To let you into a secret about being slim.....

[Yellow1793]

I’m 5’2” and an untoned size 10. Over the last year or so (lockdown excluded) I’ve spent extended amounts of time with 4 different female friends, who are all taller, slimmer and considerably more toned than me. Aside from the fact that they all exercise at least 5 times a week, they also eat like birds. Their lifestyle revolves around making healthy choices, every single day, and I’m beginning to wonder if you do this consistently if you just stop feeling hungry. One of them regularly skips lunch. Another never has more than 2 glasses of alcohol in one sitting. Another always eats about 30% less than I do.....last time I was with her she had a small pasta portion for her lunch whilst serving me 3x the amount of pasta she had AND 2 sausages. No wonder she is tiny. None of them calorie count or talk about diets because their lifestyle choice is one big diet. I’d love to have their discipline.

An apple,banana,orange and a bit of salad isnt going to add up to 8 portions.of fruit and veg.

@LaurieFairyCake

I couldn't eat 800-1000 calories in one meal and I'm obese !

I eat 500 x 3 meals.

I mean this with respect but There is no way an obese person remains obese on 1.5k calories per day, no matter how short they are. You just aren’t weighing your food / monitoring your intake properly.

@nannybeach

An apple,banana,orange and a bit of salad isnt going to add up to 8 portions.of fruit and veg.

Depends on the salad. Mine will typically have a tin of chickpeas, 50g of raw spinach, 1 red onion, 12 cherry tomatoes, 1 whole red capsicum, 2 cups of frozen mixed veg, nuts, fruit,and random bits of veg I find at the back of the fridge. Typical calories per portion is 650-700 but it has all my 5-6 / day in one sitting. Eating healthily doesn’t mean eating low calorie every meal - it means planning your meals around low density foods. I eat things like cheese / cake / alcohol etc in moderation (ie not everyday).

Pre 25, I was on the verge of an eating disorder: 7st121b and I am 5'7". 25/26 I sorted myself out and ate like a horse and struggled to maintain above 8st7lb. 30 diagnosed with graves disease. Ever since struggled to stay under 10st and post 50 under 12st. I love food and wine. It's lush!

@BeChuille

Obviously I mean overweight.

Unlike others on mumsnet, I completely get that not everybody can eat as much as 2000 and stay healthy. I have a BMI of about 23 and I'm size ten. If I ate as much as 2000 every day, I would be quite overweight before too long.

But I don't disbelieve posters who eat that much and stay slim. They're unusually fortunate, but we are all different.

Eating 2,000 calories per day is only possible when you maintain good muscle tone and move to the tune of 10k steps in one go (or lots of 2k steps in one go together - for a woman of average height 2k steps can be as much as 1.5miles!).

I maintain my muscle mass via yoga, doing my own cleaning, lifting, walking back with heavy shopping bags up inclines, climbing lots stairs etc. Mang women do it instinctively and many women need to do it consciously like me (I am a natural couch potato).

I just run 10k most days so I can eat shit.

@victorioussockpuppet, I think you might be on to something there...
I'm very slim, always have been, actually used to try and put on weight, as the slimness bothers me, but I've given up trying as I just cannot keep weight on. While reading your post I realised, although laid on the sofa, piling a massive slice of Victoria sponge down my throat (not unusual) I'm subconsciously making "circles" with my foot, clenching and unclenching my thighs, and tapping my arm from one cushion to another. I literally never sit still, and this could probably have alot to do with my inability to put on weight... I've never linked the two before. I've also just tried to sit completely still for a minute, and have realised that it's pretty much impossible for me.... Even after a few seconds, I can feel a weird sort of tension/sensation telling me to move my legs. Like an uncomfortable tension, I can only describe as similar to if you hold your arm straight up in the air, after a while you really want to put it back down and "give it a shake". This is how my body seems to feel if it's still for any length of time. How strange

I mean this with respect but There is no way an obese person remains obese on 1.5k calories per day, no matter how short they are. You just aren’t weighing your food / monitoring your intake properly

I do.

Yesterday I had 3 cups of coffee, a veggie burger in a bun (something like 230 calories) with some salad (lettuce 1 tomato and about 1 inch of cucumber)

I had 3.5 hours sleep then woke up this morning to find I had put 1lb on.

I have been on holiday to all inclusive places and people after a few days have commented on how little food I eat.

I could eat a 700 calorie meal for lunch and maybe something later but then that would be it.

I have done my fitness pal. Religiously writing down and weighing everything and if I eat 1700 calories in a day I can say I feel like I have eaten a house and it is weighing heavy in my stomach.

Really get fed up with people saying you can’t eat that little and stay obese you must be cheating.

Personally I have very little interest in food.
I know some people look forward to their next meal.
I can go all day without eating and it doesn’t bother me.

Yesterday I think it was nearer 10pm before I actually made my self something to eat.
I was put all day

They're unusually fortunate

Eh? 2000 calories is what the 'average' woman requires in a day- some might need more, some less. If it's average- it's the very definition of not unusual!

My granny was naturally thin. My dad was naturally thin. I’m naturally thin.
I’m sensing a pattern here but I could be wrong...
I have noticed that the older I get, the harder the thin part is and the easier the fat is to pack on.
Who. Cares. When. I’d. Rather. Be. Rich.

Some people are very lucky

this word lucky is hard for me to wrestle with.
I exercise a lot.
I guess I'm "lucky" that I like exercise, and I don't have a mobility problem so I can exercise.
Oh... and I like vegetables. I like eating what I hope is a mostly 'healthy' diet.
I have a friend who had lots of emotional crap tied up with food in how she was raised that is very challenging for her to unlearn. I was lucky I didn't grow up like that.

I don't think my "luck" is so unusual. Isn't luck supposed to be an "unusual" thing? We all have our own battles to fight, I have mine, but I am still surprised if I am so unusual in above 3 things.

If it's average- it's the very definition of not unusual!

Not really.

Two women, one weighing 8 stone, one weighing 16 stone. The average 12 stone. The woman weighing 12 stone doesn't exist.

@PhoneLock The point was- if it was unusual to need 2000 calories a day, then 2000 calories would not be the average required! It would be a lot less- and it isn't!

Also, the heavier you are, the more calories you require to maintain your weight. So someone who is obese needs more calories than someone who is lighter. So if you weigh eight stone and I weight 10 stone then I will need more food to stop me losing weight than you. So considering so many women are overweight, then it can't be unusual to need 2000 calories or even more!

@FreekStar

*They're unusually fortunate*

Eh? 2000 calories is what the 'average' woman requires in a day- some might need more, some less. If it's average- it's the very definition of not unusual!

I beg to differ. The vast majority of women would put on weight if they ate this much.

I was brave enough to post a picture of my arse!
I eat about 1400 a day. Not tracking that every day. But not too much more.

The idea that most women can get away with eating that much and remain a healthy weight is not correct.

Not sure why some posters fail to grasp that what works for them isnt a one size fits all solution. It is what works for them.

I have just put my stats in this calculator...

www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-many-calories-per-day#calorie-calculator

It tells me that I need just over 2000 calories to maintain my current weight. I don't thinks so!

In fact, I know that is complete nonsense.

2037 based on that! I'd be very overweight if I ate that amount all the time! It says I should eat 1222 to lose weight fast, but I barely break 1200 on a good day and I am not losing weight on that, just maintaining. That said, I probably did have a higher intake pre lockdown as I was working longer hours on my feet all the time and now I am not doing so many.

I agree with @freakstar. It’s why very overweight people drop weight quickly when they just cut out junk and eat 3 normal meals.

I think I probably eat less now than when I was slim.

Some people just don't enjoy shovelling in more food than they need. Why do you need more than two glasses of alcohol? A mountain of pasta?

And yes, lots of exercise (just walk places) helps take the edge off.

Slim people aren't miserable nor conspiring against you. We just didn't learn the same habits.

2000 calories for a woman assumes you walk and exercise a bit. Without it, yes, you'll gain. It's less for shorter women.

Most people who 'think' they eat 1400 a day but aren't tracking are eating a lot more than 1400 a day.

@Oliversmumsarmy

I think I probably eat less now than when I was slim.

Me too. It really pisses me off too. I exercise way more than I used to, I eat a lot less than I did ten years ago and currently weigh the most I ever have. God alone knows what the answer is.

Equally I too have no interest in shovelling food into my mouth.

I don’t drink or eat doughnuts or cake. I don’t eat potatoes or rice or pasta (unless out for dinner sometimes)
Yet it doesn’t make me slim.

Most diets I have tried I can’t manage the amount of food that it says I should eat.

E.g. today I haven’t eaten anything. I don’t feel hungry, I might start to feel hungry about 4-5pm this afternoon.

When you look at diets I would have already missed breakfast, a snack and lunch.

Trying to eat when you are not hungry I find really hard

2000 calories for a woman assumes you walk and exercise a bit. Without it, yes, you'll gain. It's less for shorter women.

I exercise a lot and 2000 calories is far too much. I'm 5'6", so not that short.

2000 calories for a woman assumes you walk and exercise a bit. Without it, yes, you'll gain. It's less for shorter women
People don't realise 2000 is a recommendation you must take your height and level of activity into consideration it is years old most likely based on an active person.

@Oliversmumsarmy That is very difficult. Have you had tests for an autoimmune disorder.