Interesting article about thin people who eat whatever they want yet remain thin

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All the thin people I know who "eat whatever they want" in actuality don't eat a whole lot (they feel full/done after grazing for a while). So, they are lucky in that they are sated with less than I would be.

This. It is very true. I never watch what I eat, but I just don't eat that much. Not always hungry and when I am, I eat as much as I want. I think it's quantity more than anything. I've just always been that way. I just don't give food much thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm one of these women who can be considered naturally slim. I'm 5'7, size 2, 34yo , have 2 kids.
I don't know how much I weigh because I don't own a scale, never did. I have an old jeans from HS I use to make sure I'm in my normal weight.
I only do Pilates and Yoga.

I eat what I want but I really don't eat that much. My whole family is thin but they also are not a a big eaters.
These are my way to stay slim:
1. I really don't like a lot of fattening stuff: I don't like sweets, cakes or bread. I prefer vegetables and meat. I don't like soda.
2. I'm not that hungry most of the time and can be sated with a little piece of something. I will eat pizza if I want to but can't really deal with more than one slice.
3. My dad is a great cook and I grew up eating great homemade meals and never ate processed food. As of today, I find most processed food uneatable.
4. I don't eat breakfast.
5. I tend to forget to eat and can't eat when stressed.

I really can't tell though whether I'm thin because I eat that way or I eat that way because I'm thin and don't really need lots of food.

I'm like you in many ways. I am 5'6" and about 120 lbs. Probably a 2. Skinny legs etc, thighs don't touch. When I was a teen, I was SUPER skinny but at 42 I am just normal thin.

I eat what I want, but like others said, that's not that much! I never finish a whole meal at a restaurant etc. I also grew up not eating processed foods and I find most of them really gross. I am just grossed out by fast food, walking into a fast food restaurant makes me ill because of the smell.. I do eat breakfast, in fact I pretty much graze all day.

I think the most important thing is that I hate feeling full, so I never eat one big meal. If I eat too much I feel really gross and sick, so I rarely eat a lot in one sitting.

But I also pretty much never exercise, although I do like to go for superlong walks, I am not a gym person at all.

I attribute 90 percent of this to genetics -- my mom is the same way and I am watching my daughter become the same too.

[Anonymous]

My 2 cents...

Genetics can play an important role in how easily it is to be slim/overweight, but at the end of the day, if you restrict your calories enough, you will lose weight/stay slim.

I have friends who don't have to work very hard at being slim. I have a more muscular build and obesity definitely runs in my family. That isn't to say I can't be slender, but I really have to work at it (eat low carb, no more than 1,200 calories/day). I have friends who can eat much more, and not gain weight, but no - they don't pig out and eat everything in sight. If they ate 3 bagels before noon, I have no doubt that they would gain weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm one of these women who can be considered naturally slim. I'm 5'7, size 2, 34yo , have 2 kids.
I don't know how much I weigh because I don't own a scale, never did. I have an old jeans from HS I use to make sure I'm in my normal weight.
I only do Pilates and Yoga.

I eat what I want but I really don't eat that much. My whole family is thin but they also are not a a big eaters.
These are my way to stay slim:
1. I really don't like a lot of fattening stuff: I don't like sweets, cakes or bread. I prefer vegetables and meat. I don't like soda.
2. I'm not that hungry most of the time and can be sated with a little piece of something. I will eat pizza if I want to but can't really deal with more than one slice.
3. My dad is a great cook and I grew up eating great homemade meals and never ate processed food. As of today, I find most processed food uneatable.
4. I don't eat breakfast.
5. I tend to forget to eat and can't eat when stressed.

I really can't tell though whether I'm thin because I eat that way or I eat that way because I'm thin and don't really need lots of food.

I'm like you in many ways. I am 5'6" and about 120 lbs. Probably a 2. Skinny legs etc, thighs don't touch. When I was a teen, I was SUPER skinny but at 42 I am just normal thin.

I eat what I want, but like others said, that's not that much! I never finish a whole meal at a restaurant etc. I also grew up not eating processed foods and I find most of them really gross. I am just grossed out by fast food, walking into a fast food restaurant makes me ill because of the smell.. I do eat breakfast, in fact I pretty much graze all day.

I think the most important thing is that I hate feeling full, so I never eat one big meal. If I eat too much I feel really gross and sick, so I rarely eat a lot in one sitting.

But I also pretty much never exercise, although I do like to go for superlong walks, I am not a gym person at all.

I attribute 90 percent of this to genetics -- my mom is the same way and I am watching my daughter become the same too.

My 5yo daughter looks the same as me. Tall for her age and skinny and she also doesn't eat that much.
I can see other parents chasing their obviously not skinny and very healthy looking kids with food and I never did that. I'm perfectly fine with her eating when she's hungry and if she stays skinny that ok. I also was never one of those moms who carry lots of snacks everywhere and I truly do not understand why kids need to eat all the time. If we're out and she's hungry I can always buy something for her that is not junk like a sandwich, fruit or veggies. Sometimes we go to the park and I'm amazed at how much food other kids consume in 1-2 hours they are at the park while we just run and play and eat when we get back home.

[Anonymous]

My 5yo daughter looks the same as me. Tall for her age and skinny and she also doesn't eat that much.
I can see other parents chasing their obviously not skinny and very healthy looking kids with food and I never did that. I'm perfectly fine with her eating when she's hungry and if she stays skinny that ok. I also was never one of those moms who carry lots of snacks everywhere and I truly do not understand why kids need to eat all the time. If we're out and she's hungry I can always buy something for her that is not junk like a sandwich, fruit or veggies. Sometimes we go to the park and I'm amazed at how much food other kids consume in 1-2 hours they are at the park while we just run and play and eat when we get back home.

Wanted to add,
My friend always brings snacks for her daughter when she picks her up from preschool "because she gets hungry on the way home". It's a 15 mnts drive home.... can't the girl survive this long without snacking? It's strange to me.

[Anonymous]

I am naturally really thin and it runs on both sides of my family. 5' 9" ~125 as a grown woman but around 110-115 in HS. If watched what I ate and exercised as much as my friends do, I would literally waste away and look disgustingly thin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

My 5yo daughter looks the same as me. Tall for her age and skinny and she also doesn't eat that much.
I can see other parents chasing their obviously not skinny and very healthy looking kids with food and I never did that. I'm perfectly fine with her eating when she's hungry and if she stays skinny that ok. I also was never one of those moms who carry lots of snacks everywhere and I truly do not understand why kids need to eat all the time. If we're out and she's hungry I can always buy something for her that is not junk like a sandwich, fruit or veggies. Sometimes we go to the park and I'm amazed at how much food other kids consume in 1-2 hours they are at the park while we just run and play and eat when we get back home.

Wanted to add,
My friend always brings snacks for her daughter when she picks her up from preschool "because she gets hungry on the way home". It's a 15 mnts drive home.... can't the girl survive this long without snacking? It's strange to me.

It's because for young kids, if they get too hungry, they get cranky. There's a point at which they melt down, and then it's hard to return to normal, even if they eat something then.

As an adult, I'm like this. I can go all day and not eat and do a ton of stuff, but I reach a point when I break down and get cranky and irritable. Once I hit that point, it's really hard to get back to normal and productive, even if I promptly eat something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think people KNOW that genetics play a role, but our society also lends itself to people becoming excessively obese even for their genetic profile.

I'm inbetween. If I don't watch it then I can easily shoot up to 200lbs. I keep my weight around 145 by eating in moderation and exercising daily. I can't tell you how many people are flabberghasted that I exercise daily. They are stunned asking "How do you do that?" Are you serious?? How do you NOT exercise and look in the mirror each day at flab drooping off your body and not get off your butt and do something about it?

I don't know. How do you not go to school and get an education that will allow you to get a job that makes you rich? Priorities, baby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok...I'm 5'4 and have been a size 12 (twice) and am now a 2/4. I actually do best when I eat when I want. And to the poster that is 5'4 and a size 14...I'm sorry, but you're in denial. If you are heavy for your weight, then you are eating too much...plain and simple. Sure, maybe your metabolism is slightly slower than someone else's, but that means that your body just doens't need as much food as you are taking in. You're eating too much and not moving enough.

The problem is really our ability to regulate how much we take in. That can be HAAARD. I get it. I've been there. I've done every diet out there. What actually worked for me, was to stop eating things because they were low-calorie or organic/paleo, or low points, or vitamin shakes, or, or, or...I actually just started eating whatever I wanted. I made sure that I limited portion to the extent that I could, but if I felt like a cheesecake for lunch, I had a slice and didn't "balance with healthy food." I treated things like fruit as food (I always used to think of them as "free items"). I used oil and butter. I lost close to 20lbs!!!!! I'm not sure if my cholesterol is as good as it used to be, but my ass looks better, and I'm not stressing about food and I'm enjoying what I eat!

And yes, I walk and run and do yoga. But when I work out too much, I get hungrier and can overcompensate, so I try to keep it light.[/quote



Please, please post a sample daily menu. I could have written your post - except the part about getting smaller than a size 12. TIA

Yes please!!!

I could have written this post, except I went from a size 8 to a size 0 doing the same things. I eat about 1200 calories a day and the food I eat is super healthy. I also eat every few hours so I don't feel like I am starving. I am 45 and could easily pack on the pounds if I didnt pay attention to calories. I eat a lot of protein and high fiber foods. These keep my full and give me the energy I need to work and take care of my family.

Oh...genetics play a small part. Life style is the determining factor in whether a person will be obese.

Can you give us a sample of your daily diet?
Would love to lose a few pounds eating well...

This is what I ate today. I am 5'4", 111 lbs, 45 yrs old

(b) egg white omelet w/spinach on an Arnold sandwich thin
(s) almonds (100 calorie bag)
(l) chicken breast, zucchini, butternut squash puree
(s) watermelon
(d) rainbow trout, carrots, roasted potatoes

I do not eat after 7:00 pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people KNOW that genetics play a role, but our society also lends itself to people becoming excessively obese even for their genetic profile.

I'm inbetween. If I don't watch it then I can easily shoot up to 200lbs. I keep my weight around 145 by eating in moderation and exercising daily. I can't tell you how many people are flabberghasted that I exercise daily. They are stunned asking "How do you do that?" Are you serious?? How do you NOT exercise and look in the mirror each day at flab drooping off your body and not get off your butt and do something about it?

I don't know. How do you not go to school and get an education that will allow you to get a job that makes you rich? Priorities, baby.

What does this mean? You're fat but it's ok because you went to an ivy and make money now? Yawn.

[Anonymous]

i have a friend like that she has no dinner no food in the night no soda or white starches tons of exercise no candies and genetics also help late big breakfast and medium lunch thats it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok...I'm 5'4 and have been a size 12 (twice) and am now a 2/4. I actually do best when I eat when I want. And to the poster that is 5'4 and a size 14...I'm sorry, but you're in denial. If you are heavy for your weight, then you are eating too much...plain and simple. Sure, maybe your metabolism is slightly slower than someone else's, but that means that your body just doens't need as much food as you are taking in. You're eating too much and not moving enough.

The problem is really our ability to regulate how much we take in. That can be HAAARD. I get it. I've been there. I've done every diet out there. What actually worked for me, was to stop eating things because they were low-calorie or organic/paleo, or low points, or vitamin shakes, or, or, or...I actually just started eating whatever I wanted. I made sure that I limited portion to the extent that I could, but if I felt like a cheesecake for lunch, I had a slice and didn't "balance with healthy food." I treated things like fruit as food (I always used to think of them as "free items"). I used oil and butter. I lost close to 20lbs!!!!! I'm not sure if my cholesterol is as good as it used to be, but my ass looks better, and I'm not stressing about food and I'm enjoying what I eat!

And yes, I walk and run and do yoga. But when I work out too much, I get hungrier and can overcompensate, so I try to keep it light.

Please, please post a sample daily menu. I could have written your post - except the part about getting smaller than a size 12. TIA

I would have posted sooner, but didn't see these replies.

Well...several people asked for a sample menu...this is the thing...there isn't one!

One day I might have a latte for breakfast, a latte for lunch and a salad for dinner (so next to nothing), however, the next day, I might have eggs and bacon, a huge sandwich, and a big dinner and chocolate. The key is on days I don't feel like eating...I don't. I never used to do that. I rarely eat breakfast now because truthfully all i want is caffeine! I used to eat meals when I thought I "should." I would follow the "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" rule, and eat calories because I thought it might make me eat less later. Now I just eat less in the "now" when I feel like it. If I want something I have it. It's hard to give up watching every point and stop counting calories, but once I finally let go I lost weight! (Just remember NOT to eat when you don't want to...it will end up balancing out for when you do).

Today:
three coffees with skim milk (I went to bed too late last night!)
a plum
an english muffin with butter and a slice of manchego cheese
chips with guac and salsa
went for a bike ride
some chocolate chips and dried cranberries
will most likely have wine and 1-2 bites of rotisserie chicken for dinner (family is going out without me...so I can do work. blah...yes on a Sunday night)

If you want something close to what I do, my friend told me about the Fast Diet also called the 5/2 diet. It sounds pretty similar to what I do naturally. 2 days of the week you only eat 500 calories, and the rest of the week you eat what you want. I'm not sure if I ever eat as low as 500 in a day, but I bet I'm under 1000 some days and probably close to 3000 others!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know quite a few people who were naturally, effortlessly slim. I mean "effortlessly" in the sense that they didn't think about what they ate, didn't eat like a bird, didn't bother much with exercise. They were definitely slim mostly because of genetics/natural build. I, on the other hand, have a curvy build and a natural tendency to plump up. Since my early teens, I've had to constantly watch what I eat and exercise more than the vast majority of people (like around 10 hours/week when I was young; 4-5/week now that I work FT and have kids) just to keep myself from crossing the line from fit-but-slightly plumpish to overweight. I've seen in many instances the difference that genetics and body type make.

Most of the people I know who were effortlessly slim when younger, however, plumped up as they approached middle age. They didn't have the eating or exercise habits to stave off the weight gain that tends to come with age. Those of us who've had to struggle all our lives to stave off the weight gain have mostly managed to stay the same. So I guess that's one advantage to not being naturally slim: always had to work for it, so it's "easier" for me now to maintain my (never truly slim) size. Some of my formerly skinny friends comment in awe at the fact that I still have a small waist and flat abs.

I agree. I was never effortlessly slim and I'm not slim now. Still, at 52 I look better than many of the women my age who just don't know the first thing about weight management.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am naturally really thin and it runs on both sides of my family. 5' 9" ~125 as a grown woman but around 110-115 in HS. If watched what I ate and exercised as much as my friends do, I would literally waste away and look disgustingly thin.

Do you like food? Can you eat 6 slices of thick crust pizza in a single sitting without getting sick? I could eat 4 slices of pizza and have 3 beers for dinner, no prob. that's why I'm 20 lbs overweight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people KNOW that genetics play a role, but our society also lends itself to people becoming excessively obese even for their genetic profile.

I'm inbetween. If I don't watch it then I can easily shoot up to 200lbs. I keep my weight around 145 by eating in moderation and exercising daily. I can't tell you how many people are flabberghasted that I exercise daily. They are stunned asking "How do you do that?" Are you serious?? How do you NOT exercise and look in the mirror each day at flab drooping off your body and not get off your butt and do something about it?

I don't know. How do you not go to school and get an education that will allow you to get a job that makes you rich? Priorities, baby.

What does this mean? You're fat but it's ok because you went to an ivy and make money now? Yawn.

No. It means that thin people can't understand stress eaters.