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.

Yes exactly. I don't like alcohol and find it incredibly easy to avoid. Some people find it incredibly difficult to avoid. I'm not a fundamentally better person...I'm just different

I hope you know I obviously don’t put the whole emphasis of weight onto a singular bag of carrots… it is an example, which I thought was obvious
But in the same vein, I can’t drive, our household lives on one income which is difficult with two children so I make the best out of things I have close to me and as I said previously I’m very slim
In the world of technology (accessible in libraries too so none of this “some people can’t afford XYZ”) anyone can teach themselves the skills to make proper food and access proper food cheaply
I’m confused why this thread has gone from, like you said PM toned physique which could have genetics as a contributing factor, to a conversation on poor vs rich and weight
Its the toned bit that the rich have an advantage on, god I wish I could go to the gym but I can’t afford it so don’t, instead, I go walking, running ect
which is also free but I digress

apologises is my comments come across rude or blunt, that’s not my intention

They cook “frittata” said in a really posh accent. I know this as a posh mum once told me. It’s pronounced “fritaaaarrrtaarr”.

But in the same vein, I can’t drive

Why can't you drive?

But there are an awful lot of people who exercise and stick to a healthy diet despite finding it a real struggle. There’s also a lot of people who would like to drink a lot more alcohol than they do. They don’t because they know it’s bad for them - I’m one of them!

You can buy a bag of casserole veg for £1.50 and do a lot more with it than a carrot.

I think it's also related to culture.

I watched a YouTube documentary on Japan once.

In Japan it's shameful for people to be overweight. People will actually stare at overweight/obese people.

Not sure if I remember all the details correctly, but there is a government workout programme that employees do together regularly. Also, if you gain too much weight, your employer will order you to walk 10,000 steps.

On top of that, they have lots of restaurants, where you can get quick, healthy meals.
Every take-away in the UK in walking distance to my house is either Domino's, Dixi Chicken, Kebab ect.....

Pippas figure is awful. Her waist is wider than her hips and she has boxy shoulders and no arse. She looks like a 11 year old athletic boy.

@Hippyhippybake I would like to drink more alcohol. But its not that hard for me not to. A friend who has had issues with alcohol has had to go to AA meetings every week for years to manage not to drink. She fights the overall deep longing every time she sees alcohol.

Food is so related to class in the UK in a way it isn't in other countries. I got called posh for eating hummus and pitta for lunch...a tub of hummus and a packet of pitta bread comes to less than £1.50 and does me for lunch for a few days. Shows its not just about money.

My point is that not everyone is "equppied" as you seem to be to make the kind of choices that lead to a healthier existence. They are not really making the unhealthy choice as such, they are just to able to make or indeed even recognise the other choice due a number of complexities that other posters have outlined.

The reason some posts are referring to poor/rich existence is that significant contributer to PM looking as she does is because she is well off and this buys time, as well as allowing for good nutrition etc etc. So the debate will naturally swing to this.

@hotpotlover I used to live in a commune before children where on a rota healthy vegetarian meals were made every day. You could make unhealthy meals if you wanted to, but you had to do this yourself and pay more for it. It was hassle and I just every single night ate the really healthy meal.
We could be setting up society so the healthy choice was the easy and cheap choice.

And for many people simply making a meal for everyone is hard enough. I have had times like this where doing the simple everyday tasks is as much as I can cope with and they have to be made as easy as possible.

I’m not judging anyone.

I’m 59 and my best friend of nearly 40 years is 58 - we are both from similar backgrounds
I’m 5’4” and overweight (yo yo dieted all my life)
She is 5’11” and has always been slender
I enjoy food far too much and like a drink but love exercise and don’t smoke
She is a tee total couch potato who has no interest in food and would much rather smoke 20 cigs
As well as lifestyle and adult preferences the main difference I see is in the way we were brought up with attitudes to food - my DM treated us or rewarded us with food and made us finish our plates etc - she had her own disordered eating patterns too
Friend’s DM viewed food as fuel and had no interest in cooking or eating herself
My DM associated food with love and nurturing
I have tried to break the mould with my own DC - BF never had any
Life is not that simplistic

Britain industrialised in a way that meant tenant farmers were chucked off their land and into urban mills or factories to work and lost that connection centuries before lots of other countries.

The "working classes" (literally workers) could not grow or connect directly with their food anymore and were forced to eat early processed food often from the factory shop.

Other countries had a softer transition to urvanisation and havnt lost the cooking skills the way we have.

I think that is why "proper" cooking is often associated with being posh.

That all sounds very lovely, as long as you enjoy that type of thing.

But lots of people would find all that a bit dull day in day out, so it’s not going to be a catch all solution

This is so interesting...I never knew that.

Why do you need to criticise her body? She obviously likes being quite muscular.

The OP question is how people stay that thin and toned, it’s not an invitation to criticise the woman.

@ChilliPB I have always lived in scotland and had never even heard the term Munroes until MN.
I walked everywhere as a child, but that was because we had no car or money for bus fares. But walking miles along urban streets is not quite the same as walking up a beautiful mountain.

Yeah totally! Snobbery, inverse snobbery...its a minefield!
Some people are suspicious of foreign food, I guess they think we should all be eating Spam or baked beans.

I think if we had more amazing national foods like some other countries do, I think it would be less of a class issue. We wouldn't have to go round saying "frittaaaattaaar" or whatever and annoying people.

I would say she looks athletic which is nicer than muscular. I wish I had that body 😭

Your friend sounds like my dad she will have health issues. My dad struggled to walk and he had COPD. My nan had trouble walking and breathing and she was thin as well. Being thin doesn't necessarily mean you are healthy its how you treat your body and how you feed it. PM looks strong and athletic and she probably eats well.

I think you're more healthier than your friend because you eat and you exercise. It's all about finding the right balance that works for you so you can enjoy life.

100% I'd lose weight with a personal chef.

I'm time poor, and generally in charge of making food for our fussy household. Most days I make two different meals. Making a third seems insane to me. But I'd rather eat a nice salad (I do often for lunch - approx 300 calories and delicious), grilled fish and veg etc, than the higher calorie food I end up eating most of the time.

There are some really deeply disingenuous posts on this thread.

People completely fixated on what they do, and refusing to see that other people blatantly just DO behave in very different ways.