Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you've lived or been overseas you will see that most Americans are not at a healthy weight.

People from other countries do not necessarily eat better. They eat junk food too. However, they DO walk a lot more and use public transportation.

Um my mom weighed 90 pounds when she came to the US but even though she walked miles everyday in the us she gained 20 pounds here due to the food

90 lbs isn't healthy on nearly anyone so she probably lacked adequate food in her home country.

I'm not thin naturally. I gain weight easily when I am not mindful of what I am doing.

Things that help me:
-Gave up coffee. Coffee isn't bad but I didn't like mine without a hefty dose of creamer. I was craving the sugar more than the coffee.
-Protein at every meal. Generally, eggs for breakfast, chicken at lunch + salad and meat + veggies for dinner. I get creative to an extent but this is my basic format.
-Working out with weights. I see the most dramatic changes for weight-lifting and seeing changes keep me motivated.
-Change up workouts and keep finding new ways to be active and move my body. Just keeps it fun and interesting.
-I make a lot of fermented veggies. Cauliflower and Carrots are kind of boring to me but ferment them and suddenly I have to stop myself from eating a whole head of cauliflower all at once. It's really simple to do. You just need some mason jars, water, salt, garlic and maybe some chili peppers. You can wait quite awhile to eat them but I break into mine after about 4 days.

Is it even possible to have a desk job and NOT gain weight? LOL Even being active doesn't seem to help.

I am very thin, size 0-2. I am also very short, between 5 ft 1-2. I was always very thin growing up despite having a horrible diet, typical teenage junk food junkie. But I was also very active.

So when I started my real job after graduate school, which mean a lot of sitting all day, I put on about 10 lbs in a year which is a lot for my height. I got very serious about my nutrition and weight training. Saw a nutritionist, hired a trainer. I lost 15 pounds in 2 months. It's been 10 years. I've had 2 kids in that decade, and can still fit in my clothes from ten years ago. I am very deliberate about what I eat. I rarely, ever eat out, not even lunch. I make all my own food, from scratch for the most part. Now that I am 40 I pay particular close attention to white carved dairy.

I have always been athletic, that has never changed. I work out every day, 90-120 minutes, work out hard so I am insanely sweaty. This is why I know my nutrition plays a big role, because I still gained weight with this exercise routine. Everyone is different. what works for me doesn't work for someone else.

And I am a pretty happy, low key person.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If this is just about looks, not about weight for health, you could try going about it another way.

Are you pretty? Pretty women can be attractive without being super thin. I know lots of thin women that don't look as good as my heavier friends that have a pretty face/smile.

Are you pulled together? Stylish? Again, you don't have to be super thin to look good if you do this.

Unfortunately to guys if you have a thin body and a plain or ugly face you are a 10 in their book but a pretty face chubby body lowers you to a 5

I respectfully disagree. This is what women think of other women. It is not what men think. I don't think the original poster said chubby either, just not rail thin.

.

I wish you were right, but I've been on both sides of the coin (Bmi at the higher end of normal vs slightly underweight) and the difference in male attention is like night and day. It also wasn't because of increased confidence because even on a frumpy clothing day I'd get much better treatment than at an average weight. I hate that women's' thinness is valued so highly but it has absolutely been my experience.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those of you who say you don't or hardly snack, are you eating big meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

I'm one of the posters who mentioned not really snacking. I often skip breakfast, but I drink butter coffee. But even if I didn't drink butter coffee, I'd probably be okay having some plain Greek yogurt for breakfast.

Lunch and dinner are normal size. For me, I go lower crab, higher (good fat), moderate protein. I eat lots of vegetables, and it's very filling.

If I have dessert, it's a very small piece and it's lower sugar higher fat.

To give you an idea how disgusting we Americans are. When I was in Turkey, if you asked for a piece of baklava after dessert, you get a small portion about the size of your thumb. Here in America, you get a serving the size of your fist, normally consumed by 6-8 people in Turkey.

No, thinness is not genetic in the sense people on this board make it out to be. We Americans are just pigs. Plain and simple.

stained teeth and high cholesterol

Anonymous wrote:Those of you who say you don't or hardly snack, are you eating big meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

I'm one of the posters who mentioned not really snacking. I often skip breakfast, but I drink butter coffee. But even if I didn't drink butter coffee, I'd probably be okay having some plain Greek yogurt for breakfast.

Lunch and dinner are normal size. For me, I go lower crab, higher (good fat), moderate protein. I eat lots of vegetables, and it's very filling.

If I have dessert, it's a very small piece and it's lower sugar higher fat.

To give you an idea how disgusting we Americans are. When I was in Turkey, if you asked for a piece of baklava after dessert, you get a small portion about the size of your thumb. Here in America, you get a serving the size of your fist, normally consumed by 6-8 people in Turkey.

No, thinness is not genetic in the sense people on this board make it out to be. We Americans are just pigs. Plain and simple.

Anonymous wrote:If you've lived or been overseas you will see that most Americans are not at a healthy weight.

People from other countries do not necessarily eat better. They eat junk food too. However, they DO walk a lot more and use public transportation.

Um my mom weighed 90 pounds when she came to the US but even though she walked miles everyday in the us she gained 20 pounds here due to the food

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't mean to diminish the hard work of a lot of people who eat well and exercise hard to achieve thinness, but OP, a lot of it is just how you're born. I've always been thin -- was made fun of as an adolescent for how skinny I was -- and really it's metabolism. Otherwise, I fidget naturally, and I walk a lot.
But there are women I work with who kick my ass -- run marathons, do the tough mudder -- and might look from the outside like they're overweight. A lot of it is genes.

I have friends who exercise a lot and still are a bit overweight. They simply eat too much and drink too much wine.

I'm one of those people. I LOVE exercise and I do it hard 5-6 times a week. I also like food, though not that much - I just prefer not to obsess over every piece of bread or kid's french fry that goes into my mouth. I like wine, too. And if you judge me because I look fit and healthy as a size 8-10, that's on you. I feel great.

FWIW I agree with the poster upthread who said that most people who are very thin as adults fall into one of two categories: 1) naturally small, whole family is small, etc or 2) obsess over food and exercise. Keep in mind I'm referring to very slim people, not average sized people.

Anonymous wrote:If you've lived or been overseas you will see that most Americans are not at a healthy weight.

People from other countries do not necessarily eat better. They eat junk food too. However, they DO walk a lot more and use public transportation.

so true!

I am size 2P-4P now. Before kids I was 0P. All women from my father's side were very small.
Genetics and I limit carbs. I wish I had time to exercise more and eat what ever I want. If I'd taken after my mom I wouldn't be the size I am. She and her sisters were not as small.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but for the women who are going to come in and say "I just eat whatever I want, I'm lucky that way!" Cool and congrats- but please dont post because 1) We dont care 2) this thread is not for you, it's for women who have to work at it and have tips to share

Maybe it would be better for OP to hear that, so she doesn't feel bad about how hard it is for her or doesn't feel like she needs to try so hard and can just be happy how she is. OP - I have always been thin my entire life. I was the girl in high school who was too skinny. it's just genetic. i'm now in my 40s and no- i can't eat whatever I want - but I don't think about what I eat much other than to try to eat enough veggies/fruits bc i really love carbs and sweets, which is not a healthy diet even if you are thin. I work out 1 to 3 times a week, but that's relatively new for me (past 5 years). I think I just have a "set" weight b/c I've been within 3 lbs above or below my typical weight since I was 17 (except for when I was pregnant.) so I have no helpful advice other than don't sweat it - just eat healthy-ish, work out a bit, and enjoy your life.

Same here. I eat pretty much what I want when I want and I've been at the same healthy but not overly thin weight since high school. I try to stay away from junk food as my cholesterol is borderline and I don't want it to go up. But I never think about my weight. I'm 44 and a working mother of 2 so I work out only intermittently. I love to cook so We eat reasonably well. I eat lots of carbs (love pasta) and try to eat a balanced diet. But I would never consciously limit my calories or eat low fat foods. I just have a set point and I tend to stay at the weight. My sister is overweight and I really think it's genetic. We eat pretty much the same foods but she just weighs more, always has. Anyway, I'd say just enjoy life and eat when you're hungry. Food is an important part of life.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:5'9" 125 and it's completely genetic. I have the smallest frame I've ever seen.

Lol in your own mind,

How can you see it if it is so small? He he!

In my experience there are two types of people - those that are legitimately naturally thin and those that have to work at it. I've had to work harder and harder each decade to keep the weight off. I used to be a cardio bunny but weight lifting has been the best way to combat weight gain as I enter my 40s.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If this is just about looks, not about weight for health, you could try going about it another way.

Are you pretty? Pretty women can be attractive without being super thin. I know lots of thin women that don't look as good as my heavier friends that have a pretty face/smile.

Are you pulled together? Stylish? Again, you don't have to be super thin to look good if you do this.

Unfortunately to guys if you have a thin body and a plain or ugly face you are a 10 in their book but a pretty face chubby body lowers you to a 5

I respectfully disagree. This is what women think of other women. It is not what men think. I don't think the original poster said chubby either, just not rail thin.