Slim and eat what you want

[Anonymous]

It’s genetics for me. I’m not skinny-skinny but I’m 5’8” and have never weighed above 140lb, except when I was pregnant. I would say I’m slim. I eat whatever I want, which includes fast food, chocolate, chips etc. Everyday I will have something sweet - eg a few cookies, some Dove chocolate, maybe a bowl of ice cream. I don’t exercise. I’m not a huge fan of most vegetables. I don’t drink. Just genetics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I run or cycle 4-5 days a week, yoga or light strength training the other days. Typically get 10k+ steps daily. I don’t really take full rest days unless I’m sick or traveling. My body craves motion and I don’t feel good unless I’ve moved a lot.

I eat what I want, but for me that means an extremely light breakfast and lunch then a normal dinner. So until 6pm I’ll eat maybe a piece of fruit or a green smoothie, toast with butter and/or a scrambled egg. I just don’t get hungry or think about food much until dinner time. I eat big meals for dinner and indulge in desserts when I feel like it.

"I just don't get hungry or think about food much until dinner time."

THIS is the difference between someone who can manage their weight naturally and those of us who can't. I wake up hungry. I can eat a large breakfast and be hungry 2 hours later. Not just "my mouth wants food, I love sweets" but my stomach is empty again hungry. Maybe it's not empty, but that's the message my body and brain are sending me. I get cranky and sometimes shaky when I haven't eaten in 5 hours. I can't fathom people who just don't feel like eating breakfast or just eat a yogurt cup and are fine until lunch. Im not obese, but I work hard to stay at a size 8 and it can creep up to 10 if I eat intuitively. But I hate thinking about food as often as I do. Im jealous of those people who just don't get hungry much!

This sounds insane and people don’t believe me, but I have been on both sides of this. I struggled with my weight my childhood, weighed in the 180s throughout college despite focusing intensely on trying to lose weight. I calorie counted and worked out obsessively but couldn’t get my weight down. I thought about food constantly and it was a massive struggle to diet.

Then I got a severe case of mononucleosis the summer after college. I was sick for almost a month and lost some initial weight because my throat was too sore to eat much. I eventually recovered but my appetite just never came back. It’s as if the virus rewired something in my brain, my obsessive thoughts about food just disappeared forever. By the end of that year I had lost over 40lbs without any effort.

That was 15 years ago and I’ve been slim ever since, usually around 125lbs or so. I don’t watch my diet in any way. But I’m like the PP up thread now, I just don’t think about food or get hungry very often. But I have experienced what the other poster describes too, I know what it’s like to think about food constantly and feel like it takes massive effort not to eat. It’s just night and day. It absolutely has to do with brain chemistry or body chemistry or something - I don’t know the scientific explanation - but it’s not an issue of personal will power. Having experienced both extremes of this, I truly think body size is mostly out of anyones control. Of course people can make choices that affect it but I think most people are probably predisposed to be a particular size and aren’t likely to change that.

[Anonymous]

There was a thread like this on Reddit. The overall theme was skinny people simply don’t like eating or ok with eating far less during the day if it’s such an inconvenience. So, they have more under days than over eating days on average and therefore thin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I run or cycle 4-5 days a week, yoga or light strength training the other days. Typically get 10k+ steps daily. I don’t really take full rest days unless I’m sick or traveling. My body craves motion and I don’t feel good unless I’ve moved a lot.

I eat what I want, but for me that means an extremely light breakfast and lunch then a normal dinner. So until 6pm I’ll eat maybe a piece of fruit or a green smoothie, toast with butter and/or a scrambled egg. I just don’t get hungry or think about food much until dinner time. I eat big meals for dinner and indulge in desserts when I feel like it.

"I just don't get hungry or think about food much until dinner time."

THIS is the difference between someone who can manage their weight naturally and those of us who can't. I wake up hungry. I can eat a large breakfast and be hungry 2 hours later. Not just "my mouth wants food, I love sweets" but my stomach is empty again hungry. Maybe it's not empty, but that's the message my body and brain are sending me. I get cranky and sometimes shaky when I haven't eaten in 5 hours. I can't fathom people who just don't feel like eating breakfast or just eat a yogurt cup and are fine until lunch. Im not obese, but I work hard to stay at a size 8 and it can creep up to 10 if I eat intuitively. But I hate thinking about food as often as I do. Im jealous of those people who just don't get hungry much!

This sounds insane and people don’t believe me, but I have been on both sides of this. I struggled with my weight my childhood, weighed in the 180s throughout college despite focusing intensely on trying to lose weight. I calorie counted and worked out obsessively but couldn’t get my weight down. I thought about food constantly and it was a massive struggle to diet.

Then I got a severe case of mononucleosis the summer after college. I was sick for almost a month and lost some initial weight because my throat was too sore to eat much. I eventually recovered but my appetite just never came back. It’s as if the virus rewired something in my brain, my obsessive thoughts about food just disappeared forever. By the end of that year I had lost over 40lbs without any effort.

That was 15 years ago and I’ve been slim ever since, usually around 125lbs or so. I don’t watch my diet in any way. But I’m like the PP up thread now, I just don’t think about food or get hungry very often. But I have experienced what the other poster describes too, I know what it’s like to think about food constantly and feel like it takes massive effort not to eat. It’s just night and day. It absolutely has to do with brain chemistry or body chemistry or something - I don’t know the scientific explanation - but it’s not an issue of personal will power. Having experienced both extremes of this, I truly think body size is mostly out of anyones control. Of course people can make choices that affect it but I think most people are probably predisposed to be a particular size and aren’t likely to change that.

Man I wish there was a way to intentionally flip this switch in myself. I’d even be fine with a month of mono if I knew it would permanently cure my weight issues. But it sounds like that was some kind of fluke for you - have you ever spoken to a doctor about it? I’m curious if there’s any medical explanation or other cases like this.

[Anonymous]

Nobody who is 5'7" and 135 pounds is scary skinny! What a totally stupid thing to post.

[Anonymous]

I always thought it was genetics until I spent an uninterrupted week’s vacation with people of varying sizes and it’s definitely portions. I can’t eat in the morning because I have no appetite at all, but many people are able to eat a full breakfast and lunch because they are hungry. There’s nothing about appetite that willpower controls, so it seems to me that thin people just aren’t physically hungry as much. I hate feeling too full, but my DH (who is overweight) loves a big, delicious dinner. I do think you can train your stomach to accept smaller portions over time, but it seems obvious that thin people wouldn’t have to deny themselves as much as their hungrier overweight counterparts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:42, female, 5'5" and about 115 lb (I don't own a scale and never weigh myself but it's always around 115 at the doctor).

I walk pretty much everywhere and live in a 3rd floor walk up. I also do yoga, pilates, or barre 3 days a week. And then two runs a week (one shortish run during the week, just a couple miles, and a longer 4-5 mile run on the weekend). And if I don't get enough strength training in barre class, I will supplement with short bodyweight workouts at home -- squats, pushups, ab workout, pull-ups.

I'd weight about the same if I did nothing, based on prior experience, but I feel better when I exercise. It took me a long time to get into a good workout habit in part because I didn't ever need to workout to lose weight. So it wasn't until my late 30s that I figured out that exercise is great for mood, sleep habits, and overall health. I know, obvious. But in my 20s all my girlfriends just did enormous amounts of cardio for the express purpose of losing weight, and I found it boring and figured I wasn't trying to lose weight, so I didn't bother.

Why don’t you own a scale?

[mocoathlete0288]

People that are slim and eat whatever they want does not always mean they are healthy. They just have a metabolism that is able to burn calories pretty quick. They could be having some serious internal issues going on metabolically. I would suggest that you figure out your body fat, resting metabolic rate and have someone create a macro breakdown for you and then you can slim down cause you will have a program fit for your goals and body composition.

[Anonymous]

I’m 40 and a size 0-2. My only workout is hot yoga for an hour once a week. I eat what I want, but what I want isn’t a massive plate of food, and snacks all day long. I completely agree that, while differences with metabolism might explain some of it, the main reason for staying slim is just not over-eating. I’m quite happy with a lunch of a cup of soup and half of a sandwich, or a breakfast of one scrambled egg and a piece of toast. For dessert, I’m perfectly happy with one cookie or a small piece of candy. I love food, and cook often. I just don’t eat over sized portions. Plus I eat some form of meat, fish, cheese, eggs, etc at every meal so I’m satisfied and don’t snack.

[Anonymous]

I am 40 and have never worked out and don't watch what I eat. It's all genetics. Having said that, I don't have a sweet tooth. So no added sugar in my diet. I grew up in a vegetarian family on a typical Indian carb heavy diet. Over the years we have changed the carbs to come from whole grains. We mostly cook from scratch and use limited processes food. Junk food is very sporadic. When you eat right your tastes definitely evolve and you can't tolerate butter cheese ladden stuff any more. No sodas. I am amazed at how rampant it is here My appetite has dipped after I turned 40.
Like I said it's all genetics. Work with the body you have.

[Anonymous]

As others have said, "eat what you want" for a person in good shape never means excessive overeating. Maybe they eat more desserts every once in awhile, but in general, these types of people just don't crave and eat junk in the same way that others do.

In some ways, I "eat what I want" and am still small, but I never want to snack, I usually only eat one substantial meal a day, and I'm just not a dessert person (unless it's something really great-- so maybe 1-2 times a month). My mom was also like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I run or cycle 4-5 days a week, yoga or light strength training the other days. Typically get 10k+ steps daily. I don’t really take full rest days unless I’m sick or traveling. My body craves motion and I don’t feel good unless I’ve moved a lot.

I eat what I want, but for me that means an extremely light breakfast and lunch then a normal dinner. So until 6pm I’ll eat maybe a piece of fruit or a green smoothie, toast with butter and/or a scrambled egg. I just don’t get hungry or think about food much until dinner time. I eat big meals for dinner and indulge in desserts when I feel like it.

"I just don't get hungry or think about food much until dinner time."

THIS is the difference between someone who can manage their weight naturally and those of us who can't. I wake up hungry. I can eat a large breakfast and be hungry 2 hours later. Not just "my mouth wants food, I love sweets" but my stomach is empty again hungry. Maybe it's not empty, but that's the message my body and brain are sending me. I get cranky and sometimes shaky when I haven't eaten in 5 hours. I can't fathom people who just don't feel like eating breakfast or just eat a yogurt cup and are fine until lunch. Im not obese, but I work hard to stay at a size 8 and it can creep up to 10 if I eat intuitively. But I hate thinking about food as often as I do. Im jealous of those people who just don't get hungry much!

This sounds insane and people don’t believe me, but I have been on both sides of this. I struggled with my weight my childhood, weighed in the 180s throughout college despite focusing intensely on trying to lose weight. I calorie counted and worked out obsessively but couldn’t get my weight down. I thought about food constantly and it was a massive struggle to diet.

Then I got a severe case of mononucleosis the summer after college. I was sick for almost a month and lost some initial weight because my throat was too sore to eat much. I eventually recovered but my appetite just never came back. It’s as if the virus rewired something in my brain, my obsessive thoughts about food just disappeared forever. By the end of that year I had lost over 40lbs without any effort.

That was 15 years ago and I’ve been slim ever since, usually around 125lbs or so. I don’t watch my diet in any way. But I’m like the PP up thread now, I just don’t think about food or get hungry very often. But I have experienced what the other poster describes too, I know what it’s like to think about food constantly and feel like it takes massive effort not to eat. It’s just night and day. It absolutely has to do with brain chemistry or body chemistry or something - I don’t know the scientific explanation - but it’s not an issue of personal will power. Having experienced both extremes of this, I truly think body size is mostly out of anyones control. Of course people can make choices that affect it but I think most people are probably predisposed to be a particular size and aren’t likely to change that.

I believe you and I find that fascinating! I had mono too, but didn't have the same effect on me

I'm grateful you can share this perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of these posts are not “eat what you want” but either not eating or eating a very controlled diet.

No you don’t get it,.. real naturally slim people eat what they want. The huge difference is that they truly don’t want the same thing and they truly don’t have the same hunger cues as you, they know when they ate enough whereas you can eat a bit more thanenough to be satiated, or you can eat for emotional reasons etc..

That’s the only way to end the diet cycle… reframe what you want. Not easy but doable. At 40 I am finally there and I wasn’t there at 20

I think this is true, and this is what I struggled with until my mid-20s. It totally changed my life when I learned to reframe what I wanted and ate. I eat what I want. I don't diet. I don't worry about calories. If I see a dessert that looks good, I'll eat it. I don't feel guilt or shame about food.

But maybe to others, it looks like I "control" my diet because I'm a vegetarian. I generally skip breakfast and eat a small lunch. I almost never snack. I try to limit take-out. I don't often eat dessert.

But I don't want meat, I don't need to snack, I'm not hungry for breakfast. I like to cook. I don't often think about my weight or what I'm eating. But it's because I've totally changed what I want. And I truly think this is the healthiest possible way to feel about food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP you aren’t going to get 1) honest feedback 2) it is all relative

People that are truly slim naturally and “eat what they want” don’t want to eat the same things and the same amounts that those who struggle with their weight do.

Not necessarily true. My BIL is tall and thin, and he eats bread slathered with butter, drinks a lot of wine, and other “forbidden” foods. He doesn’t exercise regularly. If I ate even a fraction of what he eats, I would be beyond obese.

My teenage DS has never eaten like a typical teenager — he usually has only one piece of pizza, for example — but he really struggles to keep his weight down. My teenage DD, on the other hand, can eat pretty much anything in any quantity and will stay slim (at least for now). My other DS (preteen) struggles to keep weight on. They have been like this since birth.

I am like my older son — I eat about 1300 calories per day and if I go over that, I will gain weight. I think there is a genetic component to our metabolism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:49 here. Slim, same weight measurements for 30 yrs. Had 2 kids. I eat what kedI want but my diet has always been healthy. No processed factory type food. I make everything myself incl salad dressing, plain yogurt etc. I eat 3 square meals and don't snack unless it is Fri night. I do eat dessert if I'm out at restaurants, which is once a month. I don't drink alcohol or soda or fancy coffee drinks. But I do have cream in coffee etc just no sugar. I avoid white flour unless I'm having pizza once a month. I cook a fair bit. I am pescetarian. I eat seafood once a week and the rest of the week is non fish, vegetarian. I walk 2 miles 5 days a week, briskly. It's 90 percent diet 10 percent exercise. I do have a weakness for chocolate and will enjoy a piece or two a couple times a week. I am not on meds, and go to doctor once a year. He's always surprised at the fact that I don't have hbp etc BC most people our ago do have something.

Have you ever worked?

Yes, I work full time, always have. Commute etc too. Except about 18 years ago, I stayed home for 6 years to raise young ones.