What do truly skinny people eat?

peace_pigeon

I'm pretty skinny (5'7 118pounds) and eat around 1200 cals a day. I struggle with eating enough because of a medication that I take for arthritis (would be a great weight loss drug if the side effects were not so miserable, lol). Still, even with a small appetite, I manage to get quite a lot of protein (lots of shakes and bars) and try to eat as clean and high quality as I can. I figure that if I can't eat much, what I do eat has to be super healthy. I try to stay away from empty carbs and have lots of fruit and veggies, lean meats and fish. Because of that and regular excersize, I am lean and not skinny-fat. I wouldn't suggest that anyone eats such a low cal diet though, especially if you excersize. My metabolisim is probably a bit screwy, and I am a bit too skinny for my liking. I think that most really healthy thin folks eat a lot and excersize a lot :-)

ralombard

Smoothies made with 40cal almond milk...(I normally only put 3oz so it's 15cals!) and tons of different recipes with pita bread...delicious No packaged snacks except All Bran Bars (if I'm low on fiber..) Berries and mangos as a course of a dish can replace a desert. The butter-pecan Ensures, watered down with almond milk (40cal again) or coffee can be as a meal. If I'm really in a big rush, I will eat a Lean Cuisine (but I don't recommend these often at all). Also, use freshly squeezed lemon juice as a salad dressing.

Have a great dieting journey!! Just make sure to get adequate nutrition every day.

mfpcopine

I have been eating between 1100 and 1200 and doing Intermittent Fasting several times a week for the last couple of weeks. I fast for 14 hours after dinner and resume eating around 12:30.

I started on this site at about 104.5. Yesterday I was 100.5, although that could easily be reversed.


In the morning, still on the fast, I have 2 cups of coffee with a 2/3 cup of skim or 1% milk. That's more than the "splash" of dairy recommended, but I have to have at least that amount in my coffee.

After the fast is over, I have an approximately 10-hour eating window. I eat only when I'm hungry. After dinner, I don't eat again for about 14 hours. When I'm eating well, I eat things like:

Lunch

1 or 2 multigrain English muffins with a teaspoon of unsalted butter, maybe a tablespoon of honey

Greek yogurt with a small amount of honey or two teaspoons of sugar, strawberries, maybe some nuts and cinnamon


Norwegian Brisling Sardines in Olive Oil (without the oil)

1 or 2 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (multigrain bread and American cheese)

Healthy Choice or Progresso Soups (the whole can)


Snacks

Walnuts and pistachios (when I'm vigilant I count them and/or weigh them)

Multigrain Crackers (I overdo them, but I try to count)

Cheese: Jarlsberg, Gouda, Cheddar (I try to measure)


Dinner

Roast or broiled chicken without the skin

Fairly lean steak or lamb chops

Fish (cooked and Sushi)

Shellfish

Pizza (yesterday I did well and had only one slice)

Vegetables: broccoli, broccolini, cauliflower, sugar snap peas, asparagus, brussel sprouts, baby bok choy, corn on the cob (no butter; good corn is sweet on its own), fingerling potatoes (no butter), froze peas, sweet green, red, and yellow peppers

Emperor's forbidden rice

Whole wheat pasta


Etc.

Occasional glass of wine, bottle(s) of light beer, brandy, sherry (the last two aren't great choices because of the sugar and added calories)

Occasional sweets.

Filtered water with lemon slices.

I almost never add salt unless the food is absolutely tasteless. I prefer to add freshly ground pepper or lemon juice for flavor.

I've only been measuring and weighing things since I started logging on this site. It's a drag, but given my low calorie limit, it's essential. I have a low max because of my age and an injury that has rendered me sedentary for several weeks. I've never considered myself to be skinny, but I've always been thin. I remember being in the college dining room and some people joking:

"Look, she doesn't finish everything on her plate!"

"So THAT'S how thin people stay thin, they don't eat when they're not hungry!"

breathless575

When you say you 'shoulld' be eating 1200, what are you basing that on? how have you calculated your deficit?

Based on the MFP calculator. I am 5'4 and weigh 136 lbs. I would like to weigh 115 lbs.

mfpcopine

Thin people eat MORE than 1200-1300 calories a day!!!

Not necessarily.

mfpcopine

Thin healthy people eat a lot more than 1200 per day. I'm 5'10, 130 pounds and I eat 1700-2000 per day.

Well, if you want to contradict the actual experience of some thin, healthy people on this site who DO eat 1,200 or fewer calories, I guess you can do that. But it's not correct.

breathless575

Don't worry. Give it a week and you'll be fine with 1200. Eat a high protein breakfast that'll hold you til lunch. You won't have to snack. Eat a good high protein lunch that'll hold you til dinner and so forth. Stay away from the crap. Eat what counts. Of course drink water but yadda yadda on that. Water never filled me up. If your stomach growls, tell it NO! Just because it's growling doesn't mean it needs attention.

The MFP calculator is always telling me I'm going over my protein amounts everyday... How much protein should I be eating?

SirBen81

ice cubes

grinch031

Anecdotally most skinny people I've ever talked to eat whatever they want. The difference between them and many of us is they aren't hungry all the time. They actually get satisfied when they eat small portions of junk food. Its mostly genetic.

mfpcopine

Don't worry. Give it a week and you'll be fine with 1200. Eat a high protein breakfast that'll hold you til lunch. You won't have to snack. Eat a good high protein lunch that'll hold you til dinner and so forth. Stay away from the crap. Eat what counts. Of course drink water but yadda yadda on that. Water never filled me up. If your stomach growls, tell it NO! Just because it's growling doesn't mean it needs attention.

The MFP calculator is always telling me I'm going over my protein amounts everyday... How much protein should I be eating?

It depends on what program you're following. You may know that you can change the macro proportions in MFP.

momof8munchkins

I can only judge by my naturally thin husband and children- they do not count calories I can tell you that.. they eat and eat and eat like horses..as much and as often as the mood strikes.. lol I wish I could do the same.

budhandy

The 8 glasses of water per day is a myth.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=eight-glasses-water-per-day

That a myth but eating every four hours isn't? Lol

Nope. And don't LOL me like you're age 12.
If you don't believe what Scientific American has to say about water than just go read USA today or some other dribble that you enjoy.
[/quote]

wow, chill out. Also flipping out and having a hissy fit, your one acting like your 12 just because I disagree with you. oh since im 12 anyway LOL LOL LOL

Sabine_Stroehm

Don't worry. Give it a week and you'll be fine with 1200. Eat a high protein breakfast that'll hold you til lunch. You won't have to snack. Eat a good high protein lunch that'll hold you til dinner and so forth. Stay away from the crap. Eat what counts. Of course drink water but yadda yadda on that. Water never filled me up. If your stomach growls, tell it NO! Just because it's growling doesn't mean it needs attention.

Actually the experts say snacking is good and eating every 2-3 hours is the only way to keep your metabolism amped up.

Who are these "experts", exactly?

I've always read this too. And I've always done this. Quite successfully.

THANK YOU. Me too.

Anecdotal. I'm a grazer too, my husband laughs at me and calls me a hobbit, but it isn't the solution for everyone. I'm hungry every 2 - 3 hours so that's when I eat, the hubs generally isn't hungry until lunch and usually only eats 2 meals a day and that works for him. It has nothing to do with timing and everything to do with the actual consumption itself and your body's needs.

Several popular diets suggest it as well. I guess that's anecdotal. For me it's about keeping my blood sugars level.

paulasue145

truely skinny people dont eat much. i speak from personal experience. im a rice cake snacker, but thats as healthy as it gets, i mostly eat gummy sweets chocolate crisps fizzy drinks sometimes i'll eat a banana. lots of butter, erm yeah i dont eat healthy, just dont eat heapos, just seems like i do because i graze all day. but i guess i havent ever had toooo. but i wouldnt reccommmmend my diet. i dont really have a puroose for using mfp, i just have it to keep track of some of my clients' diarys (im a PT) and its good to see whats working and whats not in conjunction with their training!!!!!!!




Personal Trainer for what? Stupid??

cournae

I have always had a very slow metabolism- If I eat a piece of pizza I feel like I gain 10 pounds! So for me especially I am very serious about taking the 1200-1300 calorie/day path and so far, I've lost about 10 pounds in 4 weeks. The foods that worked wonders for me were the 35-calorie healthy life breads, Lean cuisines, Thomas' Bagel thins, eating 2 pieces of frozen pizza instead of 5, 2% milk cheeses, and low fat coffee creamer instead of full fat.
It took me a while to get used to, but I just tried to find low-calorie replacements so that I could still enjoy the foods I normally eat. Once I came up with a way to replace my favorite foods with low-calorie versions, I was still able to enjoy them and therefore lacked all those cravings I had, which led to binging on junk food that caused me to be overweight to begin with.
Take time and make a list of all the high calorie foods you love/crave and plan a way to cut calories from them so that you can still enjoy them without the guilt!

This is a good time to chime in and say again: everyone is different. Eating all thes processed carbs would make me starving. For me: good proteins and good vegetables is the key for not being hungry. When I know my day is going to be crazy, I pack proteins and green vegetables.

I totally agree- everyone is different and I am just saying what works for me personally. I am the complete opposite- no matter how many fruits, veggies, and good proteins I eat, I am still hungry and still crave things like pizza and bagels- which is why I had to come up with another option since I have a hard time resisting those cravings even with healthy snacks like you mentioned. Even if I'm not necessarily "hungry" physically, I love to snack on things throughout the day by habit

rockinright

"So THAT'S how thin people stay thin, they don't eat when they're not hungry!"

I only ate when I was hungry too. Didn't stop me from getting fat.

sophiesummerdiet

Our CW and GW are pretty much the same. I am aiming for 1400 cal a day - lose weight slower but long term and eating back exercise calories. Feel free to add me for support. I decided not to stick to the 1200 either as fat2fit worked out my BMR as around 1400 so didnt want to eat below this!

Sabine_Stroehm

I have always had a very slow metabolism- If I eat a piece of pizza I feel like I gain 10 pounds! So for me especially I am very serious about taking the 1200-1300 calorie/day path and so far, I've lost about 10 pounds in 4 weeks. The foods that worked wonders for me were the 35-calorie healthy life breads, Lean cuisines, Thomas' Bagel thins, eating 2 pieces of frozen pizza instead of 5, 2% milk cheeses, and low fat coffee creamer instead of full fat.
It took me a while to get used to, but I just tried to find low-calorie replacements so that I could still enjoy the foods I normally eat. Once I came up with a way to replace my favorite foods with low-calorie versions, I was still able to enjoy them and therefore lacked all those cravings I had, which led to binging on junk food that caused me to be overweight to begin with.
Take time and make a list of all the high calorie foods you love/crave and plan a way to cut calories from them so that you can still enjoy them without the guilt!

This is a good time to chime in and say again: everyone is different. Eating all thes processed carbs would make me starving. For me: good proteins and good vegetables is the key for not being hungry. When I know my day is going to be crazy, I pack proteins and green vegetables.

I totally agree- everyone is different and I am just saying what works for me personally. I am the complete opposite- no matter how many fruits, veggies, and good proteins I eat, I am still hungry and still crave things like pizza and bagels- which is why I had to come up with another option since I have a hard time resisting those cravings even with healthy snacks like you mentioned. Even if I'm not necessarily "hungry" physically, I love to snack on things throughout the day by habit

I snack all day as well. So in that way we're similar! I'm snacking right now, in fact.

littlewords

Breathless575 - I am somewhat similar to you - a little shorter, but in a similar weight bracket, and I've always struggled with being hungry on 1200 calories a day. I also had no idea how to figure out how much protein/fat/etc to eat.
I recently came across this: http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/
And while everyone is certainly different, it really helped me quite a bit. Feel free to check out my diary - it's open - especially the last week or so. I had a couple of less successful days in there (Friday and Sunday, especially) but for the most part, eating more protein more often and earlier in the day has really helped me to keep from getting hungry, even with workouts. Yes, with workouts, I generally eat more than my daily goal, but I don't feel like I need to "eat back" all of those exercise calories.
Yesterday was a good example - I ate about 1300 calories and had about 290 exercise calories to spare.

I can't give a great report on weight loss yet, as it's only been just over a week, but I did lose 4 pounds last week. I'm sure most of it was "water weight", but still, it was a good kick start. Most importantly though, I am not starving anymore.

mfpcopine

"So THAT'S how thin people stay thin, they don't eat when they're not hungry!"

I only ate when I was hungry too. Didn't stop me from getting fat.

I'm only reporting what they said. They were teasing me, but in a nice way. My point was that thin people have internalized a lot of habits that they don't think about anymore.