Any naturally slim people want to take part in my experiment?

[Gillian76]

I am sick of eating 'diet' food and I have a theory...

If you are naturally slim - I mean you eat a healthy diet without worrying if you're eating too many calories and don't have to 'watch' your weight. Does such a person exist?

Anyway if this is you, what do you typically eat in a day? I don't believe slim people eat diet stuff all day. My theory is that I don't have to eat diet foods to lese weight, I need to make subtler changes to my eating habits.

Does any of that make sense?

Anyone care to share with me their eating habits?

I'm naturally slim/average ish. Don't eat "diet" foods at all (asssume you mean low-fat stuff)

Today - Rice Krispies (all we had in, was in a hurry!) for breakfast

Lunch - 2 large wraps filled with lemon chilli chicken and salad (1) and falafel and salad (other)

Dinner - pasta (home made!!! - not by me) with some sauce, chciken stuffed with apricots, pine nuts, pecorino - and roast veg.

There'll be wine and chocolate later.

That's quite a fancy day today (excusing breakfast) but sort of similar to most days. Eat too many crisps in the week though.

And that's it? You don't eat between meals?

Herein lies Big Problem number 1...

I'm not aiming to be super thin. I'm 5'4" and a size 14 would be fine.

I had this conversation with my naturally slim friend. I am NOT naturally slim and find myself feeling guilty over food, saying no to things, and trying loads of diet products and theories. She said that she never thinks about food and if she's hungry she eats whatever she feels like. She doesn't exercise and eats goodies as much as anyone else. I think it's a bit like the first chapters of the Paul McKenna book. Eat when you're hungry , stop when you are full, rest between mouthfuls so you recognise when you are full.

So sorry no advice for you but am interested to see what you find out!!

Will pick at leftovers, won't turn down chocolate, had a Indian takeaway last night. Not a saint, honest, but do mostly just eat when I'm hungry.

It's the obsession with food at all that's the problem, I think. Don't think, eat if hungry, stop when fullish. Nothing forbidden.

It's the obsession you're absolutely right Tinker. But how to rid yourself of that...?

Don't know really, never had it, sorry. But, never had a mother who was "on a diet" either. Have noticed from friends I've know since childhood that this definitely seems to trigger food/body obsessions. I know I'm stating the obvious but I think it's a big problem.

Yes my mum is obsessed too.

It's all this skimmed milk, low fat margarine, Fry light, you know what I mean. I'm not going to eat this for the rest of my life, am I?

I used to be naturally extremely slim.
With contented domestic life, I gained a car, a hot meal every night for dp and the kids and I gave up work

FWIw I got a bit hacked off with the extra stone I had although still slim and size 12.
So I cut out booze during the week
Ate what I wanted just cutting down portions, since I dropped that stone I have changed my habits a lot
I stick to mainly low GI foods now, but am not dieting.

Example
grilled bacon, tomato, mushrooms, poached egg, one slice toast.

soup and fruit for lunch

Dinner
wraps/ meat and veg - chicken and salad, steak salad and baked spud, fried rice, pasta and roasted root veg.
I rarely snack - often not eating brekkie until 10am
If I do snack it's seeds, raisins fruit or the odd non exciting biscuit.

Amd walking/cycling places, not everyday, 2-3 x a week
I never feel guilty about spending an afternoon in bed with a box of Quality Street though.

There is the huge psychological denial/resist thing goes on with dieting and I went through this when actively trying to lsoe weight
Thats why the GI was so different for me

I would say its the eating between meals(have a drink of water/juice) instead and drinking beer/wine etc that isnt helpful to waistlines.

dp is naturally slim - I am not

One of the main things he does differently to me is he stops eating when full - even if it means leaving half his dinner on a plate (something I find hard to do).

He eats the same as me - just less of it (I am quite big).

I don't know if I am slim but I'm probably around average I guess - I don't really think about what I eat I suppose. Today I've had

breakfast - glass of OJ, apple (hate breakfast)
snack - cashew nuts
lunch (at around 11.30) - more OJ, tuna mayo (with half an avo and lettuce) sandwich and an ice cream
tea - beef casserole with mash potato and rice pudding

I've also wolfed down a pack of wine gums (have PMT so sweet craving ) but I only do that in PMT week. Will also eat some more cashew nuts before I go to bed.

Well I drink the occasional glass of wine but not even every week.

I really don't want to pass on the obsession to my own daughters.

"There is the huge psychological denial/resist thing goes on with dieting" Yes, that's what I hate

Have been doing it for years of yo-yo dieting.

Am 5ft 7/8in and weigh 9st 9lb. Size 10.

Today I ate:

Breakfast - one slice of brown toast with scraping of marmite (hangover cure). One glass of fresh orange, 3 cups of tea.

Lunch: Bowl of spicy pumpkin soup with one third of a bake-at-home ciabatta loaf spread with humous. A single finger of twix for pudding. 2 cups of tea.

Mid afternoon snack: a small packet of chocolate mistrals and approx 3 cups of tea over course of afternoon. Two or three glasses of water.

Dinner: One tuna steak grilled. One portion of home made dauphinoise potatoes, peas and sweetcorn. Two glasses of wine. A Yorkie ice cream bar.

Just thinking about finishing off bottle of wine now.

That's quite a heavy day's eating for me to be honest. I can tell you my typical workday if you haven't nodded off with boredom yet.

Still listening, themoon66!

I do think you're right about the eating in between meals thing. I don't often eat in between meals and if I do, it's only a tiny snack (like a handful of nuts).

I know when I put on alot of excessive weight when I was pregnant, it was because I ate throughout the day (to stop the sickness feeling!). I put on loads that way.

I said 9st 9lb, but tbh, can vary between 9st 5lb and 9st 10lb. Get on scales about once a month if trousers are feeling a bit snug. Otherwise dont bother.

Yes the scales...

Not always a good thing imo

OK, if you are still listening... a normal monday to friday i eat:

Before work: 2 cups of tea.
When I get to work: one cup of tea and an orange.
Mid morning: a cereal bar and cup of tea.
Lunch at desk: 5 or 6 little oatcakes spread with philly cheese, a pear, an orange and a yogurt (fav is toffee), a cup of tea..
Before leaving work: a banana and cup of tea.
Dinner: beans on toast or baked tattie or similar sized meal. Sometimes a quorn burger.
Supper: Horlicks or cocoa or wine if had stressy day.

You will note that tea features large in my life!

Can't get over how much tea you people drink!

Thanks for all your thoughts so far

I would say I am naturally slim but not skinny and it has varied through the years. Like Piffle I put on weight when I first got a car, for example. I also put on a lot when I used to have a cooked lunch at my work canteen and then a dinner when I came home!

At the moment I am probably about the same as I was before kids.

I think I am one of those lucky people who doesn't have to watch what they eat too much. I have a friend who eats salads, etc all the time and still can't losed weight.... but then she has a desk job and drives everywhere because of where she lives, whereas I am a sahm running around after kids all day, we have 2 flights of stairs, I do quite a bit of decorating at home, walk into town regularly, etc. (Don't do any "exercise" though!)

In terms of what I eat"

Breakfast - coffee and toast (with marmalade), maybe juice as well.

Coffee and biscuits mid morning

Lunch - sometimes leftovers from night before, otherwise sandwich. Sometimes soup and toast in winter. Sometimes I don't eat much at lunchtime if I'm not feeling hungry.

Coffee and biscuits/chocolate bar mid afternoon

Dinner - largish portion of something usually home cooked but not particularly healthy, eg chicken casserole, spag bol, chilli, roast chicken, curry, stir fry, pasta etc.

Milk and biscuits after kids have gone to bed while watching tv.

(I can see a theme developing about the biscuits!)

I eat the odd bit of fruit during the day but I would say I often don't get all my 5 portions of fruit and veg in!

I don't think I'm a very good example to follow actually!

i'm quite slim, but eat badly. i think it's because i'm naturally nervy and on the go

I do quite a bit of exercise in the form of running though. I also have a drink of water on the go most of the time too.