eat as a family every lunchtime).

I will get back to my size 10 top and 12 bottom if it kills me!!

[Gwenhwyfar]

I'm slim at the moment, other times have been more medium i.e. towards the higher end of healthy BMI. I don't do any of the things you mention except when specifically on a diet.

At the moment I maintain by sort of doing intermittent fasting, so eating between about 11 and 7 or 8, though I drink (just a couple) 5 nights a week at the moment and that will be later than 8.
It's definitely possible to eat all sorts of unhealthy food and drink quite a bit of alcohol and still be slim. You just can't overeat.

[StrictlyAFemaleFemale]

I seem to be tuned in to my bodys metabolism. If I havent done much Im simply not hungry. Now Im back at work I am eating more than when we were wfh. Because im doing more. My weight doesnt fluctuate but the amount I eat does.

[Mumshappy]

Ive never been light but tall and slim ( except when pregnant when i balloon). I dont eat in between meals unless im starving. I would chose fruit if I was. I eat a lot but I walk everywhere and do pilates five days a week. Unfortunately I have developed an overactive thyroid over lockdown and currently look like I have an eating disorder.

[BeijingBikini]

I used to be a bit chubby (comfort eating and loads of cake) until I got IBS, which makes me really bloated and gassy if I eat too much. That sort of stopped overeating in its tracks! Now I have BMI 19 and am pretty happy with that.

I don't do anything crazy like cutting out carbs, in fact I don't even exercise. I just eat quite healthy and small portions, and don't eat unless I'm actually hungry. Back when I was working in the office, I'd have a banana/croissant for breakfast, chicken wrap for lunch, crisps/cereal bar/rice cake at 5pm, then dinner - something like noddle stir fry, spag bol, thai curry and rice, fish and bulgur wheat. I don't eat too much dinner in one sitting because I don't like feeling stuffed and bloated, but will eat whatever I don't finish at about midnight before bed cause I can't sleep if remotely hungry!

I don't order desserts, I feel full after the main course. I'm also bemused by people at work who moan they're fat yet buy a Costa cake every single day as a "treat".......if you have it more than once a week, it's not a treat, it's a habit. I treat myself by buying beauty and skincare products!

In Covid times my weight has stayed the same but diet has gone awful, I don't eat till about 2pm but when I do, it's crisps and sweets. So I eat less but the food is shitter......

[SeaToSki]

I never (hardly ever) snack between meals.

I eat moderate portions of everything except veggies which I try and eat loads of

If I’m at a friend’s and they put out cheese and biscuits or nibbles with drinks, I will enjoy them and then I just dont eat a proper dinner that night, just an apple or some carrots and humus.

I only drink red wine as it makes me dizzy after two glasses (and I do actually like the taste)

If I get hungry between meals, I drink a large glass of water and wait 15 mins.

I rarely if ever have a proper dessert, cake or biscuit but I do have a couple of small squares of very rich chocolate after dinner every night. I finds it is very good at stopping my tastebuds from wanting more wine/food/anything else

I’m in my 40s, so I am now having to take purposeful exercise to have any chance of maintaining my weight at a level of food intake that I am prepared to live with (I am not OK to eat minuscule portions or like a rabbit) but since it will be good for my bone strength and jiggliness, Im ok with that compromise

[CuppaZa]

I’m size 8. BMI 21.
I eat disgustingly. Irregular meals, high fat/sugar content, eat when I’m bored. I have no idea why I’m not 5 stone heavier. I haven’t weighed myself since start of lockdown, but clothes still fit the same and I look the same. I’ve always been the same, maybe a fast metabolism? Not been exercising.
I’m probably rotting my insides to be honest

[CoralReefer]

My friend is very slim. She doesn’t do much exercise, just walking. But she never eats if she’s not hungry.
Sometimes we’ll be out and intending to have lunch.
I’ll ask if we should stop for lunch because I’ll be hungry and her response will be ‘well you can if you like but I’m not hungry’ then 45 minutes she’ll be hungry and want to go for lunch.
It’s a good habit for her but annoying for everyone else (we still like her)

[greysome]

My BMI is 20 and other than one occasion and pregnancy my weight been consistent my whole adult life. Granted I'm 32 so things might change with age.

I don't particularly watch what I eat and I don't exclude any foods. However I generally avoid overly processed foods and don't eat takeaways or fast food as a rule. We tend to cook everything at home, no ready meals. I focus on making sure I'm eating enough fruit and veg, and base meals around that. So a big salad, but with feta and olive oil. I use butter and full fat milk.

I don't snack much, but if I'm hungry between meals I will eat something - normally a slice of bread and cheese. I always eat 3 meals a day.

I eat chocolate or a biscuit or two most days. I drink 3-4 beers or glasses of wine a week on average. I always hit my 10,000 steps a day, but don't do any formal exercise, just walking, gardening and being generally busy. I do weigh myself about 4 times a week and if I notice an increase in more than a couple of pounds I lay of the chocolate and biscuits for a few days.

[puffinkoala]

I used to weigh a good stone more than I do now. I did zero exercise other than some walking to and from work. Nothing at all. But I didn't eat much either, for example I'd never have a pudding after a meal out.

Now I eat a lot more but I exercise a lot more too. Exercise out equals more food in (within reason). I have a couple of lockdown pounds due to loss of incidental exercise (eg walking to and around an office) but have continued to run and cycle during lockdown which has limited the damage (and have watched food intake though still eat a bit of chocolate most nights).

[4cats2kids]

They are often blessed with smaller appetites, and/or really enjoy being physically active so exercise doesn’t seem like a chore.

[BeijingBikini]

Also if I feel boredom-hunger, I have a coffee (coconut or almond milk), which usually sorts it out.

[speakout]

I do pretty much everything on the list. Size 10. Except weigh myself. I haven't weighed myself for 15 years, but still fit comfortably into size 10 jeans- so I don't really need to know.

[BeijingBikini]

They are often blessed with smaller appetites, and/or really enjoy being physically active so exercise doesn’t seem like a chore.

That's not set in stone you know - I used to eat huge portions, I mean huge, I had seconds and thirds as a teen. After IBS that amount of food would give me Chernobyl levels of gas, and when I started dating my husband, I purposely ate small portions when at his house because I was so scared of getting a fart attack. After a few weeks I got used to it and now would never be able to eat my old portions.

[Antibles]

As well as everything else, I think fat people and thin people end up with different gut bacteria, making it more difficult to get out of bad habits. I can't remember the science exactly.

[Solaran]

Well I’m 5 ft 10 and 59 kg. This is the same weight I was as a 16yo (I’m 33 now). So my BMI is 18.5 at the low end of healthy. I’m slight though (small framed).

The way you’ve written your list made me

Slim people don’t live necessarily live this joyless existence. Just like fat people aren’t all eating massive amounts and doing no exercise.

I have always been fit, from childhood. I’ve always exercised because I enjoy it though and it’s not a chore or focussed on weight loss. I exercise for fun. That’s running, cycling and swimming as well as weights (whatever I fancy). I have a dog and walk a fair bit.

I definitely have days off and weeks when I’m busy/don’t fancy it - I’m not strict about exercising every single day including Christmas

I eat well because I enjoy cooking and making home cooked meals. Again, not focussed on weight. I make good, healthy but filling meals - not a bland salad in sight!

I eat out maybe once or twice a week and love food. I definitely don’t starve myself.

I don’t have loads of crap food in the cupboards - crisps, biscuits etc. If I’m hungry between meals I’ll eat something decent - like a banana or toast and peanut butter. If I’m going to have a sugary treat I’ll actually sit down and enjoy it - I’m more likely to go out and get a coffee and cake with a friend and sit down and enjoy it than eat the equivalent amount of calories via biscuits or similar at home without really realising.

So I guess my ‘good habits’ are:

Exercise for fun - find something that’s enjoyable and you’ll stick to it
Move more generally - walk or cycle rather than drive, go for a walk at lunchtime etc. Make a day of it - long walk on a day off or a nice cycle ride rather than something less active.
Eat proper food - home made, good quality
Be mindful of what food you have in the house - will you eat more if it’s available? Eg biscuits always in the cupboard.

[Tootletum]

It's an interesting question. I consider myself to have struggled with my weight all my life, but that's partly because I view myself as utterly hideous at a BMI of 22 (when I was 17 my BMI was 18)...anyway, I do have dessert. Just small amounts. I love exercising as it makes me less upset about my appearance. I skip breakfast and have milky coffee all morning instead. I don't calorie count with main meals but also don't snack. I did once creep up to a BMI of 25 because I was drinking half a bottle a night and not exercising, but within a few months of thrashing myself on a rowing machine every day I was 60kgs again. Lockdown has been hard because I've got ver depressed and started comfort eating, but more exercise is really helping with both of those.

[MikeUniformMike]

If you go to a cafe and have a coffee and a cake, the cake is usually not very good, and if you were hungry, you'd probably have a sandwich or something.

[daysofpearlyspencer]

Stick to 1500 to 2000 calories most days. Eat carb in only one meal. Take action when about 7lbs overweight.