Aibu to ask what normal healthy slim people eat?

[Toofrigginfat]

Have name changed.

Things have reached an all time low, found myself sobbing in the bathroom about to stick my fingers down my throat, luckily - I suppose - interrupted by the cries of 'mummyyyyyy' from two bickering children.

I am SO fat and SO depressed about it. I have tried WW, SW. Watched programme last week about dieting industry and it has put me off doing anything commercial/faddy. After failing to be able to stick to anything for the past 20 years my weight is now at an all time high of 11st 10 (I'm 5ft 2) and I have lost all concept of what a healthy balanced diet consists of.

What do normal, slim people eat? And if I eat that way, will I lose weight too? Just bought a juicer, husband and I keen to get into that.

Help. Please.

Mrsmook - apparently there has been research done into sweeteners etc and there is evidence that diet drinks confuse your body as they are expecting some fuel from them and get none. They are the devils work. Nb my sister told me this and I can't be arsed to check but it sounds about right. There is more calcium in full fat dairy and that is suppose to help you feel full. And I think it is part of the whole eating 'clean' thing.

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I'd recommend SW as it is basically just about eating healthily - unlike some diets you don't cut out any major food groups altogether. However, you do have to continue with it once you reach your goal weight (albeit less strictly perhaps). My DH lost 5.5 stone on it last year. It's about sticking to healthier habits (eg not cooking with oil/fat, avoiding calorie-laden drinks, cutting right back on the sugar etc). Do not go hungry - fill up on healthier things... Also, if you slip up, just get back on the wagon, instead of thinking 'Oh well I've blown it so might as well just binge!' (which I have a tendency to do)

Im 5.9" and weigh about 9 1/2 stone. Have very small brittle bones and no boobs whatsoever so wear a size 8ish.

I dont think I eat particularly healthy..but I do try to have as much fruit and veg as poss. Normal dinners are spag bol lasange salads pizza pies fish ...all homemade and loaded with every type of veg I have in the fridge. I think this makes a difference. I can still eat a good size portion without so much guilt as it is literally mostly veg.
etc.
I find that questioning myself before I eat something is the key for me. By doing this I find that I genuinley never finish a whole plate of food, or go for another bit of cskeetc. Im usually thirsty rather than hungry, and onceI cottoned onto this my baby weight finakly shifted.

Theres some great advice on here. Good luck with whatever way you decide to go about this :)

There has been a couple of mentions upthread about 1200 calories being low. The 2000 calorie for a woman guideline is very misleading IMO. I'm 5'4 and very small framed, if I was to eat more than 1400 every day I would gradually put on weight. 1200 is what I eat when I want to lose a few pounds, and it's really not that hard. 200 calories for breakfast, 300 for lunch, 500 for dinner, and 200 for snacks/drinks. I don't count them religiously every day, but I know how much is in what I eat as I tend to eat similar things most of the time.

I go through phases when I exercise a lot more in which case I can increase this, but for a fairly sedentary life (bar yoga once a week and walking a mile or 2 a day) this works perfectly and I still get all the nutrients I need (and take multivitamins as well)

I had a friend who was battling with her weight, she was 5'10 and 17 stone and had been to the doctors/was getting tested for intolerances for bloating etc, and it was strange as she appeared to be doing regular excercise (badminton twice a week, gym once, walking regularly)

On closer inspection I noticed that her pre-badminton snack was a snickers, and after she would eat 2 flapjacks at 500 calories a go. This was just what I saw. Once she realised these bad habits the weight started to drop off. I honestly think a lot of weight problems are due to bad habits learned during childhood/young adulthood that need to be addressed and learning about the nutritional value of food.

One big tip I would give someone who likes to snack, is to find a low calorie snack that you love. Snickers are 300 calories, and I avoid these high calorie snacks like the plague, but a packet of caramel snackerjacks is 100 (sweet), or space raiders 60. I sometimes sneak 2 packets of space raiders when I get home from work and feel a bit naughty but most of what I've eaten is air! :)
Also, avoid hidden calories in drinks! they can be so high, even flavoured water.

I'm very slim and think its mostly lifestyle, I have quite a physical job and I'm a very fidgety person if that makes sense? I find it hard to sit still so think I burn off most of what I eat that why. I don't over eat but do (mostly) eat healthily, I love chocolate, biscuits etc but don't go overboard unless its a special occasion
You don't sound massively over weight but you do sound very troubled I hope this thread gives you the support and advice you need.

'way' not why!

I am a size 6 - 8. Four years ago I was a size 16 and bulimic. I didn't lose any weight (just a lot of tooth enamel) purging and was in probably the most desperate state of my life. I look back at photos from that time and don't just see a bigger person, I see the saddest me I ever saw - my smile doesn't reach my eyes and it's quite distressing, even now, to realise I wasn't fooling anyone then.

I lost weight using MFP and calorie counting, but to be honest I did it all wrong. I limited myself to 1200 calories a day and did a shedload of cardio exercise, convincing myself that a bodypump or circuit class counted as resistance training and ended up skinny-fat. I would get down to 9 stone 10 (size 10), then slack off and regain 10 or so pounds, then lose it with MFP and strict dieting again.

I got to 9 1/2 stone this June following that diet and then decided to introduce weight training. I now lift weights 5 days per week and eat at least 1800 calories per day. I've dropped more than a dress size and now weigh 9 stone 2 (with a much smaller body fat percentage). I eat more now than I even did when I was big, and a typical day is this:

Breakfast - millet puffs with greek yoghurt (full fat) and fruit
Morning snack - homemade protein muffin, protein shake
Lunch - omelette with 2 egg whites & 1 egg, spinach, full fat cream cheese, smoked salmon, red onion and salad
2nd lunch (4pm) - baked sweet potato with tuna, yoghurt and salad
Supper - something like turkey mince with homemade satay style sauce, cabbage, onions and cauliflower rice
Treat - couple of squares of dark chocolate

My portions are big, I have lots of energy and I sleep really well. I am also still losing body fat and weight, I am toned (not bulky) and have a healthy relationship with food - I enjoy eating and eat loads. My diet may seem restrictive but we still go out and I still have treats/cheat meals, I just make good choices most of the time. I've also cut out wine (7 weeks dry now) and I think that really helps. I used to have it as a treat but realise that not all calories are created equal, and the empty wine calories aren't worth it and provide no benefit to me.

HTFU -well done on getting healthy and fit. I hope you are also happy now :-)

1200 is a very small amount of calories. I would starve to death on that little.

I haven't read all of the replies, just skipped to the last page, so forgive me if I'm repeating what's already been said.

First, OP, your post made me feel sad for you. Being fat doesn't make you a bad person, and it makes me furious that when we live in a world full of people who do really bad and harmful things (e.g. violent criminals, mega-earning tax avoiders etc.) somehow it's women who have done nothing wrong other than eat too much who are made to feel horrible about themselves. That's not right. So you're fat. It's not the end of the world, and there are many, many worse things you could be.

That said, your weight will have long term health risks and if you go on gaining it's likely to stop you doing some of the things you'd like to do, so you're right to want to keep it in check. I've been losing weight since this time last year - I've gone from 15 st 2 to 9 st 7 and a few more pounds still to lose, and I wish I'd done it years ago. I've done it mostly through eating less, not through any faddy diets. I've massively cut back on portion sizes and on sweet treats. A lot of this meant changing habits. For instance, I used to think nothing of eating two large bars or family sized bars of chocolate in the evenings after a day of large, carb-heavy meals. It became a habit, and my body got used to it. It was difficult to break at first, but now I can't imagine doing it any more. I still factor in 'treat days' when I have cakes or chocolate, but I know I'm doing it, and I make sure that I compensate for them by eating a bit less on other days. I also walk a lot - in the summer up to 10 miles a day, probably nearer 5-6 in the winter. I don't think it's responsible for me losing a lot of weight, but it's been psychologically good for me, and particularly in the early days when I was getting cravings all the time it meant that every hour spent walking was an hour less at home wishing I was eating cakes!

I don't think I qualify as a 'normal slim person' having overeaten for so much of my life, and maybe it's a lot easier if you've always had a straightforward relationship with food and exercise. But eating less is perfectly possible with some hard work, and with some kindness to yourself. Days you slip off the wagon do not make you a bad person any more than being fat in the first place does. Good luck!

1200 isn't a 'very small amount of calories' if you're 5'2", aged 40 and weigh 8 stone or so... this whole idea of Women Need 2000 Calories Per Day is completely wrong for most people. It's definitely worth putting your details into a checker to see what you should be eating for your height/weight/build/age/activity level.

I weigh 8 stone and 5 foot 3 if I hate that small amount I would be about 4 stone.

For some reason I was thinking about this thread as I was falling asleep last night. I'm lucky and haven't needed to diet and had an idea that I thought might work. In the cold light of day I'm not so sure but thought I would share anyway!

So my idea is that rather than aim to lose weight and keep it off you swap it around. So first off you just try to work out what you would be happy eating in the long term and work out what you need to eat to maintain your current weight. So this would probably involve eating more fruit and veg and cutting out excessive foods (e.g. three take-aways a week) but still having a bit of everything you like (e.g. one take away a week).

You'd keep at this until it's established as your "normal" diet - say for three months.

Only then would you think about losing weight. At which point you would cut out all the treats etc (e.g. no take aways) for a period of time. Until it became tiresome and you knew that you couldn't continue at which point you would switch back to your "normal" diet.

When you were ready to diet again follow the same pattern. So effectively making steps down to a lower weight - taking as many steps as you need until you get to your target weight.

The idea being that while this is no quick fix it would be a long term solution.

Comments please

I am 5 foot 7, my normal/healthy weight would roughly 10 1/3 stone. To maintain that I would need to eat something like:

2 slices of toast with hummus or similar in the morning+ tea/water

a plain cup of coffee for 11'ses

a couple of sandwiches (preferably not with mayo) or a salad plus some fruit for lunch

a biscuit or two for tea

a smallish piece of meat or fish, 2 smallish spuds and boiled veg or salad for supper

provided that I also walked for about 2 kms a day and spent at least one day of the weekend out walking or swimming

In actual fact, I eat the above, plus extra biscuits, and hen sit around on my bum most of the day which is why I am now slightly overweight at 11 stone. (to be fair, I am having medical issues atm which mean I can't stand for very long).

1200 calories can be more than enough if you make sensible choices. Just checked back through MFP and spotted lots of good days, eg

banana
poached salmon + veg, funsize Maltesers
apple
piece of toast
pasta and chicken bake + veg
mini Cornetto

I have also spotted some days where I kept to the calories but made some awful choices - sometimes I choose the treats over the healthy option because I really want something like a piece of cake instead of a proper lunch. Longterm that may be a bad idea but right now I need to sort my weight out and the main thing is the calories.

I agree with posters upthread who say it is important to find some reliable snacks and meals to fall back on which you know are low calorie. My weight loss wouldn't have been possible without relying on watermelon, bananas, Snack-a-jacks, popcorn, prawns, black coffee and mini Cornetto!

I'm glad you like your juicer - I like ours as long as DP does the immense amount of fiddly washing up of all it's components!

We make juice which is mostly carrots, with some fresh ginger and the juice of a lime in it. Possibly one apple. That way we use cheap ingredients (carrots) and also the lower sugar ingredients. It is really easy to rack up calories with fruit smoothies and juices.

I am of an average sort of weight and build. Not slender, not fat, and with a BMI in the 'normal range. 5' 7".

Breakfast: meusli (no added sugar and not with loads of dried fruit in it) and semi skimmed milk. Or Oatibix and SS Milk, or wholemeal toast, thin spread of butter and marmite, or small amount of marmalade.

Lunch: a sandwich - toasted wholmeal with ham and tomato (no butter), or chicken and salad or something not too calorific. Some cherry toms, or raw carrots

Some crappy snacking - biscuits or something

Dinner: medium portion of an average donner: pasta bologniase, chilli, roast chicken or something, medium carb, lots of veg.

A couple of glasses of wine, possibly some ice cream, and a late night biscuit.

I am now a size 8 after being very chunky
I just changed my eating habits

I only eat proper food (nothing processed) no ready meals, takeaways etc

And I don't eat as many carbs. Cut out bread altogether.
Pasta once a week
Rice once a week

Chicken or salmon or steak with loads of veg or salad for tea
Fruit salad or soup (no bread) for lunch or carrot with hummus

Still binge drink alcohol do very little exercise tbh

Breakfast Fruit or porrage

I am slim, i don't really move much from my existing weight (maybe a kg or so either way) but its just how i am. I will get slammed for this i am sure but i rarely eat breakfast. I cannot stomach food at all in the morning and feel nauseous if i smell cooking food in am.. So i eat when i am hungry, sometimes i grab some fruit at lunchtime and then just have proper meal at dinnertime. I drink a lot of water though. I rarely eat between meals, and i am not a fan of sweet foods. I would rather have savoury foods instead. So for a dessert i would rather have cheese and biscuits as opposed to cake or sweet puddings. My family have a go at me all the time, as does my dr as they say i don't eat enough. But i have energy, am healthy and not often ill - so it just how my eating habits are. My dh craves things quite a lot, i never really crave things (i did during pregnancy i craved brazil nuts) so i have to assume that i am getting all i need vitamin wise. (isn't that why you crave things, as you are lacking that ingredient?) My main meal of the day is always with either veggies or salad with meat or fish so not unhealthy.

I have always been like this since a child so it isn't something i have changed during adulthood.

This is SUCH a fascinating thread.

I did say that 1200 was in order to lose a few llb's. To maintain my size I need about 1400, but I'm 5'4 and know my mum who is 5'1 has to stick to about 1200 especially now she is older.
It's actually really unfair on short people when you think about it. My DH is 6'4 and a large build and can eat like 3000 without putting weights on, yet portion sizes are the same for all adults in restaurants/supermarkets/cafe's etc, so it's much easier for them, hrmph.

I think you would have to be doing very little moving to only need 1400 or 1200 calories to maintain weight. Just seems like a small amount. I would of said op would lose a significant amount of weight at those type of calorie intakes.

KristinaM - thank you. Yes, I am happy now (for the most part, I still have wobbles). It's a relief to have a healthy relationship with food after 20 years of not really understanding it as fuel.

How are you doing today Too ?

Someone posted this list back up the thread but as somebody who is naturally slim it didn't chime with me at all.

1. Don't eat unless they are hungry

> True possibly, I can easily skip a meal by not realising it is lunch/dinner time because I didn't feel hungry and then by the time I am it's too late to bother. I don't often feel hungry first thing in the morning for breakfast. However, I do snack sometimes just because I want something for the taste rather than because I'm hungry.

1. Don't fall into traps like picking up a chocolate bar when they get fuel just because the garage has it on offer

> Not true at all, I often do this, but I suppose not every time. But I am very easily tempted if I see chocolate while I'm waiting in a queue etc.

1. Know roughly the nutritional value of what they are eating (so don't fall into traps like taking on unintended calories with a latte from Starbucks etc on top of a big breakfast in the morning

> I have literally no idea of the nutritional value of any food that I eat. Possibly because I have never calorie-counted, that information passes me by. However, if I'd had a big breakfast (which I wouldn't often have anyway because I don't feel hungry in the mornings) and had a big coffee on top then I probably wouldn't feel very hungry for lunch.

1. Make sensible choices about portion size and quality of food

> Possibly I do this without realising. But I do eat junk food, however I naturally seem to prefer the taste of "healthy" foods. I really don't like anything greasy or fatty, it makes me feel sick. I would choose a fruit juice or smoothie over an ice cream, bag of crisps or a cake, definitely. I find fruits and veg and salads really tasty and plain meat/fish too (or just seasoned with things like herbs, garlic, spices etc). I think this is supposed to be a genetic thing unfortunately but it might be possible to train your palate? Plus things like soggy vegetables and salad made out of a bit of iceberg and a limp tomato aren't very appetising. Look up new ways of serving and cooking veg and different salad ingredients etc and seeing what you like. (Jamie Oliver pretty good for this IMO)

1. Exercise regularly

> Not consciously, but I don't drive so I do walk a lot and I stand up all day at work. I work ~3 days a week which is a 20 minute walk there, about an hour's walk back including childminder pick up and then if we go anywhere on the other days - park, supermarket, etc, then I walk there too or at least walk to the bus stop. I will think nothing of walking ~30 minutes to get somewhere whereas DP would take the car, but I think that's true of most people if you have a car/vs not.

1. Plan their meals so they don't just lurch from one meal on the go to another

> Again not really but for me this tends to lead to me forgetting meals rather than eating more if that makes sense?

I have bad days and good days but it all evens out in the end.

I had a small custard donut for dinner and I will have chicken pie with steamed veg for tea. No breakfast or snacks.

Dinner obviously wasn't good But until tea time that is the only thing that will pass my lips. NOT saying this is in anyway healthy but sometimes that how it goes.

I tend to stick to around 1,300 cals a day. I am short and tiny framed, going above that is not good for me. I have days where I go over but even it out during the week.

I lost five stone and maintained it for well over a year now, probably maybe two years. I track most days online but do have days where I eat want I want too, but never eat so I am uncomfortably full.

I pretty much know all the nutritional value in everything after years of tracking. I know what is going in my mouth. I knew that calories in that donut without looking.

I guess the main reason I am slim is

I rarely snack.
I do not over eat or have huge portions.
I know that if I do have something bad for dinner I need to make up for it the next meal by having a smaller portion or something healthier.
I will allow myself a day or two now and then where I eat more junk but then make up for it the next two days.
I do weights (although not been able to do it in the summer holidays)