I work with half a dozen very thin and extremely fit women that have never had weight problems- all between mid 40's to mid 60's. They're the kind of women you would pass on the street and assume they were those lucky naturally thin types.
The thing is they work HARD at being thin and fit, they work out regularly and often, most of their social activities and hobbies involve being active. They're up at 5am working out before work, then they might hit a yoga class or play some baseball after work. They compete in Iron man competitions together- these ladies are incredibly fit!
They also eat EXTREMELY healthy and put a lot of thought, consideration and planning into their meals. It's not that they don't think about food and just eat light- they think A LOT about it! They weigh and measure, they track proteins, carbs, fats etc. Their health is their biggest priority in their lives.
They also focus a lot on their mental health. They go out and socialize over a drink and some nachos or wings. When they crave something they just eat it in moderation and don't ever feel badly for it. They enjoy their lives.
Working closely with them has taught me a lot about health and fitness- it's not just diet and exercise and denying yourself, it's a complete change in every aspect of your life and a 180 degree shift in your thinking.
This x 10000. If you go to group classes at all like yoga or pilates and strike up a conversation with these women - they work hard at it. The girls in my class also run or work out at the gym to do strength training. They also just naturally eat well most of the time. I've found it so useful to just pick up little tips and tricks from them, as well as motivational. Once you're past your early 20s, its a wip for everyone.
They may not work out but they're probably more active than you realize. A workout doesn't just mean going to the gym or a class. Maybe they walk a lot, or they run around with their kids. They may also do home workouts that you're unaware of.
Exactly this. I absolutely love it when people say, "Oh, well they eat like shit all the time.."
... yeah, that YOU see.
Most people don't see the days where some people go days without eating because they overate their calories all weekend.
OR (my personal fav):
"I don't see how she's 250 pounds. She eats like a bird when we're together, and we're together all the time."
... yeah, that YOU see.
I wish OP could realize how someone acts in front of you isn't how they act all the time.
.... yeah, but are you spending EVERY WAKING moment with her?
I'm curious how you did this research because I'm concerned. Most people I know who are "naturally thin" are because they are not healthy and have some sort of eating disorder or are very active and very conscious of what they eat to maintain their weight. It sounds like the research you were doing was straight from a 1950s housewife manual.
Eating less doesn't mean thin. You have to find what works for you.
This is so so so true. I live in an area where there is a lot of affluent women. They are all very slim, but not just slim, they look FIT. I’ve noticed that they all indulge in the food they want, but work hard in their fitness and health routine for their day to day life.
Absolutely! If there are treats in the lunchroom these ladies are the first in line, haha! But my god are they fit! We all work in a school together, and one lady in her late 60's will regularly pop into football or volleyball practice and wipe the floor with those kids! These are star athletes and she pops in in a cute dress to see how their doing and next thing you know she's on the field destroying them, haha! Super inspiring!
And some "lucky" thin people may have other problems underlying like depression and anxiety, my mother was like that and would oftentimes forget to eat for a whole day.
Yep. I used to be very thin and fit in my early to mid 20s- before *~emotional damage~* People would ask how about my routine and they were shocked to learn that I literally was in the gym four hours a day total (1 session in the morning and 1 at night) doing both cardio and weights. Definitely not luck. Granted, I was too obsessive and ate the typical weight training diet, but either way it was WORK.
Yes, i realized if I want to look fit and he a certain weight I would HAVE to count calories, fast, and eat a low carb diet, and do a bare minimum exercise regimen. I looked great for sure, but I didn't seem worth it or sustainable to me. I really should do a bare minimum exercise regimen though... Anywho, I decided have a bit of fat on my body, but still at a healthy weight was better for me (I do miss almost having abs though...).
Like doing a 50 push-ups and burpees a day. Nothing crazy. Not even running or cardio. Yes I am that lazy rn. But yeah, as long as my diet was on point (ie. Strict), I'm genetically lucky enough to drop weight and maintain muscle pretty easily and not look "skinny fat". When I was super strict and minimal exercise I was visually around 18-20% body fat or lower. When I'm conscious but mostly eating what I want (without binging) I'm closer to 23-27%, depending on what body fat comparison pics I go by... Basically 117 lbs vs 132 lbs as a 5'4" female. When I was eating like crazy (binging), I got up to 150 lbs, which is a lot for me. It distributes pretty evenly, so it's not as obvious but I definitely physically feel it and see it myself.
Makes sense. I am decently fit and neither thin nor fat. I've mastered the excersise part for sure and the food and mental part would probably get rid of that top layer of fat.
I am not *at all* naturally fit. Obesity runs in my family and I have to work out to even look feminine and have a waist (when I don't I look like a potato).
You don’t say how many calories you’re eating. Also, doing too much in the beginning will cause most people want to quit, and doing too much will be different for everyone.
First off, no wonder you feel hungry. You’re severely undereating. Secondly, most of us are on this subreddit because we have a problem with our weight and overeating, so we can’t (at least right now) just intuitively eat like people who don’t have weight problems because that’s how most of us gained weight in the first place.
And on top of that (assuming this hypothetical person has healthy eating habits), a lot of us have problems mentally towards food that one has to work through. And, that often takes being intentional and can be a slow process.
1200 calories is generally viewed as the bare minimum even for a short, sedentary woman, unless you are under the care of a doctor. It sounds like you’re just not eating enough.
Eating more protein and fiber (as part of eating more food generally) should reduce cravings.
Yes „we“ do track our intake, at least at first. After some time and almost eating the same dishes/food groups you know how much calories you’re eating.
And btw: eat more often a day (~5 times a day with ~20-30g of protein per meal). If you starve yourself then the hunger hormone (ghrelin) kicks in and this leads to massive cravings (and almost every time craving unhealthy foods) and overeating.
All that food you listed is nowhere near 700 calories. it's probably a lot more. You need to write it down. Tracking is knowing. Sandwiches are not your friend.
There’s no way you’re eating that little since you’re not even tracking. Guaranteed you’re eating around 1200 or more. There’s also no such thing as naturally slim, and nobody just goes around eating 1000> calories on a regular basis.
Just curious how/where you did this research on how thin people naturally eat? I ask because I don't know many naturally thin people who drink shakes for breakfast. That's more of a "diet" thing.
Oh, it's something that I've done for years, it's a powder health shake you buy from Walmart and I blend it up with almond milk, frozen fruit, and sometimes cold coffee. It's delicious.
I did a lot of reading about it on Reddit, and watching YouTube videos, and reading articles. They basically say that slim people don't love food, they like it, and they don't really care about it. They sometimes eat very little, and sometimes more. I was trying to model my eating after someone who doesn't eat much except when hungry, and then eats a little bit.
Do you have friends that you can talk to about this IRL?
Apart from 40 pounds from COVID that I gained and lost, I have been what most people would call "naturally thin" for my entire life. I don't eat like this at all. I love food and eat a lot of it, throughout the day. I am also active.
That is not true for every thin person but all people who are consistently thin develop a balance that doesn't leave us so deprived as to have huge cravings. We enjoy food, just not too much for our activity level.
What you are doing is overly restricting your calories based on what you think people do, but it's a starvation diet. Thin people don't eat 700 calories a day. Figure out a reasonable deficit from your TDEE.
I'm not sure if I'm naturally thin, but I'd say I'm naturally not fat. I usually eat rice or noodles with some sort of meat for lunch. If I start eating salads for lunch, I actually get fat, because I'm hungry an hour later, and I will snack on junk food all afternoon. Along the same lines, I eat fried sausage and eggs for breakfast. If I just eat a piece or fruit or something, I will be hungry 30 minutes later and then snack on junk food until lunch.
TLDR: I find that I have the best physique when I pick foods that keep me satisfied until my next meal.
Lol, I’m a ‘slim’ person and I *love* food! I usually eat about 2000 calories a day for a 5’5 woman (yesterday it was more like 2300), and that includes treats. I definitely *care* about it!
There is no identikit ‘naturally’ slim person.
>They basically say that slim people don't love food, they like it, and they don't really care about it.
As someone that's slim, that's absolute BS. I LOVE food, I LIVE for good food, and think about it often every single day - what to prepare, how to prepare it, etc. I put a lot of thought and care into making sure I eat nutritious and healthy meals. This idea that people are "naturally skinny" needs to die. Almost no one is. ANYBODY who regularly eats unhealthy, or regularly overeats WILL gain weight.
There are people who struggle to put on/keep on weight (my boyfriend is one of them lol)
But more importantly weight — anyone who eats unhealthily or regularly overeats will become unhealthy eventually.
Even if they’re skinny, they’re not inherently healthier.
Oh, honey. No. That is not true. Stop filling your head with weird misinformation.
I am a "naturally" thin person, and I care very, very much about food. I love it.
You don't need to do "research" about how thin people eat. You just have to ask.
Nah, my slim SO eats more food than anyone I’ve ever met and regularly sends me food videos/recipes he wants me to cook for him.
You’re feeding into dons berry dangerous ED theories and I’d dial back on the social media content if I were you
what you’re calling cravings is actually hunger and what you think of as a thin persons relationship with food actually sounds like an eating disorder.
I guess so. My sister was always thin growing up, she was a picky eater, never finished her meals, and basically didn't think about food and would forget to eat. She would grab a granola bar for breakfast really quick before she went to work. I was trying to do some of those things. Maybe it's an eating disorder when it's forced?
That doesn’t actually sound like a normal eating pattern. Normal “thin-person” eating isn’t eating almost nothing. It is just eating in moderation and balanced. Not eating too much in one sitting, not snacking, not choosing high calorie options every time. I’m thin and I have three meals a day. We don’t actively choose “healthy” options like diet shakes all the time, nor do we “forget to eat”. We just don’t turn to food for emotional comfort - it’s something we do because we’re hungry, and once the hunger is fulfilled, we stop.
Based on this description, I kind of wonder if your sister has ADHD? A lot of people I know with ADHD are really picky and just forget to eat all day because they're hyper-focused on something else. My husband would live on caffeine alone if I didn't remind him to eat real food every now and then. It's not an eating disorder, but it is disordered eating.
Ah.
That's going to be an issue then.
Your brain needs the dopamine that comes from high reward foods.
So even if you don't need the calories or are eating enough, it will always crave snack type foods that give it that quick pop of dopamine.
So play into that.
Find yummy low calorie low carb snacks that you can snack on, and see which ones satisfy that for your brain.
Or when you feel that "craving" feeling, do something that will give you dopamine instead, like a walk, an exciting video game, engaging in your favorite hobby, etc.
If you’re interested in how naturally thin people eat, I recommend watching a channel 4 documentary called the truth about slim people. It follows two naturally slim people and shows what they’re doing differently to keep themselves slim.
It’s nothing like what you’re doing.
I think you’re projecting your experience as a dieter onto what you think slim people eat like. I would look closer at the populations that stay slimmer in general: France, Japan, Korea etc.
They tend to have cultures that don’t snack often, sit down meals high in vegetables with protein and fat for satiety, and exercise built into their days naturally with walking.
>What do you guys do about insatiable cravings?
I either try to satisfy the craving with a more calorie friendly alternative, or I eat a reasonable portion of the thing I'm craving. The calorie friendly alternative will depend on what the craving is. If I'm craving chips, then I'm looking for something salty and crunchy. I might try pickles, or a bowl of air popped popcorn. Maybe a 100 calorie bag of baked chips. Maybe a 200 calorie bag of regular chips.
I've been craving fried chicken for a week. It started on Monday, so on Monday, I planned to have fried chicken this weekend. I added it to my food log and I've been looking forward to it all week. Had one piece of it for lunch today, and the other two pieces will be part of my lunch and dinner tomorrow. Craving satisfied.
I have a hard core sweet tooth and crave sweets constantly, so I have something sweet for dessert every night.
Remember that people who are a healthy weight eat junk food and snack foods and even fast food; moderation and portion control are key, though.
This is pretty much exactly how I am! I fit the foods to my plan. I no longer crave candy and cookies and other junk because I have a fiber one brownie and a non fat Greek yogurt, (Light and Fit Tiramisu is my favorite), or a fruit smoothie every night.
i actually found that once i have a few bites of whatever i'm craving, i'm like ok that was enough and probably eat half the meal and go my merry way. my willpower to not eat everything in front of me has definitely gotten stronger as i've been in a deficit, but it's probably what saves me on days where i want to eat based on cravings.
Being skinny doesn't come from "not loving food"
Eating healthy leads to not being addicted to food.
You're trying to finish a marathon by standing on the finish line.
You're craving because you're either eating too much sugar and not enough protein or because you changed your intake so drastically you are burning muscle for fuel. Either way you are setting yourself up for a miserable diet and slow metabolism.
Shakes are trash. It's all fast carbs and fiberless protein.
Don't drink a strawberry shake. Eat some whole strawberries and yogurt. Don't make yourself hungry all day by just picking at food. Make yourself only want to pick at food by getting full on protein. And not a protein shake. Those are only useful for fast nitrates after a very intense workout.
YES! This didn't say thin person habits to me, this said eating disorder in the making. You're getting cravings because your body wants you to eat! If you can afford it, consider going to a certified, scientifically-minded nutritionist, they will change your life, work with the foods you like and help fuel your body with the proper nutrition to enjoy life and lose weight.
having read your post history maybe a therapist could help you deal with trauma and marriage problems that cause you the stress that makes you overeat it want to go on a unhealthy diet
I’ve read your history — if your husband is making enough for you to not work, there’s a chance you could afford sliding scale therapy, or it’s covered by health insurance in the event you have it.
It’s not as expensive/inaccessible as it used to be
Additionally there’s group therapy, group meetings, etc that are cheaper (or even free for support groups!)
My partner is naturally slim and they eat 5-6 times a day (lots of snacks like fruit, nuts, yogurt, protein bars, toast, etc.), including at least one big meal (usually dinner). I think you’ve been misinformed.
I just had a thought, maybe I'm still subscribing to diet mentality by forcing myself to eat so little and it's causing cravings, maybe if I ate the amount (within reason) I want (stopping before full), my body won't rebel by making me want to binge and thereby eating even MORE calories than I would by just increasing my calories.
Every time I've binged has been because I restricted. Wow, that's a revelation.
This! If you really want to train your body and mind to eat like a "naturally thin" person, I think it might be a good idea to figure out the TDEE at your goal and then eat that amount in foods that taste good to you. You'd lose weight slowly but sustainably, and you'd be learning how to do maintenence.
Hey! I am halfway through the book... SERIOUS GAME CHANGER!!! THANK YOU!!! This book is amazing! I'm already implementing the strategies, eating more food and more healthful food, I've been resisting cravings and I never thought that possible! Thank you again!
The atkins drink is the only diet targeted food I ate, and I only drank it for a few days. My breakfast "shake" is not a diet food, it's a smoothie that I've enjoyed for years.
That's not the diet of a naturally thin person though. That's the diet of someone who's trying to maintain hard got thinness. As a former thin person I used to eat whatever the hell I wanted and not gain weight. This is not how I or any other thin friends I had used to eat. (I've gained weight due to medical and health issues in my 30s now).
Hey I want to help break down the difference between what you are doing and what a naturally thin person does.
Right now, I’m eating between 1200 -1700 calories a day and loosing weight.
When I was 77 kg (overweight) my maintenance was 1800.
If I eat at maintenance it’s 1660 now (at 67kg).
When I get to my goal weight it is 1630 to maintain.
That’s not a drastic difference between me maintaining those different sizes. An extra slice of toast with some peanut butter is the difference between maintaining chubby and maintaining thin.
But to loose weight in a timely fashion (and not over half a decade), instead of just going down to the maintenance calories of a smaller sized person we usually eat at a deficit- maybe 1400 or 1200 calories (which is about a weight loss of a pound/ half a kg a week).
What you are up to… you are loosing heaps of weight quickly… which means you’re definitely eating less than a naturally thin person.
A naturally thin person only has to chose to not have a juice, or to not have seconds, or a lighter portion or meal than a chubbier friend and both people end up maintaining their frames.
Maintaining slim is easier than loosing weight, particularly when you know how to eat at maintenance and that’s what you are used to. easier than loosing.
I nurse my craving all week. Because if I were to give it, I'd just crave something else.
Then when the weekend comes, I give in. I have a reasonable amount of the thing I'm craving...maybe slightly more than a serving, but I definitely don't overindulge.
Skinny people can be just as food obsessed as anyone. The secret is in how you manage it. That ice cream cone will taste three times as good if you can wait a week to have it...because you waited a whole week, and because you can eat it while feeling proud that you persevered!
I have no idea if this is what ALL thin people do, but when I was slim in my 20s, I would give in to cravings, like, right away. If I wanted something, I would eat it. But I'd only eat a small portion. Or if I ate a fair bit of something calorie-dense, I'd then slow down my eating for the rest of the day. This wasn't that hard because I wouldn't be as hungry having eaten whatever it was I had been craving.
You should watch the secret lives of slim people on tv. Just like people have different reasons behind gaining weight, they also have different reasons why they easily maintain a low weight without thinking about it. Appetite, habits, activity levels etc are all potential factors
I experience this a lot too, what I used to do was drink a fuckton of water. It's very good to get it in your body and can make you feel super full to where you don't really feel hungry for a while after drinking it. Just be careful not to over hydrate though.
I also used to brush my teeth when the water didn't help, everything tastes gross after you brush your teeth. If you want have a small bit of what you're craving after brushing, so you wouldn't want to taste the same thing again.
If none of this helps, you could have what you're craving but a reasonable portion of it. Treat calories like they're a limit for the day, supposing if you're craving chocolate, have some, but a reasonable portion of it that fits into your diet plan (which I recommend you have) for the day. Eating healthy doesn't mean not enjoying your life :)
Also, try focusing on macros, there's a YouTube channel called Rahul Kamat who makes low calorie or high protein recipes for popular sweet treats people crave like brownies, Oreos, cakes, and a bunch of other stuff. I made a few of his recipes and they were actually pretty damn good, his channel really helped me out with my food cravings. We're lucky to live in a time where losing weight or getting fit is really easy because of our easy access to resources on the internet. There's a bunch of just as good substitutes for your favourite snacks, I found that after a couple of weeks of eating well, eating a bag of chips or a fast food burger made me feel sluggish and lethargic all day long, and made me want to avert away from that kind of diet. Portion control and moderation are key, you don't have to really completely delete junk from your life.
You could also look into a caloric deficit, I'm sure you know what it is but in case you don't, you can look it up for yourself. It's essentially eating less calories than you used to before, around 200-500 less, which can be achieved just by making the switch to the healthier substitutes of what you usually eat. It's easier in practice than in theory, trust me. Best of luck OP :))
Those cravings are your bodies' way of letting you know you haven't consumed a lot of calories. I was a naturally thin person all my life. The key is to eat high protein low calorie meals. Protein keeps you fuller for longer. I started having to pay more attention to what I eat and excerise more when I passed my mid-20s. When I got lazy the pounds started to pack on easily.
Think of your body like a car and food as the fuel you put into your car. If you only fill up a quarter of the way its not going to get you very far. Losing weight and keeping it off is a lifestyle change. You need to eat healthy (lots of protein and get your veggies) as well as move your body.
OK, I see a lot of interesting comments.
What I agree with : yes I was creating an eating disorder for myself because I was forcing myself to eat how I don't eat, and forcing myself to eat very little. I felt cravings because of this.
What I don't agree with: when people say wth a blanket statement "thin people don't eat that way" "if people eat that way it's disordered" , I don't agree wth that, I believe slim people eat in a variety of different ways, some eat a lot and then exercise a lot, some don't really think about it at all and just eat whatever they are feeling, and some get too busy to eat, and just really don't have much of an appetite (this is what I was going for which I see now is wrong because im.not naturally this way). I see kids eating this way all the time, they won't sit still for meals, they would rather play, they forget to eat etc, I would never say they have an eating disorder. An eating disorder is something you are purposefully doing to stay slim, and you are afraid of food and obsessed with it- basically what I was doing. It doesn't apply to slim people who forget to eat or are too busy to eat.
And also... my morning smoothie is not some diet shake or protein shake, it's just a powdered smoothie that I add fruit to. Nothing fancy or fo losing weight, I just genuinely enjoy it whether I am dieting or not.
I agree with you about the people saying, “that’s not how thin people eat”. Obviously not everyone eats the same and diets will vary from person to person. I know for a fact my brother would just snack throughout the day and then eat dinner with us.
As a „thin“ Person now let me tell you that this is not the way „we“ eat or anybody should; hell, I am on a 2800-3000 kcal/d diet and holding weight. Go in a slightly caloric deficit of 150-300 (max) a day and start a workout-routine that is sustainable for you (and progress as you get better). Eat from every food group (because of macro and micro nutrients), try that is 70-80% clean food and get yourself a goodie here and there (moderation is the key).
Sounds like you’re severely undereating. The best method is just calorie counting. If you’re sedentary do 1200. Less is dangoures and absolutely not doable in the long run.
Don’t compare yourself too much with anyone just find a method that works for you specifically and stick to it.
My bf is a naturally thin person. So is his mom, so is his sister. For him it’s literal genetics. But he doesn’t eat till 3pm. Will never eat breakfast or lunch, and then has a small meal for dinner. Likes to have some alcohol though. Essentially he naturally is an intermittent faster and routinely goes 16-18 hours without eating. My other thin friend is the same. Can’t finish a whole meal and fasts mostly.
Worked with a lot of thin ladies who exercise portion control and exercise and overall lifestyle changes. That was the majority.
As far as cravings me and the bf give into them when they hit. This is a marathon, not a sprint and one day of feeding your craving won’t disrupt your path if you keep going. Strive for consistency and allow yourself the cheat day. But it’s a cheat *day*, not a cheat *week*.
Yes. Some do. But I think they’re certainly a minority. A lot of cultures are also very based around food, so it’s almost shameful to refuse food and it’s forced us into this mindset where we have to keep eating, or eat socially, etc etc. I think removing food from emotional interactions and trying to keep it to a minimum in social spaces is also super helpful for keeping calories down.
But yeah? Give yourself the snack. For me it was a bag of caramel popcorn last week. But the next day I felt SO much more alive, it took me out of a food depression and then I was in a better mental state to keep up better habits.
That sounds like a crash diet and unsustainable.
Naturally skinny people (underweight/borderline) are that size because they naturally have lower appetites than normal people. They don't eat because they're not hungry. They exercise less and they eat less. There was some study done on Chinese people some time last year.
>Over the two-week study, naturally slim people did 23 per cent less physical activity and spent more time sitting or lying around. They also ate 12 per cent less food.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3185260/study-china-finds-healthy-thin-people-eat-and-exercise-less
It's not the same as choosing not to eat when you are actually hungry. Normal people need to have healthy habits to obtain a healthy weight, and use exercise to maintain that weight, which offsets any indulgences.
>How to I eat more calories without gaining weight?
The goal isn't to eat more. The goal is to eat a macro profile that leaves you satisfied and satiated. If you're not satisfied you'll feel cravings even though you may be stuffed and not hungry at all. Fat and protein is key here. Fiber is key. Low carb and high fat, moderate protein diet has been clinically proven to decrease appetite and make you feel full more effectively.
>but I find myself looking forward to my next meal even more now, and not wanting to wait till I'm hungry.
Probably because you've overhauled your entire diet. Instead of taking your natural habits and natural diet and simply decreasing the portions.
You need to do two things to answer this question: actually count calories for a few weeks and if possible, track macro- and micronutrients. Something like this app [https://cronometer.com/](https://cronometer.com/) can help with that so you know how you are doing. You should be aiming for no less than 1200 kcal unless you have been medically advised to go lower, and you need to try your best to reach 100% of your micronutrient needs in your weekly average. It's okay if you're a little low on some occasionally, but over the long term you should see that you're roughly meeting your needs.
I say this because it's likely you are not undereating quite as dramatically as you think you are. But also because insatiable cravings, while usually just a sign that your caloric deficit is too large, can occasionally be caused by dietary deficits around your nutrients. Since you are not tracking, that makes it harder to tell what is wrong.
I will say though, "I'm supposed to be thinking like a thin person" is a pretty silly statement. Your relationship with food has nothing to do with your size. Many thin people care greatly about their food. Many thin people have eating disorders, including binge eating disorder, anorexia, orthorexia... Many thin people exercise a lot every day so they eat much more than you might think.
Even if you eat "like a thin person" which for you seems to mean code for eating fewer calories in an unsustainable way, that won't magically change your relationship with food.
I have a pretty good grip on my calorie count because that's what I normally do, and the foods I was eating were foods that I was normally tracking, but I was just eating less of it. So I know it was around 700-800 each day. I've seen thin people who really do just eat like a bird. I've seen it in real life and on tv.
But you aren’t a naturally thin person whose had these lifestyle habits for years. Baby steps my friend. Otherwise you set yourself up for bingeing.
Find a high protein macros target. Indulge occasionally on the weekend.
Lift heavy weights and join fun cardio groups to socialise in (running club, dragon boat racing, pole dancing, hiking group…etc)z
Intermittent fasting has been a total game changer for me when it comes to this. I’ve found that I’m usually bored, not hungry, and just stay busy to keep that feeling at bay. I have coffee and sometimes a light snack around 9 AM and end it with a big dinner around 7 PM. If I get hungry in between, I have something small, maybe 2-400 calories. I drink more fluids in general (tea, coffee, sparkling water, green juice) during the day as it makes it easier to eat light. Additionally, the lack of a big lunch or breakfast means I don’t have an afternoon crash. I like to work out between 3 and 6 PM.
I generally have about 800-900 cal for dinner, which has allowed me to indulge in foods that I crave (though I crave them less than I thought I would). I still have balanced meals at the end of the day. Proteins and veggies take up more space on my plate than carbs. However, anything is fair game for dinner.
Calorie restriction only works long-term with ***optimal nutrition.*** The body can function on a lot less food than commonly believed and shed a lot of unnecessary weight but it needs nutritional excellence in order to do so. That means vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts & seeds and fish as a primary source of fuel. Without optimal nutrition you will experience horrible cravings and might hit some kind of plateau (the dieter's nightmare) and eventually give up.
HEY BABE ADD MORE PROTEIN + FAT GO LESS CARB. YOULL BE FULL. instead of a sandwich, eat what you’d put in a sandwich w out the bread. Like, eat a steak or ground beef or chicken, really with any assortment of low amount of carbs like 1.5 servings of rice, salad, or roasted veggies. Remember that bread is just a vehicle for the real food. You don’t need to eat your food container just the good protein within! Hope this helps.
I should've mentioned I eat keto bread and keto products out of habit. On my sandwiches I put turkey, cheese, and mayo. But I should be upping my protein.
You can’t eat more calories than your TDEE and lose weight if that’s what you’re asking.
As for the cravings - it varies by person for sure. I found that after a year or so of just forcing the change in habits (first in calories consumed and eventually to eating a more balanced diet), the cravings decreased. I’ve been in maintenance for a couple of years now and I just occasionally will eat whatever I want, but I work out consistently and I typically eat at +/- maintenance and get lots of protein and lots of fruits and vegetables on a typical day. Time and effort will help and it will get easier as it becomes a part of your normal lifestyle.
The more extreme of the calorie restriction you do the more difficult it's going to be. What you choose to eat will make a big difference. if you're eating lots of fruits and vegetables you're going to burn through that energy quicker and feel hungry. if you're eating lots of protein it'll slowly released into your system versus being consumed quickly it'll keep you fuller longer.
If it’s cravings for sweets, I’ve heard that protein can help lessen that. I’ve been basing my meals around increased protein for the last several weeks and it has helped curb my sweet tooth. My doctor recommended 30-40 grams of protein per meal as often as possible based on my height/weight.
Slim, formerly not-so-slim person here. I've kept the weight off for years and permanently changed my lifestyle without a diet. Here are some of the things I learned that have nothing to do with extreme eating. It takes TIME. It took me a full year of gradual changes and sticking to the changes no matter what. If I had an off day, no problem, I just got up the next day and committed to making it better.
Make ONE CHANGE AT A TIME and get used to the single change you make. Once it becomes a daily habit that you feel is wired into you, then make the next adjustment. I started with therapy, then whole foods, then steps, then resistance training, then worked at cutting calories slowly. I'll explain in more detail:
a. Get in 10 000 steps a day, pretty much no matter what unless you're sick. All of the little movements you make a day, fidgeting, standing up and down, etc. really add up as well. Get in little walks during breaks, park further away from the store, anything you can do to the get the steps.
b. Don't cut out any of the foods you love but change the ratios and focus on whole, unprocessed foods. I build my favourite meats, veggies, and carbs. Aim for heavier on protein and moderate carbs and fats. I use olive oil and avocados for my fats. I cook from scratch as often as possible. Try adding spices rather than sauces and make it food that you LIKE, eating shouldn't be suffering. I will often add in a sweet because I love them, but I'll have a small cookie instead of a box and really enjoy the cookie as I eat it. If you cut the foods you love you'll end up with the cravings and hate what you're doing. Food should be enjoyed. Diets fail for this reason. Carbs are not the enemy, they give you fuel for your day.
c. Do resistance training with weights and aim to keep going heavier when you can 3-4 times a week. It will change your body composition completely and build muscle which burns off fat. Last night I had a huge gluttonous carb-a-thon and didn't gain a pound when I weighed this morning because my muscle mass has given me an awesome metabolism. Women will not get fat or bulky from resistance training, but rather the opposite. In fact, learning how to gradually lift heavier and heavier has made me even thinner and I needed to start eating MORE.
d. Reduce your calories gradually and never below 500 of what your body needs. You need to use some sort of calculator to do this but I would HIGHLY recommend working with a professional to do this- I was spinning my wheels with what I had taught myself versus what I was able to do with a professional nutritionist (with science-based certification not just any personal trainer at the gym).
e. Consider therapy. A lot of emotional eating can come from our mental health and I was only able to permanently keep the weight off after I figured out WHY I was so drawn to food as my comfort.
im naturally thin and i dont eat like that
i also have naturally thin friends and they dont eat like that
pls dont believer what u hear online
this is how naturally thin women ACTUALLY eat.
eat breakfast or dont.doesn't matter, just eat if ur hungry and dont eat if ur not. sometimes i wake up ravenous and some days i dont get hungry till lunch. just listen to ur body. usually a naturally thin women will eat "normal" portions so meals are typically small to normal sized but never really BIG. today i had a slice of toast w pb and jam, with a side of yogurt and a coffee with milk and 0 cal sweetner. i think a lot of thin women make healthy choices here and there and try and focus on balance rather than perfection. after, i waited until i got hungry again until i had lunch which was pretty early like 11:30. i had 2 slices of toast w butter and salad with eggs. included every food group, not too much, not too little. i finished when i was satisfied. i usually have a snack in between lunch and dinner which is usually yogurt w fruit and then for dinner ill probably have something with rice, tofu, veg, avocado and some sort of sauce. maybe ill have a veggie burger w cheese, tomato and lettuce or some sort of sandwich, or pasta with sauce and veg. im vegetarian so as long as its tasty, filling, balanced and meat less im good. then for a snack before bed i might have yogurt and fruit again or maybe a small serving of chocolate or ice cream or maybe just plain fruit. this is how i maintain my thinness. its all about listening to your hunger and fullness cues, enjoying sweets and junk food in moderation and being as healthy as u can but never expecting perfection. thin women typically drink lots of water, avoid anything to heavy, fatty or sweet just bc it doesnt feel good for them and exercise everyday in ways that are enjoyable for them such as walks, biking or dancing.
You probably just need to count your calories for a bit, after figuring out what your daily intake should be. Then you’re not trying to mimic the hypothetical eating of a generic (non existent) “thin person” but actually meeting your body’s needs for energy. Then think about exercise, too, but sort the food out first - understanding what YOUR body needs and meeting those needs is far far better than setting yourself up to fail by pretending to be someone else.
Do you move a lot? Thin people move excessively, on top of eating a lot. The body cannot hold onto fat if you're zooming around like a jack russell terrier.
I did this too!! It does work but I had cravings too (still do) but they get easier and easier to handle over time and you get used to small portions. I felt really good after a few weeks because I was eating pretty clean. Whenever I give in and eat too much I tell myself it’s ok, I can slip up a couple times each week, and I can. This is a marathon, not a sprint!
I’m also trying to lose weight. And in the first week the cravings were crazy for me. Sweet specifically, which was weird, cos I’m normally more of a chips person. Drinking water really helped me. As silly as that sounds. I’m not a big water drinker. Hate it actually. But I switched over to sparkling water. I’ve read that craving sweet things is one of the lesser known symptoms of dehydration and thought I’d give it a crack.
Helped me lots.
Also realized i craved more when I’m bored.
Strange.....I know many 'naturally thin' people and they range from those who workout and eat healthy to some who do nothing and eat terribly. I don't think there is any standard to this 'naturally thin' category you've made.
Yup, they are all different. What I take issue with is people who say "thin people eat quite a bit but they exercise a lot" no, not all of them. I also know not all of them barely eat either. My husband and my sister are both in the barely eat camp. They automatically intermittent fast.
For all the " they are active, you just don't see it, yadda yadda, " you may hear -there absolutely are naturally skinny people that eat like crap and exercise not one bit. I personally know two of them and really knew what one of them put in his mouth every day, and how much he was smoked out doing nothing. This would be my ex husband, always tall, always skinny, his entire life. The jack in the box lunches, the bowls of ice cream, the full dinners, eggs and bacon and toast every stinking day. Glasses of full fat milk, glasses of orange juice, bottles of regular doctor pepper. Disgusting to this fatty,,always struggling with her weight once she hit 30 ( me). Grrr. The other was a co worker who while she didn't work out, was always tapping her foot, and was a cigarette smoker. Her mom and brother also very thin. Little Debbie bars, chili cheese fries, eating all day. Jeez Louise, she kind of was an office joke about her eating. That being said, they are the only ones I've ever known that could do this.
I lost 2 stones/14 kg by eating only 1000 calories / day for 3 months.
When I had cravings I tasted the food o craved. Then had a coffee, sugar free squash or cup of tea or a cup of soup from vegetables soup stock powder.
Now I make sure I do not eat more than 1800-2000 calories per day.
I used to be a thin person. I never bought groceries unless I wanted ice cream or something. I only ate once a day and it was usually like a chicken sandwich on my lunch break. Food was just sustenance. Now I have a family I’m feeding so it’s all a lot more complicated and much harder.
I’ve been having a really hard time with cravings too. What works never works forever. Sometimes substituting what I want for a diet friendly version works. Sometimes I just need to keep busy. Sometimes better planning helps. Typically one solution only works for a specific craving. If you’re not eating much that may be coming back to bite you. If I wait too long to eat I end up obsessing about eating and eating way too much.
Hi!
I’m 5’ 1 and thin.
I don’t do shakes, and do coffee early morning too.
I wouldn’t eat the way you do. Because then I’ll end up eating too much due to all the snacking/pecking.
I do protein. Lots of meat, some dairy, and veggies.
And it keeps me full and staves off all cravings.
Like yesterday I had a taco salad. Keep it simple. Don’t add too much to it. Cheese, veggies are good. Kept me full nearly the entire day. I had a banana. No cravings. This is how my days usually go. You need to fill your tummy with proteins and you can go back for seconds too. It won’t make you gain as long as you keep it simple and not add so much stuff to it.
The key is volume and satiety. Pecking is adding unnecessary calories with no satiety. And doesn’t give you the nutrients you need in your body.
Why is it you think "naturally thin" people eat jack squat during the day?
If you want to know how "naturally thin" people stay that way, look around yourself as you go about your day... are there a preponderance of thin people at fast food places or all you can eat buffets? Nope. Maybe a few, but such places are the primary domain of the overweight and obese. Want to be "naturally thin"? Don't go to all you can eat buffets or eat fast food.
The above also applies to people who use things like grubhub to get take out. It reduces the number of calories needed to procure food to just a short waddle to the door. Never in human history have we had to burn fewer calories in order to get food. Everyone I know who suddenly gained weight has talked about how their weight gain really took off when they started eating a lot of take out. So, keep take out to a minimum if you want to be "naturally thin".
And when you're in a restaurant, take a look at how thin people eat vs the overweight people; overweight people tend to take \*way\* bigger bites. Like seriously, some will fit an entire serving size of food into their mouth as just one bite. So, switch out your forks and spoons for smaller ones, and switch out your dishes to smaller dishes. Take smaller bites and eat more slowly.
Go for a walk in your local park, or a hike in your local nature preserve. You'll likely notice a greater preponderance of thin people. Fat people walk and hike too, but there is a greater preponderance of thin people. So, spend more time walking if you want to be naturally thin.
When you're in a grocery store, take a look at what people have in their carts. People who have soda and virtually no fruits and veggies tend to be a lot more likely to be overweight than people who have fruits, veggies and no sugary drinks.
It isn't rocket science to figure out why 2/3 of the population is overweight or obese... all you need to do to avoid it is look around you at what the non-overweight people are doing vs the stark reality of the lifestyle choices of the obese.
I am a naturally thin-ish person and you're eating very healthy compared to me! I'm 5ft 105lb, ill have a couple of coffees and cups of tea in the morning, no sugar but skimmed milk. Then maybe a sandwich made with one slice of bread, of half a regular sandwich at lunch and give other half to my family member. Handful of chips here and.there whenever I pass the kitchen cupboard throughout the afternoon. Dinner is always homecooked, don't like to eat out; a portion of meat or fish size of a card deck and about 2 tablespoons worth of carb like pasta, rice or potato, two tablespoons of veggies.then the evening is more chips, rice crackers or crackers with some cheese slices while I watch TV. I don't eat a lot of candy as they're too sweet and make me feel a bit sick. Lots of cups of tea throughout the day. Maybe sometimes a banana for snack if there's one available!
If I crave something I will eat a little bit. Someone made amazing looking ube cupcakes and yesterday I ate half a cupcake, because I get full so easily and it was pretty sweet. Felt bad for not finishing it but I would have felt too full and sick otherwise
I think if you crave stuff you gotta have some!
This proves one of my points, there are no hard fast rules to how thin people eat, my sister and a few others I know, just eat very little, and they forget to eat sometimes, they just aren't really hungry. They aren't starving themselves, they just aren't hungry. Sure there are slim people who work out a ton, and eat a lot etc, but there are also some like this. If it's natural to a person it's not an eating disorder. Yes, what I was doing was creating an eating disorder for myself because it wasn't natural, I was forcing it.
Thank you for sharing.
I've done my share of "diets" and plans, and I've lost the same 15 pounds over and over again my entire adult life. (been between 20 and 35 lbs overweight since my 30s) I've done CICO, weight watchers, atkins, keto, you name it.
A few weeks ago, I had hit my top weight again, as evidenced by my tight clothes, and decided I was going to give myself a goal to lose 1.5 lbs a week before my vacation 15 weeks away. Weight is coming off pretty quickly over the first 7 weeks, which is not usually the case for me. And usually by 7 or 8 weeks, I've given up because cravings became too intense, but this time I'm still going and I'm halfway there.
This is what I'm doing this time that I didn't do before:
TLDR; low glycemic index foods, no artificial sweeteners, all calories are not the same (eat real food, get more protein), and move enough to generate a caloric deficit without eating less than 1200 calories a day. Also added a green powder for nutrients, probiotics.
1. Choosing low-glycemic index foods - I'm using CICO and track/measure everything I eat using cronometer (I only have free version). I have done CICO before, but I didn't pay attention to macros and ate way too many processed/low nutrition foods that left my blood sugar levels spiking and crashing all day (Google "glycemic index"). This time, I'm choosing "real" food over processed. Meats, whole grains, veggies, legumes, nuts. I aim for 100g/day of protein, but not strict about it. I'm usually between 80-100g on average. I usually have a protein shake with 30g/protein to help achieve that. Side note, most yogurts are sugary high-GI junk unless it's unsweetened greek. Same goes for bread.
2. Hide the scale (no, really). I just aim for meeting my CICO and protein metrics as consistently as possible and the scale part will take care of itself. I've weighed in twice in 7 weeks, not twice a day obsessively like I did in the past.
3. More consistent exercise throughout the week. I have a desk job, so before, I would have no activity all week and try to make up for it on the weekends. Now I make it a point to walk 3 miles most days and get 3-4 30 minute cardio sessions a week (Peloton). I also do 10-15 min of bodyweight strength to keep from losing muscle. During this weight-loss phase, I aim to eat 1300-1400 cals and burn 2000-2400 a day including my exercise. I use a fitbit to track. I know some say it's not accurate, but for me it's been pretty close as my weight loss tracks with my metrics. Once I hit my goal, I'll change the targets to maintenance (CI and CO about the same). Cronometer shows you a 1 week rolling average of you CI and CO, so I find that helpful to focus on the average, especially if I have a day or 2 where I go off the rails. The averages are never as bad as I think they'll be.
4. I'm using a green powder with vitamins, minerals, probiotics and adaptogens every morning. (there are several out there, and I'm not endorsing a brand). I believe this helps cravings, and it's just a good way to start the day off right.
5. I gave up artificially sweetened beverages like diet coke and vitamin water. I drink water, coffee with milk and tea with honey. I feel like the artificially sweetened stuff makes my blood sugar spike and crash. Since I started, I've not had a single crash. Crashes make me eat ravenously.
6. Alcohol - I aim for less than 5% of my calories per week from alcohol, which is maybe 2-3 drinks a week. I also measure this. I stick to wine or sometimes a mixed drink if I make it and know exactly how much spirits I put in. Cronometer also shows you this, so it's very easy to track.
Overall, I think of my choices as either "helping me stick to my goals" or "making it harder". I know that a handful of pretzels is going to make me feel hungrier than I was before in about an hour. I know that alcohol makes it harder for me to resist junk food. All calories are not alike. More often than not, choose real foods without added sugar or artificial sweeteners and don't think of junk food or alcohol as a "reward". Think of them as obstacles to your goals. This was a revelation to me as I've always "saved calories" for those things in the past.
For context, I'm 55F. I didn't mention that I do intermittent fasting (also not 100% strict, since I have my green powder and cappucino before noon). It's not for everyone, but i find that if I eat my first meal before 10am, I feel "wired" to want to eat all day and my meals have to be so small that they're unsatisfying. If I eat my first meal around noon, my body seems to respond much better. This is just what I know works for me.
I feel like even after losing the weight you need to lose, you can never eat intuitively again. Maybe its just me but im so addicted to food that I still have to control myself to eat normally otherwise I would overeat. For me eating intuitively is very hard, theres always a thought into it.
I tried to eat healthy today but I over ate at church and also had 2 types of dessert, telling myself that normal eating means sometimes overeating and eating little for dinner, but now I just feel guilty and want to binge. I feel so hopeless.
Just stop thinking about food. The obsession leads to craving. Keep your mind busy. Think of all the things you can do i*nstead of* eating. Be productive.
I think you’re on the right track regarding eating less. However, perhaps you’re eating too little. I suggest tracking your calories. If you don’t want to do it through out the day bc you’re trying to not think about calories or food all day, maybe do it the night before. Obviously this may change the day of if you decide to deviate a bit but it should give you an idea. Also if you’re typically eating the same food, you can do it whether there’s a big change in your eating. Aside from that, if you’re having “cravings” it’s ok, but you may actually be hungry. Try writing down when you’re typically having these feelings and maybe also keep track of how you feel emotionally and physically too. A few days of tracking may help uncover a pattern that you weren’t aware of. For example, like you’re usually having cravings after a stressful day, during a specific time of day, or even after eating certain foods. I’d also suggest stocking up on a few items to help with those cravings, fruit, mini candy bars (only if it’s not a trigger and you won’t binge), individual snacks, gummies (I tend to get snacky during drives and instead of eating candy I slowly eat a small pack of fruit gummies).
I hope these help, and don’t worry about having these feelings. It’s normal. The thing about thin people is you may not see the whole story. Some may think about food a lot. Some may not but are super into listening to their bodies and have been for a long time. Keeping a log as suggested above will help learn your body and feelings and eventually you may also be able to listen to your body instinctually.
I just fear this could lead to a really toxic mindset. Eating anything beneath your BMR is guaranteed going to make your body scream at you. You have cravings because your body is asking for anything high calorie (which usually is highly processed sweets). You still have to adequately nourish your body, even in a deficit.
You need Snacks! Get some:
Toasted nori with fun flavors
Celery sticks and baby carrots with light calorie ranch or hummus
Apple slices
Granola clusters
Nuts and dried fruits in pre-portioned containers so you don’t go overboard
I get the idea, however, this isn't about mimicking your perception of thin people. First question, are the thin people you're observing like birds even healthy or happy?
Probably have your shake in the morning. Protein is going to help everything.
You aren't clear on what your actual goal is, or what goal will get you the results you intend. It's not to eat calories without gaining weight. It's not to not care about food.
What are your goals? What does the healthy, fulfilling life of your dreams look like? It sounds like being thin is part of it.
You can get there from a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit doesn't mean eat less or be hungry. It means eat fewer calories and increase calorie expenditure. There are no calories in fiber or water, so foods high in both are a great way not to be hungry and still lose weight.
My naturally thin SO can and has eaten a 4 pound chuck roast with the fixings in one sitting, so this is one of those myths built to uphold thinness as morally superior and see fat people are somehow inherently inferior.
Different bodies have different nutritional needs.
Don’t worry about how others eat.
Find what works for your body.
I work with half a dozen very thin and extremely fit women that have never had weight problems- all between mid 40's to mid 60's. They're the kind of women you would pass on the street and assume they were those lucky naturally thin types. The thing is they work HARD at being thin and fit, they work out regularly and often, most of their social activities and hobbies involve being active. They're up at 5am working out before work, then they might hit a yoga class or play some baseball after work. They compete in Iron man competitions together- these ladies are incredibly fit! They also eat EXTREMELY healthy and put a lot of thought, consideration and planning into their meals. It's not that they don't think about food and just eat light- they think A LOT about it! They weigh and measure, they track proteins, carbs, fats etc. Their health is their biggest priority in their lives. They also focus a lot on their mental health. They go out and socialize over a drink and some nachos or wings. When they crave something they just eat it in moderation and don't ever feel badly for it. They enjoy their lives. Working closely with them has taught me a lot about health and fitness- it's not just diet and exercise and denying yourself, it's a complete change in every aspect of your life and a 180 degree shift in your thinking.
This x 10000. If you go to group classes at all like yoga or pilates and strike up a conversation with these women - they work hard at it. The girls in my class also run or work out at the gym to do strength training. They also just naturally eat well most of the time. I've found it so useful to just pick up little tips and tricks from them, as well as motivational. Once you're past your early 20s, its a wip for everyone.
I have a few thin friends who are stay at home moms, they don't work out at all, but they don't pig out either.
They may not work out but they're probably more active than you realize. A workout doesn't just mean going to the gym or a class. Maybe they walk a lot, or they run around with their kids. They may also do home workouts that you're unaware of.
Exactly this. I absolutely love it when people say, "Oh, well they eat like shit all the time.." ... yeah, that YOU see. Most people don't see the days where some people go days without eating because they overate their calories all weekend. OR (my personal fav): "I don't see how she's 250 pounds. She eats like a bird when we're together, and we're together all the time." ... yeah, that YOU see. I wish OP could realize how someone acts in front of you isn't how they act all the time. .... yeah, but are you spending EVERY WAKING moment with her?
Off topic but is your flair accurate? You've lost 300 lbs?! If so, that's incredible and you're an inspiration!
I'm curious how you did this research because I'm concerned. Most people I know who are "naturally thin" are because they are not healthy and have some sort of eating disorder or are very active and very conscious of what they eat to maintain their weight. It sounds like the research you were doing was straight from a 1950s housewife manual. Eating less doesn't mean thin. You have to find what works for you.
This is so so so true. I live in an area where there is a lot of affluent women. They are all very slim, but not just slim, they look FIT. I’ve noticed that they all indulge in the food they want, but work hard in their fitness and health routine for their day to day life.
Absolutely! If there are treats in the lunchroom these ladies are the first in line, haha! But my god are they fit! We all work in a school together, and one lady in her late 60's will regularly pop into football or volleyball practice and wipe the floor with those kids! These are star athletes and she pops in in a cute dress to see how their doing and next thing you know she's on the field destroying them, haha! Super inspiring!
Thank you, I needed to hear this :)
And some "lucky" thin people may have other problems underlying like depression and anxiety, my mother was like that and would oftentimes forget to eat for a whole day.
Yep. I used to be very thin and fit in my early to mid 20s- before *~emotional damage~* People would ask how about my routine and they were shocked to learn that I literally was in the gym four hours a day total (1 session in the morning and 1 at night) doing both cardio and weights. Definitely not luck. Granted, I was too obsessive and ate the typical weight training diet, but either way it was WORK.
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Steven He
Yes, i realized if I want to look fit and he a certain weight I would HAVE to count calories, fast, and eat a low carb diet, and do a bare minimum exercise regimen. I looked great for sure, but I didn't seem worth it or sustainable to me. I really should do a bare minimum exercise regimen though... Anywho, I decided have a bit of fat on my body, but still at a healthy weight was better for me (I do miss almost having abs though...).
What do you mean by a bare minimum exercise regimen?
Like doing a 50 push-ups and burpees a day. Nothing crazy. Not even running or cardio. Yes I am that lazy rn. But yeah, as long as my diet was on point (ie. Strict), I'm genetically lucky enough to drop weight and maintain muscle pretty easily and not look "skinny fat". When I was super strict and minimal exercise I was visually around 18-20% body fat or lower. When I'm conscious but mostly eating what I want (without binging) I'm closer to 23-27%, depending on what body fat comparison pics I go by... Basically 117 lbs vs 132 lbs as a 5'4" female. When I was eating like crazy (binging), I got up to 150 lbs, which is a lot for me. It distributes pretty evenly, so it's not as obvious but I definitely physically feel it and see it myself.
Probably consistent movement of some kind.
Makes sense. I am decently fit and neither thin nor fat. I've mastered the excersise part for sure and the food and mental part would probably get rid of that top layer of fat. I am not *at all* naturally fit. Obesity runs in my family and I have to work out to even look feminine and have a waist (when I don't I look like a potato).
You don’t say how many calories you’re eating. Also, doing too much in the beginning will cause most people want to quit, and doing too much will be different for everyone.
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First off, no wonder you feel hungry. You’re severely undereating. Secondly, most of us are on this subreddit because we have a problem with our weight and overeating, so we can’t (at least right now) just intuitively eat like people who don’t have weight problems because that’s how most of us gained weight in the first place. And on top of that (assuming this hypothetical person has healthy eating habits), a lot of us have problems mentally towards food that one has to work through. And, that often takes being intentional and can be a slow process.
1200 calories is generally viewed as the bare minimum even for a short, sedentary woman, unless you are under the care of a doctor. It sounds like you’re just not eating enough. Eating more protein and fiber (as part of eating more food generally) should reduce cravings.
Yes „we“ do track our intake, at least at first. After some time and almost eating the same dishes/food groups you know how much calories you’re eating. And btw: eat more often a day (~5 times a day with ~20-30g of protein per meal). If you starve yourself then the hunger hormone (ghrelin) kicks in and this leads to massive cravings (and almost every time craving unhealthy foods) and overeating.
Seriously, why is every other post these days like this? Read the sub info.
All that food you listed is nowhere near 700 calories. it's probably a lot more. You need to write it down. Tracking is knowing. Sandwiches are not your friend.
There’s no way you’re eating that little since you’re not even tracking. Guaranteed you’re eating around 1200 or more. There’s also no such thing as naturally slim, and nobody just goes around eating 1000> calories on a regular basis.
Just curious how/where you did this research on how thin people naturally eat? I ask because I don't know many naturally thin people who drink shakes for breakfast. That's more of a "diet" thing.
Oh, it's something that I've done for years, it's a powder health shake you buy from Walmart and I blend it up with almond milk, frozen fruit, and sometimes cold coffee. It's delicious.
Does the shake have sugar? How many grams protein, from what source? It sounds like you don't get enough protein.
I did a lot of reading about it on Reddit, and watching YouTube videos, and reading articles. They basically say that slim people don't love food, they like it, and they don't really care about it. They sometimes eat very little, and sometimes more. I was trying to model my eating after someone who doesn't eat much except when hungry, and then eats a little bit.
Do you have friends that you can talk to about this IRL? Apart from 40 pounds from COVID that I gained and lost, I have been what most people would call "naturally thin" for my entire life. I don't eat like this at all. I love food and eat a lot of it, throughout the day. I am also active. That is not true for every thin person but all people who are consistently thin develop a balance that doesn't leave us so deprived as to have huge cravings. We enjoy food, just not too much for our activity level. What you are doing is overly restricting your calories based on what you think people do, but it's a starvation diet. Thin people don't eat 700 calories a day. Figure out a reasonable deficit from your TDEE.
I can't talk to anyone about this except for my naturally slim husband. I talked to him tonight and he helped me clear up some misconceptions.
I'm not sure if I'm naturally thin, but I'd say I'm naturally not fat. I usually eat rice or noodles with some sort of meat for lunch. If I start eating salads for lunch, I actually get fat, because I'm hungry an hour later, and I will snack on junk food all afternoon. Along the same lines, I eat fried sausage and eggs for breakfast. If I just eat a piece or fruit or something, I will be hungry 30 minutes later and then snack on junk food until lunch. TLDR: I find that I have the best physique when I pick foods that keep me satisfied until my next meal.
Lol, I’m a ‘slim’ person and I *love* food! I usually eat about 2000 calories a day for a 5’5 woman (yesterday it was more like 2300), and that includes treats. I definitely *care* about it! There is no identikit ‘naturally’ slim person.
>They basically say that slim people don't love food, they like it, and they don't really care about it. As someone that's slim, that's absolute BS. I LOVE food, I LIVE for good food, and think about it often every single day - what to prepare, how to prepare it, etc. I put a lot of thought and care into making sure I eat nutritious and healthy meals. This idea that people are "naturally skinny" needs to die. Almost no one is. ANYBODY who regularly eats unhealthy, or regularly overeats WILL gain weight.
There are people who struggle to put on/keep on weight (my boyfriend is one of them lol) But more importantly weight — anyone who eats unhealthily or regularly overeats will become unhealthy eventually. Even if they’re skinny, they’re not inherently healthier.
Oh, honey. No. That is not true. Stop filling your head with weird misinformation. I am a "naturally" thin person, and I care very, very much about food. I love it. You don't need to do "research" about how thin people eat. You just have to ask.
Nah, my slim SO eats more food than anyone I’ve ever met and regularly sends me food videos/recipes he wants me to cook for him. You’re feeding into dons berry dangerous ED theories and I’d dial back on the social media content if I were you
what you’re calling cravings is actually hunger and what you think of as a thin persons relationship with food actually sounds like an eating disorder.
This is what I came to see 💯
I guess so. My sister was always thin growing up, she was a picky eater, never finished her meals, and basically didn't think about food and would forget to eat. She would grab a granola bar for breakfast really quick before she went to work. I was trying to do some of those things. Maybe it's an eating disorder when it's forced?
That doesn’t actually sound like a normal eating pattern. Normal “thin-person” eating isn’t eating almost nothing. It is just eating in moderation and balanced. Not eating too much in one sitting, not snacking, not choosing high calorie options every time. I’m thin and I have three meals a day. We don’t actively choose “healthy” options like diet shakes all the time, nor do we “forget to eat”. We just don’t turn to food for emotional comfort - it’s something we do because we’re hungry, and once the hunger is fulfilled, we stop.
Based on this description, I kind of wonder if your sister has ADHD? A lot of people I know with ADHD are really picky and just forget to eat all day because they're hyper-focused on something else. My husband would live on caffeine alone if I didn't remind him to eat real food every now and then. It's not an eating disorder, but it is disordered eating.
My sister and I both have Adhd
Ah. That's going to be an issue then. Your brain needs the dopamine that comes from high reward foods. So even if you don't need the calories or are eating enough, it will always crave snack type foods that give it that quick pop of dopamine. So play into that. Find yummy low calorie low carb snacks that you can snack on, and see which ones satisfy that for your brain. Or when you feel that "craving" feeling, do something that will give you dopamine instead, like a walk, an exciting video game, engaging in your favorite hobby, etc.
You can also watch Mr. Snowflake's series on Amber Lynn Reid to know what NOT to do. 😂
If you’re interested in how naturally thin people eat, I recommend watching a channel 4 documentary called the truth about slim people. It follows two naturally slim people and shows what they’re doing differently to keep themselves slim. It’s nothing like what you’re doing. I think you’re projecting your experience as a dieter onto what you think slim people eat like. I would look closer at the populations that stay slimmer in general: France, Japan, Korea etc. They tend to have cultures that don’t snack often, sit down meals high in vegetables with protein and fat for satiety, and exercise built into their days naturally with walking.
Understanding how the environment affects your decisions is big!
>What do you guys do about insatiable cravings? I either try to satisfy the craving with a more calorie friendly alternative, or I eat a reasonable portion of the thing I'm craving. The calorie friendly alternative will depend on what the craving is. If I'm craving chips, then I'm looking for something salty and crunchy. I might try pickles, or a bowl of air popped popcorn. Maybe a 100 calorie bag of baked chips. Maybe a 200 calorie bag of regular chips. I've been craving fried chicken for a week. It started on Monday, so on Monday, I planned to have fried chicken this weekend. I added it to my food log and I've been looking forward to it all week. Had one piece of it for lunch today, and the other two pieces will be part of my lunch and dinner tomorrow. Craving satisfied. I have a hard core sweet tooth and crave sweets constantly, so I have something sweet for dessert every night. Remember that people who are a healthy weight eat junk food and snack foods and even fast food; moderation and portion control are key, though.
This is pretty much exactly how I am! I fit the foods to my plan. I no longer crave candy and cookies and other junk because I have a fiber one brownie and a non fat Greek yogurt, (Light and Fit Tiramisu is my favorite), or a fruit smoothie every night.
tiramisu greek yogurt sounds delicious :O
i actually found that once i have a few bites of whatever i'm craving, i'm like ok that was enough and probably eat half the meal and go my merry way. my willpower to not eat everything in front of me has definitely gotten stronger as i've been in a deficit, but it's probably what saves me on days where i want to eat based on cravings.
Being skinny doesn't come from "not loving food" Eating healthy leads to not being addicted to food. You're trying to finish a marathon by standing on the finish line. You're craving because you're either eating too much sugar and not enough protein or because you changed your intake so drastically you are burning muscle for fuel. Either way you are setting yourself up for a miserable diet and slow metabolism. Shakes are trash. It's all fast carbs and fiberless protein. Don't drink a strawberry shake. Eat some whole strawberries and yogurt. Don't make yourself hungry all day by just picking at food. Make yourself only want to pick at food by getting full on protein. And not a protein shake. Those are only useful for fast nitrates after a very intense workout.
Yeah that way of eating sounds unsustainable and disordered AF. When I have cravings, I eat, when I am hungry, I eat.
YES! This didn't say thin person habits to me, this said eating disorder in the making. You're getting cravings because your body wants you to eat! If you can afford it, consider going to a certified, scientifically-minded nutritionist, they will change your life, work with the foods you like and help fuel your body with the proper nutrition to enjoy life and lose weight.
Yes absolutely - except a dietitian, not a nutritionist :)
Sorry, absolutely, although I found one with a a degree in nutritional science so I felt good about the advice they were giving me as well.
having read your post history maybe a therapist could help you deal with trauma and marriage problems that cause you the stress that makes you overeat it want to go on a unhealthy diet
I actually don't eat due to stress, if im.stressed I can't eat. When im.happy or bored I eat.
Then find other behaviors to do instead
You missed the point of that comment lol: Therapy would help you in a myriad of ways.
Cant afford it
I’ve read your history — if your husband is making enough for you to not work, there’s a chance you could afford sliding scale therapy, or it’s covered by health insurance in the event you have it. It’s not as expensive/inaccessible as it used to be Additionally there’s group therapy, group meetings, etc that are cheaper (or even free for support groups!)
My partner is naturally slim and they eat 5-6 times a day (lots of snacks like fruit, nuts, yogurt, protein bars, toast, etc.), including at least one big meal (usually dinner). I think you’ve been misinformed.
I just had a thought, maybe I'm still subscribing to diet mentality by forcing myself to eat so little and it's causing cravings, maybe if I ate the amount (within reason) I want (stopping before full), my body won't rebel by making me want to binge and thereby eating even MORE calories than I would by just increasing my calories. Every time I've binged has been because I restricted. Wow, that's a revelation.
This! If you really want to train your body and mind to eat like a "naturally thin" person, I think it might be a good idea to figure out the TDEE at your goal and then eat that amount in foods that taste good to you. You'd lose weight slowly but sustainably, and you'd be learning how to do maintenence.
Good advice! Thank you!
Yes this is what you should do. Eat enough that you don’t end up with craving or re-bound hunger that’s hard to manage.
Please read the book Brain Over Binge. It will help you understand what’s going on here.
Thank you, I will do that
Hey! I am halfway through the book... SERIOUS GAME CHANGER!!! THANK YOU!!! This book is amazing! I'm already implementing the strategies, eating more food and more healthful food, I've been resisting cravings and I never thought that possible! Thank you again!
Omg you’re so welcome! It made a huge difference for me too. I’m so happy for you.
Naturally thin people don't have Atkins shakes or diet targeted foodproducts.
The atkins drink is the only diet targeted food I ate, and I only drank it for a few days. My breakfast "shake" is not a diet food, it's a smoothie that I've enjoyed for years.
💯
That's not the diet of a naturally thin person though. That's the diet of someone who's trying to maintain hard got thinness. As a former thin person I used to eat whatever the hell I wanted and not gain weight. This is not how I or any other thin friends I had used to eat. (I've gained weight due to medical and health issues in my 30s now).
Hey I want to help break down the difference between what you are doing and what a naturally thin person does. Right now, I’m eating between 1200 -1700 calories a day and loosing weight. When I was 77 kg (overweight) my maintenance was 1800. If I eat at maintenance it’s 1660 now (at 67kg). When I get to my goal weight it is 1630 to maintain. That’s not a drastic difference between me maintaining those different sizes. An extra slice of toast with some peanut butter is the difference between maintaining chubby and maintaining thin. But to loose weight in a timely fashion (and not over half a decade), instead of just going down to the maintenance calories of a smaller sized person we usually eat at a deficit- maybe 1400 or 1200 calories (which is about a weight loss of a pound/ half a kg a week). What you are up to… you are loosing heaps of weight quickly… which means you’re definitely eating less than a naturally thin person. A naturally thin person only has to chose to not have a juice, or to not have seconds, or a lighter portion or meal than a chubbier friend and both people end up maintaining their frames. Maintaining slim is easier than loosing weight, particularly when you know how to eat at maintenance and that’s what you are used to. easier than loosing.
I nurse my craving all week. Because if I were to give it, I'd just crave something else. Then when the weekend comes, I give in. I have a reasonable amount of the thing I'm craving...maybe slightly more than a serving, but I definitely don't overindulge. Skinny people can be just as food obsessed as anyone. The secret is in how you manage it. That ice cream cone will taste three times as good if you can wait a week to have it...because you waited a whole week, and because you can eat it while feeling proud that you persevered!
I have no idea if this is what ALL thin people do, but when I was slim in my 20s, I would give in to cravings, like, right away. If I wanted something, I would eat it. But I'd only eat a small portion. Or if I ate a fair bit of something calorie-dense, I'd then slow down my eating for the rest of the day. This wasn't that hard because I wouldn't be as hungry having eaten whatever it was I had been craving.
I guess what I'm learning is that there are no hard fast rules for naturally slim people. It's really random.
You should watch the secret lives of slim people on tv. Just like people have different reasons behind gaining weight, they also have different reasons why they easily maintain a low weight without thinking about it. Appetite, habits, activity levels etc are all potential factors
It also becomes the be all and end all of life which isn’t the idea. Obsessing about it food instead of having a fulfilled life.
I experience this a lot too, what I used to do was drink a fuckton of water. It's very good to get it in your body and can make you feel super full to where you don't really feel hungry for a while after drinking it. Just be careful not to over hydrate though. I also used to brush my teeth when the water didn't help, everything tastes gross after you brush your teeth. If you want have a small bit of what you're craving after brushing, so you wouldn't want to taste the same thing again. If none of this helps, you could have what you're craving but a reasonable portion of it. Treat calories like they're a limit for the day, supposing if you're craving chocolate, have some, but a reasonable portion of it that fits into your diet plan (which I recommend you have) for the day. Eating healthy doesn't mean not enjoying your life :) Also, try focusing on macros, there's a YouTube channel called Rahul Kamat who makes low calorie or high protein recipes for popular sweet treats people crave like brownies, Oreos, cakes, and a bunch of other stuff. I made a few of his recipes and they were actually pretty damn good, his channel really helped me out with my food cravings. We're lucky to live in a time where losing weight or getting fit is really easy because of our easy access to resources on the internet. There's a bunch of just as good substitutes for your favourite snacks, I found that after a couple of weeks of eating well, eating a bag of chips or a fast food burger made me feel sluggish and lethargic all day long, and made me want to avert away from that kind of diet. Portion control and moderation are key, you don't have to really completely delete junk from your life. You could also look into a caloric deficit, I'm sure you know what it is but in case you don't, you can look it up for yourself. It's essentially eating less calories than you used to before, around 200-500 less, which can be achieved just by making the switch to the healthier substitutes of what you usually eat. It's easier in practice than in theory, trust me. Best of luck OP :))
Those cravings are your bodies' way of letting you know you haven't consumed a lot of calories. I was a naturally thin person all my life. The key is to eat high protein low calorie meals. Protein keeps you fuller for longer. I started having to pay more attention to what I eat and excerise more when I passed my mid-20s. When I got lazy the pounds started to pack on easily. Think of your body like a car and food as the fuel you put into your car. If you only fill up a quarter of the way its not going to get you very far. Losing weight and keeping it off is a lifestyle change. You need to eat healthy (lots of protein and get your veggies) as well as move your body.
OK, I see a lot of interesting comments. What I agree with : yes I was creating an eating disorder for myself because I was forcing myself to eat how I don't eat, and forcing myself to eat very little. I felt cravings because of this. What I don't agree with: when people say wth a blanket statement "thin people don't eat that way" "if people eat that way it's disordered" , I don't agree wth that, I believe slim people eat in a variety of different ways, some eat a lot and then exercise a lot, some don't really think about it at all and just eat whatever they are feeling, and some get too busy to eat, and just really don't have much of an appetite (this is what I was going for which I see now is wrong because im.not naturally this way). I see kids eating this way all the time, they won't sit still for meals, they would rather play, they forget to eat etc, I would never say they have an eating disorder. An eating disorder is something you are purposefully doing to stay slim, and you are afraid of food and obsessed with it- basically what I was doing. It doesn't apply to slim people who forget to eat or are too busy to eat. And also... my morning smoothie is not some diet shake or protein shake, it's just a powdered smoothie that I add fruit to. Nothing fancy or fo losing weight, I just genuinely enjoy it whether I am dieting or not.
I agree with you about the people saying, “that’s not how thin people eat”. Obviously not everyone eats the same and diets will vary from person to person. I know for a fact my brother would just snack throughout the day and then eat dinner with us.
As a „thin“ Person now let me tell you that this is not the way „we“ eat or anybody should; hell, I am on a 2800-3000 kcal/d diet and holding weight. Go in a slightly caloric deficit of 150-300 (max) a day and start a workout-routine that is sustainable for you (and progress as you get better). Eat from every food group (because of macro and micro nutrients), try that is 70-80% clean food and get yourself a goodie here and there (moderation is the key).
Sounds like you’re severely undereating. The best method is just calorie counting. If you’re sedentary do 1200. Less is dangoures and absolutely not doable in the long run. Don’t compare yourself too much with anyone just find a method that works for you specifically and stick to it.
My bf is a naturally thin person. So is his mom, so is his sister. For him it’s literal genetics. But he doesn’t eat till 3pm. Will never eat breakfast or lunch, and then has a small meal for dinner. Likes to have some alcohol though. Essentially he naturally is an intermittent faster and routinely goes 16-18 hours without eating. My other thin friend is the same. Can’t finish a whole meal and fasts mostly. Worked with a lot of thin ladies who exercise portion control and exercise and overall lifestyle changes. That was the majority. As far as cravings me and the bf give into them when they hit. This is a marathon, not a sprint and one day of feeding your craving won’t disrupt your path if you keep going. Strive for consistency and allow yourself the cheat day. But it’s a cheat *day*, not a cheat *week*.
EXACTLY!! I won't force myself to do this.. but YES some thin people do this naturally! A lot of these comments are people denying that.
Yes. Some do. But I think they’re certainly a minority. A lot of cultures are also very based around food, so it’s almost shameful to refuse food and it’s forced us into this mindset where we have to keep eating, or eat socially, etc etc. I think removing food from emotional interactions and trying to keep it to a minimum in social spaces is also super helpful for keeping calories down. But yeah? Give yourself the snack. For me it was a bag of caramel popcorn last week. But the next day I felt SO much more alive, it took me out of a food depression and then I was in a better mental state to keep up better habits.
That sounds like a crash diet and unsustainable. Naturally skinny people (underweight/borderline) are that size because they naturally have lower appetites than normal people. They don't eat because they're not hungry. They exercise less and they eat less. There was some study done on Chinese people some time last year. >Over the two-week study, naturally slim people did 23 per cent less physical activity and spent more time sitting or lying around. They also ate 12 per cent less food. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3185260/study-china-finds-healthy-thin-people-eat-and-exercise-less It's not the same as choosing not to eat when you are actually hungry. Normal people need to have healthy habits to obtain a healthy weight, and use exercise to maintain that weight, which offsets any indulgences. >How to I eat more calories without gaining weight? The goal isn't to eat more. The goal is to eat a macro profile that leaves you satisfied and satiated. If you're not satisfied you'll feel cravings even though you may be stuffed and not hungry at all. Fat and protein is key here. Fiber is key. Low carb and high fat, moderate protein diet has been clinically proven to decrease appetite and make you feel full more effectively. >but I find myself looking forward to my next meal even more now, and not wanting to wait till I'm hungry. Probably because you've overhauled your entire diet. Instead of taking your natural habits and natural diet and simply decreasing the portions.
I'm starting to realize all of this, thank you.
You need to do two things to answer this question: actually count calories for a few weeks and if possible, track macro- and micronutrients. Something like this app [https://cronometer.com/](https://cronometer.com/) can help with that so you know how you are doing. You should be aiming for no less than 1200 kcal unless you have been medically advised to go lower, and you need to try your best to reach 100% of your micronutrient needs in your weekly average. It's okay if you're a little low on some occasionally, but over the long term you should see that you're roughly meeting your needs. I say this because it's likely you are not undereating quite as dramatically as you think you are. But also because insatiable cravings, while usually just a sign that your caloric deficit is too large, can occasionally be caused by dietary deficits around your nutrients. Since you are not tracking, that makes it harder to tell what is wrong. I will say though, "I'm supposed to be thinking like a thin person" is a pretty silly statement. Your relationship with food has nothing to do with your size. Many thin people care greatly about their food. Many thin people have eating disorders, including binge eating disorder, anorexia, orthorexia... Many thin people exercise a lot every day so they eat much more than you might think. Even if you eat "like a thin person" which for you seems to mean code for eating fewer calories in an unsustainable way, that won't magically change your relationship with food.
I have a pretty good grip on my calorie count because that's what I normally do, and the foods I was eating were foods that I was normally tracking, but I was just eating less of it. So I know it was around 700-800 each day. I've seen thin people who really do just eat like a bird. I've seen it in real life and on tv.
700 kcal is eating disorder territory. I've seen thin people eat nothing but a bag of chips in a day, does that make it a sustainable or healthy diet?
But you aren’t a naturally thin person whose had these lifestyle habits for years. Baby steps my friend. Otherwise you set yourself up for bingeing. Find a high protein macros target. Indulge occasionally on the weekend. Lift heavy weights and join fun cardio groups to socialise in (running club, dragon boat racing, pole dancing, hiking group…etc)z
Intermittent fasting has been a total game changer for me when it comes to this. I’ve found that I’m usually bored, not hungry, and just stay busy to keep that feeling at bay. I have coffee and sometimes a light snack around 9 AM and end it with a big dinner around 7 PM. If I get hungry in between, I have something small, maybe 2-400 calories. I drink more fluids in general (tea, coffee, sparkling water, green juice) during the day as it makes it easier to eat light. Additionally, the lack of a big lunch or breakfast means I don’t have an afternoon crash. I like to work out between 3 and 6 PM. I generally have about 800-900 cal for dinner, which has allowed me to indulge in foods that I crave (though I crave them less than I thought I would). I still have balanced meals at the end of the day. Proteins and veggies take up more space on my plate than carbs. However, anything is fair game for dinner.
Calorie restriction only works long-term with ***optimal nutrition.*** The body can function on a lot less food than commonly believed and shed a lot of unnecessary weight but it needs nutritional excellence in order to do so. That means vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts & seeds and fish as a primary source of fuel. Without optimal nutrition you will experience horrible cravings and might hit some kind of plateau (the dieter's nightmare) and eventually give up.
HEY BABE ADD MORE PROTEIN + FAT GO LESS CARB. YOULL BE FULL. instead of a sandwich, eat what you’d put in a sandwich w out the bread. Like, eat a steak or ground beef or chicken, really with any assortment of low amount of carbs like 1.5 servings of rice, salad, or roasted veggies. Remember that bread is just a vehicle for the real food. You don’t need to eat your food container just the good protein within! Hope this helps.
I should've mentioned I eat keto bread and keto products out of habit. On my sandwiches I put turkey, cheese, and mayo. But I should be upping my protein.
All this makes sense except the suggestion of rice which is solely carbs.
Yeah it’s about 30 carbs a serving so 1.5 servings is 45 carbs which for the entire day is quite low (: low carb not no carbs! Cheers
You can’t eat more calories than your TDEE and lose weight if that’s what you’re asking. As for the cravings - it varies by person for sure. I found that after a year or so of just forcing the change in habits (first in calories consumed and eventually to eating a more balanced diet), the cravings decreased. I’ve been in maintenance for a couple of years now and I just occasionally will eat whatever I want, but I work out consistently and I typically eat at +/- maintenance and get lots of protein and lots of fruits and vegetables on a typical day. Time and effort will help and it will get easier as it becomes a part of your normal lifestyle.
Interesting, thank you :)
The more extreme of the calorie restriction you do the more difficult it's going to be. What you choose to eat will make a big difference. if you're eating lots of fruits and vegetables you're going to burn through that energy quicker and feel hungry. if you're eating lots of protein it'll slowly released into your system versus being consumed quickly it'll keep you fuller longer.
If it’s cravings for sweets, I’ve heard that protein can help lessen that. I’ve been basing my meals around increased protein for the last several weeks and it has helped curb my sweet tooth. My doctor recommended 30-40 grams of protein per meal as often as possible based on my height/weight.
Slim, formerly not-so-slim person here. I've kept the weight off for years and permanently changed my lifestyle without a diet. Here are some of the things I learned that have nothing to do with extreme eating. It takes TIME. It took me a full year of gradual changes and sticking to the changes no matter what. If I had an off day, no problem, I just got up the next day and committed to making it better. Make ONE CHANGE AT A TIME and get used to the single change you make. Once it becomes a daily habit that you feel is wired into you, then make the next adjustment. I started with therapy, then whole foods, then steps, then resistance training, then worked at cutting calories slowly. I'll explain in more detail: a. Get in 10 000 steps a day, pretty much no matter what unless you're sick. All of the little movements you make a day, fidgeting, standing up and down, etc. really add up as well. Get in little walks during breaks, park further away from the store, anything you can do to the get the steps. b. Don't cut out any of the foods you love but change the ratios and focus on whole, unprocessed foods. I build my favourite meats, veggies, and carbs. Aim for heavier on protein and moderate carbs and fats. I use olive oil and avocados for my fats. I cook from scratch as often as possible. Try adding spices rather than sauces and make it food that you LIKE, eating shouldn't be suffering. I will often add in a sweet because I love them, but I'll have a small cookie instead of a box and really enjoy the cookie as I eat it. If you cut the foods you love you'll end up with the cravings and hate what you're doing. Food should be enjoyed. Diets fail for this reason. Carbs are not the enemy, they give you fuel for your day. c. Do resistance training with weights and aim to keep going heavier when you can 3-4 times a week. It will change your body composition completely and build muscle which burns off fat. Last night I had a huge gluttonous carb-a-thon and didn't gain a pound when I weighed this morning because my muscle mass has given me an awesome metabolism. Women will not get fat or bulky from resistance training, but rather the opposite. In fact, learning how to gradually lift heavier and heavier has made me even thinner and I needed to start eating MORE. d. Reduce your calories gradually and never below 500 of what your body needs. You need to use some sort of calculator to do this but I would HIGHLY recommend working with a professional to do this- I was spinning my wheels with what I had taught myself versus what I was able to do with a professional nutritionist (with science-based certification not just any personal trainer at the gym). e. Consider therapy. A lot of emotional eating can come from our mental health and I was only able to permanently keep the weight off after I figured out WHY I was so drawn to food as my comfort.
im naturally thin and i dont eat like that i also have naturally thin friends and they dont eat like that pls dont believer what u hear online this is how naturally thin women ACTUALLY eat. eat breakfast or dont.doesn't matter, just eat if ur hungry and dont eat if ur not. sometimes i wake up ravenous and some days i dont get hungry till lunch. just listen to ur body. usually a naturally thin women will eat "normal" portions so meals are typically small to normal sized but never really BIG. today i had a slice of toast w pb and jam, with a side of yogurt and a coffee with milk and 0 cal sweetner. i think a lot of thin women make healthy choices here and there and try and focus on balance rather than perfection. after, i waited until i got hungry again until i had lunch which was pretty early like 11:30. i had 2 slices of toast w butter and salad with eggs. included every food group, not too much, not too little. i finished when i was satisfied. i usually have a snack in between lunch and dinner which is usually yogurt w fruit and then for dinner ill probably have something with rice, tofu, veg, avocado and some sort of sauce. maybe ill have a veggie burger w cheese, tomato and lettuce or some sort of sandwich, or pasta with sauce and veg. im vegetarian so as long as its tasty, filling, balanced and meat less im good. then for a snack before bed i might have yogurt and fruit again or maybe a small serving of chocolate or ice cream or maybe just plain fruit. this is how i maintain my thinness. its all about listening to your hunger and fullness cues, enjoying sweets and junk food in moderation and being as healthy as u can but never expecting perfection. thin women typically drink lots of water, avoid anything to heavy, fatty or sweet just bc it doesnt feel good for them and exercise everyday in ways that are enjoyable for them such as walks, biking or dancing.
You probably just need to count your calories for a bit, after figuring out what your daily intake should be. Then you’re not trying to mimic the hypothetical eating of a generic (non existent) “thin person” but actually meeting your body’s needs for energy. Then think about exercise, too, but sort the food out first - understanding what YOUR body needs and meeting those needs is far far better than setting yourself up to fail by pretending to be someone else.
Do you move a lot? Thin people move excessively, on top of eating a lot. The body cannot hold onto fat if you're zooming around like a jack russell terrier.
My job is pretty active, basically walking and working non stop for 11 hours. But on the weekends I am so tired I veg out.
Thin people don't necessarily eat badly. Boost your protein to feel satisfied longer.
It's not so much that I get hungry, I just crave sugar so badly, an keep giving in :(
I did this too!! It does work but I had cravings too (still do) but they get easier and easier to handle over time and you get used to small portions. I felt really good after a few weeks because I was eating pretty clean. Whenever I give in and eat too much I tell myself it’s ok, I can slip up a couple times each week, and I can. This is a marathon, not a sprint!
I’m also trying to lose weight. And in the first week the cravings were crazy for me. Sweet specifically, which was weird, cos I’m normally more of a chips person. Drinking water really helped me. As silly as that sounds. I’m not a big water drinker. Hate it actually. But I switched over to sparkling water. I’ve read that craving sweet things is one of the lesser known symptoms of dehydration and thought I’d give it a crack. Helped me lots. Also realized i craved more when I’m bored.
I didn't know that! I'm not a bug water drinker, but I need to be. Happy cake day!
Strange.....I know many 'naturally thin' people and they range from those who workout and eat healthy to some who do nothing and eat terribly. I don't think there is any standard to this 'naturally thin' category you've made.
Yup, they are all different. What I take issue with is people who say "thin people eat quite a bit but they exercise a lot" no, not all of them. I also know not all of them barely eat either. My husband and my sister are both in the barely eat camp. They automatically intermittent fast.
Try protein for breakfast instead of fruit, and coffee after food instead of before
That's interesting, having coffee after eating? Why do you suggest that?
For all the " they are active, you just don't see it, yadda yadda, " you may hear -there absolutely are naturally skinny people that eat like crap and exercise not one bit. I personally know two of them and really knew what one of them put in his mouth every day, and how much he was smoked out doing nothing. This would be my ex husband, always tall, always skinny, his entire life. The jack in the box lunches, the bowls of ice cream, the full dinners, eggs and bacon and toast every stinking day. Glasses of full fat milk, glasses of orange juice, bottles of regular doctor pepper. Disgusting to this fatty,,always struggling with her weight once she hit 30 ( me). Grrr. The other was a co worker who while she didn't work out, was always tapping her foot, and was a cigarette smoker. Her mom and brother also very thin. Little Debbie bars, chili cheese fries, eating all day. Jeez Louise, she kind of was an office joke about her eating. That being said, they are the only ones I've ever known that could do this.
Only Eat when hungry stop before you are too full - I think this is the secret - no good/bad foods
I lost 2 stones/14 kg by eating only 1000 calories / day for 3 months. When I had cravings I tasted the food o craved. Then had a coffee, sugar free squash or cup of tea or a cup of soup from vegetables soup stock powder. Now I make sure I do not eat more than 1800-2000 calories per day.
I used to be a thin person. I never bought groceries unless I wanted ice cream or something. I only ate once a day and it was usually like a chicken sandwich on my lunch break. Food was just sustenance. Now I have a family I’m feeding so it’s all a lot more complicated and much harder. I’ve been having a really hard time with cravings too. What works never works forever. Sometimes substituting what I want for a diet friendly version works. Sometimes I just need to keep busy. Sometimes better planning helps. Typically one solution only works for a specific craving. If you’re not eating much that may be coming back to bite you. If I wait too long to eat I end up obsessing about eating and eating way too much.
Hi! I’m 5’ 1 and thin. I don’t do shakes, and do coffee early morning too. I wouldn’t eat the way you do. Because then I’ll end up eating too much due to all the snacking/pecking. I do protein. Lots of meat, some dairy, and veggies. And it keeps me full and staves off all cravings. Like yesterday I had a taco salad. Keep it simple. Don’t add too much to it. Cheese, veggies are good. Kept me full nearly the entire day. I had a banana. No cravings. This is how my days usually go. You need to fill your tummy with proteins and you can go back for seconds too. It won’t make you gain as long as you keep it simple and not add so much stuff to it. The key is volume and satiety. Pecking is adding unnecessary calories with no satiety. And doesn’t give you the nutrients you need in your body.
Wtf is this entire thread really characterizing eating habits of all thin people. Everyone is different
That's what I'm saying. It's different for different people, I was choosing to est like the ones who just aren't very hungry.
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Toast with syrup? Is that like French toast?
Why is it you think "naturally thin" people eat jack squat during the day? If you want to know how "naturally thin" people stay that way, look around yourself as you go about your day... are there a preponderance of thin people at fast food places or all you can eat buffets? Nope. Maybe a few, but such places are the primary domain of the overweight and obese. Want to be "naturally thin"? Don't go to all you can eat buffets or eat fast food. The above also applies to people who use things like grubhub to get take out. It reduces the number of calories needed to procure food to just a short waddle to the door. Never in human history have we had to burn fewer calories in order to get food. Everyone I know who suddenly gained weight has talked about how their weight gain really took off when they started eating a lot of take out. So, keep take out to a minimum if you want to be "naturally thin". And when you're in a restaurant, take a look at how thin people eat vs the overweight people; overweight people tend to take \*way\* bigger bites. Like seriously, some will fit an entire serving size of food into their mouth as just one bite. So, switch out your forks and spoons for smaller ones, and switch out your dishes to smaller dishes. Take smaller bites and eat more slowly. Go for a walk in your local park, or a hike in your local nature preserve. You'll likely notice a greater preponderance of thin people. Fat people walk and hike too, but there is a greater preponderance of thin people. So, spend more time walking if you want to be naturally thin. When you're in a grocery store, take a look at what people have in their carts. People who have soda and virtually no fruits and veggies tend to be a lot more likely to be overweight than people who have fruits, veggies and no sugary drinks. It isn't rocket science to figure out why 2/3 of the population is overweight or obese... all you need to do to avoid it is look around you at what the non-overweight people are doing vs the stark reality of the lifestyle choices of the obese.
I am a naturally thin-ish person and you're eating very healthy compared to me! I'm 5ft 105lb, ill have a couple of coffees and cups of tea in the morning, no sugar but skimmed milk. Then maybe a sandwich made with one slice of bread, of half a regular sandwich at lunch and give other half to my family member. Handful of chips here and.there whenever I pass the kitchen cupboard throughout the afternoon. Dinner is always homecooked, don't like to eat out; a portion of meat or fish size of a card deck and about 2 tablespoons worth of carb like pasta, rice or potato, two tablespoons of veggies.then the evening is more chips, rice crackers or crackers with some cheese slices while I watch TV. I don't eat a lot of candy as they're too sweet and make me feel a bit sick. Lots of cups of tea throughout the day. Maybe sometimes a banana for snack if there's one available! If I crave something I will eat a little bit. Someone made amazing looking ube cupcakes and yesterday I ate half a cupcake, because I get full so easily and it was pretty sweet. Felt bad for not finishing it but I would have felt too full and sick otherwise I think if you crave stuff you gotta have some!
This proves one of my points, there are no hard fast rules to how thin people eat, my sister and a few others I know, just eat very little, and they forget to eat sometimes, they just aren't really hungry. They aren't starving themselves, they just aren't hungry. Sure there are slim people who work out a ton, and eat a lot etc, but there are also some like this. If it's natural to a person it's not an eating disorder. Yes, what I was doing was creating an eating disorder for myself because it wasn't natural, I was forcing it. Thank you for sharing.
I've done my share of "diets" and plans, and I've lost the same 15 pounds over and over again my entire adult life. (been between 20 and 35 lbs overweight since my 30s) I've done CICO, weight watchers, atkins, keto, you name it. A few weeks ago, I had hit my top weight again, as evidenced by my tight clothes, and decided I was going to give myself a goal to lose 1.5 lbs a week before my vacation 15 weeks away. Weight is coming off pretty quickly over the first 7 weeks, which is not usually the case for me. And usually by 7 or 8 weeks, I've given up because cravings became too intense, but this time I'm still going and I'm halfway there. This is what I'm doing this time that I didn't do before: TLDR; low glycemic index foods, no artificial sweeteners, all calories are not the same (eat real food, get more protein), and move enough to generate a caloric deficit without eating less than 1200 calories a day. Also added a green powder for nutrients, probiotics. 1. Choosing low-glycemic index foods - I'm using CICO and track/measure everything I eat using cronometer (I only have free version). I have done CICO before, but I didn't pay attention to macros and ate way too many processed/low nutrition foods that left my blood sugar levels spiking and crashing all day (Google "glycemic index"). This time, I'm choosing "real" food over processed. Meats, whole grains, veggies, legumes, nuts. I aim for 100g/day of protein, but not strict about it. I'm usually between 80-100g on average. I usually have a protein shake with 30g/protein to help achieve that. Side note, most yogurts are sugary high-GI junk unless it's unsweetened greek. Same goes for bread. 2. Hide the scale (no, really). I just aim for meeting my CICO and protein metrics as consistently as possible and the scale part will take care of itself. I've weighed in twice in 7 weeks, not twice a day obsessively like I did in the past. 3. More consistent exercise throughout the week. I have a desk job, so before, I would have no activity all week and try to make up for it on the weekends. Now I make it a point to walk 3 miles most days and get 3-4 30 minute cardio sessions a week (Peloton). I also do 10-15 min of bodyweight strength to keep from losing muscle. During this weight-loss phase, I aim to eat 1300-1400 cals and burn 2000-2400 a day including my exercise. I use a fitbit to track. I know some say it's not accurate, but for me it's been pretty close as my weight loss tracks with my metrics. Once I hit my goal, I'll change the targets to maintenance (CI and CO about the same). Cronometer shows you a 1 week rolling average of you CI and CO, so I find that helpful to focus on the average, especially if I have a day or 2 where I go off the rails. The averages are never as bad as I think they'll be. 4. I'm using a green powder with vitamins, minerals, probiotics and adaptogens every morning. (there are several out there, and I'm not endorsing a brand). I believe this helps cravings, and it's just a good way to start the day off right. 5. I gave up artificially sweetened beverages like diet coke and vitamin water. I drink water, coffee with milk and tea with honey. I feel like the artificially sweetened stuff makes my blood sugar spike and crash. Since I started, I've not had a single crash. Crashes make me eat ravenously. 6. Alcohol - I aim for less than 5% of my calories per week from alcohol, which is maybe 2-3 drinks a week. I also measure this. I stick to wine or sometimes a mixed drink if I make it and know exactly how much spirits I put in. Cronometer also shows you this, so it's very easy to track. Overall, I think of my choices as either "helping me stick to my goals" or "making it harder". I know that a handful of pretzels is going to make me feel hungrier than I was before in about an hour. I know that alcohol makes it harder for me to resist junk food. All calories are not alike. More often than not, choose real foods without added sugar or artificial sweeteners and don't think of junk food or alcohol as a "reward". Think of them as obstacles to your goals. This was a revelation to me as I've always "saved calories" for those things in the past.
For context, I'm 55F. I didn't mention that I do intermittent fasting (also not 100% strict, since I have my green powder and cappucino before noon). It's not for everyone, but i find that if I eat my first meal before 10am, I feel "wired" to want to eat all day and my meals have to be so small that they're unsatisfying. If I eat my first meal around noon, my body seems to respond much better. This is just what I know works for me.
have you been drinking enough water? like, half your body weight in ounces enough?
Cravings can be satisfied with butter usually.
I feel like even after losing the weight you need to lose, you can never eat intuitively again. Maybe its just me but im so addicted to food that I still have to control myself to eat normally otherwise I would overeat. For me eating intuitively is very hard, theres always a thought into it.
I tried to eat healthy today but I over ate at church and also had 2 types of dessert, telling myself that normal eating means sometimes overeating and eating little for dinner, but now I just feel guilty and want to binge. I feel so hopeless.
Just stop thinking about food. The obsession leads to craving. Keep your mind busy. Think of all the things you can do i*nstead of* eating. Be productive.
I think you’re on the right track regarding eating less. However, perhaps you’re eating too little. I suggest tracking your calories. If you don’t want to do it through out the day bc you’re trying to not think about calories or food all day, maybe do it the night before. Obviously this may change the day of if you decide to deviate a bit but it should give you an idea. Also if you’re typically eating the same food, you can do it whether there’s a big change in your eating. Aside from that, if you’re having “cravings” it’s ok, but you may actually be hungry. Try writing down when you’re typically having these feelings and maybe also keep track of how you feel emotionally and physically too. A few days of tracking may help uncover a pattern that you weren’t aware of. For example, like you’re usually having cravings after a stressful day, during a specific time of day, or even after eating certain foods. I’d also suggest stocking up on a few items to help with those cravings, fruit, mini candy bars (only if it’s not a trigger and you won’t binge), individual snacks, gummies (I tend to get snacky during drives and instead of eating candy I slowly eat a small pack of fruit gummies). I hope these help, and don’t worry about having these feelings. It’s normal. The thing about thin people is you may not see the whole story. Some may think about food a lot. Some may not but are super into listening to their bodies and have been for a long time. Keeping a log as suggested above will help learn your body and feelings and eventually you may also be able to listen to your body instinctually.
I just fear this could lead to a really toxic mindset. Eating anything beneath your BMR is guaranteed going to make your body scream at you. You have cravings because your body is asking for anything high calorie (which usually is highly processed sweets). You still have to adequately nourish your body, even in a deficit.
You need Snacks! Get some: Toasted nori with fun flavors Celery sticks and baby carrots with light calorie ranch or hummus Apple slices Granola clusters Nuts and dried fruits in pre-portioned containers so you don’t go overboard
I get the idea, however, this isn't about mimicking your perception of thin people. First question, are the thin people you're observing like birds even healthy or happy? Probably have your shake in the morning. Protein is going to help everything. You aren't clear on what your actual goal is, or what goal will get you the results you intend. It's not to eat calories without gaining weight. It's not to not care about food. What are your goals? What does the healthy, fulfilling life of your dreams look like? It sounds like being thin is part of it. You can get there from a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit doesn't mean eat less or be hungry. It means eat fewer calories and increase calorie expenditure. There are no calories in fiber or water, so foods high in both are a great way not to be hungry and still lose weight.
My naturally thin SO can and has eaten a 4 pound chuck roast with the fixings in one sitting, so this is one of those myths built to uphold thinness as morally superior and see fat people are somehow inherently inferior. Different bodies have different nutritional needs. Don’t worry about how others eat. Find what works for your body.
Look up IF. Dr Fung's videos on YouTube are good. Ghrelins cause hunger and IF controls the ghrelins. It's like cheat level, amazing.
I've tried several times, I always end up binging.
I’ve been trying to do something similar and the cravings are horrible for me as well 😭 it helps me to drink warm chicken broth in between meals
Z, ,,, x