To wonder what posh Mums cook for dinner…

[Primrosecottagelover]

I have just seen Pippa Middleton’s bikini photos on the DM. Three different bikinis so far, washboard abs & nothing jiggles as she chases three kids. She could easily pass as a fibreglass mannequin. I’m wondering why it is that the Middleton women and affluent women (even middle class at my child’s school), always seem to be so impossibly slim. I struggle with my weight and I would love to see the groceries, fridge contents, packed lunchboxes and dinner plans of the other half. Obviously I know what healthy eating and cooking is but, the bodies of Mothers these days is next level. Why am I struggling to keep my tummy from flopping out while women in their 40’s pull off wearing linen mini shorts (not in UK) and high waisted jeans.

Being size 6 with washboard abs is over-rated. With the exception of those like @Rivendeluge , most of us like foods with sugar and fat...

I'd much rather be a size 12 who exercises a few times a week and is slightly overweight with a BMI of 26. I generally eat healthily with plenty me fruit and veg. I don't diet, I eat til I'm full, have the odd biscuit without feeling guilty and love a nice big slice of cake when the mood takes. Personally I think I have a far more healthy attitude to food and life! Pippa can have the washboard abs she's starved and strived hours in the gym for - I'm genuinely not jealous...

It's what it should be though!

People who are thin eat less. A lot less. And they’re generally more active. Not watching tv for four hours a night.

Not so much rich or posh, but I once dated a professional photographer, who was used to taking photos of models.
He told me that they would never eat anything, and that they were obsessed by their diet to the extreme. Of course, understandable if being thin is part of the job. He and others on the team found it totally obsessive, and very wearying.
ie, very hot day, but would not eat an ice cream, when others were having them, etc. He gave this as an example, but I thought it a rather poor one, as ice creams are obviously not an ideal food.

I've just looked at the photos that inspired to OP to start this thread. Obviously women should focus on having the body they want and makes them feel good in who they are, but in many cases part of that will involve wanting to feel as though they are attractive to their man, or men in general. If that's the case, I'm not sure most men's preference is the ultra-slim athlete type. In my experience, men like curves!... so if some women are starving themselves and workout out for hours daily to make themselves "sexy", they're wasting their time and effort!

I don't smoke or exercise and I'm like Pip Middleton. A combination of genetics, small food portions and very few UFPs.

Pippa doesn’t starve herself, I do think some folks are just resentful seeing a slim woman. She is clearly muscled and toned, and you don’t achieve that from starving yourself, being anorexic, or eating crumbs, as some folks are making out.

she’s a runner, and serious runners are often slim and built like her, I’m also fairly sure she lifts for strength. I understand she has always been sporty though, and a key part of her life. On top of this she will eat a healthy diet, enough to give her the energy for her exercise and I am going to guess drinks limited alcohol. Like she’s not sitting getting tanked up on a sat night, but will have a couple of glasses of wine on occasion.

Yes, as we all want the male gaze of approval.

🙄

@Underdeniablyexhausted

It's what it should be though!

No! Enough of this guilt crap for the 95%+ of us who don't only love eating low-sugar, low-fat stuff in low quantities. I'm going to eat the biscuit with my coffee later and I'm going to enjoy it! I won't feel guilty... And that doesn't mean I'm morbidly obese who can barely climb a flight of stairs! I'm fit and healthy, with plenty of energy (most of the time!) who is running half-marathon in three weeks.... I enjoy life and refuse to believe we "should" aspire to remove all the joy from eating!

They barely eat, not what we would consider eating anyway.

I’m not as posh as the Middletons but am very slim in my fifties. BMI 20.5 and has been fairly steady since my twenties. I’m more toned now as I have more time now my kids aren’t at home full time so I can exercise for an hour each evening (weights or reformer classes). I walk (quickly) to and from work. I avoid ultra processed food, eat mostly vegetarian, cook from scratch nearly all the time. In other words, we eat really healthily. It doesn’t need to be massively time consuming. People see it as a diet: it’s not. It’s normal healthy food, not massively processed, cooked in a normal healthy way. If I go to a restaurant, I have whatever I fancy, but I wouldn’t eat ‘treats’ people put out at work etc. I use a lot of recipes from the Doctor’s Kitchen.

Definitely a restricted diet and tinned of exercise to tone.
I tried a b restricted diet for a health issue for about 3 weeks - omg I lost so much weight I couldn’t sustain it. It’s prob akin to what these Pippa types eat - plain fish/chicken w veg and brown rice.
I barely eat sweet stuff now and minimal
oils due to my digestive issues and I’m slim but not skinny. Plus I’ve still got the mum tum after 2 c/s and my ‘family’ thighs.

@Lampslights

Yes, as we all want the male gaze of approval.

I didn't say we did! Many women - like you presumably - don't, and that's fine. But equally to say that many women don't care at all about how sexually attractive they look, is obviously wrong.

Btw, it doesn't make you a better woman not to care in any way how physically attractive you appear to others.

All men are attracted to the same type of body?
Don’t bother wasting your time in the gym as no one will fancy you?
Because that’s their motivation for exercising, obviously. 🙄

They don't cook dinner - they cook supper!!!!

Oh my god, my teeth are squeaking at the thought 😦
I'm off to find some food and a nice big coffee!

All men are attracted to the same type of body?

Every man is different obviously. Some like very skinny women, some like very obese women! On average though, men don't tend to prefer women who are ultra-skinny.... so if a woman is starving herself to be attractive, then she's wasting her time.

I agree with @IloveAslan "eating whatever I want" sounds as if you'd eat almost anything depending on how you feel. Whereas your diet sounds quite controlled (obviously that's a healthy way to eat but it's sounds v carefully planned rather than just eating randomly what you like)
I'd say it was is quite unusual not to like anything sweet, or chocolate.
I basically eat what I want and that includes chocolate every day, and some processed food, unfortunately I look nothing like Pippa Middleton. Although I am a healthy weight.

I’m my experience they run around saying they are too busy to remember to eat, but have borderline eating disorders.
There was a study saying its better to be 10lb overweight as the nutritional reserves give a better buffer in case of serious accident or illness, and being underweight is associated with increased mortality. So don’t feel bad being a bit podgy, think of it as an insurance plan.

Pippa looks ripped! I wouldn’t have thought she’s munching on crumbs.

I used to be size 6/8 and could eat what I wanted, Greggs, McDonald’s, crisps and choc every day, fry up for brekkie (provided by work) trifle, desserts, chips, pizza, office cakes- huge office cake a few times a week. Age 27 ish I started going to the gym and gained muscle. I was skin and bone prior and hated it. Size 10 and 9’stone- 9.5 stone m was my best weight imo. It was only when I hit 40 that I began to put on weight. 11 stone now and size 12/14 depending what the fabric is. 🫠 I barely move
8 hrs a day. Then getting meals, or vacuuming. Need to shift my ass lol

But this sounds absolutely doable. I eat rubbish these days because I have an office job and have put on a stone in the last 2 years

Why are you being so hard on yourself? I thought it would be obvious that a woman like Pippa Middleton would have the money to have nannies and cleaners. That leaves a lot of time to exercise. Then she will have a chef which means she has perfectly balanced nutritious meals presented to her. She doesn't have to show much self control. I'd find it easy to be slim if I had the money like she does.

Eat good food in normal quantities. How do posters think the rest of the world manages?

Friends who are slim, exercise a lot and don’t eat any crap or drink much. They never sit on The sofa for an evening watching TV. No chips, no crisps, no pudding, fruit, chicken,veg….

Ah lovely, another thread for mumsnetters to boast about their orthorexia!