I’m 43, 5 foot 1.5. I used to hover between 116-120, with 114 my happy weight. Now I am about 110-113. To cut, I eat around 1400. I work out most days (and have for about a decade) and recently upped my weightlifting days, from 2-3 to 4-5, doing splits rather than full body. I also run and do HIIT on other days. Lately I haven’t been tracking and I am staying around 110-112. I think it’s a combo of a deliberate cut/recomp, plus my metabolism going up when I stopped my cut but also gaining muscle. Don’t really know. Have never been fat but gotta say m body looks better now than in my 20’s and 30’s. My face, well, that’s another story

Anonymous
I disagree with pp who said that this proves it is just genetic being slim.
I think the idea of eating as much as you want and whatever you want is very different for slim and overweight people.

I weight 116-117 at 5,2” (so not fat but not really thin) and only maintain this weight through significant portion control and food choices. I have coffee with cream in the am;eat a small to medium lunch (today was half turkey sandwich; yesterday a salad with chicken) and controlled portion of balanced home cooked dinner. I will have dessert or wine on occasion and eat out (usually a salad an app or half an entree) but do not snack and esp stuff like chips, cookies muffins fried foods. If I’m starving I will have a few almonds or cashews. I work out moderately and still eat less than my 83 yo sedentary mother who weighs about the same. It’s been like this my whole life, started dieting around age 10-11 (was a good dancer but too chubby). I’ve had metabolism tested and it’s quite low. I would probably be around 135 if I ate the recommended calorie intake )after I quit dance I got up to that and always felt uncomfortable in my body). I am not quite in the headspace to just allow myself to be average/heavier because honestly a lot of self worth is still tied up in being smaller. I wish I were naturally thin and didn’t think so much about what I can/won’t eat.

5'1, fluctuate between 115-120, 45 yo. 10ish over my "ideal" (to me) weight. I don't count calories at all, but work out 4-5 times a week, mixing peloton rides with 2-3 sessions of heavy weightlifting. I walk at least 10k steps every day (don't count that as a workout).

I pretty much eat whatever I want and feel that if I started calorie counting or restricting, it would stress me out. However, my personal tastes are for non caloric beverages, I love meat, veggies, and savory foods, don't have much of a sweet tooth or appetite for much more than coffee before noon. I could eat chips and dip or french fries for every meal, though. As I age I'm trying to focus on eating more protein and a wider range of fruits and veggies. I'm sure if I locked things down I could get back down to the 110 I was before I had kids, but I'm overall fine with my size and have good health markers for my age, so it's cool.

I'm 125lb so heavier, but also 5'9, so maybe this counts? I think I can eat more though because of the height. Yesterday a had a sandwich with hummus, avocado, and tomatoes and lunchtime. It was really big so I still wasn't very hungry later, just had a glass of wine and a handful of peanuts.

Anonymous wrote:Calories are pointless. Your body doesn’t use them. Tree bark would have 4 calories per gram, but you won’t get energy out of eating it

But so much fiber!

Calories are pointless. Your body doesn’t use them. Tree bark would have 4 calories per gram, but you won’t get energy out of eating it

I fluctuate between 120-125 and I am slightly above average height for a woman. I now weigh 120-125 because I stopped counting calories and I cook most food at home. I don’t exercise other than running errands on foot. Dieting and counting calories made me heavier.

I've never counted calories. Food rules: almost all food from scratch cooked at home, almost no snack/processed foods.

Anonymous wrote:I disagree with pp who said that this proves it is just genetic being slim.
I think the idea of eating as much as you want and whatever you want is very different for slim and overweight people.

Np. I think that's probably true. I am 117, 5'3, and 44. I do not calorie count. I work out 45-60 mins/day and I am vegetarian. I unintentionally intermittent fast, but I do eat 3-4 meals usually between 12 and 8. I find I get nauseous if I eat in the morning and feel bloated if I eat late (I think the latter is because I go to bed by 9:30). We rarely eat out.

After seeing this thread, out of curiosity I counted up my calories yesterday. I realized I only get 1400-1500 calories probably (total surprise to me) despite snacking a lot. It just turns out *what* I snack on is fairly low cal.

Some of this might be genetic but also I wonder how much are just habits you learn growing up - which may work for or against you. My parents never ate breakfast or ate late at night also. They never ate out. Our dessert growing up was just fruit.

I disagree with pp who said that this proves it is just genetic being slim.
I think the idea of eating as much as you want and whatever you want is very different for slim and overweight people.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basically this shows that people between 100-120 are genetically petite/thin, and it’s not a struggle. These people are a small percent of the population. For everyone else who tries to be thin, which is often 120-140lbs depending on height, it takes a lot of discipline and avoiding certain foods plus regular exercise!

I think this may be the case. I’m 108-110ish and don’t diet or count calories. I think I just have good hunger cues so I naturally eat what my body needs. A lot of people assume thin people work out a ton or have a lot of discipline but that is not the case for me.

Agree. My grandmother had the same build.

I weigh 117. I eat whatever I want but only during mealtimes. No snacks (with occasional exceptions) and no processed junk, but alcohol and dessert in moderation (definitely not daily). I work out A LOT.

I am young so I am sure this will not last.

I have no idea. Munching on all seasoned chips now after potato, cabbage and chicken lunch.

Anonymous wrote:

or they are anorexic so they do count …

I'm in this weight range now, but I was anorexic as a college student and have not counted calories since that time. I associate it with disordered eating but obviously many people do it.

Some people naturally have small appetites and are still heavier and some people at this weight have a faster metabolism, are slim and eat a lot. My size 10/12 SIL just visited and eats only toddler sized portions 2x per day while I'm polishing off big plates of food and eating between meals because I'm hungry. We are both healthy and get what our bodies need.

I would bet my farm that your SIL was eating like that around you because you are so thin, and her normal diet includes much larger portions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people who weigh this don’t count calories because they don’t have to.

or they are anorexic so they do count …

Ma’am be real with yourself. There are not that many anorexic adults running around. If you are an adult weighing 105 lbs, your genetics are working in your favor and you just don’t have to count calories.

They literally cannot accept the idea that someone could possibly be thin without being anorexic, it's wild.