Is hunger just a part of remaining thin?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Now that I’m mid 40s yes. Before that I could eat whatever I want which was mostly deli sandwiches and pizza and cake and stay 125 5’6”.

I’m mid-40s and I still eat all of that, just smaller portions than before. And I run a lot. Works for me.

Do you have children who are teens and does your job stress you out?

I wonder about this too. My job stresses me out, my teens stress me out. My default mode is stressed out. So I overeat. On the rare occasions I have a low stress week, eating well is a lot easier. If I were a lady of luxury with no job, tons of money, someone handling college stuff...I'm sure I'd be thin.

Do you think as a middle age person with wisdom and experience you could find ways to manage your stress that doesn’t involve overeating?

No because there is no time. You are crushed by work, housework, kid events and parental care.

My friends who shipped their kids off to college lost weight because there was finally time for healthful meals and exercise.

+1. I only have so much time, energy, and executive function, and it gets spent on work and parenting with not much left over by dinner time. I've started skipping breakfast and only having a drink on the weekend, so there's not that much besides portion control that's in easy reach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Now that I’m mid 40s yes. Before that I could eat whatever I want which was mostly deli sandwiches and pizza and cake and stay 125 5’6”.

I’m mid-40s and I still eat all of that, just smaller portions than before. And I run a lot. Works for me.

Do you have children who are teens and does your job stress you out?

I wonder about this too. My job stresses me out, my teens stress me out. My default mode is stressed out. So I overeat. On the rare occasions I have a low stress week, eating well is a lot easier. If I were a lady of luxury with no job, tons of money, someone handling college stuff...I'm sure I'd be thin.

Do you think as a middle age person with wisdom and experience you could find ways to manage your stress that doesn’t involve overeating?

No, I haven't yet. I regularly exercise, have prayer/devotion time daily and have regular sex with my husband. Have an occasional glass of wine. What else is there to destress? I get monthly massages. also. I'm all ears.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Now that I’m mid 40s yes. Before that I could eat whatever I want which was mostly deli sandwiches and pizza and cake and stay 125 5’6”.

I’m mid-40s and I still eat all of that, just smaller portions than before. And I run a lot. Works for me.

Do you have children who are teens and does your job stress you out?

I wonder about this too. My job stresses me out, my teens stress me out. My default mode is stressed out. So I overeat. On the rare occasions I have a low stress week, eating well is a lot easier. If I were a lady of luxury with no job, tons of money, someone handling college stuff...I'm sure I'd be thin.

Do you think as a middle age person with wisdom and experience you could find ways to manage your stress that doesn’t involve overeating?

No because there is no time. You are crushed by work, housework, kid events and parental care.

My friends who shipped their kids off to college lost weight because there was finally time for healthful meals and exercise.

+1. I only have so much time, energy, and executive function, and it gets spent on work and parenting with not much left over by dinner time. I've started skipping breakfast and only having a drink on the weekend, so there's not that much besides portion control that's in easy reach.

I lost weight as an empty nester because I was able to remove all the food from my house that I shouldn’t eat.

Also the foods my very large boys needed to eat to maintain their weight was very fattening and it was hard to not eat food. I was cooking for dinner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m 36 and thin; 5’4 110. I’m lucky in that I don’t diet or watch what I eat but don’t have issues with weight. I think I have really good hunger cues or something, it’s easy to eat just when I’m hungry and stop before I feel full. Tbh I hate the overly full feeling, it’s uncomfortable for ne.

You are 36. It's still easy.

Maybe, but I think there are plenty of people my age younger that struggle with weight.

My mom is also slim and we have similar eating patterns. Now that I’m thinking about it, in both our cases, we eat for pleasure but not with the goal of feeling “full” as often as possible for as long as possible. For me, I can easily wait 5-6+ hrs to eat dinner and look forward to a delicious meal. I’d prefer to have an appetite when I sit down to enjoy something I love eating.

So maybe there is something to thin people being hungry, but people experience that differently. I enjoy the anticipation leading up to savoring good food, there’s no way I’m chomping at celery and cottage cheese or whatever else at my desk all afternoon for fear of not feeling full all day every day.

When I am hungry, I get a headache. I rarely feel hunger in my stomache.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I wonder about this too. My job stresses me out, my teens stress me out. My default mode is stressed out. So I overeat. On the rare occasions I have a low stress week, eating well is a lot easier. If I were a lady of luxury with no job, tons of money, someone handling college stuff...I'm sure I'd be thin.

This was me when I was in my early/mid-40s. My DD put us through a LOT during her teen years. Not only could I not get through the stress while being hungry, I needed some sort of vice. It was sugar, but I supposed it could have been drinking or something else. I made my peace with it and didn't feel bad about myself at the time. I was unbothered by the extra weight.

Fast-forward to age 48, both kids in college. I was ready to make a change and it only took 7 or 8 months to lose the weight I had put on over a decade (and then some). I have exercised 6 times per week since then, eat way better and have kept all the weight off for several years now. I just needed enough time and energy to make it a routine and I just didn't have it when my kids were teens. Kudos to the perpetually size 00 4 am exercisers who haven't had carbs for 25 years, but that just wasn't me. I had to let something go.

One upside of letting things go - because I never did any yo-yo dieting over the years, I didn't mess up my metabolism. I can eat 2000+ calories a day for maintenance which is enough to keep me from going hungry.

Do you have a full time professional job as well? Hard to imagine going from not working out to working out 6 times a week while working 45 or 50 hours a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Now that I’m mid 40s yes. Before that I could eat whatever I want which was mostly deli sandwiches and pizza and cake and stay 125 5’6”.

I’m mid-40s and I still eat all of that, just smaller portions than before. And I run a lot. Works for me.

Do you have children who are teens and does your job stress you out?

I wonder about this too. My job stresses me out, my teens stress me out. My default mode is stressed out. So I overeat. On the rare occasions I have a low stress week, eating well is a lot easier. If I were a lady of luxury with no job, tons of money, someone handling college stuff...I'm sure I'd be thin.

Do you think as a middle age person with wisdom and experience you could find ways to manage your stress that doesn’t involve overeating?

No because there is no time. You are crushed by work, housework, kid events and parental care.

My friends who shipped their kids off to college lost weight because there was finally time for healthful meals and exercise.

+1. I only have so much time, energy, and executive function, and it gets spent on work and parenting with not much left over by dinner time. I've started skipping breakfast and only having a drink on the weekend, so there's not that much besides portion control that's in easy reach.

I lost weight as an empty nester because I was able to remove all the food from my house that I shouldn’t eat.

Also the foods my very large boys needed to eat to maintain their weight was very fattening and it was hard to not eat food. I was cooking for dinner.

This is so good to hear. I am heavier than ever now with two teens who are athletes exercising 5+ hours a day and constantly eat, plus their friends. The house is packed with food, and it's never enough. I indulge too much, stress about them, college, work...It's there and I eat it. I am really hoping that with a sparse fridge and pantry next year I will turn it around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just wondering, for all you thin people. Does it take work to maintain your weight? Do you experience hunger daily? I'm 5'7 and 139; just lost 10 pounds and hoping to lose 7 more to get back into my clothes. Sort of went on a binge since Covid and became heavier than I'd ever been. I'm finding that to lose the weight, I have to be willing to endure hunger every day. Not all day, but certainly, for periods of every day - I go to bed a bit hungry and I spend much of my morning (like right now) hungry. I've been able to power through it because I'm seeing progress on the scale and it's motivating. But generally, I love the feeling of being full, even stuffed, and it's rather depressing to think that if I want to be at my goal weight, I'm going to have to eat less for the long term and thus, maybe, be hungry for a good portion of my life.

No. Hunger is not part of remaining thin. I ballooned during the pandemic and was drinking way too much. It was hard to start losing but it was mostly hard to change the habits that led to the weight gain. Mostly I stopped cooking (which is hard if you have kids around) and just snack when I’m hungry on fruit, veggies, high fiber or high protein stuff. And lots of water. I find I’m less interested in food again. And when I go out to eat I don’t worry about calories or whatever. I think the “trick” to being thin is partly luck and partly not focusing on food or what and when you’re going to eat.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone who's easily thin truly like food?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone who's easily thin truly like food?

Yes I am naturally thin and love food.

I don't know why but I have always been naturally good at portion control. I didn't learn it from my parents-- my mom struggles with overeating and binging, my dad has a huge appetite though like me is naturally thin.

But from a young age I found i could easily moderate how much I ate. Including when eating "unhealthy" foods. And it's unconscious and context dependent. I generally feel full after two pieces of pizza. When I was training for a marathon i wanted 3-4 and had it. As I've gotten older I think my body just needs fewer calories to function and sometimes I only feel like one piece.

I never feel like I'm denying myself. I eat until food and I don't restrict the foods I eat. I do try to listen to my body and I will get cravings for vegetables or meat and then eat them. I also noticed cravings for sugar and I satisfy them, though I'm as likely to do this with a bowl of berries as a piece of cake-- they both taste good to me.

I don't know why this comes easy to me. Maybe being naturally thin kept me from dieting or developing disordered eating when I was young, and thus I never disrupted my body's signals that tell me what to eat and how much. I know for my mom that's been hard. So maybe seeing how she's struggled with food subconsciously made me avoid certain dieting behavior? I do think always being pretty active and walking to school and work helps my body stay in equilibrium. When I am more sedentary I do notice I have more food cravings amd a tendency to eat kind of mindlessly (snacking in potato chips while I work instead of getting up and eating yogurt and granola and then returning to work). But I dislike being very sedentary anyway so this never lasts long.

I truly don't know why my body works this way and others don't. I wish I did as I have seen howy mom has struggled as how it impacts both her physical and mental health. But yes you can be naturally thin and love food. I think it's more about portions and balance-- eating only what your body needs and loving really healthy food as much as I love fatty and sugary foods (though I do also love those).

[Anonymous]

Once you have a healthy/super healthy metabolism staying thin is easy.

I even drink alcohol a few times a week and keep my abs near a six pack.

It takes a while to get your body firing on all cylinders (by eating healthy and exercising a lot) but pretty easy to maintain after it gets there.

I am not trying out for an Olympic team or anything- just above average physical condition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't imagine caring that much about what people think of me --a middle aged mom-- to be miserable and hungry every day when I could be a comfortable, normal weight.

No one is looking at you. No one cares or even notices if you can squeeze into your pre-covid clothes. You are making yourself miserable for actually no reason at all.

I don't get it.

OP. I don't really agree with this. As a middle aged mom, I definitely look at my fellow moms and admire those who are slim and beautiful. I'm talking women 35-55. DH also appreciates that I've lost weight and compliments me. I know what you mean that people don't look at women our age in the same way that we were gazed upon in our youth, but most definitely, appearance matters. It's nice that you don't care what people think about you. I really do care, and being heavier makes me feel miserable and slovenly and unhealthy.

But...it sucks to be hungry.

OP, I totally identify with you. I'm 48 and I recognize that I'm no longer sexy like in my youth, But I still care about my weight a lot, esp for my relations with my husband. Sadly, for me and I think for the majority of women, to stay thin means being constantly hungry. My natural bodyweight is probably a size 8 but I prefer looking more like a 4. To stay there means being miserable and hungry a lot of the time.

It seems twisted and perverse that I care this much as a middle-aged lady, but I do. I read about 70-year-old women caring about being thin, it seems so pathetic and like they don't understand that no one cares, but I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up like that too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone who's easily thin truly like food?

Yep. I love food. I have coffee for breakfast most days, but enjoy filling and satisfying lunches and dinners, full of animal products, veggies, and a smaller amount of carbs/starches. Occasionally I’ll enjoy something like ramen for lunch, but I’ll make sure to eat it with substantial foods like eggs and pork belly, and balance it with a good dinner full of meats/seafoods and veggies. If I have a sandwich, I make sure it’s got a good amount of meat vs the bread. If I eat pizza, I take my time to enjoy a few pieces. Occasional fast food is also enjoyed, but not the super-sized meals of my youth. I’m happy with small fries and a cheeseburger. I feel like I’m enjoying the foods so many others are too scared to eat, so it doesn’t feel restrictive at all. I don’t snack and I’m not hungry between meals.

-42 years old-5’4”, 118 lbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Once you have a healthy/super healthy metabolism staying thin is easy.

I even drink alcohol a few times a week and keep my abs near a six pack.

It takes a while to get your body firing on all cylinders (by eating healthy and exercising a lot) but pretty easy to maintain after it gets there.

I am not trying out for an Olympic team or anything- just above average physical condition.

Just curious, do you have kids at home and do you have a paid job? My eating is so so and I manage to exercise three times a week which is ok for maintenance but not for losing any weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Once you have a healthy/super healthy metabolism staying thin is easy.

I even drink alcohol a few times a week and keep my abs near a six pack.

It takes a while to get your body firing on all cylinders (by eating healthy and exercising a lot) but pretty easy to maintain after it gets there.

I am not trying out for an Olympic team or anything- just above average physical condition.

Teen boys and I have to be in person 3x a week now. Telework 2 days. Lawyer.

Just curious, do you have kids at home and do you have a paid job? My eating is so so and I manage to exercise three times a week which is ok for maintenance but not for losing any weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Once you have a healthy/super healthy metabolism staying thin is easy.

I even drink alcohol a few times a week and keep my abs near a six pack.

It takes a while to get your body firing on all cylinders (by eating healthy and exercising a lot) but pretty easy to maintain after it gets there.

I am not trying out for an Olympic team or anything- just above average physical condition.

Just curious, do you have kids at home and do you have a paid job? My eating is so so and I manage to exercise three times a week which is ok for maintenance but not for losing any weight.

I have a similar approach and I work full time but from home and I only have one kid.

I will say that having time to exercise and take care of myself was a factor in only having one kid. I know people who do it with 2 or 3 but I don't think that would be me. In my house growing up my parents had horrible health habits that they then passed onto us and I now understand that a lot of it was driven by their stress and overwhelm and lack of time. I felt like with one kid it was manageable but I worried with two I'd absolutely be the person who didn't have time to exercise or eat well and then I wouldn't.