I was chunky (5'7'' and 150, 155) most of high school. For the past 15 years I've been hanging out around 120, 125. 115 in the truly skinny years, but 123ish is my best weight.

I move. Walk, exercise, just move. Should weight train but I do not currently.

I eat moderately. Pretty much what I want, but I don't drink, I don't eat most meats, and I like things like fruit and salad and beans and whole grains. I like cream cheese and fries and McDonalds and lattes and chocolate, too. And I eat them. But when I get a caramel mocha, I eat a banana and that's my breakfast. When I eat fries for lunch, I don't get them with burger. I eat them with a salad and take it fairly easy the rest of the day. If I eat out and unhealthily and get dessert too, I don't freak out. It happens sometimes.

Sometimes I think I'm overeating or being a little too unhealthy. Then I recall how I ate before when I was chubby, and how I eat better and more moderately now. And I recall how I never moved my body. Ever. And how I do now.

Admittedly, I suppose my metabolism is decent. But I honestly think many people's idea of "moderation" isn't truly moderate, and that leads to an obesity epidemic.

From someone who was extremely (read burnt out) athletic in hs and college to binge drinking socialite to now healthy thin mom. My body has seen all sides of eating. Hs/college I ate like a linebacker and was a size 2. Post college, drank too much, didn't eat enough. Finally in my late 20s (31 now) I have learned a lot about food and clean eating. DH family has a terrible history of high Bo and heart disease, it's made us become very aware of what we eat. I took cooking classing post college and they now come in handy feeding our family.

I also don't usually eat 3 full meals. Most often I have breakfast, apple for lunch, and large veggie packed dinner. Don't eat kid snacks.

Let me give you some real advice. I am 5'7"/130 lbs/18% body fat and have had two c sections 17 months apart with the youngest having just turned 1. Here is what I did

-Did cardio on an empty stomach first thing in the morning 6 days a week. I did 30 minutes of inclined walk on the treadmill
-Breakfast consisted of 3 egg whites with salsa on top (use fresh salsa found in the produce section), 1/2 cup of orange juice and 1 package instant quaker low sugar oatmeal
-2 hours after breakfast 1 handful of raw almonds and 2 hours after lunch greek yogurt
-Dinner consisted of 1 protein-either white fish or chicken and one green (asparagus, green beans, brussel sprouts). I did not eat carbs in the evening
-Lunch consisted of turkey/tuna/chicken salad sandwiches on whole wheat bread and low fat mayo
-In the afternoon 1 apple, a cup of fresh strawberries, and grapes
-The weekends were my cheat days where I did not have any restrictions

Follow this and the pouds will shed provided that you are an otherwise healthy person

I have always been on the skinny side, underweight as a child, anorexic in college and finally have a healthy tyituse about eating and excercise. I use excercise as my stress relief and stay at home with three kids so my need for excercise is daily. I also find that I need to eat frequently now to keep up with them and not be I a horrible mood. So high protein and not a lot of carbs. I don't eat carbs in the evening, and find that I have started making less processes meals. I feel better and my DH has lost a lot of weight after we changed our diet a bit. At any rate, most of it for me is genetic, and I also have to fight to stay out of the underweight range by not over doing excercise and going down paths I would rather not go down again.

Eating less. You just have to suck it up and go without the sweets and sugary foods, there are no shortcuts

I am overweight and going to start on nutri system this week. I also started an exercise class two times a week and walk with my dog every day. I think it's just something you can't give up on and have to continue to fight. I have been normal weight before, so I know I can do it again.

Anonymous wrote:Great topic - looking forward to hearing from the skinny moms, and learning just what it takes.

Nervous breakdown did it for me!

Genetics. Nearly all women on my mother's side are underweight. I am at my "fattest" right now post DC2 at 5'4" and 110lbs.

As they age, my aunts all have ballooning tummies and start having bones stick out.

They look very elegant fully dressed (and they dress well!) but completely scary in swimsuits.

I try to eat clean (good amount of protein but as little fat as possible) and lift weights. That way I hope to develop some muscle mass and get rid of the fat hiding my abs!

Anonymous wrote:Genetics. Was underweight pre-kids (5'7" & 115 lbs) and still skinny now after 2. Body has complete changed though. In fact, DC asked why I had wrinkles on my thighs, aka cellulite. When DC saw my look of devastation, DC said "someone" in the family has wrinkles from not using sunscreen, but he wouldn't say who because he didn't want her to feel bad!

I don't mean to come off as insensitive, but that is hilarious. Kids always have a way of being brutally honest and making it see so cute. "

Great topic - looking forward to hearing from the skinny moms, and learning just what it takes.

From an overweight teen who always loved to exercise to someone who had no problems losing the baby weight and staying slim . . . It took me 10 years to figure out why I overate and practice strategies to prevent it. Reasons for overeating - emotional overeating, boredom, addiction to sugary foods, ate too quickly, let one bad eating day turn into weeks, beating myself up over eating, etc. It was a 10-year process for me.

Genetics. Was underweight pre-kids (5'7" & 115 lbs) and still skinny now after 2. Body has complete changed though. In fact, DC asked why I had wrinkles on my thighs, aka cellulite. When DC saw my look of devastation, DC said "someone" in the family has wrinkles from not using sunscreen, but he wouldn't say who because he didn't want her to feel bad!

Please brag, boast, or perhaps vent on what it takes to be a skinny mom. I'm overweight and feel it should be easier to be thin, but maybe I'm just kidding myself. I find it impossible to skip all the tasty foods, sweets especially, that are so naughty!

So, I'm thinking maybe you could provide a dose of reality of how much work it takes to keep your "girlish figures"?

TIA!!!