Attention thin women

[Anonymous]

Wish I could help but I eat whatever I want including fast food daily and way too much wine. I have to thank God for giving me an insane metabolism. I'm dreading getting older...

[Anonymous]

I think lower carb works for weight loss because (1) a lot of people eat way too many carbs, and (2) a lot of people don't do enough cardio to burn off the carbs.

I'm a runner - at my peak I was running 56 miles per week and now I run about 25 miles per week, plus other daily cardio including a lot of walking. So I eat carbs - whole-grain whenever possible, and I keep an eye on my portion sizes.

Carbs are not the enemy, but cutting out a lot of "junk" carbs can be a great way to lose weight.

[Anonymous]

OP here

I tried to post earlier and my reply disappeared. Thanks all for your replies, please keep them coming.

The more I read the more I am convinced that counting carbs is the way I have to live right now, not obsessively, but because if I don't keep track, I creep up on crap food, aka, "carbage". It's good to read that legumes "work" for people. I like pasta and don't overeat it, but it is a trigger food which makes me desire any manner of junk. Carbs aren't the enemy, but with 80 pounds to lose I do have to be in a mindset to lose.

More replies! This is very helpful.

[Anonymous]

I had to cut out most starches for a medical issue. Now the only grain I eat is rice. It is actually not too difficult to feel full with other foods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think lower carb works for weight loss because (1) a lot of people eat way too many carbs, and (2) a lot of people don't do enough cardio to burn off the carbs.

I'm a runner - at my peak I was running 56 miles per week and now I run about 25 miles per week, plus other daily cardio including a lot of walking. So I eat carbs - whole-grain whenever possible, and I keep an eye on my portion sizes.

Carbs are not the enemy, but cutting out a lot of "junk" carbs can be a great way to lose weight.

I'm suprised with all that running you have to limit much of anything. I run 30mi a week and was overweight. I now can pretty much operate as a garbage disposal as long as I'm runningg (or burning 600cal a cardio work out). I think the running and intense cardio really cranked up my metabolism.

With all my exercise I need the carbs.

[Anonymous]

If I eat bread, cereal or pasta, I almost always make sure it's whole wheat. I use brown rice instead of white rice. I try to limit any type of dairy product (even though I LOVE cheese). I try to limit my sugar intake and fat intake. I only eat desserts of sweets on special occassions and I don't drink soda, even Diet. The mainstays of my diet are whole grains, lean proteins and veggies. I also drink a lot of water and tea and exercise about 3 times a week. If I were to deviate from the above more than occassionaly, I wouldn't be thin.

Like you with carbs, I've noticed if I have something, say a cookie or pizza, I'll start to crave it more. If I have a Coke, I'll start wanting one every day, so I just avoid soft drinks altogether. I also try to go on stretches of eating healthy foods (I love good salads and soups), I start craving the healthy foods instead of junky ones.

[Anonymous]

My sister just recently went back to college and got a degree (or some such?) in nutrition. She is now a practicing dietition at a weight loss center. She is always telling me that it is carbs and especially bread (which is my weakness) that is preventing me from reaching my perfect weight. However, I can't stop my carb addiction as I stay home with three young children and eat out of boredom/stress. That is my excuse anyway!

Good Luck!

[Anonymous]

Hi OP,

I might qualify for thin at 5'9 and 125lb, but I have a very small frame so I don't feel super-thin, as I can definitely "pinch an inch" or two or three. Not that this is the best thing to hear, but I don't eat a whole lot. And I don't snack at all, but it's because I just don't feel the need to. I drink a ton of water, too.

As I've gotten older (I'm 40 now), I don't feel as hungry as I did when I was younger- and I'm now about 10lb lighter than I was in my 30s. I also do a pretty intense workout (usually) daily, which just improves my mood overall.

For me, I don't think it is so much about what I eat, rather the quantity. For example, a pint of Ben and Jerry's would be about 6 servings for me. I've learned to listen to my body, and if I'm not hungry, I don't eat.

If I were to give advice, I would say to chop up a bunch of veggies (bell peppers, celery, carrots, etc) and keep them in the fridge "handy" for snacks. A little dip would them is OK too. Otherwise it's way too easy to reach for the potato chips.

Good luck, OP!

[Anonymous]

Highly recommend the psyllium fiber. I get pure psyllium powder from a company online; it has no sugar or fillers (and tastes awful, but drink it down quickly and with tiny bit of juice to make it palatable), and not only does it increase your fiber intake, it also helps control your cholesterol levels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi OP,

I might qualify for thin at 5'9 and 125lb, but I have a very small frame so I don't feel super-thin, as I can definitely "pinch an inch" or two or three. Not that this is the best thing to hear, but I don't eat a whole lot. And I don't snack at all, but it's because I just don't feel the need to. I drink a ton of water, too.

As I've gotten older (I'm 40 now), I don't feel as hungry as I did when I was younger- and I'm now about 10lb lighter than I was in my 30s. I also do a pretty intense workout (usually) daily, which just improves my mood overall.

For me, I don't think it is so much about what I eat, rather the quantity. For example, a pint of Ben and Jerry's would be about 6 servings for me. I've learned to listen to my body, and if I'm not hungry, I don't eat.

If I were to give advice, I would say to chop up a bunch of veggies (bell peppers, celery, carrots, etc) and keep them in the fridge "handy" for snacks. A little dip would them is OK too. Otherwise it's way too easy to reach for the potato chips.

Good luck, OP!

I'm the same size as this poster and am in my early 40's. I don't really eat much either, although I will if we go out to eat or if it's Thanksgiving or Christmas. I don't starve myself but I don't eat for the sake of eating. For example, I won't sit in front of the TV with a pint of ice cream or a bag of chips. If we have ice cream at home we have one scoop each, and I'll serve it with fresh fruit.

Re the carbs, I eat lots of pasta and bread, as do my skinny husband and kids. But pasta is usually served with a tomato-based sauce. We also eat "real" foods: butter, nice cheese, whole milk, whole milk yogurt, meat, freshly squeezed fruit juice, home made cakes and cookies. We do not really eat much processed food. Not sure if this helps but just saying that carbs don't necessarily make you put on weight.

[Anonymous]

I think restricting any catergory of food such as carbs is artificial and bound to set you up for a carb craving and utlimately a carb binge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think restricting any catergory of food such as carbs is artificial and bound to set you up for a carb craving and utlimately a carb binge.

OP again.

Not restricting carbs is what has led me to being eighty pounds overweight. I need to be away from them for now. A friend told me that that's what her dietician told her: if you can't handle a food, it's perfectly acceptable to just not be friends with that food for a time while you figure out how you can have that food and not have it lead to crazy eating. And when I say "carbs" I am not talking about fruits, veg, legumes, or dairy, within reason. That and protein will be my mainstays.

[Anonymous]

OP, isn't it a vicious cycle: thinking about carbs as a forbidden food just makes you think about and crave carbs even more, to the point where you think you have to "not be friends with that food." I have been there, with all sorts of diets prohibiting various categories of food, and gotten into disordered eating. Now I am five years free of restricting this or that food and have been at my target weight of 120 for five yeras. You really can eat any food and be thin. It's just a matter of calories in and calories out. I recommend you read Geneen Roth's books about eating. Her books helped me. If I want pie and ice cream for breakfast once in a while, it's OK because no food is forbidden: I eat it, I'm satisfied, and no harm done. Please don't restrict carbs; you will lose weight at first and set yourself up for more weight gain to an new all-time high in weight. I've been there! Please save yourself the pain. -- from a 46yo woman who has been to hell and back.

[Anonymous]

Dear OP - I recommend the South Beach diet. It is
ridiculously easy - no real counting of calories or
portion control. Just use some fiber replacements the
first couple of weeks. Instead of pasta eat
quinoa, it will satisfy that pasta urge. What's your eating
'thing?' For me, it's seconds. I like to have
seconds, so I eat a huge amount of salad and
vegetables and take more for seconds. Some people
have to have a sweet, etc. Think about what your way
of eating is and work with that. I long ago realized I can't
eat like I imagine a 'normal ' person eats. I have to
eat less. I just deal with it because I like to be
thin.

[Anonymous]

I don't count carbs or anything. I try to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, raw unsalted nuts, avocados, and some lean meats like chicken, though only 2x a week or so, and a lot of eggs from a fresh, local source. I like fat free or low fat greek yogurt, and I snack on string cheese as well. I eat a lot of carbs - mainly in the form of whole grains and more complex carbs, like (non-instant) oatmeal, whole wheat pita and hummus, whole wheat bread on sandwiches (mainly almond butter sandwiches and egg salad), sweet potatoes, and I love to snack on Kind Bars (fruit and nut bars, not overly processed).

I also have a big sweet tooth so allow myself a reasonable dessert every night. I am pretty active but not like pre-kids, I walk a lot and I try to do short full body strength workouts 2x a week. When my kids are older I hope to get back into yoga.

Really though, I'm genetically thin. I'm sure I'd be heavier if I ate worse and were totally sedentary though.

Good luck OP - losing weight is hard and I admire you for trying. Don't get too caught up in carbs and fat etc. If you can, it might be helpful to meet with a nutritionist for a few sessions. Nutrition can be hard, because we get a lot of false messages from the food industry. I have a public health related graduate degree and my concentration was in nutrition. Even though I've always considered myself a healthy eater, I learned so much from those classes, and only then realized how screwed up the messages on nutrition we get. One helpful tip: it's not about reading labels, it's actually about choosing foods that don't have labels (obviously not all the time) and reading ingredient lists, and aiming to choose foods that have few ingredients, ingredients you can pronounce and recognize, etc.