If you are slim, please tell me how the conversation in your head goes

[whatisheupto]

If you are over the age of 38 and reasonably slim / not overweight, please tell me this:

An hour or two after dinner when you really fancy a bit of toast, do you tell yourself "no" and force yourself to resist the urge? When your brain nags you again, do you give it a firm "no" until and tell it to go away?
When you really want a small bowl of cornflakes before bed, do you just stop yourself and ignore the hunger pangs? Do you tell yourself "come on, you can do this. Think how good you'll feel tomorrow"

Do you tell yourself these things every day? For years? And rarely give in to temptation?

Or do you just never usually fancy a piece of toast or a late bowl of cornflakes? So it's just not a problem for you?

Are slim people better at self control, or are they just experiencing fewer urges?

I don't buy anything that is easily snackable, or ready made. I only have basic ingredients so the fact I need to prepare food in order to eat it puts me off as I can't be bothered. I don't eat anything with sugar in. I don't buy bread.

Fewer urges. Smaller appetite. Fast metabolism. I eat a lot, but accidentally do 18/6. ie longer in the day not eating than eating.

I’m slim (6ft, 10-12) and yes, I do sometimes fancy toast or cereal in the evening. I only give in if I’m really hungry rather than fanciful as if I go to bed hungry I can’t sleep, or wake up with a headache. Probably about once a month.
I tend to get the snacks out once a week (Saturday night) to enjoy as a family.

If you’re hungry for toast an hour after dinner it suggests you aren’t eating properly at dinner? It wouldn’t even cross my mind to want toast so soon after eating my evening meal.

You’re probably not going to want to hear it but I just don’t get those cravings so I don’t have to resist anything. We eat dinner at about 8pm though so 2 hours later it’s nearly bed time.

Losing weight and maintaining a weight are two different things. If you want to lose then it’s a good idea to get used to hunger pangs - feeling hunger isn’t a bad thing if you know you have eaten well the rest of the day.

I ask myself a question and I’m brutally honest: am I hungry?

The answer is always no. Then I ask why I want the food. Usually it’s boredom, emotional eating, want the taste, etc
Once you start really listening to hunger cues it gets much easier. I have four rules:

I eat whenever I’m hungry
I stop eating the moment I stop feeling hungry (and I mean stop, I don’t carry on eating)
I don’t forbid foods
I eat slowly and deliberately

It works. I’m slim and healthy

I have a cup of tea instead as that always makes me feel full. Or snack on some fruit instead. Sometimes I will eat naughty snacks in the evening but I often don’t eat much all day so overall it balances out.

If i ate tea at 5pm I might be hungry by 9/10pm but I would just have a satsuma or a small yogurt.

I wouldn't be hungry two hours after a proper dinner

@tenredthings and @Passthecake30 how many times a day would you say you are 'denying' yourself something?

Smaller appetite. It wouldn't occur to me to want to eat anything after dinner so it's not about will power. Very rarely eat breakfast or lunch, but dinners are quite big. Although I am slim, it probably isn't a very healthy way to eat.

If I'm that hungry after dinner, and I think I've had a small dinner or done several hours of exercise then I'll have a weetabix. But I avoid keeping bread or cornflakes in the house otherwise I'd always be tempted. Would love to have evening snacks, but I know I'll gain weight so just don't buy them

I make myself a fruit salad when I'm making my sandwiches for the morning and I eat this with some low fat Greek yogurt on an evening if I get peckish. If I don't eat it I'll have it for breakfast

I agree when you're in the process of losing weight you're in calorie deficit so have to get used to the hunger. Then when you're at your goal weight usually the cravings aren't as strong.

I hardly ever fancy a post-dinner snack, it just doesn't occur to me. I do eat too many biscuits during the day, though.

I do like a bit of chocolate or wine some evenings but it literally wouldn’t occur to me to have toast or cereal during the evening.

Do you eat your dinner very early?

Rather than have internal battles with yourself, maybe reorganise your meals and eating times.

I brush my teeth after dinner and just have a glass of water. I think that’s habitual.

I’m slim, I hate wasting calories on pointless foods like toast, I’d rather be sensible then have a delicious slice of cake at the weekend. Also I think it’s normal to feel a bit hungry every now and then, I don’t panic and think oh I must eat, I think ooh going to bed a bit hungry, that will buy a few calories for Friday night’s wine.

That said I’ve gained half a stone in lockdown but have started to cut back now to lose it.

I shouldn't have said an hour or two after dinner... I mean 3 hours after really!

40 and healthy BMI. Blessed with a fast metabolism (much much slower than it once was) and height. If my clothing starts getting tight then I lay off biscuits and crisps for a few days and then I’ll back back to normal. And supper is late (we ate about 8:45 this evening) and I agree that if I know I’m bored rather than hungry then about half the time I’ll have a drink instead. The other half of the time I’ll tuck in and feel a little foolish after.

I don’t really get those urges. We eat around 6 usually and I don’t have pudding but usually have a dark chocolate digestive or some dark chocolate later on (8-9pm). Bed at 10.30ish. Breakfast at 7.30-8am and I’m not often that hungry then but eat before work / school with kids.
If I have an urge I usually ignore but if I think I’m actually hungry (ie had a small dinner or not much in the day) I might have something like what you say, but that’s once in a blue moon.
I think it’s habit as I got into it when pregnant and did have to consciously stop after!

To clarify: I think your urge is more habit as your body has learnt to expect food then...

I eat low carb. My evening treat is one or two pieces of dark chocolate with a cup of tea. Through the day though I just assume I’m dehydrated rather than hungry so I have a big glass of water. No bread, cake or biscuits in the house. Not worth the carbs.

I’m slim 8-10 , 47 years old and do work quite hard to maintain it with healthy eating (low carb) and exercise
I don’t drink alcohol at all any more (more for mh reasons )

Snacking on evening I am just v strict about with myself and say no to myself to anything after dinner

Else I would just stuff face all evening

I usually go for a bath after dinner and clean teeth then so am not tempted while watching tv
HTH !

I don't get those sort of cravings. Even if I had soup and a roll for dinner, I wouldn't be hungry just an hour later. I also don't get hungry in the evenings; I'm too tired to eat. I have very poor self control, so I just don't buy chocolate and other nice things - if I don't have them, I can't eat them. I hate cooking, so I only eat when I have to, snacking is too much bother when I only have ingredients in the cupboard. When I'm bored, I find a coffee is just as satisfying as a snack, and much less effort. Basically I'm just too lazy to overeat.