Spent the weekend with slim people and I now see why I'm overweight

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After having spent the weekend with slim people, it appears that they:

a) don't need as much food to feel full,
I couldn't believe that after X amount of food, they were full - I could have happily carried on eating.

b) can go much longer between meals without eating,
At one point in the afternoon, I was ready to gnaw my arm off, I asked if anyone wanted to stop for a snack (thinking they'd be starving) but no, they were happy to keep going

c) don't crave sweet stuff in the way I do.
I I need sweet things as pudding, I was almost desperate for some chocolate, whereas again they just did not seem to feel that urge.

I am a size 14 and they are 8-10 and now I can see why. It's led me to wonder is it something innate, something physical? Are you just born like that, not to have the appetite or the sweet tooth? Am I simply fighting a losing battle in the vain dream of being a size 10 one day?

I agree with your observations and would add another one. Slimmer people don’t seem to have the same need to act on hunger signals.

I have friends who feel quite poorly and shaky when they are hungry. It is not greed that makes them want to satisfy their hunger pangs, but something else in the metabolism. Of course what you put in your mouth will make a difference, but there is a lot to be said for eating to stay slim.

I think it goes further even than that. Some of my slimmer friends feel healthier and more energetic if they are slightly hungry. Over eating makes them sluggish and tired.

I had chicken broth and crusty bread at 12 today. Had spaghetti bolognese at 7.30. Will not eat again until lunchtime tomorrow. Having two meals a day becomes the norm. I rarely get hungry between meals.

I'm the same as you, Timefortea99. I hate breakfast so it's really no hardship.

I have always had a really sweet tooth.
I recently changed my diet drastically. I cut breakfast and snacks out. I ate a protein heavy lunch with salad with no carbs and a normal main meal without any severe limits plus one evening snack - usually a full fat yoghurt or icecream bar - my one treat. I stuck to it rigidly. Lost all my baby weight and then more. Within a few months all my snacking cravings were pretty much gone.
I just didn’t have that need any more. I even stopped having my evening snack as often. Snacking was just a habit and and addiction.
Unfortunately for my diet I am now pregnant again and the initial nausea and carb craving has pushed me back into my old ways and have rapidly put on weight.
But I feel confident now I have finally worked it out that I will be able to lose the baby weight next time and keep it off x

This is a really interesting thread! I am slim and have mostly always been so (although was a bit bigger in twenties as I drank more!) but I’ve been on a few hen do weekends recently with close friends (some of whom are larger) and noticed exactly what you say OP.

I do not actively ‘try’ to be slim, I do exercise because I like it but generally eat when I want and mostly what I want (although do try not to eat loads of chocolate/cake etc and never eat sweets)

Anyway on hen do weekends two of my larger friends could drink me underneath the table, both easily sank a bottle of wine, I could do this too but would be DRUNK for them it seems easy (jusy social drinking they do a lot). Food wise both ate perhaps 1.5-2 X quantity to me. Lots more mayo, butter etc. I was surprised. Also picked at crisps, snacks etc for longer than me. I ate it all just less of it. They both commented on it but I was just doing what I always do, I don’t feel the need I guess.

I am a size 10, 9st ish and 5ft6, have basically been this way my whole adult life (34 now) except when I worked in a pub ate loads of (free) pizza and drank a lot and put on about a stone.

Sometimes I ‘go’ hungry. I will go to bed feeling peckish because I know I’ve eaten well but my dinner was at 6pm but I don’t eat I’ll just have a peppermint tea or maybe a hot choc. I used to snack at bed time and think the act of sort of fasting over those 14 hours helps keep me slim. DH is very slim / fit and he does the same. We eat quite a lot In the day but stop early eve until the morning most days unless a special occasion.

Today I’ve eaten: bacon sandwich, 3 x coffees, 1 x tea, small sweet potato, tuna and salad, mince pie, salmon, rice and veg. No other snacks and no alcohol but do drink 2/3 x a week.

If I am hungover I eat what I want (more carbs) but never McDonald / junk food etc except a curry about once a month.

Ps also used to snack a lot but have stopped by increasing protein (eggs for breakfast) and more meat which helped this a lot. Usually I would snack on sweet stuff so I just stopped buying it (I work from home) and now I can’t have it, if im desperate I’ll have a piece of toast but I guess it’s not that exciting so often don’t bother!

OP if you don't eat till 10am, you're probably a good candidate for the 16:8 plan.

I did it myself for a while but started a new job and it fell by the waside. But now I've started thinking I should try it again as it's certainly the easiest thing I've ever tried. You can drink tea and I found that was plenty to hold me over. You just have to be careful not to fill your 16 hr fast with gallons of milky tea!

I don’t eat that late, maybe 7pm? In the morning I prefer to sleep rather than eat breakfast, plus I just don’t have the appetite first thing. I can only face a coffee!

I’m going to do a little experiment this week. Only eat when I’m hungry. Not because “it’s lunchtime” or “because I have this snack in my bag so I must eat it because I’ve packed it.” I’m going to wait until I get hungry and actually see what that feels like. Second, I’m also going to attempt to cut down on the sugar. Because I am eating too much junk, it’s not good for my body, it’s crap nutritionally and it needs to stop. Finally, I’m also going to overcome my embarrassment and attend a gym class.

Three targets.

Sound like 3 good targets.

Im joining you on cutting down sugar, not out all together, I tried that and had killer headaches that only chocolate dealt with! Trying to move to sugar from fruit.

The sugary food creates insultin spikes which then result in lowered blood sugar which makes you hungrier. You are effectively speeding up the hunger cycle. The sugar itself is addictive and often Pavlovian (if I don't have something sweet after a meal it feels like I am not done) but it is possible to give up. You will have headaches/shakes for about a week and then you will be ok without it.

I quit sugar 6 weeks ago and I have found that I am eating much less generally...so worth a try! The first fortnight I felt awful, but now I’m not craving it...

From what I can understand sugar is quite addicting so them not craving it is likely the same way that non smokers don't crave a cigarette. So I think the more interesting question to ask is are people born predisposed to have an addicting personality? Does it run in our genetics? Hopefully there's a MN psychologist out there whose sees this and can give a bit more information.

I was brought up to eat everything on the plate. A terrible habit and I have not taught my DC to do this. Also I am greedy and if something is tasty I will have seconds, even if I am quite full. I spend a lot of time thinking about food and enjoy a meal almost as a reward even if I’m not hungry. It’s hard to break the habit. These are the reasons I am overweight. I get lots of exercise and clearly would be far more overweight if I didn’t.

I often read threads on here about what time people eat their evening meal. I'm always surprised that the people who have lunch and then are ready to eat at 5. I usually have lunch at 12 and eat in the evening at about 6.30 - 7. I am just not hungry before then, and I don't snack.

Average work day
8am - porridge with a banana
12 - lunch, protein shake and a couple of bits of fruit. At the moment there is usually a mince pie thrown in. If there is something exciting being served in the work canteen I might have that - but that's once a week.
6pm - dinner.
I don't eat after dinner.
If I go to the gym I don't eat anything afterwards.

I'm going to try the 1 and 2 OP, after reading this thread I think I'm addicted to food! I often eat when I'm not really hungry but going to really address that this week. I'm 2 stone overweight and seriously need to step up and stop binge eating. 😳

I've never had a problem with weight and have always felt I can eat what I want when I want it. But in line with what others are saying, the devil is in the detail, what I want and when I want it. I have a lot of overweight people around me, friends and family, and I do notice that their off button seems about 2 slices of cake further down the line than mine. I LOVE my food and have overindulged many times when I've fancied it but many people seem to overindulge every single meal.

Was this competitive self-denial going on?

I bet it was.

MeMeMe
I was so sad to read your post: I was a size 22 to 24 fifteen months ago.
In less than a year I have dropped to a 12 to 14 ( even an 8 in Joules!).
I did it with Michael Moseley’s Blood Sugar Diet.
May I suggest that you read his book and see what you think?
As I had so much to lose (10 stone) I did it for longer than the 8 weeks and taking in fewer calories. I was in very good health during this time, but please check with your doctor first as we are all different.
My very best wishes to you.

IT has been shown that all calories are not infact equal, some will cause more fat than others- sugars and processed foods namely. If you eat junk your body will be searching for the nutrients it lacks and will tell you to keep on eating.
Yes, a good idea to let yourself be hungry and realise that you won't keel over, infact the hunger pangs will pass.

OP I think I'm a bit like you. When I'm at work I snack constantly most if the day but notice colleagues will just eat once at lunch time. I also eat quite a lot of sugar, one thing I have is a lot of low fat cereal bars which I eat to reduce calories but because they are high in sugar I think they contribute to my feeling shaky hungry within an hour or two.

I'm vegetarian and hence eat a rather high carb diet as I don't eat meat, although I do appreciate that some carbs are healthier than others. When I try to eat more nutritious foods such as avocado, nuts I find I put more weight on as my portion sizes are quite large, also of course because I'm eating other things as well.

I'm also a size 14. I have lost weight in the past but this was before I became veggie and hence ate more protein, less carbs.

Noticing others comments on what they eat I can say that I am the person who eats the lasagne and the baked potato - and sometimes the garlic bread as well. Also seeing others comments on a slice of pizza - I would eat a whole pizza

If you are not especially active look up your Basal metabolic rate It's what you need to just exist if you were sat down all day. Apparently a lot of people over estimate their activity levels or what their activity levels realistically mean in terms of extra calorie allowance, If I have pounds to drop I find this good, I try to stick to the minimum amount needed as even with a dog to walk my exercise couldn't really get to much more than gentle.

I'm 5'7" and a size 6, BMI 17-18

I've never had much of an appetite

I thought I was one of those people who couldn't put on weight because of a fast metabolism

Then I had to make a concerted effort to put on weight - I couldn't start fertility treatment until I'd got my BMI up

So I started tracking with MFP. Turned out I just ate WAY less than I thought I did

I couldn't put weight on because I wasn't eating enough calories

I eat shitloads of chocolate, but that'll be all I'll eat. I had a Nutella sandwich for breakfast and nailed a load of chocolate fingers - but that was all I ate all day. I only ate dinner because I forced myself to. I'm almost certainly one of those skinny fat people - I'll eat crap, but won't eat proper meals.

So my eating whatever I like is naturally 'not eating very much', cos I just don't feel the same sense of hunger.

I couldn't believe how much I had to eat to get 2000 calories to get my BMI up!! The more I ate the more I wanted to eat, as it seemed to 'stretch' my stomach and stimulate my appetite

I lost all the weight due to stress and sadness and now I can't be arsed to force myself to eat loads to get my BMI up again. I'd rather just be lazy and eat what I naturally feel like ie not much

It's pretty rare that I'll eat 3 meals a day. During the week I can't be arsed to eat dinner. At the weekend I almost never eat lunch at home.

It's really unhealthy and I just need the motivation to eat more. But it's a concerted effort

*I have noticed that friends of mine who are very slim don't seem to enjoy food either, they eat because they have to.

Eating is very low on their list of priorities and they don't think about food much*

Yes exactly that for me. I find eating a chore. I have little interest in food, for the most part. I can't be arsed to eat, let alone cook. I'd happily take my food as a pill except for chocolate

I'd happily take my food as a pill

I've heard people say this before. I can't get my head round that mentality. Food is such a joy to me.