How do people stay so slim without being on a diet?

[Cwoffeelover1]

How do people maintain a slim weight when not actively dieting does anyone have any tips on how they stay slim? I hate being on strict diet plans because it makes me crave the food more lol

Effort.
Well a little anyway. I am generally active. If I don't walk at least 4 miles a day, it's a bad day. I have a dog. I also play tennis and lift some weights.
On the food side: I love food. But I find skipping breakfast most days really helps. I'm not really a breakfast person so that's fine. DH on the other hand has to devour half a loaf of toast as soon as he gets to the kitchen. I try to limit the amount of of cheese o eat, and make sure my plate is full of veg (which I love)
I also love chocolate so don't have it in the house regularly. And I only bake occasionally because I live cake.
This sounds like I'm depriving myself. But when I was at my heaviest (over 13 stone) I puffed and planted. And now I'm 11 stone (and 5'9) moving is easy and that's a joy

@PurpleDaisies

It's definitely nothing to do with exercise, I run 30 miles a week plus 2 gym classes and 2 strength session and I'm still 2 stone over weight

That exercise is probably helping you maintain your two stone overweight instead of gaining though.

I’ve found exercise very helpful for maintenance and also for making me look slimmer, especially when I’ve done a lot of weights.

Yes I believe you are most likely correct I dread to think what weight I would be if I did no exercise

@silentpool

I would be interested to know how many effortlessly slim ladies are over 40? I too, was effortlessly slim before I turned 40!

I'm 59

I don't eat massive portions and genetics plays a massive part.
I don't eat healthily at all.

I eat pretty much what I want but my 'what I want' isn't excessive ie I will eat whatever meals I want but I don't tend to snack in between or eat whole packets of biscuits or anything. I run about 30 miles a week and this balance keeps me slim.

@silentpool

I would be interested to know how many effortlessly slim ladies are over 40? I too, was effortlessly slim before I turned 40!

My mother is 90. Never dieted, 5 foot 7 and 9 stone. She's always eaten three meals a day, doesn't really snack. I'm more of a grazer but similar in build.

However, I simply don't buy any foods that I might be tempted to over consume. Or if I do buy, for example a box of Celebrations last Saturday, I accept that I will eat them all and I am fine with it.

I'm slim but a big eater. I'm very active, never skip breakfast, drink lots of water and eat lots of healthy food. I'm also teetotal and early thirties.

A lot of the things mentioned on this thread are diets (of a sort).

I think genetics, age and personal psychology come into this. I love food, but I don’t often feel the need to eat if I’m not hungry.

My sister is slim whereas I could do with losing a couple of stone.
She eats whatever she wants and enjoys her food as much as I do. She loves to snack.
The difference between her and myself is she always feels full much before I do and just stops. Her portion sizes are smaller because she genuinely has had enough.
I can carry on eating loads before I get really full.
It’s not fair that I didn’t get that genetically as well

People are kidding themselves if they think genetics or gut health or whatever are a massive part of it. Of course they can play a part, no doubt, but it's no coincidence that as access to sugary foods increases so does obesity.

Places like Japan and Korea traditionally had very little sugar in their diets and very low rates of obesity. As things like coca cola and frappuccinos become more normalised in those countries, you can see the obesity rates start to rise.

I struggled to lose weight after I had my first baby. I cut out all the chocolate and sweet stuff, the weight was gone in a couple of months. After that, a lot of sweet stuff tasted horrible to me, really claggy and sickly. But even so, I find myself craving it at times.

As someone who'd never particularly counted calories before, I was honestly kind of revolted to see how many were in all the sugary Starbucks drinks I used to like. Some are as much as a full meal! No harm in that every so often but every day, of course it's an issue.

Sugar is SO addictive it's unreal. I definitely have a sweet tooth and find it hard to have a cup of tea without a biscuit along with it. So although I don't diet really, I do have to make an effort not to eat more than one or two.

Ah yeah not drinking alcohol definitely helps too. I know for lots of people that sounds boring but I have a habit of turning into an utter twat when I drink so I just don't anymore.

@silentpool

I would be interested to know how many effortlessly slim ladies are over 40? I too, was effortlessly slim before I turned 40!

I'm over 40. I think it's a myth that your figure needs to go to pot after 40. You may need to radically change your eating habits which I suppose is an effort at first, but once you get into a new way of eating then it becomes effortless!

I'm slim. I eat well - vegetarian, lots of grains, veg, pulses. I love food and I eat when hungry, but I'm not thinking about food all the time. I stop eating once full so portions are prob smaller than most but i'm not restricting it.
No dessert or snacks after dinner - not because it's a rule, I just don't fancy it. I don't have an appetite for creamy cakes, puddings, chocolate bars etc. but will eat on occasion. New BF put a cheesecake pudding in my fridge and it sat there for weeks before it went out of date. I never fancied eating it. I told him not to bring them again. Icecream sits in freezer for months.
I rarely drink sugary drinks - might have a coke at xmas if I feel like it..just don't fancy those either. I never stop myself from eating anything, there's nothing off limits. Love sweet stuff just not all the time.

Anxiety keeps me slim. When I am feeling anxious I lose my appetite.

I do think about food quite a bit and enjoy cooking and eating. I'm really terrible at proper dieting - no willpower - so I keep an eye on my weight most weeks and if it goes up by a couple of pounds I cut back a bit by eating less rubbish and less carbs in the evening or smaller portions. I eat what i want but not in big quantities. I like to keep active with around 10000 steps a day plus some gym classes. I'm not super slim but I've maintained between size 12-14 my whole adult life with never more than half a stone variation in my weight except during pregnancy. I really think genetics plays a big part whether it's appetite/ metabolism/ body shape or whatever.

I am slim but I know what food habits make me gain weight so I avoid them in about 95%, with 5% for occasional treats. I stopped having sugar in my hot drinks at home - cannot bear the sweet taste in coffee or tea. But I enjoy Christmassy lattes with gingerbread, pumpkin spice and eggnog flavours (although I do ask for half the syrup otherwise it tastes too sticky sweet).

I snack on fruit or seeds (have as much as I want) but never on crisps, chocolates or the like. But if I feel like it once in a while I will have a family-size bag of Prawn Coctail ones with no guilt.

I drink very little, just not a big fan. Don't have a habit of having any biscuits, pastries, etc. with a cup of tea. Also don't have breakfast, just coffee, as I am not hungry. So my first meal will be a proper lunch at about 12 noon.

I do some crossfit, tennis and take my dog on long walks, and that's all my exercise. I enjoy running but with my type of bone structure, I am conscious of the risk of a runner's face so I have stopped doing it every day like I used to do.

I'm heading towards 'slimness' (and I assume I will get there) after having 80% of my stomach removed.

1. the surgeon removed all the scarring in my stomach and all the GHRELIN producing part

2. I am no longer hungry. It's like my body has been 'reset'. I eat 200 calories (I don't count calories, just after a lifetime of trying to control calories I know what everything is) and I'm no longer hungry - some days I eat 700, some 1100.

3. I really mean I am no longer hungry. If I eat a crumpet with cheese that's me done for 4 hours - I don't want a second.

4. there are very obviously naturally slim people like this - they eat what they want, they're not consumed by thoughts of food, they're not trying to control anything, they're satisfied with normal/small portions

Conclusion - obesity is an illness caused by your stomach producing too much of a hormone (ghrelin)

(It is amazing to not have to 'diet' or count calories - I eat whatever I want, whenever I want - it's just that I no longer want as much as I did 3 months ago, I'm satisfied with just under half my previous daily intake)

I was slim all my life until having 2 children relatively close together. I have lost about 4 stone this year and was thinking about what led to my weight gain.

I was never focussed on food before having children and often didn’t eat until lunchtime or later (IF without trying?). I ate smaller portions and never snacked. Looking after young children seemed to involve more frequent snacking and structured meal times, so I think I was eating without actually being hungry. I rarely drank alcohol, but an evening glass of wine became more frequent as we spent more time at home in the evenings. I worked from home also, so less moving and more sitting.

I think slim people do often exhibit particular habits, but there are always those who can eat like a horse and never gain weight. I’ve just come to accept I have to watch what I eat and exercise and keep a weekly check on my weight. As soon as it starts to creep up I take action rather than letting it get out of control.

@Indoctro

It's definitely nothing to do with exercise, I run 30 miles a week plus 2 gym classes and 2 strength session and I'm still 2 stone over weight

8 hours a week I bust a gut but I clearly consume a horrendous amount of calories to never lose any weight . I have no control over food

This is interesting. I remember a sister, one of whom was training fro a marathon and running 10+ miles a session. One day she burnings nearly 1000 calories but ate nearly 4000, so wasn’t losing weight. It was quite an eye opener that someone could exercise so much and still not lose weight.

Nose candy 😂😂😂
My slim figure is all genetic. I eat 4 meals a day and the portions are large enough that my work colleagues always comment on the amount I eat. I regularly eat takeaways, love pasta and dairy and don't exercise.
People have always commented on how skinny I am, I hate it. I make a conscious effort to put weight on and drink weight gain shakes daily but can't get past 59kg

@Koffeekake how tall are you?
The gut biome is very affected by sugar and processed foods so there is a connection there.
Daniel Lieberman's book Exercised is very interesting on the subject of food and weight gain. Humans are the only species where the females live a relatively long time after their ability to produce offspring is finished. In hunter gatherer tribes women menopause and after were still very active, foraging for food whilst their children looked after their babies. We weren't meant to slow down and do nothing at age 40+.

Carrying a little more weight/ curves etc is normal for a woman.

Well, it probably is but .... I don't like curves on me. In fact, I don't get curves. I'm either slim and athletic or flabby. No curves

Turns out slim people just don't think about food all the time so eat what they need for fuel.
Honestly this blew my mind a little, I had always assumed everyone was struggling and depriving themselves but nope, just not hungry it turns out.

Not true for me. I love my food , have a good appetite and look forward to mealtimes.

I think the hunger thing is interesting, because I think I should be hungry before a meal, then I eat the meal and am satisfied. If I'm genuinely hungry between meals then I have a slice of toast, a crumpets or some fruit. I also drink regularly because it's easy to confuse thirst for hunger.

Some people seem to confuse hunger with not feeling full and so snack the second their body doesn't feel full.

I'm good at establishing when I'm full, whereas DH will eat what's on his plate. I find it easier to remain slim because I'm quite happy to eat till I'm content and then put the rest in a box for lunch or a snack.

I also don't link food with emotions so if I want a biscuit with my coffee then I have one because I want one, because I deserve a treat or it's a pick me up from a bad morning.

Otherwise it's calories in and calories out. I'm good at eating enough for the calories I burn without counting them or restricting myself.

@trunumber Not my experience at all. I LOVE all things unhealthy and can easily over eat. Take-always, eating out, snacking on popcorn and chocolate in the evening. On a two week holiday I can put on a lot of weight if I eat what I want.

I've pretty much always been 'slim' but have had short periods of being slightly overweight. When overweight I need 'a diet' to get back to a healthy weight. To maintain my healthy weight I:
Don't even go down the snack/crisp/ready-meal/processed meat aisle on my weekly shop
Limit takeaways and eating out (but order what I want when I do)
Get out for more exercise
Try to get as much veg as I can into meals (hate veg!)
Don't snack - don't have things in the house to snack on
It is definitely a constant low-level effort rather than just not being bothered with food unless hungry. I could honestly happily eat crap all day long and be huge.

Like someone else said- knowing that when I put on a bit of weight, I will do something about it within a short time frame.

My small close group of friends range from slim to morbidly obese. Having spent lots of time with them over the last 20 years- including holidays- I'd say the differences are that the slim friends will move a lot more, always be up and out doing something whereas overweight friends will happily sit all day (Although this could be an effect rather than a cause); overweight friends have a very different idea of portion size and diet- will have 3 courses when out for a meal, or go back for more if a buffet, will constantly have snacks on the go, when doing a shop to bring for a group holiday it will be full of sausage rolls, pork pies, crisps, cans of drink, crisps, etc- nothing healthy in sight because 'we're on holiday', whereas slimmer friends will bring a range of food including fruit and bags of salad along with a small amount of 'junk food'.

So definitely within my group of friends and family I'd say it is about food choices and portions. The slimmer people are always making a conscious effort to eat reasonably healthily, stop when full and not eat unhealthy snacks. Although this is never an in-your-face 'I'm on a diet'. You have to look closely and know their routines to know that that is what they are doing.

I've done really well from intermitting fasting and wish to god I'd done it years back. Can not stress how rarely I feel hungry since taking it up. My new fucus will be gut bacteria , if you have some basic starter tips @MiniMum97, please?