If you're a size 8-10 (or your ideal) but not naturally slim how do you stay that way?

[overweightcat]

I know some people are just naturally rather petite or slim and willowy.

But if you're not and manage to stay a size 8-10 how do you do it?

I'm 5'5 and recently lost weight and gone down to a solid size 12 - 10 in certain shops. Beforehand it was on the larger side of size 14.
I used to be very slim in my teens, had a terrible diet full of crap and sweets but was also very active around 8hrs a week of various sports/dance activities. I became quite sedentary and steadily piled on the weight since.

I don't have long legs or a small frame or anything - if anything I find that I'm rather in proportion all around and when I used to do a lot of sports I looked slim and athletic not willowy (which I'd prefer TBH).
Size 8-10 is my ideal I think as I've recently seen pictures of myself when I was that size and I think that's when I looked my healthiest and fittest - but I'm not sure how to get there.

My weight is at a bit of a standstill at the moment and I want to lose in a sustainable way. I probably have about 9lbs to go.

So anyone who has managed to achieve that and stay the desired size - can you share how you did it?

Of course it would be better not to do it but it is a compulsion for a lot of people like it or not. Dance around your living room instead..

"By meticulously counting every calorie and exercising heaps.

I yo-yo with 7lb.

Home cooked food, rare takeaway."

This. Except my yo yo range is 4 pounds.

Run about 25km a week, plus yoga most days. I do drink wine, but include it in my calorie count for the day which is about 1600-1800. Don't eat biscuits, sweets or chocolate, never have pudding.

I am 45, weight 8 stone 10, and am 5 foot 4.

Im in the older category and since my late 20’ when I had kids had always been 5’6 and a 12 -14. I always felt like clothes didn't look as good as when I was younger, And once I hit 40 I began to feel middle aged and frumpy. last year I decided that I wanted a body I liked back. In 4 months I lost about 12 kg. I kick started it by being REALLY careful. No carbs, dairy or sugar for a month, then only small amounts of any of those. I did a 10 minute Ab work out Every day, and then added legs and arms. I was honestly shocked by how relatively easy it was to completely transform my body just by building muscle. I love my shape now. I get loads of great compliments and feel more Body confident now than at any point in my life. I do now eat pizza and junk ifI want to (i ate half a tub of Ben and Jerry's last night) but generally I avoid pasta and bread and I do have 2 days a week where i’ll be really strict if I feel the creep on of pounds. Ive maintained the weight loss for over 6 months and feel so much more energetic and heatlthy.

How is eating a bit extra going to help with feeling pissed off in a global pandemic? Better to dance round your living room.

The thing is people have different attitudes towards food, some see it purely as fuel, others see it as one of life's pleasures. Neither of these attitudes make you a superior person.

When I have had a shit day, I like a tub of Hagendaz and a bottle of wine.

Probably wired into my neurotransmitters from the days when I fell over as a child and was soothed with sweet.

There we have it, its not ideal but that how some people are.

Not even just that...food is a hobby for me...not necessarily even eating it, but cooking, watching tv cooking shows, reading recipe books. I don't eat shit processed food, I never get takeaways, I don't drink alcohol, I hate fizzy drinks...I cook from scratch. I like nice good quality food, but that can make you fat too. I've been every weight from 8-13 stone.

@formerbabe and @randomer - me too. Food is both a hobby (I love cooking, and pre-pandemic days, DH and I would try to treat ourselves to meals in really fancy restaurants (3 and 2) (obviously a lot less often than we'd like, as you need a small mortgage to eat there). And food was used as a comfort/distraction by my DM all through my childhood ("eating will make you better" was one of her stock phrases).

But obviously I'm forgetting the crucial tip from jemenfouscomplement to just eat less. I wish someone had told me that years ago

The only time I was an 8 was when I had my braces fitted a few years ago , it was too painful to eat at first! The weight just dropped off....then when they stopped being painful I only ate when I had to because I'd need to go off and brush / floss/ rinse afterwards each time .
I'm naturally a 10-12 , but currently a lockdown 12 !

I'm similar to you op, lost two stone last year, now a comfortable size 12 and loving it.

Tbh, I can't get to my ultimate target of 9 stone 2. Well I could of course, but the denial involved is beyond me. So my decision is to stop here and maintain 9 stone 8/9/19, and enjoy my life.

I usually have soup for my tea (not slim a soup! The nice stuff in tubs) and I eat chocolate every day because I'd be an unbearable c@#£ if I didn't.

Size 12 is fab. I'll take it!

What about your inside? Your heart and soul, does it improve as you reach your magical weight? Can you ever imagine a time when you might be free of this stuff?

@randomer

It's so interesting to me. I genuinely don't care whether other people are fat or thin or whether they eat all day or are more disciplined. But so many who are very disciplined seem to think this is a reflection on their morals and character, as if being strict with food makes them an intrinsically better human being.

I guess they see it as a “triumph over adversity” thing formerbabe which I guess makes sense. It takes much more effort than doing nothing. So I can see why they feel good in themselves - maybe not a better human than you or me, but their own “better self” - a better human than they themselves might otherwise be

Size 10. Regular walker and constant figiter, I get bored still!

I put unhealthy foods higher up and behind fruit and veg. Wash fruit and have ready to snack on.

Quality over quantity with fattening foods, eat slowly and savour the flavours. Don't snack before a meal time but distract yourself by thinking & cooking the meal.

Don't ban anything. Swap where possible, e.g. doorstep sandwiches to brown wraps or brown pitta.

When you have a slice of cake really enjoy it, but not a massive slab, try home cooked over shop bought as you can reduce sugar with little loss in flavour (add vanilla extract). Cake without icing freezes really well.

Yes@formerbabe, thats it! You hit the nail on the head there.
My mother put poisonous ideas in my mind about women/their value/size being connected. This was then put even more firmly in place by a bullying sibling.
The sad thing is when I look at photos I was slim, very slim.

I would say I'm fairly naturally slim but put on weight easily if i don't watch myself. Having said that I was restrictive for years as i come from an obese extended family and i was determined to not follow that habit. Being so restrictive is miserable, i used to go to the gym every day, sometimes twice and only eat eggs and chicken and live off energy drinks which now i look back was horrendous, But i thought i looked great-In reality i was scarily underweight. I switched to intuitive eating when i met my husband, which is just a fancy way of 'everything you want in moderation' and i have never looked back. I go to the gym 2-3 times a week, We cook everything from scratch and have 3/4 meat free days a week, I make sure the plates aren't overloaded and we probably have a takeaway once a month. I have a pack of crisps daily and have wine maybe once a week. Because i still have the small treats etc i don't feel like i'm depriving myself, If my jeans feel a bit snug i just walk the dog further that day or load up on veggies and water. My Husband is a sugar junkie so we do buy chocolate etc but he keeps it at work as its easier to not have it in the house. The last few pounds of a diet is always the hardest though, keep at it and you'll get there! I know the 'everything in moderation' diet isn't for everyone as i know people do struggle with resisting chocolate and wine etc but for me it really does work!

I eat very little on a daily basis having small portions. I can therefore have some treats and larger meals from time to time. I weigh myself daily and if I put on more than 3 lbs I go back to my reduced meals. Eg I will have one slice of toast, with melted cheese and tomato and eat with a knife and fork. Small bowl of porridge and raisins in the morning with sunflower seeds. A low fat yogurt as a snack and grilled chicken breast with peas and sweet corn for dinner. I eat fairly healthily and do moderate exercise. I am very small, 4'11'' and 8/10 size.

If I ate 'normal' portion sizes, even those for people on slimming diets, I would put on weight.

Ps. I have never been overweight like many of the other posters. Even in pregnancy I was careful with intake.

@PerpetuallyUnderwhelmed It really doesn't take much headspace. It soon becomes a habit you don't even notice.

Even in pregnancy I was careful with intake.

Seems kinda sad somehow.

@randomer Why sad? I ate healthily, enjoyed what I ate and didn't end up trying to shift 3 stone of additional weight, like so many other women do post birth. I ate enough for me and enough to nourish my babies. I personally think having a healthy weight going into labour and late pregnancy makes the whole process less stressful all round. I breastfed and this dropped any excess weight off very quickly. I regained a nice shape fairly easily.

I'm not in the slightest bit sad I wasn't lumbering around, hot and bothered into late pregnancy or putting my babies at additional risk by being overweight.

I do *not' make my weight to focus of my life. It's on the periphery but monitored, like my financial health. I feel much happier if my clothes fit nicely and my DH still fancies me.

Feeling good about your appearance isn't sad.

I lost hope of ever being the size i would like to be when my PT talked about how much she has to watch her diet to stay slim. She does 5 spinning classes a week, plus runs with some of her clients. Depressing.

puzzledpiece
I'm similar to you. I also remained active in pregnancy. The doctors were very supportive of it.

I eat and exercise in a way that is right for me and my body. I have friends in my running club who do differently to me because it's right for them. I've got mum friends who also do things differently because it's right for them. One of my friends does road cycling; I couldn't think of a more depressing way to spend a Saturday morning. That friend thinks that running is the devil's sport. Both of us manage to accept different people like different exercises. Nobody in any of those groups feels the need to sneer at people for making healthy choices (probably because nobody in those groups feels insecure seeing other women making different decisions that make them happy and healthy).

The lack of logic on slim people exercising and eating is hilarious:

• slim people simultaneously lie about watching what they eat but also hardly eat anything
• if slim people explain their choices on a thread asking about slim people's choices they are using their slimness to show how virtuous. They are also probably middle class and any mention of their exercise should be deemed obsessive / sad / depressing, regardless of whether the person enjoys exercise
• basically, nobody should possibly say anything that suggests people make a range of decisions about nutrition and exercise that are right for them because other people dislike the idea of humans having agency and the power to make decisions

@lolasmiles

I don't object to anyone eating whatever they want or not as the case may be. I do object to a pp calling other people fatties and being really unpleasant. I also don't think that someone suggesting that a person who water fasts for two days a week may have disordered eating is objectionable.

What annoys most people is the intimation that if you don't subscribe to these rigid and restricted diet and exercise routines that you are a gluttonous fatty and somehow a less worthy individual. Oh and of course, must be jealous.

@Graffitiqueen

I lost hope of ever being the size i would like to be when my PT talked about how much she has to watch her diet to stay slim. She does 5 spinning classes a week, plus runs with some of her clients. Depressing.

Is she depressed though?

I think the majority of people who are happy with their weight and restrict their food intake or actively plan their exercise are happy! I know I am happy to get up early every morning if I need to because I am busy the rest of the day to fit a run in. I wouldn't do it if I wasn't. I am happy avoiding processed foods and simple carbs 80% of the time. I am happy only eating when I know I am hungry.

To others it might look like strict and miserable denial, and I know my activity levels are intolerable to a lot of people.

@SarahBellam

My friend is a size 8-10. She was a size 14 growing up and dropped the weight when she moved to London after graduating. She is a size 8 though sheer iron clad will power. She never takes her eye of the ball for a single minute - has 2 starters instead of a starter and main course and leaves half of it, never pudding, barely drinks, eats Slim-a-Soup for dinner most nights, has a personal trainer and goes to the gym most days. A treat is a small packet of Haribo. I find her hugely impressive. The rest of her family are overweight and I think she’d be a good 3 stone heavier if she didn’t rule her appetite with an iron rod.

I would die of boredom and be down right miserable