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.

@Primrosecottagelover look at old film footage, up to the 80’s max, Not many overweight people about. But have you noticed how plate and portion sizes have crept up? I have quite a lot of vintage crockery and the plates are so much smaller than nowadays, especially dessert plates. Combination of upf and sugar in so much of it, plus much bigger portion sizes mean many people struggle with their weight. And how many overweight very wealthy people do you see? Because they don’t usually eat rubbish, eat smaller portions and have time to exercise - plus the social stigma of being overweight in these circles.

I'm 74, a slim size 6, weigh around 41kg, exercise daily and try to walk 12 - 14,000 steps daily. I have 2 children, one born when I was 23 and second at 33 . I was an overweight teenager, dieted when I was 21 and have remained slim ever since. I very rarely eat any ultraprocessed food, always cook from scratch using fresh ingredients and include plenty of fruit and veg in my diet. I always use butter, never margarine,. I don't regard myself as being on a diet, I'm not excessive, love a piece of homemade cake or scone, an occasional glass of wine. I guess it's just a way of life now.

Well, I'm sure she does similar to Victoria Beckham - which is exercise everyday and eat fish and vegetables. Not drink much, and not chuff down biscuits etc.

What BS, everyone knows if you exercise for a few hours you cannot eat next to nothing... she's not anorexic, she's very toned.

I dont think it's ALL diet and exercise, she has a very athletic figure with no hips at all. When younger (don't worry i'm 38 and huge now) I was on a seriously punishing exercise regime, always cooked from scratch and eaten my veggies and whilst i got compliments on my figure im just naturally hippy and booby and i'd need to be in a famine before that went! So i still wouldnt look like pippa if i ate brocolli and ran all day 🤷‍♀️

I really don’t give a shit what she eats or how her body looks but that pale coloured bikini does her absolutely no favours whatsoever, skin-tone wise! Brits abroad, eh? Always end up a weird shade of lobster.

I'd find it easy to be slim if I had the money like she does.

It would be 'easier' but not easy - some people just have an issue with eating too much, just as some find it easy to eat healthily.

Look at Oprah Winfrey, who's the world's richest self-made woman (or something like that!) for at least 40 years she's been dieting and trying to control her weight. There were numerous programmes featuring her in her home gym, with the personal chef, etc. but she looks as big as ever.

Much of it down to genes and psychological state as we all know.

I disagree - I eat in a similar way and this IS what I want to eat.

PM clearly does loads of exercise- her shoulder muscles shows that. She looks very strong.

But genetics are a factor. All my family (including the men) are under 5 ft 6 and apple shaped. My mother helpfully calls us hobbits. My father equally helpfully calls us a family of 'fat bastards'. We all seem to have eating disorders as well as there is an awful lot of fat shaming going on in my family. I'm 5 ft 1 and even when I was 8 stone I looked squat. DH is long and lean and the Dcs are long and lean and DH has never dieted in his life - nor has either of his sisters who are equally long and lean (if what they tell me is the case).

I'd love to have a different body shape though- that's for certain.

I was invited for dinner at the home of a mum like this. Dinner was dished up and the portion sizes were absolutely tiny! Even the portion of vegetables was tiny. They used small plates, not dinner plates.

I think it’s absolutely possible to be slim and toned and not be on a restrictive diet or do an insane amount of exercise.

I’m slim, my siblings and parents are, my husband is and most of my friends are - what we have in common is lifelong exercise and generally active lifestyles.

I’ve always exercised. Days out as a kid were going on a long walk, holidays were camping and outdoors stuff. I competed at a national level in a sport. My parents run 10ks in their 70s!

We all walk a lot, lots of us have dogs. I’m in Scotland - a lot of our friends and us spend weekends doing things like going for a hike locally/going out for the day to climb a Munro. A few of us run - not super seriously but we will enter 10ks and half marathons together etc. I’ve got a weekend away planned with friends later this year to do a half. Skiing holidays in the winter. Our friendship group’s bucket list holidays are things like hiking the Inca trail or climbing Kili.

We all enjoy cooking and generally eat home made/unprocessed food. But our friendship group meets up regularly for dinner, drinks etc and everyone enjoys going out.

I have a lovely active, healthy lifestyle and in no way this feels restricted or excessive. We love being outdoors and exercising so that’s a major factor for us.

Choosing not to eat crap like upf is more a way of life rather than a diet

And you don't have to be posh

I think you will find a lot of women here prefer to dress for other women.

I have a few friends with similar figures that I have been on holiday with.
They eat MUCH less than me (I am a size 12/14). They eat a little bit of shite but most meals are high in protein and veg. Not much ultra processed food. They eat like this all the time. So no dieting. It's just how they eat
We do similar amounts of exercise (3 lots of cardio, 2 lots of weights, walk every day). Over the years my daily little slice of cake, glass of wine, extra slice of toast, biscuit, etc that they don't have add up.

There’s nothing particularly unusual about the way she looks. I’m in my late 50s and would look similar, as would many of my friends even older than me. I’ve always been slim and have never been on a diet. I eat quite a bit of chocolate. I do exercise, but not every day, but that’s more for strengthening my bones and joints. We are quite a carb heavy family - a lot of pasta, for example. But we are generally plant-based. I don’t drink any alcohol, for health reasons.

Yes I appreciate that but I did mean me specifically.

I’m 51 and sugar is my downfall. I have three horses and ride 5 times a week (one is my daughter’s pony so I have two). All kept at home and I’m in and out exercising, moving bales etc. I’m size 10-12 (my thighs) and very toned but it’s due to the looking after / riding horses. My stomach's is creeping up and waist and I know it’s the rubbish I eat on the sofa at night because I’m knackered. I reach for the chocolate. I cook from scratch most nights but can’t afford steamed fish etc. It’s not exactly healthy stuff like lasagna, roast chicken dinners (we don’t have that on the weekend as busy with horses). I’ve definitely got to change this sugar thing at night. No idea what to replace it with to give me the ‘sweetness’. I used to be size 8 in my 30s. I do have stage 4 endometriosis and I need to get my diet in order - healthier. Plus with perimenopause my body is changing. At night I do sit down and I’m so exhausted. Watch TV etc. That’s when I eat rubbish. Even after a meal. It’s like I’ve no will power with the chocolate.

Haven’t seen the pics, not going looking for them either but I have a friend who runs ultra marathons, she’s about 5ft tall, in her 50’s and eats a lot. Mostly good stuff but also things like a biscuit or a piece of cake. She just fuels her body effectively. She’s a size 6 (I know this because she went swimming before work but had forgotten to pack any knickers and asked me if I could pick her some up from the supermarket on my way in 😂) and you can’t sustain the level of exercise she does without eating well.
If PM is toned and muscular she’s not surviving on lettuce leaves! Building muscles takes calories!!

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. @Letsgotitans , It must still require massive self control though, because if I had a chef, I'd be like Henry V111. Only difference is I wouldn't be telling them to make me a goose wrapped in a swan, it'd be a bag of tortilla chips covered in cheese!

And @Threewheeler1 , that's exactly what I thought, my teeth squeaked at the cotton wool story!

Anybody of any age or sex, who has washboard abs, is putting the effort into an exercise regime that I am not prepared to do. I’m sure a body like hers does not come easily.

Ultimately, it is what you prioritise. She clearly prioritises a slim, toned and lean body. That is not top of my list. I am slim, but certainly not super toned and I probably eat more processed food than I should.

I am sure she has worked hard for her body. Give me all the nannies, cleaners and chefs that you can, I still won’t have that body as I can’t be bothered to spend an hour in the gym every day or miss out on my crisps.

I am 40 and slim (and not posh). I’m pescatarian , don’t drink alcohol and work out three times a week using You Tube videos.

To be honest most women I know are overweight and it isn’t because they don’t have money, it’s because they down ridiculous amounts of wine and takeaways all through the week. One complains about not being able to lose weight and complains she is just big boned but one look at her instagram shows cakes and milkshakes every day from the local cafe at lunch time, I also love the cakes from this place but once a week is enough, if I had them every day I would be the size of a house. I think a lot of women just lack a bit of common sense and then tell themselves that anyone who is slim lives on salad to make themselves feel better.

I agree genetics help as does being tall.
I'm less than 5ft and size 8 but I do not look lean.

Obviously she works out and who knows what she eats

I think it's likely to be nothing as complicated or extreme as you imagine.

We only know who Pippa is because she's Kate's sister. William, who more or less had his pick of widely body type, chose to get married to someone tall, athletic and thin. (Like his mother, but that's a separate point.)

Pippa probably does a lot of exercise but I doubt she eats only steamed fish and spinach. If she didn't exercise she wouldn't be so muscular but I imagine she would still be thin. She's a thin person.

I'm mid-40s with kids and look worse in a bikini (more cellulite!) but not honestly that different. Yesterday I had a big Sunday lunch (no pudding because I was too full) and sausages and mash for dinner with a mini magnum and some raspberries for pudding. For breakfast I had a bowl of sultana bran and a banana. Pretty standard stuff I think. Before I had kids I was actually more curvy.

The thing that hasn't been said yet which I think is a big factor is that it is a lot easier to maintain a slim figure than to lose weight.

She has always had time to exercise and money to eat well because she has never had a job . I think what happens to many of us is that we go through a difficult patch - e.g. having a child or a stressful patch at work and exercise and healthy eating becomes harder for a bit, gain weight and then it's really hard to shift.

Whereas someone like her just hasn't really experienced that. She has had children of course but she hasn't had the things that go alongside that for most women - limited childcare in the early months, having very little sleep etc - because she will have had nannies, probably including a night nanny.