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?

[SanFrancisco49er]

My mum has always maintained a healthy weight and is naturally fit and strong for her age. I hate the term but she is 'slim'.
She loves food but cooks everything fresh and has a lot of veg and salad with every meal. Cream in her coffee, full fat milk, proper butter, a small snack treat each day and 3 proper meals a day. She has also always said she listens to her body and stops eating when full - way before this became a 'known' thing.
She walks, gardens (has a huge garden so not just a bit of weeding involved) and is generally very active. Has a small glass of wine once or twice a week.
She pretty much lives the ideal lifestyle and it shows - she is very happy, when she fancies something she has it, doesn't feel deprived of anything and is in great health.
I'd like to be like this at 40 let alone 70 but I am a way off it all yet!!

[MikeUniformMike]

I rarely have takeaways or eat out. I don't eat meat so dread the usual veggie options. If I eat out, it's a treat, and unless it's a certain restaurant near me I won't have room for a pudding.

[morefun]

I don't know... I do watch my weight but wouldn't say that weighing every day is the norm for me at all.

One thing is that if I have put on weight (after having a baby or when newly living with a man) I notice quickly and don't accept it, and won't buy a size larger. I bought a few larger items when post natal and breastfeeding, as I knew I would have extra weight on me for a few months. But generally, no, I decide I'm not going up a size and need to look at what has changed in my diet.

I'm not really into exercise as such but am the type of person who rushes about.

I hate watching what I eat, but really hate extra flab more I suppose.

[HopeClearwater]

I get regular comments that it doesn't sound like fun. Well from someone who's been there, dragging 40kg of fat around on a daily basis wasn't a barrel of laughs either.

This ^

[MikeUniformMike]

Don't eat between meals as it ruins your appetite.

Learn what hunger is. There's ravenous and hungry because your blood sugar had dropped, usually caused by eating something high-GI.

I don't normally eat in the evening.

[lilgreen]

BMI 22 and within 7lbs most of my adult life.
I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and don’t snack. I do drink at weekends.I don’t like cream, butter or pastry which helps and generally don’t have a sweet tooth apart from chocolate once a month(pmt).

[TatianaBis]

• I don’t eat a huge amount - not from weight consciousness I’m just not that hungry.
  
• I have a healthy diet.
  
• I do quite a bit of exercise.
  
• I do eat plenty of biscuits
  
• I do have seconds
  
• I do drink wine
  
• I don’t weigh myself that often
  
• I’ve never counted calories in my life
  

Ime people who are overweight eat more than people who are thin and overestimate the amount of food they actually need.

[MikeUniformMike]

I weigh myself usually before a shower. I won't worry over a few lbs either way but if it was more than 5lbs, I'd probably check that I wasn't overeating. Not because I want to look nice but I don't want to carry the extra weight.

[UnaCorda]

@Badmemorieshouse

I have half a cracker and 1 grape a day

A whole grape??

[lilgreen]

Also, if I put on more than 5-7lbs, I notice and get it off. Would never buy bigger clothes.

[ginghamtablecloths]

I think that slim people have an entirely different mindset, let alone eating habits. The focus of their day is not on food, but something different. If they want to reward themselves for a job well done or cheer themselves up they choose something other than food. Some of them get so engrossed in an activity that they forget to eat - something I would never do.

[DollyDoneMore]

@Badmemorieshouse

I have half a cracker and 1 grape a day

Whether you need it or not...

[CazzaCat]

@morefun

I don't know... I do watch my weight but wouldn't say that weighing every day is the norm for me at all.

One thing is that if I have put on weight (after having a baby or when newly living with a man) I notice quickly and don't accept it, and won't buy a size larger. I bought a few larger items when post natal and breastfeeding, as I knew I would have extra weight on me for a few months. But generally, no, I decide I'm not going up a size and need to look at what has changed in my diet.

I'm not really into exercise as such but am the type of person who rushes about.

I hate watching what I eat, but really hate extra flab more I suppose.

@morefun great point - as a rule I always refuse to go to the next size up. If I’m carrying a bit of extra weight I rarely clothes shop.

I also don’t agree with the excuse that the average uk woman is a 16 so that makes it the norm. If I was a 16 I would be hugely overweight.

[mumof2exhausted]

I’ve never been overweight- am size 10 and personally I think it’s all about moderation. I eat biscuits but happy to have 1 or 2 then stop. I drink wine but only when out at bar / restaurants, ditto to deserts. I move all the time (a lazy day I’ll still do 12,000 steps) and exercise 3 times a week. I’ve just had a McDonald’s with the kids as it was last day at school which I enjoyed! I certainly don’t deny myself but also I don’t binge. I’ve never been on a diet, I just eat good food most of the time. I think diets wreck your body and it’s so hard to get back to a steady state.

I certainly don’t weigh myself every day. That’s not healthy

[sunshinewhereareyou]

I just monitor my weight and make sure I fit my clothes, if they feel a bit tight then I'll start eating healthier - count calories for a bit.

I exercise not to stay slim but for health.
I eat what I want when I want but I am mindful.

I don't eat something I know I don't love - so if there's cake I don't really love cake, so don't waste calories on it. I save those for food I love.

[sunshinewhereareyou]

@badmemorieshouse too much sugar in grapes, you should just have half the cracker.

[9nine]

I’m 39, size 8-10, 5ft 5 and weigh 9 stone, bmi of 21 and I’m the heavier end of what I feel comfortable at, usually being just above 8 1/2 stone. I don’t frequently weigh myself, hadn’t for 2 years until a month ago as I go by how my clothes fit.

I eat what I want really, but I don’t eat unless I’m hungry, rarely eat breakfast as I’m not a morning eater, but eat as and when I’m hungry. I balance it out though, if I’ve had a few days of takeaways, convenience food, lots of choc etc, then I’ll go a day or two of salad and chicken. But as a rule If I fancy chocolate/ cake / a greasy fry up then I have it, i don’t deprive myself.

I don’t feel good when I’ve eaten ‘badly’ and bread bloats me out and makes me feel really tired so try not to eat too much of it.

I’ve had 9 children and I have struggled to lose the weight after each of them the older I’ve got but done it each time by exercising lots and eating well.

[MikeUniformMike]

Read the ingredients on packets, and the nutritional info. A lot of things are massively fattening but the suggested portion size is tiny.

I don't calorie count or diet as it is miserable, but I like to know what I'm eating.

[justasking111]

Priceless quote on Desperate Housewives this morning Renee Perry on being offered a box of chocolates.

"Honey I haven`t eaten carbs since 1987"

[9nine]

• forgot to add, I also walk as much as I can, 10,000 steps is a normal day not even leaving the house, I am very active and not someone who can just sit and not do anything, always been like it

[ifeellikeanidiot]

BMI of 21.

I will take every chance to walk over taking car, public transport. It's a real treat for me to have that time

I naturally like healthy food - salads, veg, pulses etc. I do really like sweet stuff as treats but for meals I would always prefer the healthy stuff just cause it looks tasty.

I'm really disorganised and often just dont eat breakfast and/or lunch. I'll routinely not eat cause it's too much hassle. Sometimes this makes me hungry but not always. I wouldn't assume missing a meal would cause me any problems.

[AgentJohnson]

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

I do the absolute opposite of the things your petite friends do.

I have inherited the ‘skinny butch’ gene and I have never been on a diet. I was a little under weight for years and I only tipped over into a healthy BMI after the birth of DD 13 years ago.

[RhodaCamel]

I’m 5’6” and have been a size 8-10 all my adult life. I’ve never been a big eater.
I eat on a side plate not a dinner plate.
I don’t drink.
I very rarely eat cake or biscuits but love chocolate and crisps and have these most days.
I walk my dog every day but not much other exercise.
I don’t weight myself every week but maybe once or twice a month.
I never, ever have seconds (I have IBS so eating too much will leave me in agony)
I do have my weight at the back of my mind at all times though, I have been slim all of my life and really, really worry that if I put on lots of weight I would lose my whole identity, sounds ridiculous but that’s honestly how I feel.

[Yorkshiremummyof1]

I am an ex-fatty, I was 25 stone. I was lucky enough to have weight loss surgery and cannot physically eat more than say a slice of toast in one sitting. However I know many people who have gained it all back because they revert to bad habits and I have worked hard to make new habits and they've stuck. So I've not experienced weight gain.

Well actually no, I gained 7lbs at the start of lockdown but to be fair i was cycling 10 miles a day to and from work and now I am sat on my arse all day. But I lost it again because I cut out the maltesers that I could previously get away with when cycling. I'll always have a sweet tooth and its a constant effort to resist gorging on a 310g box of maltesers.

However, now I've developed some good habits they don't appear to be slipping much. And I prefer my new way of eating but its so difficult when you are obese etc to break the bad cycle. It takes months! And lucky for me, I had a tool that meant I had no choice. Honestly, one slice of lemon drizzle cake and I will literally pass out from some weird sugar crash (sweats and feeling sick).

I tend to eat shreddies for breakfast, a yoghurt mid morning, lunch is soup or couscous and roasted veg, afternoon I might have crackers, banana and a biscuit. Evening I consistently have a piece of meat, carb and veg. Then after dinner if I'm watching TV I always have grapes to hand because I still want to eat chocolate etc. Slevie Nicks only works if I'm well behaved, I could totally gain weight if I ate crap all day.

Online grocery shopping helps as well because I don't wander around the supermarket with head hunger picking up crisps. I order a couple of packs a week, and two small bags of maltesers and thats my lot. I don't order processed food generally.

Weirdly, before my sleeve I HATED cauliflower - now my favourite snack is roasted cauliflower. I don't know why!

My mindset is that of an obese person though....I don't have a slim person mindset. It's a constant battle

[daisypond]

I am very slender. I don’t do any of the things your “slender” list says, and instead I do the things on your first list. I’m naturally this way, and I’m in my 50s now and have had three children. I’ve been more or less the same weight all my adult life and can wear clothes I bought 25 years ago. I eat cakes and biscuits and quite a lot of chocolate. I like dessert, drink alcohol- not much, though. don’t own any scales, don’t exercise, have never counted calories, etc. I find it hard to keep my weight up. I’m at the low end. I’ve recently become vegetarian, but it hasn’t made any difference to my weight. One thing I don’t do is have takeaways.