Naturally slim people to post

I think movement has something to do with it. Slim people are often fitgets, getting up and down, going to get things, etc but may not actually do exercise as such.
Also good muscle tone makes you look slimmer.
I am neither a fidget nor have good muscle tone!

I've come to the conclusion that the simple answer to 'what do slim people eat?' is, 'less than me.'
I've a slim friend who (to larger me) seems to be on half portions. She is what my mum would call a fidgety Phil who can't sit still type so all the nervous energy that she uses up must have an influence.
Very slim indeed, it's hard to believe that she complains of having a big tummy. I pull my top up, stick my podge out and reply, 'no, this is a tummy.'
Oh dear.

Hi. I used to be a size 16. Following a health scare, my husband was told to lose weight. Since I do most of the cooking, I lost weight too! What worked for us was this - we don't eat wheat, unless we're out for dinner and rarely eat processed food when we're at home. Following dietary advice, we eat full fat everything. This works well for us and we have both managed to keep most of the weight off. When we're with friends, we don't worry about what we eat but it's boot camp when we get back! Hope this helps.

I'm 65 years old, 5'6" (approx) 10 stone in weight (plus or minus a pound or two) BMI 22/23, waist to hip ratio 0.74. I practice 5:2 fasting, walk my dog and take part in three 90 minute karate training sessions a week.
Things I don't consume: fizzy drinks (so called diet drinks are bad as well as the high sugar ones), fruit juices and squash, sugary cereals (Check the box. They all have masses of added sugar.), white bread.
Things I rarely eat: cakes, other baked goods (but never say never!)
Things I do eat: full fat natural Greek yogurt every day*(Fage Total and M&S Authentic Greek 10% fat are the scrummiest), walnuts *every day, beans and pulses, meat (though not every day), eggs, wholemeal bread (not every day), rice, pasta, vegetables, potatoes, fruit (but not every day), butter, crumpets, ready made pastry for an occasional pie... chocolate (not every day but I binge), unsweetened coffee and tea with milk.

I think portion size is important. 5:2 fasting naturally leads to portion control without counting calories on non-fasting days.

I'm a size 8 but inside there is a fat person trying to get out! I always attend Weightwatchers and lost a stone with them to get my weight down to where it is now. I do find it more difficult to maintain my weight then losing it. I keep active, mainly dancing. It is not in my genes to be slim as I come from a family of fatties. Maybe that's why I dread the though of being overweight. I eat what I want when I go out but at home I'm very careful but, to be honest, eat very little that does me any good!

My failings are roast potatoes, and chocolate, plus Magnums! If I keep away from those, I will maintain my weight loss. Stop eating when you feel you've had enough and include fruit and veg in your diet . . . and when you lose weight, give away your 'fat' clothes.

Oops! I eat Sainsburys part baked baguettes and they're white ? We have cut down massively on portion sizes of certain foods. For example, we used to have a pasta bake every week made in a large dish and it all got eaten up. Now the same quantity makes four day's meals (the three extra portions of sauce go in the freezer) and we are satisfied with that amount. Also, I eat a smaller portion than my adult male family members. That's really important too.

I am a size 10, about 5.8 inches tall. I eat what I like.... But no cakes, biscuits, fried food, takeaways, no added sugar. I walk my 10 000 steps most days and I am 65 years old. I never use the word "diet", it's too negative.

I have otabix with frozen berries, defrosted, Greek yougurt and a drizzle of honey with skimmed milk cup of hot water before I eat with a fish oil tablet and a cup of tea after. Because I have my breakfast at 6 I will have a piece I'd sourdough bread with marmalade no butter or peanut butter.about 10 am.
For lunch I will have soup, fresh not tined , or egg, boiled, fried in a little oil with a piece of sourdough bread.piece of fruit. Or yogurt.
Dinner is usually, fish,chicken or jacket potato with salad and veg.
I am a size 16 on the bottom part and 18 on the top, big boobs.

Weekdays:
Kenyan coffee and two Digestives
10 or so nuts
Two Weetabix for lunch with sweetener & skimmed milk. Apple
Afternoon cup of tea and cake
Small dinner (salads, soup etc.)

Saturday & Sunday
Breakfast of toast and marmalade or croissants and jam
banana for lunch
(smaller)cake and tea
Saturday nice dinner such as steak, chips & peas or roast lamb or fish
Followed by three chocolates

Friday - Sunday

A couple of glasses of fizz and perhaps a small Cointreau

I have to be careful not to lose weight - recently after stress I lost a stone very rapidly and went down to just over 7 stone, normally I weigh around 8 stone and have always weighed this (5 ft 4). Yesterday I ate a boiled egg and a piece of homemade bread as toast with butter. I always eat butter! Cup of coffee mid morning. Lunch was a wrap with lettuce, hummus, tomato, grated cheese, a falafel (only one to use it up) and salad dressing. With a glass of apple juice. Dinner was glass of sparkling pomegranate/elderflower, chicken casserole with mushrooms, leeks and tarragon, 2 potatoes, carrots and green beans. Lemon curd yogurt later. This morning I had fried egg, baked beans and homemade toast. Will have some soup for lunch with piece of bread.
The above makes me sound very good but I don't stint myself at all. I will have 1.5 croissants for breakfast at the weekend with butter and marmalade, usually a salad or sandwich or wrap for lunch and proper dinner. Occasional glass of wine - used to drink one every day but unfortunately it began to make me feel ill. I think it is more to do with the fact I can't eat big portions of anything, get full quite quickly and don't really eat inbetween meals, prefer to have a meal. I don't really have a sweet tooth, don't eat chocolate or sweets. I do like cake occasionally but plain rather than gooey. I really do like pastry though so have the occasional Danish. I think it's metabolism and small appetite. I don't wish to complain but it's as hard to put weight on as it is to take it off and I have a skinny OH too!!!! Oh, and we have a skinny dog LOL.

Hi ..have lost lot of weight over last 4yrs...dont know why...now size 8/10..
loved being size 14!!!
Breakfast wholemeal toast.marmalde(1st of about 8cups of tea half tsp sugar)
Mid a.m banana
Lunch...salad sandwich cheese or homous
Dinner..veggie chilli.rice.salad. Or such?
2gls? every nite
Slice of toast with butter....

Ooh also agree with the 'fidgit' post..am never still lol

I think it's very unfair that my stomach has never understood the words "I'm full".

Breakfast..special K sugar free muesli, grapefruit,banana, berries.1/2 slice toast smear of marmalade. Drink diluted cranberry and water. Don't eat during morning.Dinner jacket pot. Tuna, sweet corn, tomato, small amount grated cheese and light Mayo. Pud often fresh fruit.Nothing to eat in afternoon. Evening,often don't have anything except perhaps bag of crisps and apple, yoghurt. Evening, decaf coffee.
I do 2 dance classes per week and swim for an hour. Find swimming really makes a difference.

My DH who has just turned 60 looks the same body shape as when I met him and the same weight. He is still very muscular, 4 pack tim and works out every other day, always has. He eats like a horse and get the shakes near to meal time. We thought maybe he was diabetic and went for blood test. Our Dr. said he has a very fast metabolism and to stuff his pockets full of Mars bars. He is 12 3 and never puts an ounce on. Me... underactive Thyroid and constantly battling with weight gain....

What a lot of useful advice. I agree cook your own meals. Do not use low fat items they usually have more sugar. Do not believe anything written on packets or in advertisements. They just want to sell their products to you.
Learn to read labels carefully. Follow what is included in 100gms of the food. Make sure you're not reading the what's in one biscuit , or cake etc.
Try to keep under 3gms of sugar in 100gms of product.
Remember even One biscuit, piece of cake, or ice cream etc. puts on the inches. There's lovely savoury things, eg cheese scones, in place of sweet items.

If you eat plenty of vegetables and up to 2 pieces of fruit a day you will consume plenty of sugar. If you doubt this look up under "Sugar in Vegetables". Sugar in vegetables and fruit comes with plenty of roughage.

Eating sugary things just makes you want to eat a second and a third biscuit etc.

For more information see David Gallespie's book Sweet Poison or Sugar Blues by William Dufty. Both interesting reads.

Happy eating

I am slim and eat a very healthy diet, don't snack and do a lot of exercise!
My guilty pleasure is a small sweet treat after dinner every evening. I think the exercise counters that. I am 5'6" size 8/10.

Definitely one of the not slim here.But for me if I keep off carbs (bread, potatoes, rice etc) and eat mostly protein and veg I lose weight.

The problem is as soon as I eat bread again ( and I love bread) it all goes back on.

So it has to be a complete lifestyle change for me, and I'm not committed enough

Someone once said you get to an age when you have to choose between your food or your figure.
I am 5ft 9 and 13 st 10Ib,and size 16,have lost a stone since January,as dieting for a wedding,I just eat healthy but have half size meals.Poor husband gets a massive portion sometimes,as I don't always get it Right!But started going to aquarobics in November,it's made such a difference to my shape and I look more toned,am now going twice a week.Porridge or cereal with fruit,soup & roll for lunch chill & rice with 2 Tbl rice for dinner,and low cal yogurt.One glass of wine a week( boring)if we have chips I just hav 4 fat ones.If I have more than one glass of wine I loose control completely finish the bottle and eat anything else chocs etc.You have to have a day off sometimes.hope this helps.

Have been slim, fat, and now plump! Do cook from scratch and eat healthily, just too much of it! However, I saw an acquaintance recently who had lost a lot of weight, yes her figure was better but I hardly recognised her face she looked at least a decade older, so not always a good idea after a certain age.

I am now two slim people inhabiting the one body and no idea what happened.......food the great love substitute I think and disability.

Ditto, Christinefrance! Exactly me!

Apart from keeping my sugar intake low (although I do sometimes indulge when I make cakes for the family), I find the best method to keep slim is to reduce the size of portions, eat plenty of fruit and salads (I'm not a great fan of vegetables apart from runner beans), keep away from alcohol, and - this I think is the main thing for me: eat your last meal as early as possible (I eat mine between 5.30 - 6.30 p.m.). Then nothing more to eat until breakfast (which for me consists of Greek yoghurt, berries and low-sugar granola).
I can't say that I feel deprived on such a diet, and I do snack on cheese and salt-free crisps too.

I lose weight easily when stressed or unhappy, went to size 10 after husband died, not a good look at 5ft 11.now I am happy but a size 16/18 and on slimming world. I can't win. Must be my breed!

I am 5ft 10 and always used to weigh about 10st 7lb. I eat smaller proportions now than I did when working full time, but better quality meals and rarely any processed foods. However, when I retired and moved house my new doctor took me off HRT. Since then I have put on 2 stone and gone up 2 dress sizes.

When desk-bound in an office I would nibble all day - biscuits, crisps and sometimes even chocolate. Now I don't eat between meals and, despite doing a lot more walking, that extra weight has stayed off. I am convinced that's just how I am so I don't worry about it.