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?

Gosh this is depressing.

Really? What's troubling you?

Thinking about this, one other thing that occurs to me is that I see eating as a social activity. So if I'm going out for lunch with a friend, I'll get hungry for it, look forward to it, and eat lots. If I'm eating a meal with family, I'll enjoy having plenty. If I'm sat at my desk on my own at my desk, I can't be arsed to go and get food as it's boring.
So to other people it might look like I'm bizarrely skinny given what I eat. But I enjoy eating much more when I'm also having a nice chat.

Fair enough but I know people who are. Good for you for getting how you want to be though.

Gosh this is depressing

Really? I found it more depressing when I was obsessed with food all the time, chubby and unconfident, and ate eclairs and brownies to make myself feel better about the fact I was having a shit time at school.

Pretty happy now that I look better and don't think about food until my stomach growls.

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

Absolutely.

I'd rather be slim than porky so I get up at 6am so I can run before work - I have friends who 'couldn't do that!' but anyone can if they want to.

I try not to eat many carbs - then people say 'but I just love carbs!' Yes, so do I but hey, they make me put on weight so I restrict them.

I find it's a lot of effort to stay slim but it's worth it for me, it isn't for others.

@Badmemorieshouse

I have half a cracker and 1 grape a day

Are you sure you need a whole cracker every day?

This is yet another MN thread that perpetuates the myth that anyone who is slim practically starves themselves, when in actual fact there are plenty of people who do eat chocolate, biscuits, puddings, crisps etc. and who are not overweight.

I've always been slim. I think it's partly genetics, partly intuitive eating.

I'm never hungry in the morning, so often don't eat anything til 11.30ish (I will have a cuppa).

Drink a ton of water, I always have a metal bottle with me. If I'm feeling peckish I'll sometimes have a glass of juice. Aim to eat snacks that keep me full.

We meal plan and build it around getting a big variety of veg and fruit in (we're veggie, so that helps).

Don't see food as good or bad. If I fancy a donut I'll have one –I just know that later I'll crave veg. I think this is basically intuitive eating.

Trying to recognise when I want to eat because I'm bored.

I walk a lot. As a PP said, I see it as a nice activity rather than exercise.

Drink booze when I fancy it. Try and replenish my body the next day.

I've never been an emotional eater. I feel sick when I'm stressed or upset. I suppose this is the biggest one for a lot of people. I love food and cooking, but I can stop when I'm full and don't crave food as a treat. I know that's not true for everyone.

@CistitisStings

Thinking about this, one other thing that occurs to me is that I see eating as a social activity. So if I'm going out for lunch with a friend, I'll get hungry for it, look forward to it, and eat lots. If I'm eating a meal with family, I'll enjoy having plenty. If I'm sat at my desk on my own at my desk, I can't be arsed to go and get food as it's boring. So to other people it might look like I'm bizarrely skinny given what I eat. But I enjoy eating much more when I'm also having a nice chat.

I'm the same - working in an office gave me a good routine as we all ate lunch together every day. Being home all day and not working, I can't be bothered to cook anything or to go and get the ingredients for it, so I hold out till mid-afternoon and then have to dash to the shops for some crap as I'm starving.

I agree with the PP saying fidgeter. I fidget a lot. I was also skinny as a child, teen, had no boobs or hips. I’m post menopausal now and my BMI is still 20 with no effort on my part whatsoever. I do think a lot of it genetic, though.

Eh. I'm 8 stone 4 and eat quite a lot of crap. I enjoy food and would always accept a biscuit, drink calories, and have seconds (though I never order desserts). I just do a hell of a lot of exercise to make up for it. Tennis every other day, running everyday. I walk everywhere (unless going out with dp somewhere as I don't drive). I couldn't live happily if I stuck to a strict, boring diet. It's not for me.

I’m slim (6-8) and I do none of that.

I don’t own a scale.

I just eat intuitively I guess. I use common sense in that I know what’s healthy and I know that a bacon sarnie every morning isn’t great so most mornings I have porridge and fruit or toast and fruit. But I just listen to my body - I eat when I’m hungry, stop when I’m full. I eat at least 7 pieces of fruit and vegetables a day. I drink plenty of water. I don’t deny any snacks at all, I have a biscuit with a brew, a second glass of wine. Never have a dessert if I eat out tbh as by that point in full.

I will say, that I get full quickly. Like if I were to go to McDonald’s, I cannot finish a medium meal as it’s just too big for me.

I don’t typically exercise but I have started a clinch to 5k this week and I am aiming to do an hour of excercise a day minimum now, as despite being slim, I ain’t fit!

I have a friend who is quite overweight.
I have BMI around 21.5.
Friend admits she overeats, comfort eats, rewards herself with food, eats when she's unhappy, eats when she's happy, and sometimes binge eats.
Those things aren't on OP's list.

I love my friend for being honest with herself & the world. She is an honest person who can own the situation.
The only behaviour on her list that I kind of do is sometimes eat past the point of feeling full or choose a special food as a reward... but then I wait until I'm hungry to actually eat it.

I don't really snack and I would never eat a whole packet of biscuits or several bags of Crisps which some people seem to.
I don't do most of the things you've seen your slim friends do.

I exercise regularly and try and make fairly healthy dinners. I don't deny myself treats but save my calories for things I really like

I wouldn’t say I’m an emotional eater either BUT when I’ve had a rough day, I love nothing more than going to bed early with a cup of tea and a large bag of malteasers! It’s like a comfort I guess.

Yes and no, I have friends who go out for coffee and cake daily, then later will have chips wine etc. Snack in the evening and stay absolutely tiny

I don’t calorie count either. Like I wouldn’t know how many calories I eat a day or month or anything

I have BMI of 21, even after the baby.
I don't use scales on regular basis and don't exercise as such. What I do is:
-walk about 5 miles a day
-cook everything from scratch and don't use jars of sauces, microwave food etc
-carb in moderation, maybe 4 times/week
-very limited deserts, maybe once a week
-lots of fruit and veg, about 7-10/day
-lots of water
-snack on a handful of nuts or fruit, not biscuits

I can't see why eating what you want and maintaining a healthy weight is depressing.

But like a previous poster said, I sometimes feel hungry in the middle of my busy day and think that I need to eat, so I will make or buy something I dont plan or look forward to something , if I eat and then I'm not hungry I think oh good job done it can be sorting out a really boring physical need a bit like going to the toilet

My best friend is naturally slim. More than that—almost skeletal is how I would describe her. She thinks of food as nothing more than a big nuisance and an interruption to her day to have to make time to cook or eat.

So I think that is the key to being thin!

Charlie Watts, the drummer of the Rolling Stones is as slim now in his 70s as he was in the 1960s. How does he do it? He has said that he still owns many of the tailored suits he had made back then. If he puts one on and finds it doesn’t fit, he will not eat again until it does.

Probably not medically recommended, but it obviously works for him!

I'm with the people who dont consciously make an effort - I dont do any of the things as described in the OP.

But:

Rarely drink, when I do I will have as much or little as I fancy (I put on weight at uni due to drinking I think but not bothered with it anymore)

Mainly drink water except at pubs/restaurants

Rarely eat out or have takeaways (if I had more spare cash I would eat out more)

Smaller portion sizes and not routinely having a dessert (i do in restaurants) - not consciously but when I see photos of other people's dinners I'm surprised eg chilli with cheese and nachos, we would just have chilli and rice and wouldn't occur to me to stick loads of cheese on it.

Pregnancy weight came off with breastfeeding.

I don't feel I'm missing out as I'm not deliberately depriving myself of any of those things it's how I was brought up. I eat cake, snacks when it's there or I fancy it. I dont exercise much.

@WhatWillSantaBring
My habits- size 8-10

-no pudding as routine- maybe once week
-small portion puddings- I'll fill a ramekin dish not a cereal dish with whatever dessert it is.
-No cakes or biscuits generally other than as a real treat.
-Don't eat carb heavy food like pizzas
-Never buy crisps
-Never buy sweets except bar plain chocolate and it lasts 2 weeks- one square a day

• Rarely eat pasta, rice or spuds and if so, a small portion

-Avoid sugar as much as possible -can't drink alcohol for various reasons -no sugary drinks at all

3 meals a day - eggs for breakfast, vegetables of some sort for lunch ( often homemade soup), or cheese and fruit, chicken, fish, lean meat, or pulses (chick peas/ lentils) for dinner with veg, fruit and plain yoghurt for pudding.

I'm 5'7 and about 9 stone. Most of my clothes are size 8, I've never bought bigger than a 10. I agree with some of the points you list but not all - I don't know my exact weight for example as I rarely weigh myself, I go by how I look.

I think for me it's a combination of factors - primarily, I'm naturally of a slim/lean build and my DM and DGM are the same, we don't gain weight easily; secondly, I have good self-control around food, and thirdly, I have always loved exercise and do a lot of it.

For the rest of your specific points - I don't drink alcohol as I don't like the taste, but I do have a sweet tooth. I love chocolate, ice cream etc. but I can have it in the house and not eat it, or eat it in small amounts over a period of time, with no problems. I don't binge eat or eat for the sake of it. I pretty much always order dessert in restaurants but usually DP and I will share it. I don't have kids so don't have to cook for others or deal with leftovers etc. I rarely have seconds - if I'm really hungry I'll eat but again, not just for the sake of it. At home we cook from scratch and eat a lot of fish, lean meat, eggs, fruit and vegetables. We eat out a couple of times a week (pre Covid), one usually being sushi and the other could be anything, we like trying lots of different types of food.

I do a lot of exercise and always have done because I really love it and I love being fit and strong, I look very toned. I do 5 CrossFit (weightlifting) classes and run about 40km every week, sometimes more, and I fit in sessions on our Peloton bike when I can. I walk our dogs 365 days a year, regardless of the weather the minimum they get is 2 hours per day, but it can be 6 hour+ hikes on days off and weekends. We live in Alberta and I hike and trail run in the mountains every chance I get, and snowshoe and ski in the winter. I'm on my feet constantly at work as well - my Garmin records 20,000-30,000 steps most days. Exercise and fitness has always just been a fundamental part of my life right from childhood.

Channel 4 did a programme on this topic a few years ago.

www.channel4.com/programmes/the-truth-about-slim-people

The key findings were that the two people they followed were pretty active, though not in the sense of spending all their time at the gym; they drank very little alcohol; that they were not snacking and that they ate till full then stopped.

There was also a suggestion that the woman was “accidentally” practising intermittent fasting.

More detail here: www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/4849997/how-people-keep-thin-with-unhealthy-diets/

Oh and I rarely weigh myself. I go by my clothes- if the waist band is tight, I cut back. Never allow myself to go up by more than 3-4 lbs.
Same weight now in my 60s as in my 20s.