AIBU to ask how people stay slim without strict dieting?

[Coffeeloveer]

If you are wanting to lose weight or if you maintain a slim figure but dont go on a specific diet or calorie count. What eating patterns/ habits do you have to achieve this? I have a busy and a social lifestyle so conventional diets don’t work for me and to be honest I just end up breaking them.. how do you achieve the above on the go etc

I'm 62. Until my 50s I never gave my weight any thought at all. Or my diet. I ate whatever I felt like whenever I felt like, and never put on any weight. I was naturally slim. Unfortunately in my 50s this changed. I'm finding it very difficult to adjust to as I never had to think about food before. So now I'm a bit overweight, and an not very good at dealing with it as it is all new to me.

Exercise - 1hr per day (x2 30min classes) amd 3mile walk daily (15k steps minimum). Dont track what i eat at all, but do eat similar food daily including a daily choc bar. Always remain under 10 stone (size 8/10). Used to be a lot bigger but didnt do any exercise then. Eat more now, but burn more

I don't eat things like McDonald's, I walk quite a bit and I eat a high fibre diet. Apart from that I eat what I like.
I also come from a long line of tall slim people which I think really helps!!!

All the slim people I know eat absolutely whatever they want - don’t stint on alcohol or pudding - but only ever eat two meals a day e.g. breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner but never three meals a day

I walk on average between 15-20,000 steps a day, and have an active job. Having a mad Labrador definitely helps with the steps, as well as 2 stress inducing teens lol x

Genetics - inherited father's slim body type. Developed gut issues as an early adult, bloating and other symptoms often reduce appetite and any desire to over-indulge.

Social factors - childhood without money and empty cupboards so developed a smaller appetite. Don't drink alcohol anymore.

Luck - never been inclined to comfort eat, eat for boredom, or saw food as treats / rewards at end of a hard day or for doing exercise etc.

Eat 3 meals per day
No snacks
Small bowl of proper porridge with some dates or sultanas
Soup or salad with fruit
Dinner half the plate is veg/ salad

Drink loads of water
I exercise daily
Today I cycled 8 miles, swam 30 mins, walked 30 mins

I like exercise. I don’t drink calories except milk in tea. I have restraint. I’ll eat one biscuit but not the whole packet. I don’t eat UPF, or anything pastry or crisps. Way too fattening.

Eat regularly, don’t skip meals, don’t ban foods you enjoy. Walk.

Im not naturally slim, went from a size 16 to size 8 via slimming world aged 59 and been battling to keep it off since

Now 62 I do weights and cardio at a gym, so Im now having to feed the muscle, and am slowly learning to adjust my meals to more protein , which to me feels so counter intuitive to the past 3 years where it was all about low density volume eating

As well as the gym I walk anywhere between 12 and 18k steps a day and I cycle short speed circuits when I can

I struggle to eat 3 meals a day, it rarely happens, but I make sure my first meal between 12 and 2 pm is protein packed - I try for 50gr and plenty of fibre. Evening meal isnt so protein heavy, but will aim for 30gr , but the plate will be at least a third veg and a small carb portion

Lots of little changes along the way - air fryer roasties and hand cut chips, swapping out normal pasta for wholewheat, white rice for brown, white bread rarely touched, now dark rye or a wholemeal pitta . Take aways - rare and certainly never pizza , we make our own where we can control the fat content

But if there is a night out on offer - im there. If a friend bakes a cake, yes please. But these are not every day things.

I love a crisp butty, thick white bread, slice on the butter, add as many crisps as I can. I used to have one daily, telling myself it was grand as no breakfast or lunch. Now it's a weekend treat. And I buy a single roll so Im not tempted to go again and again

Genetics plays a bit part, I'm not going to say someone else could eat the same as me and maintain the same weight as that's not always the case.

I don't "limit" what I eat in that I don't think about making particularly healthy meals etc, I eat what I enjoy. I eat a bowl of cereal every morning because I can't survive without breakfast and it brings me joy, and then usually a very small lunch most days as I'm not really a lunch person. Don't really eat bread. Some days if I've got some nice leftovers I'll have a good lunch though. Then I eat a big tea and always eat chocolate in the evening with a cuppa.
I'm more aware of what I eat post kids as weight loss postpartum took a bit more effort and have decided I'd much rather eat less of what I love than to eat lots of food I don't really enjoy. If I try and palm myself off with a healthy snack I'll just end up eating that AND some chocolate later anyway. I know other people feel the opposite though and prefer to volume eat! I have a takeaway every week because I enjoy it.

I grew up in a house with sensible portions sizes and good eating habits which makes it a lot easier as it's all I've ever known.

But my mum eats so incredibly healthy and still struggles with her weight so a lot of it is luck with your genetics.

I am exactly the same. Have been skinny all my life until mid 50s. It’s hard to start eating less when you have eaten whatever you want all your life.

I don't like skipping meals. I eat three meals a day and have snacks, but I try to limit sugar and high-GI carbs. I try to prioritise protein, vegetables, and healthy fats, keeping portions reasonable. As a PP said, I eat my protein and veg before my carbs in each meal, as much as possible. I walk daily, at least 10,000 steps (but fitting in whatever you can manage daily is more important than reaching a specific number).

I’ve recently been diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer & am on chemo - I always had a pretty healthy diet & maintained a slim, toned body though now I’ve cut out alcohol, most sugar and all processed food I’m maintaining a lower weight & feeling so much better, despite the chemotherapy. I feel clear-headed, trim & energetic & put this down to my new improved diet!

Depends what is slim to you OP?

For example, what short of bmi or dress size do you aspire to?

i think I am fairly slim/normal but i have friends who would consider me large, some tiny ladies I know consider me “huge” 😅 so it is all relative (my bmi is 23, wear size 12)

personally I do not believe in diets are just about restricting at all. I believe in doing lots of sport and and then eating to fuel yourself for that sport 😁 but that is not for everyone

Some of these replies are ridiculous.

I am a size 8, short and I eat literally whatever I want. 3 meals a day, at least 2 snacks.
Bread most lunch times. A large meal each evening, with plenty of rice/pasta. Never say no to a cake. Takeaway once a week.
Goodies every evening.
I nearly always walk 10k steps a days, without trying.
I believe some people are big, some small.
My husband eats less than I do and he's much taller and heavier.

I think so much of it is genetics. And the food culture you're raised with. And personal preferences. And fidgetiness. I have a BMI of about 22, lowest it gets would be 21 and highest maybe 23 at my heaviest. I don't generally eat breakfast - started IF about 3 years ago and it's a habit I've stuck with. I love food, but I really like healthy food. My mum is the same height as me but probably a stone lighter and she is very, very strict with her diet. I can't bear being hungry or overly controlling about food - it makes me so depressed.

I think I do eat a lot though, biscuits every day and big portions of normal home cooked meals. I love exercise and walk at least an hour and a half a day doing the school run. Plus I never sit down - 3 kids and a house to run plus working part time.

I think food guilt makes you overweight. My friends who are heavier and miserable about it are always talking about being good or bad and criticizing themselves for what they eat. I think that leads to bingeing. I think it's hard to be slim these days as we move so much less than we used to and delicious food is around us constantly, we don't tolerate hunger and eating is such a huge part of leisure.

I am really grateful that I don't have to worry about my weight but I doesn't take any effort from me so I can only assume I have been dealt a lucky hand, metabolism wise.

Lifting heavy.

I have tracked calories before but not for a few years. I find I have to eat a lot extra to put on fat as it'd usually turn to muscle first. I also don't drink much although I love it when I do. It disrupts protein synthesis (muscle building) too which isn't great and I find myself gradually drinking more and more if I'm not careful. Far easier to stay slim when not drinking.

I'll happily eat a whole trifle though and did in fact yesterday. But I've been lifting for over a decade and am pulling almost 190kg on the DL so thermogenics/calorie burning is immense. Weights actually burn more calories than cardio in a lot of studies which surprises people, although obv it's not one or the other.

One thing I have noticed is that every naturally slim person I know is a slow eater.

I'm not. I've tried to match their pace sometimes and I can't, even if I really try to slow down I still seem to finish ages before they do!

They just don't eat much. It's not dieting because they eat as much as they want, the difference is they just don't want to eat that much.

Getting slim and staying slim are two totally different things though. To get thin you have to eat at a calorie deficit and work down to what you want, once you are there you don’t have to be at a deficit, you can use maintenance calories and supplement with exercise. You don’t need to work out how to get the most sustenance for the fewest calories, you just have to make sure you don’t overeat.

You can have a meal that is higher calories, but then you eat healthy the rest of the week. You can have a couple of glasses of wine, but then drink low sugar or tea the rest of the week. It’s just moderation to maintain.

I had to calorie count to learn how much food and what type of food added up to the “right” number of calories for a day. I don’t have to calorie count now because I understand.

If I eat out at lunch then I don’t eat breakfast and don’t plan for dinner (though I might have a small snack if I really am hungry again).

I stave off hunger by eating broth-based soup - a whole can is about 130 calories and it takes a while to eat and fills me up surprisingly well.

I can stave off hunger quite well by eating something small and salty. Cold olives from the fridge work well. Or the above mentioned broth-soup with added salt. I am normally craving salt rather than actual food.

I think I often want to eat because my mouth wants something to do! Another cup of coffee (no sugar) or gum, or brushing my teeth often stops my snacking.

Ultimately these are all tricks to eat less food less often though. There’s no other way to stay slim unless you have a tiny appetite, a highly active lifestyle, or a very good metabolism! I am guessing you don’t have any of those because you’re posting here, so eating less food less often is likely your only way to stay slim.

Im 5'7 and weigh 65kg - 10st 2 ish and i wear a 14 currently. Its all in my belly and I have always had big boobs- 30gg

I'm just not very interested in food and feel full quite quickly. Probably not useful traits in any other time in history ( ie when food wasn't so easily available)

I haven't weighed myself in literally years either. I just focus on getting stronger and what I look like without clothes on.