If you are slim, what, in your opinion, keeps you that way?

[pepsicolagirl]

I read the other thread with interest and as an obese person a lot of the comments range true but it made me wonder. Those of you who are in the ideal/normal weight category, what do you attribute that to?

I never eat breakfast and try not to eat before midday at all. I find it keeps me sharp. The fasting is supposed to be good for you.

I don’t like to feel full so I’m not one for big meals but I’m a terrible grazer. I eat chocolate every day and plenty of other stuff. Today I bought a tub of chocolate cornflake squares...I’ve gradually eaten most of them but I didn’t eat lunch so it all balances out I guess. Perhaps not very healthy but I can go all day without a proper meal, just picking.

I also weight myself regularly to keep things in check.

Strength exercise is better than cardio for me.

@XjustagirlX

One thing I have realised about eating is a lot of people will stop eating when they are full.

I stop eating when I am no longer hungry if that makes sense.

The full feeling to me is a horrible feeling and makes me feel sick. So I stop once I don’t feel hungry any more.

Like a lot of comments on here I find that bit about stopping when nomlonger hungry rather than when full really interesting.

I didn't start this post in any kind of judgemental way, I would love to be able to take on some of these behaviours and seeing what the habits actually are is very helpful

Maybe we should have a post showing our usual meal portion sizes or would that bore everyone?

I would say I’m slim, but not skinny. BMI in the healthy range, but above my ideal weight. I run regularly, but I do that for fitness, it doesn’t really have any impact on my weight.

The reasons I’m slim are probably because I don’t drink much alcohol, don’t buy snacks in our food shop and cook from scratch mostly / don’t eat processed food. But I wouldn’t take much credit for it - being slim is not a massive effort or anything. Being my ideal weight would require more effort, which is probably why I’m not...

Not being a complete pig

thats not a nice thing to say.

I'm the slimmest I've ever been in my adult life right now, and very lean (visible muscle tone on my arms, legs, core), I have quite low body fat. I'm a size 8 and weigh 10 stone, bmi 22 - I'm not skinny/waif like, more like very lean. I've noticed the big change in the last 3 months since cutting out dairy, grains and sugar (eg 100% removed from my diet), it's stripped the final stone off me and really increased muscle. I don't snack, I eat 3 big meals a day, no processed food, no sugar, very limited carbs (eg a bit of fruit or potato, no more than one a day) and I eat only meat, fish, eggs, oil, nuts and veg. I feel very healthy right now. I'm not counting calories or limiting food in any way, except those food groups, and no snacking.

I run 35/40 km a week, do 3 hiit/circuits type outdoor classes, and yoga 3/4 times a week, but I did that anyway before I got strict with my diet and never got these results.

For me the difference between being a slightly squishy size 10 or a solid size 8 is clearly food. I was always dieting and never quite getting the results I wanted.

I could eat what I wanted until my mid 30s, now I need a lot of cardio in order to keep slim (5'7" and 9 stone) When I stopped going to the gym in lockdown I put on a stone!

Oh and barely any alcohol!

I wish I could give a wholesome reason, but it's my eating disorder. Even when I'm not actively relapsing, I'm obsessing and very inflexible with strict mealtimes and portion sizes.

@pepsicolagirl these are my potion sizes

Palm sized amount of protein, plate of veg, lashings of homemade aioli x 3 meals a day.

Don’t drink alcohol and have will power when it comes to snacks. They are in the house but I can ignore and very rarely snack between meals.

Always been a healthy BMI and I think genes plays a part as my family and kids are all slim. I exercise a few times a week to stay healthy. I keep calories in mind throughout the day so if one meal is heavy the next will be light.

If anything I have the opposite question.

When my clothes start getting tight and my jeans don't feel right, I don't buy a size up, I eat less.

I'm naturally big (5ft 9, size 9 feet , 12st as target weight which keeps me at a size 12) . I've been 16st size 18 at heaviest

The only way I can stay at target is by recording everything that goes in my mouth on my fitness pal and exercising 6 days a week . The exercise is recorded on fit bit and syncs to my fitness pal

It's honestly just making sure that I aim for 250 cals calorie deficit daily which means that I maintain my weight through the overs and unders of a month

I've maintained for six years . The only time I don't record food is when on holiday and then I up to a 750 cal deficit until I get back to target on return . I don't restrict food types but it's amazing how your brain works when you realise that a bar of chocolate is a 30 minute run in the rain

I don't eat very much, that's basically it.

Probably once or twice a day, only when I'm hungry.

For me, it’s weighing myself every morning. Then if my weight starts to creep up even a bit I can nip it in the bud (by stepping away from the biscuit tin) before it becomes much of a problem. I didn’t need to do this until I was 40.

Also I can’t drive so I walk or cycle everywhere.

Honestly.... I'm slim(ish) - 5"6 and 60kg, usually a size 10. Some of it is due to running daily, most days I do about 4 miles so ~30ish mins of running. But I would say most is down to very restrictive eating. I had anorexia as a teenager and those thoughts and behaviours are still with me even though I am now a "healthy" weight. I pretend to others that I am doing the 16:8 for health reasons but really it's just a socially acceptable way for me to restrict myself. If I feel my clothes getting too tight I can easily punish myself and hardly eat anything for a while. Black coffee and green tea are staples. I wouldn't wish my lifestyle on anyone. I wouldn't say I'm at my "natural" weight my Mum is obese and I definitely pile on the pounds if I eat a usual amount of food.

Willpower and low carbing.

I'd like to say genetics but my aunts DM and Dsis's gain easy.
I rarely sit easy I'm fidgeting constantly always have. I walk a lot as I've no car. I don't like greasy food I'd rather make something veggie over a takeaway.
Mind you the curry chip I had earlier was delicious.
Mainly the ants in my pants.

I exercise regularly and don’t eat excessively.

I have obese friends and they all eat excessively - usually the wrong kinds of food. There is no judgement from me as I strongly believe we all have our vices one way or another. However a few of them do talk negatively about “skinny” or constantly post passive aggressive memes on social media which pisses me off as I really don’t think it’s fair to judge people on their weight/appearance at all.

Sorry that was off topic just a mini rant off the back of yet another passive aggressive meme.

Genetics for me, also eating until I'm full, and more of a snacker than eat big meals type person. I don't eat that healthily but also don't eat too much of whatever I'm eating.

Genetics. I eat what i like and can eat crisps, takeaways, chocolate and not gain. Doesnt mean I'm healthy but I'm going to start exercising.

Eating to hunger and weight training. I chose to be active every day, walk and be outside. I don’t restrict or limit what I have. Just stop when I’m full and don’t use food as a reward

@TheVeryHungryTortoise

Honestly.... I'm slim(ish) - 5"6 and 60kg, usually a size 10. Some of it is due to running daily, most days I do about 4 miles so ~30ish mins of running. But I would say most is down to very restrictive eating. I had anorexia as a teenager and those thoughts and behaviours are still with me even though I am now a "healthy" weight. I pretend to others that I am doing the 16:8 for health reasons but really it's just a socially acceptable way for me to restrict myself. If I feel my clothes getting too tight I can easily punish myself and hardly eat anything for a while. Black coffee and green tea are staples. I wouldn't wish my lifestyle on anyone. I wouldn't say I'm at my "natural" weight my Mum is obese and I definitely pile on the pounds if I eat a usual amount of food.

Hungry tortoise, if nothing else you show very high self awareness. Just as you don’t allow yourself to put weight on, please do not fall into the trap of increasing the restrictions as time goes by. I don’t know how old you are, but In my clinical role I not infrequently see older women who have under the radar eating disorders and the restrictive behaviour can get worse with age especially when certain life stresses occur eg chronic illness, bereavement.

Luck and no alcohol

Willpower not to eat snacks when I'm bored
Regular meals with moderate portions (old dinner plates not bigger modern ones)
Exercise - 2x30 mins a day walking quickly to work

I thought I was naturally thin until lockdown when I stopped walking to work. The top button on my jeans told me that I was wrong! Cutting out the lockdown nightly wine and crisps and making sure I walk every day like I used to seems to be addressing it quickly enough though.

Running. It has literally changed my life.
It obviously helps directly but also I’m far less inclined to eat rubbish generally since I got fitter.
You can just start with couch to 5k.
If my 75 yo dm can you can.