Intuitive Eating

AnnaBellQ14

I have been thinking a lot lately about what I would be doing when in maintenance . I have lost 28 pounds so far, and I have another 20 to go. I'm only set to lose 1/2 pounds a week, so I'm going very slowly. It took me over a year to get here and it might take me another year to my goal. I don't think I want to count calories in my maintenance phase. But I also feel like I haven't learned any skills that would help keep the wait off (other than counting).

My husband and one son are naturally thin. They eat when hungry and stop when full. My son would pretty much leave any food on his plate once he is full, including any favorites. My husband as well. I cannot understand how they can leave like a bite of food on the plate. Where as I have the need to finish everything on my plate, full or not. Especially if the calories fit into my calorie goal.

I have been introduced the Hunger and Satiety Scale a while back, such as the one below, but I haven't really put it into practice. The other day I got the book, Intuitive Eating out of the library and I have been reading it. I also printed up a Hunger and Satiety Scale and posted it in the dinning room. For the past few day I have been trying to follow the eat when hungry stop when full (counting calories all the while, of course).

I want to learn to eat like the thin people eat. They never worry about counting calories. What is their secret? I think I know, eat when hungry, stop when full, and move. That's where I want to be a year from now. What are your thoughts?

Hunger and Satiety Scale
0 - Ravenously hungry.
1 - Feel like ordering everything on the menu.
2 - Preoccupied with hunger, everything on the menu looks good.
3 - Feel hungry and the urge to eat is strong.
4 - Feel a little hungry. Can wait to eat.
5 - Neutral, not hungry, not full.
6 - Sense food in your belly, could eat more.
7 - Hunger is gone. If you stop here, you may not feel hungry for 3 to 4 hours.
8 - Not uncomfortable, definitely full belly.
9 - Moving into uncomfortable.
10 - Very uncomfortable, maybe even painful.
Source: Karin Kratina, Moving Away From Diets Adapted for A New You by Wellness IN the Rockies and Univ. of Wyoming Coop. Extension Service, Family & Consumer Sciences. IFAFS award 0004499, USDA. www.uwyo.edu/wintherockies

yopeeps025

Well give it a shot.

vismal

Eat when hungry stop when full won't work for everyone. Some people maintain the sensation of hunger well past the point of actually taking in what is required to maintain their weight. While paying attention to how hungry you really are before eating is a good thing, it's not perfect. When I eat at maintenance calories, I probably feel between a 0-6 the entire day. Unless I am having a free day, I rarely reach 8 or higher. For that reason, intuitive eating would fail me. I just have a big appetite, I realize I have a big appetite, and I do what I need to do to prevent that from getting in the way of my goals. It's certainly worth a shot but monitor your weight carefully if you do it. Another technique might be to intuitively eat for the day, then tally the calories at the end of the day and see how you did. If you are consistently coming in around maintenance, it's probably safe to stop counting all together.

ManiacalLaugh

AnnaBellQ14 wrote: »

I want to learn to eat like the thin people eat. They never worry about counting calories. What is their secret? I think I know, eat when hungry, stop when full, and move. That's where I want to be a year from now. What are your thoughts?

As a formally obese person, I've tried almost everything and that includes intuitive eating. I'm not going to say it's bunk because of course people who are not dieting have operated by this idea their entire lives and it's worked. I will say though, it didn't work for me.

The main issue is, unless you've fully fixed your relationship with food, you're always going to have moments when you eat when you're not really hungry. I tricked myself so many times thinking "yep, that's legitimate hunger. I should eat" when it was actually just the extreme desire to snack/boredom/thirst/gas/etc....

And if you are really paying attention to your physical cues, it takes a lot of mental energy. So much mental energy, that I would argue weighing and logging is easier; at least then, you can get it off your mind while knowing exactly where you stand for the day.

But, that's just me. I'd love to get to the point where I could do something as simple as eating without a phone app - I just know myself enough to realize that logging (at least of some sort) is going to be a semi-permanent thing for me if I want my changes to stick.

Hope it works out for you!

yopeeps025

Thins is it is easier to eat like this while in maintenance more than bulking or cutting.

AnnaBellQ14

vismal wrote: »

Eat when hungry stop when full won't work for everyone. Some people maintain the sensation of hunger well past the point of actually taking in what is required to maintain their weight. While paying attention to how hungry you really are before eating is a good thing, it's not perfect. When I eat at maintenance calories, I probably feel between a 0-6 the entire day. Unless I am having a free day, I rarely reach 8 or higher. For that reason, intuitive eating would fail me. I just have a big appetite, I realize I have a big appetite, and I do what I need to do to prevent that from getting in the way of my goals. It's certainly worth a shot but monitor your weight carefully if you do it. Another technique might be to intuitively eat for the day, then tally the calories at the end of the day and see how you did. If you are consistently coming in around maintenance, it's probably safe to stop counting all together.

I think I will try your approach once I reach maintenance. For now, I think I will do both, because I don't trust myself yet. Growing up, I was never thin, but a nice solid figure. I always loved to eat. Once I hit my teenage years to the time I graduated college, I steadily gained wait. Then I lost 40 pounds and kept it off for about 3 or 4 years. Then with pregnancies and life in general, I have been up and down, while reaching an all time high of 206 pounds. I think I would have just gained and gained, had I not put a stop to it by starting to count calories again.

atypicalsmith

When I get to maintenance, I'm strictly going by the scales. If I gain a pound or two, I'll exercise more and eat less until the needle is back where it belongs.

jemhh

When I was thin, I did not eat when hungry and stop when full. I ate at my assigned meal times and if I liked the food I ate it, if I didn't, I just didn't eat. Instead, I'd eat at the next meal.

AnnaBellQ14

ManiacalLaugh wrote: »

AnnaBellQ14 wrote: »

I want to learn to eat like the thin people eat. They never worry about counting calories. What is their secret? I think I know, eat when hungry, stop when full, and move. That's where I want to be a year from now. What are your thoughts?

As a formally obese person, I've tried almost everything and that includes intuitive eating. I'm not going to say it's bunk because of course people who are not dieting have operated by this idea their entire lives and it's worked. I will say though, it didn't work for me.

The main issue is, unless you've fully fixed your relationship with food, you're always going to have moments when you eat when you're not really hungry. I tricked myself so many times thinking "yep, that's legitimate hunger. I should eat" when it was actually just the extreme desire to snack/boredom/thirst/gas/etc....

And if you are really paying attention to your physical cues, it takes a lot of mental energy. So much mental energy, that I would argue weighing and logging is easier; at least then, you can get it off your mind while knowing exactly where you stand for the day.

But, that's just me. I'd love to get to the point where I could do something as simple as eating without a phone app - I just know myself enough to realize that logging (at least of some sort) is going to be a semi-permanent thing for me if I want my changes to stick.

Hope it works out for you!

Yes, I'm going to have to see if it would work for me. Right now, I'm going well losing with counting, I don't want to mess that up. I'm also learning about how it feels to be hungry and full. So far, I go between ravenous and not really knowing if I'm full or not. I keep asking my husband when he eats, what number he is and what he is feeling.

AnnaBellQ14

atypicalsmith wrote: »

When I get to maintenance, I'm strictly going by the scales. If I gain a pound or two, I'll exercise more and eat less until the needle is back where it belongs.

I think where I went wrong before too is I didn't weigh myself everyday and I just let myself go. I won't let that happen again. I like your approach.

Kalikel

I agree. Unless you want to weigh every little bit of food for the rest of your life, which some people do but I really do not, you will have to learn how to eat without the scale at some point. Why not now?

I haven't read any Intuitive Eating books, but from what I read here it sounds like this is, "Eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full," which makes sense to me. A lot of people have mentioned that they do it and like it.

I go a day without checking calories and then log everything at the end of the day or the next morning. I can usually tell by how I'm feeling if I was way under, under, over or way over the goal, but am still working on single days. I find that I'm still focusing on the portions and calories as I dish stuff up. Hadn't planned to, but it's hard to stop, lol. This transition - tougher than I'd imagined! I'm glad I started early and have time.

The plan is to stretch these no-logging periods out further and further so that when I'm done losing I am not saying, "What do I do now?!" but am prepared to live my life, having learned to eat without the crutch of the scale. Like intuitive eating.

I don't know about leaving food on the plate, lol. I always ate all the food because I was chowing. Now, I eat all the food because if I'm counting those calories, I'm sure as hell eating them! I am going to have practice leaving food on the plate. Thanks for bringing that up!

I don't really give my hunger numbers, but I started paying attention to eating when I was hungry around the time I began all this, so I kind of have that part down.

The vast majority of people are not weighing food. They're no smarter than I am. I can figure this out, too.

AnnaBellQ14

Kalikel wrote: »

I agree. Unless you want to weigh every little bitfor the of food for the rest of your life, which some people do but I really do not, you will have to learn how to eat without the scale at some point. Why not now?

I haven't read any Intuitive Eating books, but from what I read here it sounds like this is, "Eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full," which makes sense to me. A lot of people have mentioned that they do it and like it.

I go a day without checking calories and then log everything at the end of the day or the next morning. I can usually tell by how I'm feeling if I was way under, under, over or way over the goal, but am still working on single days. I find that I'm still focusing on the portions and calories as I dish stuff up. Hadn't planned to, but it's hard to stop, lol. This transition - tougher than I'd imagined! I'm glad I started early and have time.

The plan is to stretch these no-logging periods out further and further so that when I'm done losing I am not saying, "What do I do now?!" but am prepared to live my life, having learned to eat without the crutch of the scale. Like intuitive eating.

I don't know about leaving food on the plate, lol. I always ate all the food because I was chowing. Now, I eat all the food because if I'm counting those calories, I'm sure as hell eating them! I am going to have practice leaving food on the plate. Thanks for bringing that up!

I don't really give my hunger numbers, but I started paying attention to eating when I was hungry around the time I began all this, so I kind of have that part down.

The vast majority of people are not weighing food. They're no smarter than I am. I can figure this out, too.

Maybe I can start earlier, I have to think on this. I want to be also ready for the transition. You don't necessarily have to leave food on the plate, but I think that's part of the process.

rosebette

I'm still tracking, but heading toward maintenance and have thought about intuitive eating. I am someone who gets full and often brings food home from restaurants, leaves food on my plate, etc. I've been wearing a FitBit HR which tracks my calories used based on activity level during the day and I have noticed that if I eat a big breakfast, but am not active, I look at the FitBit and it says I've only burned, say 500 calories all day, and I realize why I'm not that hungry. On another day, when I've worked out or been on my campus, on my feet all morning, climbing stairs carrying my huge my roller bag, etc., and I see 800-1000 calories used by lunchtime, I know why I'm so ravenous. It's very interesting. I guess my only issue is related to food choices. There are very fattening foods I could choose that might not fill me up, but be high calorie. For instance, I could eat a bag of chips and 3 cookies for lunch and not feel full, so I still have to keep in my mind how many calories are in foods so I'll make good choices.

kommodevaran

I found and started using the Hunger and Satiety Scale because I didn't have a clue how full and hungry felt like - or, I wasn't able to detect the stages inbetween ravenous and completely stuffed. I use intuitive eating and calorie counting at the same time. I'm not sure if I want to stop weighing food, because it is not just about the calories, but also a part of my meal planning - inventory check - shopping routine that prevents waste, saves money and creates the predictability I need to feel relaxed around food supply and eating, and helps me eat well and have a varied diet.

Early in the weight loss process I decided I wanted to think (and act) like a naturally slim person. I've been in maitenance for nine months now and I think it's working great.

beamer0821

i love that whole philosophy. and i would hope one day to be able to eat that way. i do practice a bit of mindful eating mostly when i want to eat something when I've eaten already. like understanding head hunger v. belly hunger. i still use MFP to keep me on track.

SuggaD

No one is "naturally thin." Their relationship with food and activity level is, as you said, just better than those who are or have been overweight. I'm in maintenance and I don't count calories. I also recognize that because of a period in my life when I didn't have enough to eat, I can't leave food on the plate. So for me, its not really about eating until I'm full and stop. I just make pretty good decisions in what I choose to eat and how I fill my plate and it all seems to balance out. I've been around the same weight range for almost 2 years and am very active. You don't have to count for the rest of your life.

dubird

I sortta do that now, but I still log to make sure I'm on track. Do I go over sometimes? Yes, especially when we have a special dinner. Which is why I still log. It's not 100% accurate, but it gives me an idea where I am and where I can go for the day, and keeps me from eating too much most of the time. Is that intuitive eating? I dunno, I just know that this what works for me. What works for you might be something different. The trick is to retrain your brain and body, which is still something I'm working on!

MamaBirdBoss

Most thin people have a HABIT of not eating very much, first of all. They have a routine of foods that generally fit within their balance.

They also have key pieces of clothes that tell them when they need to eat a little less. They also know what they SHOULD look like and feel like. When you have a thin friend complaining about being fat, it's probably because 1) she noticed changes in the mirror, 2) they noticed changes in their body as they move, 3) they noticed changes on the scale, or 4) their "skinny clothes" aren't fitting well. Then they eat less for a while.

I had all 3. If I sat down and had a little pooch at my waist, that meant I was eating too much. If my thighs brushed as I walked in heels, I really had to cut down. If certain pants got tight, I needed to cut down. If my stomach didn't look flat in the mirror, I needed to cut down.

HTH!

lemurcat12

jemhh wrote: »

When I was thin, I did not eat when hungry and stop when full. I ate at my assigned meal times and if I liked the food I ate it, if I didn't, I just didn't eat. Instead, I'd eat at the next meal.

This is like me. I've never intuitive eaten in the sense of eating until not hungry. I was always a good little child who cleaned my plate unless I hated my meal.

I was average weight unlike my mid to late 20s since I was active and didn't have a lot of choice over my meals until I was out of school. I got a job that involved lots of fancy restaurant meals and stopped being as active and I put on weight pretty fast. When I decided to lose that time I mentally figured out what appropriate servings were for me (and the mix of foods I should eat) and lost weight without counting, but based on controlling portion size and being mindful. I also got active again. I maintained this way for 5 years, and then regained when my life went kind of crazy and I stopped being active again.

I count now (although I've been experimenting with not), but it's basically just to confirm that my choices are within the calories I am aiming for, roughly--I know how to choose to make sure I'm eating the right amount of food. But that's not about hunger, it's mental. I don't stop eating when I'm not hungry anymore, I stop eating when I've eaten the appropriate amount of food, which is something I decide when I put it on my plate.

Sure, I wish I didn't have to think about it, but I suspect I always will. It's not particularly burdensome, or wasn't when I was maintaining before or losing this time or since March when I've been maintaining again.

golden6911

This whole conversation is really interesting to me. Until I hit my 40's, I was always naturally thin. I just always ate until full, leaving food on my plate when I was done. I really just can't overeat very much because I feel very uncomfortable if I do. I did gradually put on 10 lbs once having kids that I am currently trying to get rid of, but I am still not overweight, just at the high end of my normal BMI. My husband on the other hand, who is overweight by about 50lbs will just eat whatever is in front of him, and he will never leave food on his plate without an extreme force of will. It is amazing to me how differently people react to food and eating, and the psychology and physiology of why people are so different isn't yet well understood.

dubird

When I was younger, and later in college, I was thin. Probably too thin, to be honest, but I was fine with my weight. I didn't monitor my food intake, just ate what I wanted when I wanted it, and I didn't gain anything. Then, I stopped working at the restaurant and got a desk job. And suddenly, what activity I was doing didn't come close to burning off what I ate, and that's when I started to gain weight. So for me, it wasn't that I watched what I ate. My diet was horrible (kinda still is, TBH), and I had gotten used to eating many times a day. That's why I gained weight when I changed jobs. So for me, it wasn't intuitive eating, it was habits. And if I had kept active after quitting the restaurant, I probably wouldn't have gained the extra weight. I didn't realize it at the time, hindsight is 20/20 after all!

lemurcat12

I should add that I'm skeptical that humans naturally ate until they weren't hungry and maintained that way. It doesn't surprise me that only a minority of humans in the situation of plenty that we are in today are good at it.

Over most of human history it wasn't an issue--scarcity was. When there was excess food letting it go to waste because not hungry would have been a bad idea. Sure, we learned to preserve food, but we also were flexible in our eating schedules, likely feasting in some seasons and on some days and fasting (or eating much less) on others.

Even in more developed societies where food was more consistently available people tended to control food consumption through culture--regular eating times and developed ideas about when and how and what to eat--and not simple instinct. That to me is more consistent with how human beings are about all sorts of things than this idea that we just naturally should regulate our eating perfectly.

So it doesn't really bother me or make me think there's something wrong with me (vs. a "naturally" thin person) that I have to be mindful of my food choices.

I do think it's interesting how people differ on whether they are driven by hunger/satiety more strongly or not. I have mentioned this before, but I have two cats--and yes domesticated cats who are fed aren't really in a natural environment--and one of them regulates his eating perfectly. He seems to have hungry days and non hungry days, and he also seems to get super active before mealtimes, as if he is simulating hunting. The other one (who struggles with his weight, which of course means we struggle with trying to keep him from being obese) loves food and will overeat if given an opportunity. He also seems--could be imagining this, but I don't think so--to eat when stressed/upset, and if you feed him less he becomes less active. Sigh.

MamaBirdBoss

jemhh wrote: »

When I was thin, I did not eat when hungry and stop when full. I ate at my assigned meal times and if I liked the food I ate it, if I didn't, I just didn't eat. Instead, I'd eat at the next meal.

Pretty much this, too.

"Naturally thin" people have a very, very different relationship with food than "naturally obese" people. They eat because it's mealtime. They eat about what they think, mentally, they SHOULD eat. If they don't like what's there, they'll just..not eat for a while. And it's no big deal.

I usually lost 2-5lbs at summer camp every year because I didn't much care for the food.

Watching "naturally thin" kids versus "naturally fat" kids is interesting.

Two extremes:

My daughter (a "natural thin") was holding her belly today and looking dejected. I asked, "What's wrong? Is your tummy upset?" "No. I'm hungry, but I can't think of what to eat!" Now, the house is full of stuff she LIKES to eat just fine. She just couldn't think of anything at that moment that was worth the effort of getting up and getting it out and eating it despite the fact that it was 2pm and she hadn't eaten all day. I made her a grilled cheese sandwich, and she went on her way, but to her, being on the lighter side of "naturally skinny" in terms of her attitudes towards food, the cost of physical hunger was less than the cost of going to the effort of eating something she was less than enthusiastic about.

To her, food is an inconvenience in life that you have to put up with, aside from the occasional treat. Even with unlimited access to treats, though, the excitement quickly wanes.

In addition, my kids will never walk if they can run or skip. They'll choose the outdoor thing before the indoor. They even turn TV into a cardio event.

The neighbors have a "naturally fat" kid. He LOVES food. Everything to him--every trip, every event, everything--is centered around what he can eat there. Taking him to a potluck is horrific because he literally spends the entire time shoveling as much food into his body as he possibly can, and if he's restricted, he tries to sneak food. He lies about what he's eaten. He rummages in neighbors' pantries. He hides food. He'll wake up super-early to get in an extra breakfast before anyone else is awake, go back to bed, then wake up and pretend he hasn't had anything. He'll get three slices of pizza and with each one will loudly proclaim that he hasn't eaten ANYTHING ELSE that day (even though he just finished a full meal less than half an hour ago).

To him, food is the most important thing in life. It's more important than friends, family, games, trips, absolutely anything. If he has one love, it's food.

In addition, he will never run when he can walk. He will always choose to be inside rather than outside. He sits in front of a TV or video game like a zombie.

My "naturally thin" kids are not only allowed free range of the kitchen, they get yelled at regularly for not eating when there is something more fun to do, and they are FORCED to stop playing and put some food into their bodies. They are in the 25th to 40th percentile on BMI for their ages. (5th to 84th is healthy range!)

My neighbor's "naturally fat" kids are supposed to eat no more than what is in the meal plan at certain times a day. One kid is obese, and the other is within spitting distance of obese.

Some of these behaviors were entirely trained into the kids by their parents. The other family puts a HUGE emphasis on food and usually constant rewards preschoolers with food and encourages them to eat non-stop. They substituted food for attention in the kids' early years. Both parents are obese, and neither value athleticism for its own sake, nor do they hold activity in any particular place of importance. Their recreation is ALWAYS sedentary.

We put extremely little emphasis on food. When we travel, we normally pack or make 2 out of 3 meals. We always carry a cooler so we can have "our own" breakfasts and either lunch or dinner (depending on the vacation). We also pack our own "healthy-ish" snacks--we don't make a big point of them being "healthy", but they're things that won't make us feel sick (from eating more fats than our bodies are used to) or sluggish (from being so calorie-dense that they upset our stomachs). Our vacations are ALWAYS centered around physical exertion of some sort. Even if we're seeing a city, we do tons of walking. We consider that a normal part of a vacation and not something in need of an extra reward or an extra rest (which is what the neighbors do).

I routinely modify recipes by doubling the veg and slashing the fats. Our "desserts" are most often smoothies with fruit and a tiny bit of sugar or honey, if we have them, and if we have something more, the adults trade off dinner calories for dessert calories--"Remember to leave room for the XYZ!"

The neighbors, when they modify recipes, add more fats and sugars. They have a lot of dessert on top of their meals more days--and it's a pure addition. They say things like, "Butter is natural and margarine is not" or "Yeah, it has a lot of oil, but it's olive oil, so it's a healthy oil" and emphasize making "good food" from scratch. They eat only a few vegetables and never add more.

DeguelloTex

MamaBirdBoss wrote: »

jemhh wrote: »

When I was thin, I did not eat when hungry and stop when full. I ate at my assigned meal times and if I liked the food I ate it, if I didn't, I just didn't eat. Instead, I'd eat at the next meal.

Pretty much this, too.

"Naturally thin" people have a very, very different relationship with food than "naturally obese" people. They eat because it's mealtime. They eat about what they think, mentally, they SHOULD eat. If they don't like what's there, they'll just..not eat for a while. And it's no big deal.

I've been 6'9" and 180 pounds and I've been 6'9" and 335 pounds. I am naturally thin or naturally obese?

AnnaBellQ14

SuggaD wrote: »

No one is "naturally thin." Their relationship with food and activity level is, as you said, just better than those who are or have been overweight. I'm in maintenance and I don't count calories. I also recognize that because of a period in my life when I didn't have enough to eat, I can't leave food on the plate. So for me, its not really about eating until I'm full and stop. I just make pretty good decisions in what I choose to eat and how I fill my plate and it all seems to balance out. I've been around the same weight range for almost 2 years and am very active. You don't have to count for the rest of your life.

That's good to hear. I usually never leave foodon my plate. I have to also learn to just put enough on my plate to satisfy me.

AnnaBellQ14

dubird wrote: »

I sortta do that now, but I still log to make sure I'm on track. Do I go over sometimes? Yes, especially when we have a special dinner. Which is why I still log. It's not 100% accurate, but it gives me an idea where I am and where I can go for the day, and keeps me from eating too much most of the time. Is that intuitive eating? I dunno, I just know that this what works for me. What works for you might be something different. The trick is to retrain your brain and body, which is still something I'm working on!

I think retraining is the key because right now I also eat fast. I have been learning to eat slower.

AnnaBellQ14

lemurcat12 wrote: »

I should add that I'm skeptical that humans naturally ate until they weren't hungry and maintained that way. It doesn't surprise me that only a minority of humans in the situation of plenty that we are in today are good at it.

Over most of human history it wasn't an issue--scarcity was. When there was excess food letting it go to waste because not hungry would have been a bad idea. Sure, we learned to preserve food, but we also were flexible in our eating schedules, likely feasting in some seasons and on some days and fasting (or eating much less) on others.

Even in more developed societies where food was more consistently available people tended to control food consumption through culture--regular eating times and developed ideas about when and how and what to eat--and not simple instinct. That to me is more consistent with how human beings are about all sorts of things than this idea that we just naturally should regulate our eating perfectly.

So it doesn't really bother me or make me think there's something wrong with me (vs. a "naturally" thin person) that I have to be mindful of my food choices.

I do think it's interesting how people differ on whether they are driven by hunger/satiety more strongly or not. I have mentioned this before, but I have two cats--and yes domesticated cats who are fed aren't really in a natural environment--and one of them regulates his eating perfectly. He seems to have hungry days and non hungry days, and he also seems to get super active before mealtimes, as if he is simulating hunting. The other one (who struggles with his weight, which of course means we struggle with trying to keep him from being obese) loves food and will overeat if given an opportunity. He also seems--could be imagining this, but I don't think so--to eat when stressed/upset, and if you feed him less he becomes less active. Sigh.

That's interesting. Growing up, I ate what we had, which wasn't much at times and wasn't overweight. Only when I had access to more food did I eat more. I don't know if it's learned or what. I know though, that I can relearn and change my ways.

MamaBirdBoss

DeguelloTex wrote: »

MamaBirdBoss wrote: »

jemhh wrote: »

When I was thin, I did not eat when hungry and stop when full. I ate at my assigned meal times and if I liked the food I ate it, if I didn't, I just didn't eat. Instead, I'd eat at the next meal.

Pretty much this, too.

"Naturally thin" people have a very, very different relationship with food than "naturally obese" people. They eat because it's mealtime. They eat about what they think, mentally, they SHOULD eat. If they don't like what's there, they'll just..not eat for a while. And it's no big deal.

I've been 6'9" and 180 pounds and I've been 6'9" and 335 pounds. I am naturally thin or naturally obese?

You can't tell from someone's weight, if they are in a healthy range, what their attitude toward food is. They might be a "constant checker." My husband has TERRIBLE food habits learned from his parents (and was once obese for his race while not even realizing that he'd gained 30lbs in 9 months!), and that's how he stays lean. He checks himself in the mirror and against his clothes every night and adapts his food plans for the next week accordingly.

I'm calling "naturally thin" people who stay in the low part of the healthy range without any conscious restriction of diet.

I'm calling "naturally obese" people who gain quickly when they are not conscious about what they are eating or pay close attention to the fit of their clothes or the scale.

I have quotes for a reason. These are all based on learned and adopted behaviors, not inborn metabolic differences.

Most people are neither "naturally thin" nor "naturally obese" to either extreme. Most are habituated eaters with slight hedonistic but not exaggerated tendencies. And MOST people gain weight predictably over years as their activity levels drop, their lean mass declines, and their intake stays just a little too high.

When I workout a lot, I lean a little toward "naturally" thin, meaning that can eat "whatever I want" and be slim then because I just don't want eat that much. But I also have never had the "meh, food, who cares?" attitude that people who don't ever gain weight tend to maintain. And on low levels of activity, I get quite fat!

meganjcallaghan

whether or not this would work would depend on the individual, I suppose. I, for example, can probably count on one hand the number of times I've actually felt hungry and have often actually forgotten to eat for days at a time when I've been so busy that I would have needed to feel hungry in order to remember I've gone without food for an extended period of time. I also very rarely ever feel full, regardless of how much I've eaten. I'm a bottomless pit at weddings and buffets. I've reached the point where I looked like I was about 7 months gestation and had to change into a different dress so I'd have room to be able to dance after the dinner at a wedding reception. I didn't feel any different, though. I think my "feelers" are broken. I wonder if there could be some connection to the fact that I don't seem to feel pain like normal people either (for example, at no point would I rate my kidney donation surgery/recovery experience as causing anything beyond VERY mild discomfort about on par with stubbing one's toe). Anyhoo....I think if i didn't count calories for the sake of remembering to eat enough on most days (since buffets and weddings are few and far between, i don't care much if i overdo it on those days) and just tried to rely on eating when hungry, I'd probably end up not so healthy. Sure would be more convenient, though, so I hope it works for you!

DeguelloTex

MamaBirdBoss wrote: »

DeguelloTex wrote: »

MamaBirdBoss wrote: »

jemhh wrote: »

When I was thin, I did not eat when hungry and stop when full. I ate at my assigned meal times and if I liked the food I ate it, if I didn't, I just didn't eat. Instead, I'd eat at the next meal.

Pretty much this, too.

"Naturally thin" people have a very, very different relationship with food than "naturally obese" people. They eat because it's mealtime. They eat about what they think, mentally, they SHOULD eat. If they don't like what's there, they'll just..not eat for a while. And it's no big deal.

I've been 6'9" and 180 pounds and I've been 6'9" and 335 pounds. I am naturally thin or naturally obese?

These are all based on learned and adopted behaviors, not inborn metabolic differences.

So kind of the opposite of "natural."

AnnaBellQ14

MamaBirdBoss wrote: »

jemhh wrote: »

When I was thin, I did not eat when hungry and stop when full. I ate at my assigned meal times and if I liked the food I ate it, if I didn't, I just didn't eat. Instead, I'd eat at the next meal.

Pretty much this, too.

"Naturally thin" people have a very, very different relationship with food than "naturally obese" people. They eat because it's mealtime. They eat about what they think, mentally, they SHOULD eat. If they don't like what's there, they'll just..not eat for a while. And it's no big deal.

I usually lost 2-5lbs at summer camp every year because I didn't much care for the food.

Watching "naturally thin" kids versus "naturally fat" kids is interesting.

Two extremes:

My daughter (a "natural thin") was holding her belly today and looking dejected. I asked, "What's wrong? Is your tummy upset?" "No. I'm hungry, but I can't think of what to eat!" Now, the house is full of stuff she LIKES to eat just fine. She just couldn't think of anything at that moment that was worth the effort of getting up and getting it out and eating it despite the fact that it was 2pm and she hadn't eaten all day. I made her a grilled cheese sandwich, and she went on her way, but to her, being on the lighter side of "naturally skinny" in terms of her attitudes towards food, the cost of physical hunger was less than the cost of going to the effort of eating something she was less than enthusiastic about.

To her, food is an inconvenience in life that you have to put up with, aside from the occasional treat. Even with unlimited access to treats, though, the excitement quickly wanes.

In addition, my kids will never walk if they can run or skip. They'll choose the outdoor thing before the indoor. They even turn TV into a cardio event.

The neighbors have a "naturally fat" kid. He LOVES food. Everything to him--every trip, every event, everything--is centered around what he can eat there. Taking him to a potluck is horrific because he literally spends the entire time shoveling as much food into his body as he possibly can, and if he's restricted, he tries to sneak food. He lies about what he's eaten. He rummages in neighbors' pantries. He hides food. He'll wake up super-early to get in an extra breakfast before anyone else is awake, go back to bed, then wake up and pretend he hasn't had anything. He'll get three slices of pizza and with each one will loudly proclaim that he hasn't eaten ANYTHING ELSE that day (even though he just finished a full meal less than half an hour ago).

To him, food is the most important thing in life. It's more important than friends, family, games, trips, absolutely anything. If he has one love, it's food.

In addition, he will never run when he can walk. He will always choose to be inside rather than outside. He sits in front of a TV or video game like a zombie.

My "naturally thin" kids are not only allowed free range of the kitchen, they get yelled at regularly for not eating when there is something more fun to do, and they are FORCED to stop playing and put some food into their bodies. They are in the 25th to 40th percentile on BMI for their ages. (5th to 84th is healthy range!)

My neighbor's "naturally fat" kids are supposed to eat no more than what is in the meal plan at certain times a day. One kid is obese, and the other is within spitting distance of obese.

Some of these behaviors were entirely trained into the kids by their parents. The other family puts a HUGE emphasis on food and usually constant rewards preschoolers with food and encourages them to eat non-stop. They substituted food for attention in the kids' early years. Both parents are obese, and neither value athleticism for its own sake, nor do they hold activity in any particular place of importance. Their recreation is ALWAYS sedentary.

We put extremely little emphasis on food. When we travel, we normally pack or make 2 out of 3 meals. We always carry a cooler so we can have "our own" breakfasts and either lunch or dinner (depending on the vacation). We also pack our own "healthy-ish" snacks--we don't make a big point of them being "healthy", but they're things that won't make us feel sick (from eating more fats than our bodies are used to) or sluggish (from being so calorie-dense that they upset our stomachs). Our vacations are ALWAYS centered around physical exertion of some sort. Even if we're seeing a city, we do tons of walking. We consider that a normal part of a vacation and not something in need of an extra reward or an extra rest (which is what the neighbors do).

I routinely modify recipes by doubling the veg and slashing the fats. Our "desserts" are most often smoothies with fruit and a tiny bit of sugar or honey, if we have them, and if we have something more, the adults trade off dinner calories for dessert calories--"Remember to leave room for the XYZ!"

The neighbors, when they modify recipes, add more fats and sugars. They have a lot of dessert on top of their meals more days--and it's a pure addition. They say things like, "Butter is natural and margarine is not" or "Yeah, it has a lot of oil, but it's olive oil, so it's a healthy oil" and emphasize making "good food" from scratch. They eat only a few vegetables and never add more.

Wow. I saw myself in some of your description of the naturally fat kid.