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.

[Desperadododo]

@Adoptthisdogornot I do this (below) because I have ADHD but I’m not thin sadly despite daily aerobic exercise and careful eating.

VictoriousSockPuppet
The skinny people I know all move a lot. Nervous tics, OCD, constantly getting up to move or tidy things or walk/cycle EVERYWHERE.
Moving a lot, constantly helps too
Sounds like they have over active thyroids

[theyoniwayisnorthwards]

I’ve lost about a stone in lockdown because of stress and being too busy trying to juggle homeschooling/childcare/work to stop and have lunch or snacks etc. I think I’ve finally learned something about how to manage my weight (I know it’s different for everyone).

The less sugar I eat, the less food I want, to a lesser degree simple carbs like pasta and toast make me hungrier too.

My tummy seems smaller and I’m full from less food, I’ve realised skipping meals is fine and I now know I won’t collapse if I fast for a few hours at a time. Finally, I think I had been hugely underestimating the calories and sugar I’d been having out in the world in the before time, lattes and pret sandwiches add up fast.

[HarryHarry]

I am like your friends but I’m not really “disciplined” - it’s not a conscious choice to eat small portions of whatever, it’s just the way I live. I normally eat 1 meal a day just because I’m too busy. If I’m feeling hungrier obviously I’ll eat more but usually it’s enough for me.

[blurpityblurp]

The one time I had someone tell me irl that I “eat like a bird” was on holiday in Italy, where I was eating entire pizzas and massive portions of pasta for lunch and dinner, and at least one gelato a day. So maybe some people have such a skewed view of what healthy portion control is, they genuinely consider average portions to be “eating like a bird.”

That’s the problem with food, there’s such a huge range of what’s normal, and so many eating problems are emotional/psychological in nature. For example I sometimes read comments here from people saying stuff like, they’d eat an entire pack of biscuits in one go, or a multi-pack of crisps in one go, or a family-size chocolate bar. I’m not saying this in a judgmental way, but that clearly isn’t healthy and indicates a not great relationship with food. If I wanted biscuits I would usually eat between 1-3, depending on how hungry I was and how tasty the biscuits were. I definitely don’t consider having two chocolate hob nobs with my tea every day to be starving myself. But I can see how someone who’s normal is to eat an entire packet in one go might consider eating two and putting the rest of the packet away “eating like a bird” or exercising a particular level of self-control.

[Iloveyoutothefridgeandback]

My mother is very slim. She lives off cake, coffee, ice cream and crisps. She rarely eats anything else. I was quite shocked last time she came to stay with me as I seem to remember her eating very healthy food when I was living with her as a child/teen. She was still very slim but it seemed to be built on small salads and smoothies.

When she came to stay this time, she ate nothing until about 3pm, at which point she wanted cake. A small slice of cake apparently filled her up so much that she didn't want any tea, but then at about 8pm would have some ice cream. She did this most days. I believe her that it was enough to eat. She doesn't have a big appetite because she's always eaten so little. I think you get used to It.

There are all sorts of ways to be slim, the point is that they are all different approaches that add up to the same thing - eating a small number of calories.

(And no, before I get a grilling, I am not recommending anyone tries out my beloved mother's starvation, cake and ice cream diet!)

[PyongyangKipperbang]

I am slim because I have disordered eating. I can easily go 3 days on one sandwich. Its not healthy, its not a good way to lose weight but it means I am slim and thats all that matters.... right?!

Wrong.

Feeling hunger to the point of pain is now normal for me, and its not good.

I am not skinny by any stretch but I would not recommend it.

[Hollyhobbi]

Before I had kids I was a size 8 but I'm short, just under 5 foot.Now I have a lot of health issues, including 2 Endocrine disorders affecting my parathyroids and my thyroid glands, osteoporosis, history of DVTs and now I'm prediabetic as well. I also have high blood pressure and tachycardia. I will never be a size 8 again! But only for two fantastic surgeons I might not be here at all. I think I'm on about my fifth life now🤣.

[squeekums]

@Dinosforall

MN is full of people dying to believe that all slim people starve themselves and exercise 5 days a week. Tell that to my kit kat habit.

Here here.

Im an aus 6 and sit about 45kg. Ive been this size since i was 15.
I dont exercise or even stepped foot in a gym. Ive never had a license though so can walk for days if i need too.
I drink milky coffee all day with 5 sugars, every day, without fail. In summer i switch to coke or energy drinks.
Eat as i please, i can shovel butter covered pasta like nobodies business
If i snack, its generally lollies, crisps or chocolate
I cook in butter, add heaps of salt, never buy low anything, no sugar subs here
My diet would make a dr cry

But i eat to my appetite
If im not feeling hungry, I dont eat, that can mean some days i dont eat till dinner. I dont eat cos the clock says lunchtime if im not hungry.
I dont restrict anything at all. Ive never said 'oh i cant eat that cos its junk food' or "ive had too much sugar, salt, whatever" for the day

[Hopefulhen]

I’ve always been slim and so has my mum. I don’t like overeating and feel sick when I try to eat a normal restaurant portion of food. I grew up in a household where cereal/toast for breakfast, sandwich and piece of fruit for lunch and a modest cooked meal for dinner was normal. We didn’t really have snacks in the house and sweets were a special treat on Fridays. Lack of money meant we rarely went out for meals or had takeaway. Food was never used as a reward or punishment.
I am sure that the way I was raised has influenced my expectations and appetite.

[Harriedharriet]

[quote Desperadododo]@WorraLiberty no medical condition. All reviewed and fine. Some people just don’t operate the same. I said upthread my ex consumed up to 6k calories a day and couldn’t put an ounce on. He’s 6ft and 10 stone. Not all people have the same metabolism. Doesn’t mean all thin people undereat and fat people overeat.[/quote]
Desperado - I do not think that all calories are equal. I think that some food is good for the body and helps it work efficiently and other foods destroy it from the inside out.

So - if we comapre two trollies of food containing the same calories but not the same nutrients one person could very well gain weight, and the other not. Not saying it vis a vie your dh - just a general observation.

Calories are misleading in other words.

[yesyesdear]

Ha ha, I had the women in my workplace call me a skinny bitch who must never eat when I first arrived. They were shocked when they found out how much I eat, more than they do! The difference between our lunches was quite significant though, not just in size, but in nutritional value. I eat a lot but I eat healthily for the most part. And I exercise.

But I never deprive myself of treats if I want them either, and I don’t mean just one biscuit. I had about 5 snickerdoodles yesterday and three so far today, plus a few slices of orange and almond cake (I’m a sucker for bake sales). But I’ll try to be healthy for the rest of the week.

My DH is slim and able to eat as much junk as he wants, which is loads, but never puts on weight.

Everyone is different, so it’s best to avoid generalisations like slim people don’t eat much.

[WheresMyMilk]

@LaurieFairyCake

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

I eat 500 x 3 meals.

Really?! 800 calories is very easily reached in a meal. Some shop bought sandwiches and a packet of crisps would do it. That’s not a meal I would choose to eat myself but I’m surprised if people think it such a lot of food they couldn’t eat it.

[popcornlover]

I’m slim and I eat what I want. Life is too short. I have desert after breakfast and lunch. Multiple snacks throughout the day. I exercise every day. I love my body.

[theBelgranoSisters]

@Sheenais LMAO...loved your post!!

[Hangingover]

Im very slim now due to a good diet and exercise but I used to be very slim due to living on white white, valium and fags. I don't think "the secret" always about being obsessed with being healthy!

[hammie46i]

@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.

I'm very slim but do not purposely restrict my food in this way. I think the secret to staying slim is how you respond to stress or anxiety (if you are an easily stressed person like me.)

When I am stressed, I find it hard to eat and so I have to force myself to eat, and often I don't do this. If I'd been someone who found eating comforting, I'd be massively obese! Life has been pretty stressful recently.

That's how I stay slim. I don't really think about it or restrict calories.

[SteelyPanther]

I work with a lovely slim lady. All she eats all day is an apple for lunch and a couple of black coffees. I don’t think she has breakfast either.
I’m afraid I just couldn’t do it, I’d be ravenous and life’s too short.

[Mustbeme124]

I’m slim. I’m very active, I enjoy exercise. I tend to eat what I want so I’ll have cheese, pizza or ice cream if I fancy it but I don’t eat it all the time and try to be healthy the majority of the time. I will weigh myself once a week and if I’ve put on weight I’ll try to be more careful over the next week but I don’t miss meals or calorie count.
Not all people starve or deprive themselves to keep slim.
I was overweight as a teenager and was really unhappy, for me life is too short to be fat and unhappy.

[Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow]

This isn’t normal. I’m slim - tall and low BMI. I eat three square meals a day plus a snack if hungry in the afternoon. I exercise but not too excess.

Focus on health. Mounds of veggies taste delicious with your own (olive oil) dressings. Good fats and proteins every meal. Some carbs but not overload. Cake is a once a week treat. Think of nourishing your body and loving it; not punishing it.

[PinkSparkleUnicorns]

At my slimmest I was the most miserable I have ever been in my life.

I'm now the biggest I've ever been in my life and I'm miserable, because I feel fat.

It was the in between size i was happy.

Not sure why I'm posting this, though it was relevant at the start...

[Winterwoollies]

I’m slim (5’6”, 52kg, small frame) and I want to say we don’t all eat like that! I eat loads. But I eat loads of good stuff. Lean protein, lots of veg, some carbs, wholegrains, no salt, only good fats, etc... and because I eat lots I have lots of energy and so exercise a lot. But I do drink sometimes, I do eat Occasional sugar and cakes and I get through an alarming number of flat whites.

[Frazzled13]

Another never has more than 2 glasses of alcohol in one sitting. Another always eats about 30% less than I do

But are these conscious decisions that come from wanting to not put on weight?
I dont ever have more than a glass or two because if I have more I get a bit hungover - not throwing up and unable to get out of bed, but groggy and tired and headachey and I just don't like it, and for me it's not worth the extra glass.
I also eat small portions but that's because I have a small appetite, always have done. I don't consciously serve myself less while thinking "can't eat more than this, because I don't want to put on weight."

[mrsmummy1111]

I don't know why but I find this post a bit offensive. As a naturally slim person (5ft6 - 50kg) I've never had a huge appetite, I just can't eat the same huge meals as other people. I can promise you, I don't intentionally "eat 30% less" than other people, but I probably do because I just get full up quicker. I don't always order a salad with no dressing for lunch, I order a burger and chips if that's what I want and it irks me from your post that if I was one of your friends I'd be being gossiped about by you as the person who obviously intentionally eats tiny portions because I don't want to put on weight.

Some people have naturally small appetites. Some people don't enjoy a bottle of wine at dinner. Some people just naturally make healthy choices, not because they're starving themselves but because that's the food they want to eat. Why does it always have to be about weight??

[mrsmummy1111]

Ps - I've never been to a gym in my entire life.

[CSIblonde]

Interesting. I ate like a horse & was always skinny,til I hit 35. No exercise routine, never did breakfast ,lunch was just a sandwich nothing else. But I'd snack constantly on chocolate & do stuff like have 3bowls of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce after a substantial pasta dinner.Happy days...sigh.