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 don't drive, I try to eat healthy 80% of the time

Full fat everything but in smaller portions. Careful with the Carbs and Sugar and NO eating after 8.00pm....After constant weight problems, although never massively overweight I now feel completely comfortable with my routine and find it easier to follow....

It would be interesting to see the actual calorific intake of people who think they overeat but are naturally slim. In my option, body shapes and frame sizes can vary massively but no one is "naturally" obese (discounting body builders/highly muscular athletes etc).

A combination of genetics, active lifestyle, small portions of healthy food, lots of veg and fruit, mostly vegan diet so no fatty meats, minimal carbs only as an occasional treat, so maybe just one slice of bread a day, pasta and potatoes once a week, no biscuits, cake, dairy, or ready meals or unhealthy snacking. No alcohol or sugary drinks or fruit juice. Just water or tea. Just fruit for breakfast in the summer, with small bowl of thin porridge made with water in winter. No bread at breakfast. Long walks help burn fat. Yoga, Tennis and swimming two or three times a week also helps. There’s still plenty of relaxation, delicious food and the odd guilty pleasure treat.

To be honest, I eat very little. I don't excersise specifically but I do about 20,000 steps a day between work and the school run. I'm 5'2 and am usually between 8.5 and 9.5 stone.

Luck.

Slimming World....... without it I d be the size of a house 😂

I eat cake everyday as I love it, but all my meals are healthy- porridge and berries for breakfast and dinners are vegetarian and include loads of veg. I also walk dog for up to 2 hours a day!

I've never been bigger than a 10 and am often an 8 (5ft 7), don't put much thought into what I eat and don't think about the size of my portions, but to be honest I am always shocked at buffets and seeing photos of say roast dinners at the volume of food a lot of people eat. I think I just eat less most of the time than a lot of people but it's the way I've always eaten.

10st 5 and 5 foot 7 so BMI fine. I can't put food in my mouth unless my stomach is rumbling and will stop when I'm full. Always just been that way, so must be genetic.

My throat closes up otherwise. I dont start eating till well into the afternoon unless I'm really busy. I'll leave food on plate when full.

Wine and beer dont seem to be affected by these mechanisms however, so I'm not perfect or more healthy, or "super" slim as a result. But food just isn't on my radar. Food is a bit of a chore normally but I love certain meals when theres time and space to really enjoy them. Steak with peppercorn, a big fry up on occasion...

@dayslikethese1

It's interesting that obesity became a problem in society at the same time as healthy eating guidelines were first produced. 1980s in the US and 1990s in the UK. It's when we started to get told to eat 'low fat', and had to replace the fat with sugar to make food taste good.

Breastfeeding , no dairy or soya ( due to breastfeeding ), eating when hungry and stopping when full

Exercise and lots of it. Also, everything in moderation.

I do believe some people are naturally larger though.

The main reasons for me are luck and genetics.
Add to that, cooking from scratch with lots of veg, running after young kids, reasonable portion control but a bit of what you fancy when you want it.

I don’t eat a lot in the day, and I cycle a lot. I also walk the school run. My diet is not healthy or varied but I don’t like food much anymore, my relationship with it isn’t great.

I lost 150lb and have kept it off for five years. My body still wants to gain weight. I have had thyroid blood tests twice but it’s just genetic, I come from what my mum affectionally calls a ‘sturdy family’ - I am an outlier as a size 6-8.

My BF husband is a bariatric surgeon - he insists it’s genetics. Most obese people can only be slim by eating baby portions.

Rage.

5"4 and 8 stone. I walk everywhere but I personally think it's doubt to generics.

Genetics even!

I believe it is genetics. I eat whatever I want and I am a size 8.

Find exercise you enjoy - you won’t get anything from going out for a run if you hate it and find it stressful! You also won’t keep it up (Obvs if you love it that’s great!). Find little ways to keep active, walk instead of driving / public transport, take the stairs not the lift. It may not seem like much but over time those little increments add up.

A sensible diet, lots of variety rich in healthy proteins, slow burning carbohydrates and good fats. Low fat food often means high sugar which basically turns straight to fat, Your body actually NEEDS fat to burn fat and it will keep you fuller longer. I have done every diet under the sun and they are not sustainable - particularly ones which eliminate entire food groups. I only began to maintain a healthy weight when I stopped trying to follow fads. It goes without saying to avoid highly processed foods like biscuits, crisps and fizzy drinks. Drinking little to no alcohol also helps.

Good luck 😊

Have you ever been on an all inclusive holiday? It becomes apparent very quickly if you look at how much food people eat and how overweight they are. I was always able to eat what I wanted but being on the wrong side of 40 I realised that I would have to do something different. I got a personal trainer and they gave me an eating plan...was pretty obvious that I couldn't continue eating that same way I had been prekids. Thin people make better food choices and eat less. They may move a little more but really it's mostly down to food. I don't eat cake, biscuits, croissants, pies or anything sweet anymore Mon to Fri and a kid carbs after breakfast - not because carbs are bad but because they are super calorific.

Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full. It’s that simple. You can have whatever you want, just wait until you are hungry!

Yes genetics has always made it easier for me but once I hit 45 and started to have thyroid problems it has become harder. I also work full time doing a desk job so have to counteract that. I eat a mostly vegetarian diet, don't eat much processed food, exercise 5 or 6 times a week, don't drink alcohol or sugary drinks and don't eat cakes, biscuits, chocolate, crisps and the like, except perhaps as a treat on a weekend. I feel more energetic and happier when I live a healthy lifestyle so that motivates me as much as keeping the weight down.

Have always been naturally slim, but do put on weight if I eat loads, so it’s not that I have a fast metabolism.
Portion size is a big thing. I naturally eat little and often, which has been a good habit.
When I count calories in a day, it’s rarely over 2,000.
Friends think I eat loads, as I always snack on chocolate bars, but I’m often surprised by how much people eat as their main meal.
I exercise regularly, but I think this matters less tbh.