S/O question about eating habits of thin people, what do you eat.

[Anonymous]

I wasn't thin as a teenager, when I ate for comfort and love.
Now as an adult, I am a high-anxiety person and the stress of my life prevents calories from going very far. I could eat whatever I wanted and stay thin.

Don't always assume 'thin' means healthy.

[Anonymous]

oh - when I say 47 and not super thin, I mean that I am 5'4 and 135 lbs - size 8.

[Anonymous]

I'm 41 and 5'9, 125lb, so on the thin side. For breakfast I have a latte with soy milk, and I eat a regular lunch and dinner (but really whatever I want). If I'm craving fast food I'll get it (probably 2x/month), but instead of a Big Mac I'll get a hamburger with small fries. I don't snack at all between meals, mainly because I don't have time. My daily calorie intake is probably around 1500 (give or take a couple hundred) most days. I work out regularly, too.

One thing I do is listen to my body. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat just because it's "time". So sometimes I eat lunch at 11am, sometimes at 2pm.

[Anonymous]

I'm 46 and 5'9", 135. I don't drink soda, but otherwise eat what I want. Minimal breakfast, healthy lunch and dinner with protein, carb and veggies. But not so healthy snacks (chips, etc.), half and half in the coffee, dessert 2-3x a week. I'd lose 10 lbs. in a hurry if I stopped drinking wine most nights with dinner. Am naturally wanting smaller portions as I get older. I recognize that I am extraordinarily lucky; thin genes run in the family.

[Anonymous]

I'm relatively thin. And I drink at least 3-4 drinks a night.

I usually have several cups of black coffee for breakfast, and maybe a piece of toast, or a bagel with some margarine on it. For lunch, I eat about a half a container of mixed spring greens with some salt and pepper on it. Make myself a sandwich, maybe a can of chicken noodle soup.

I eat whatever I happen to make for dinner--some tortellini, maybe grill some chicken or something.

The only soda I drink is soda water with some citrus in it. I rarely ever eat any kind of dessert--I just don't have much of a sweet tooth.

I do ride my bike about 10 hours a week at ~80% of maximum heart rate, though. So I burn a lot of the extraneous stuff off.

And, no, I realize my habits are pretty bad, and not something to emulate. But they're evidence that you don't have to weigh out portions of minced chicken and keep a diary of how many calories you've consumed in a day, either. Your body has evolved to do things--specifically to participate in endurance-type activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 41 and 5'9, 125lb, so on the thin side. For breakfast I have a latte with soy milk, and I eat a regular lunch and dinner (but really whatever I want). If I'm craving fast food I'll get it (probably 2x/month), but instead of a Big Mac I'll get a hamburger with small fries. I don't snack at all between meals, mainly because I don't have time. My daily calorie intake is probably around 1500 (give or take a couple hundred) most days. I work out regularly, too.

One thing I do is listen to my body. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat just because it's "time". So sometimes I eat lunch at 11am, sometimes at 2pm.

I think this is really key. There is a HUGE difference between a thin person's "whatever I want" and a fat person's "whatever I want." The former is still fairly healthy or at least fairly low calorie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm 41 and 5'9, 125lb, so on the thin side. For breakfast I have a latte with soy milk, and I eat a regular lunch and dinner (but really whatever I want). If I'm craving fast food I'll get it (probably 2x/month), but instead of a Big Mac I'll get a hamburger with small fries. I don't snack at all between meals, mainly because I don't have time. My daily calorie intake is probably around 1500 (give or take a couple hundred) most days. I work out regularly, too.

One thing I do is listen to my body. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat just because it's "time". So sometimes I eat lunch at 11am, sometimes at 2pm.

I think this is really key. There is a HUGE difference between a thin person's "whatever I want" and a fat person's "whatever I want." The former is still fairly healthy or at least fairly low calorie.

I agree with this and I think a lot of is not making any particualar food forbidden. If you know that you can have any kind of food when the mood strikes, most of the time the mood won't ever strike. And if it does, you'll have a small portion because it doesn't feel like the last time in your life you will ever be "allowed" to eat the food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:oh - when I say 47 and not super thin, I mean that I am 5'4 and 135 lbs - size 8.

LOL I'm almost 47, 5'6" and 155. I think you're pretty thin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 41 and 5'9, 125lb, so on the thin side. For breakfast I have a latte with soy milk, and I eat a regular lunch and dinner (but really whatever I want). If I'm craving fast food I'll get it (probably 2x/month), but instead of a Big Mac I'll get a hamburger with small fries. I don't snack at all between meals, mainly because I don't have time. My daily calorie intake is probably around 1500 (give or take a couple hundred) most days. I work out regularly, too.

One thing I do is listen to my body. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat just because it's "time". So sometimes I eat lunch at 11am, sometimes at 2pm.

Okay I have a question. I have to eat whenever it fits into my schedule. I work 10 hours a day and have two children involved in evening activities. We eat by the clock so we can have dinner as a family. If you have children and work outside the home, how do you just eat when you're hungry?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 46 and 5'9", 135. I don't drink soda, but otherwise eat what I want. Minimal breakfast, healthy lunch and dinner with protein, carb and veggies. But not so healthy snacks (chips, etc.), half and half in the coffee, dessert 2-3x a week. I'd lose 10 lbs. in a hurry if I stopped drinking wine most nights with dinner. Am naturally wanting smaller portions as I get older. I recognize that I am extraordinarily lucky; thin genes run in the family.

I'm in my mid 40s and smaller portions just don't do it for me, calorie wise or experience wise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:20:18 that sounds awful. Is it safe to say you have to "work" at staying thin?

20:18 here. For me, it's not just about staying then, but being healthy. Although at 36 and post- two kids, I do have to work at keeping my stomach flat. I could eat all I wanted and I'd be thin everywhere except for my belly. In my 20s, I could eat anything I wanted and it would never show. Now, if I go on vacation for a week and don't watch my diet, my belly starts rounding out.

I don't consider my diet awful at all. I've never been much of a breakfast person and prefer cereal or yogurt to eggs or pancakes. I honestly love salads and most veggies and don't care much for sweets. Fried foods or heavy food makes me feel bloated and sick (this wasn't the case back in college when I fast food all the time. Now that I'm not used to it, it seems my body just doesn't tolerate junk food any more). I quit drinking soft drinks not b/c of the calories but because of the high fructose corn syrup, which the evidence suggests could cause all sorts of health issues. If they started selling Coke with sugar in the US, I'd probably start drinking it again. As much as I love things like chips and queso, I always feel yuck after eating them, so I just don't do it much (which is not to say that I don't occassionally eat them any way). When I'm at a party or out to a restaurant, I'm not as strict on myself, but wouldn't choose anything fried or too heavy b/c I don't like eating food like that anyway.

[Anonymous]

Do any of you thin people really and truly enjoy food? I love food, especially carbs, good wine. In my experience, naturally thin people just don't crave food the way I do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:20:18 that sounds awful. Is it safe to say you have to "work" at staying thin?

20:18 here. For me, it's not just about staying then, but being healthy. Although at 36 and post- two kids, I do have to work at keeping my stomach flat. I could eat all I wanted and I'd be thin everywhere except for my belly. In my 20s, I could eat anything I wanted and it would never show. Now, if I go on vacation for a week and don't watch my diet, my belly starts rounding out.

I don't consider my diet awful at all. I've never been much of a breakfast person and prefer cereal or yogurt to eggs or pancakes. I honestly love salads and most veggies and don't care much for sweets. Fried foods or heavy food makes me feel bloated and sick (this wasn't the case back in college when I fast food all the time. Now that I'm not used to it, it seems my body just doesn't tolerate junk food any more). I quit drinking soft drinks not b/c of the calories but because of the high fructose corn syrup, which the evidence suggests could cause all sorts of health issues. If they started selling Coke with sugar in the US, I'd probably start drinking it again. As much as I love things like chips and queso, I always feel yuck after eating them, so I just don't do it much (which is not to say that I don't occassionally eat them any way). When I'm at a party or out to a restaurant, I'm not as strict on myself, but wouldn't choose anything fried or too heavy b/c I don't like eating food like that anyway.

Do you also have a relatively average to low sex drive? I love all kinds of food and also have a high sex drive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do any of you thin people really and truly enjoy food? I love food, especially carbs, good wine. In my experience, naturally thin people just don't crave food the way I do.

I love food. Good food. My mother is an excellent cook, so I was raised on amazing home cooking. My family is full of "foodies." We plan parties and celebrations around restaurants we want to try. I consider picky eaters to be moral failures.

But, I understand moderation and am well-attuned to my cravings. If I want some really good bread and cheese, I'll find it and eat it, but a sensible amount.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do any of you thin people really and truly enjoy food? I love food, especially carbs, good wine. In my experience, naturally thin people just don't crave food the way I do.

I'm a PP and I love food. I eat anything and everything. Just not everyday at every meal. I enjoy good wine, but I enjoy it with a good meal, which for me is usually a dinner party or a meal at a nice restaurant. I would be very sad if I had to eat salad and lean protein for the rest of my life. BUT...I'm one of the PPs who said I think I have good genes. If I had to choose between being thin and only eating salad for the rest of my life OR being 10 lbs heavier and eating real food in moderation. I'd pick the 10lbs.