How normal, thin people eat.

The definition of normal was not found

I think many of the OP observations are true. People who are "naturally thin" have a different relationship with food then those who are overweight.
but i think counting calories and being conscious of what type of fuel you are putting in your body will train you to naturally make good decisions. I’ve been at this for almost a year and my eating and excerise habits have completely changed.
I see people on these forums complaining that "different people lose weight differently" and i just dont really buy it. I think everyone has the option to be overweight or not be overweight depending on their lifestyle choices.

I used to think I was "naturally thin," but I really was an active person with not-so-great eating habits. Sure, I could "eat whatever I wanted," but what I wanted was typically small portions, not nutritionally sound, with the occasional binge. Yeah, people would see me eating Auntie Anne's pretzels and McDonalds or Arbys for lunch... they didn't see that I skipped breakfast and had Ramen noodles for dinner.

I don't always log my calories. I take frequent breaks and never log on weekends or holidays. Half the time, I log to make sure I'm eating enough rather than eating too much. I look and feel better than ever before. Yeah, the stereotypical "I'm in better shape in my 40s than my 20s!" My dietary habits have certainly improved, but if I just "listened to my body," it would tell me that cookies and milk make a good breakfast, lunch and dinner.

In short, if logging food and exercise is unnatural, I'd rather be "unnaturally fit" than "naturally thin."

But I swear.. some of the naturally thin people I know would eat at tdee or above, from my observation!!

But remember, you're probably seeing them when they're out -- having a special evening or socializing -- when it's likely they eat more than their "normal". I have some thin relatives who eat much less at home than they will in a restaurant.

Also, many "naturally thin" people have very active lives... even if they don't go to the gym or you don't see them exercising. For instance, some may have a "desk" job, but it involves going all over a large building to meet with people -- they walk and climb stairs as part of their "natural" routine. If you ask them whether they exercise regularly, they might say no, but they do.

(Edited to remove the part of the quote that wasn't relevant to this response.)

I am a chocoholic and I cannot ever eat a bit and put the rest away. Whatever I have bought I have to eat it ALL that day.

The first time I went to my thin boyfriend's flat I was making tea and looked inside a cupboard and saw he had a multipack of 6 Mars Bars with 2 left in the pack. I asked if I could have one, and it was only pure embarassment that stopped me asking him for both. The whole time I was there I could not get that 2nd Mars out of my mind.

About two weeks later I visited again, and that last Mars Bar was still in the cupboard. I asked him why he bought them as it was clear he didn't like them much, and his reply stunned me. He said "They are my favourite chocolate bar."

In the end the only thing I could do was to go Cold Turkey. I don't think I could ever be like him.

eat to live, dont live to eat

When I lost weight before pregnancy, I didn't count calories...I was pretty much EXACTLY like how you described skinny people....I made some different choices for food but for the most part I still had what I wanted....I have a HUGE sweet tooth and that will always be part of me.....

But...everything changed after pregnancy....I think if I hadn't gained SO much weight with 2 pregnancies (started at 173lbs and ended up at 239 at end of 2nd pregnancy), I may have been able to go back to what I was doing before, but my hormones thought otherwise....I honestly don't think I'd have gotten this far without counting calories....when I stop counting, I do OK at first, but then without that accountablility, I start to slip little by little....and then I gain....last year I'd gained back 13 pounds by the end of the year....

Weight loss for me has ALWAYS been a combination of emotional eating and a general LOVE of food....plain and simple, I love food....it makes me happy....wether or not that is a psychological thing I don't know....it is hard for me to simply have a few bites of something I REALLY love and then say "I've had enough"....especially if we are talking about cheesecake or chocolate cake or chocolate frogs lol

When I reach my goal I will likely continue to count calories....maybe not entering calories at MFP but definitely at least keeping meals and snacks under a certain number....but I am going to try to keep it up here....this isn't something like an illness where you are suddenly cured and can stop taking medication....when you get to your goal you don't want to get comfortable....

We are not like typical skinny people....if we were, we'd all be skinny....my mother has been skinny all her life....sometimes TOO skinny....she doesn't really have a good relationship with food....she only eats because she has to...she never enjoys ANYTHING she eats....and she's not very healthy....she has to rely on oodles of supplements to make up for what is lacking in her diet....I know for a fact she probably only gets about 25% of the protein she needs daily....meat disgusts her and she doesn't make up for it with other protein sources....I'd be scared to see what is lacking in her diet....lately she's been interested in what I've been doing....her doctor wants her to gain weight....she's interested in alternative foods...she WANTS to enjoy eating...it is totally psychological with her...

OK so in rambling on, I guess my point is that you can't really compare us to skinny people, because neither of us is a "typical" example of how we SHOULD eat....love food, hate food, overeat, undereat...It think those in between who are "naturally" skinny honestly have it all together....a normal relationship with food and even emotions that don't cause triggers in the brain to stuff or starve.....I really do envy these people....NOT because they are skinny though....

Wow, this is an awesome topic and so many great responses. Here is what I have observed in my large exteneded family. The ones who are "naturally thin" eat less then those who are chubby, overweight, or obese. They also never sit still...they are on the move all the time. For example...we all sit down for a meal...the thin people hop and down at least half a dozen times. After the meal, they are outside playing a game, swimming, or going for a walk. The heavy people are sitting around inside, or under the canopy on the lawn, having a soda or sweet tea or beer and one more piece of pie.

After dinner, I typically load the dishwasher, pack bento boxes for work the next day, and clean the kitchen. Then I'll go to the gym or do extra cleaning. Now, I'm not "thin" but I'm not exactly large either, and considering the fact that I have thyroid disease and some rather aggressive edema, I could be much much larger than I am.

I'm obsessed with calorie counts & food labels & although that stuff is important, I'm starting to feel like it's not necessary to actively count and monitor them just to lose weight. I feel like if I would just stop eating for any reason besides hunger, & learn to start controlling my portion sizes & enjoying my food instead of obsessing over every calorie, I could become & stay thin without putting in nearly as much effort as I do now.

I do not log my food all of the time. I do try but homemade meals are harder and I use the time to spend with my hubs. Sometimes I will complete the entries, most times I don't. I use it as a general guideline and tool. If I stay below, great; if not, I have little doubt where I shouldn't have indulged. It's like using measuring sppons and cups, at the start I was religeous about it. Now, I will do a spot check once in a while just to make sure I am not over indulging. I learned to cook by sight for measurement so I am pretty good with it. I also like to track my burns.

I guess I won't give it all up completely because it keeps me aware of what I am doing. When something happens I can look back and have tangible proof that I slacked or consistantly stayed in the guides. Never fear social gatherings and temptations. You have no intentions to avoid them forever, so instead have an acceptable snack or meal prior to the gathering, steer away from the snack tables, pick your indulgences wisely, and have fun living life in a healthy way.

There's a great book called *Intuitive Eating* that goes over those ideas and coaches you through adopting them....

LOVE this book.

I really liked your post, I used to be really thin before my children were born and that was exactly what I did! I didn't label food, I didn't emotional eat, I would call friends, journal, work out, go walk, etc. instead. After the kids it was totally different, and I changed every great habit you mentioned! Fortunately I have found an awesome health coach to keep me accountable and get back on track, and it feels wonderful. I need to get back to my healthier habits, and it is amazing how your observation was so dead on.

I've never been truly thin, but I've been on the slim side and on the fat side, and my eating usually wasn't much different. It just seemed that for most of my life I could eat "intuitively" and never gain weight, and then suddenly I started gaining weight. Obviously something changed, but it wasn't my attitude to food and eating. I put on about 100 pounds and then stopped gaining and could maintain "intuitively".

Losing weight doesn't mean having the same attitude to food as I did when I was slim (when I didn't have to think about food!). That was keeping me fat. Whatever I had that makes naturally slim people maintain their body weight without thinking - I've lost. I can only lose weight by being vigilant and I think I will have to continue to be vigilant for many years to come.

Counting calories is really just a tool to help us understand what normal meals, from day to day, should look like. I know many thin people who go all day without eating, and then eat a lot at dinner. Some people eat very little most days, and then one day they eat a lot. My husband is so thin, and just acts like he has no taste buds, and food is just not something he gets excited about. It could matter less to him what he eats. He takes 2 sandwiches to work everyday, along with several Pepsi's and nutty buddies, and whatever other junk food he has to bring. That's basically all he eats all day long. He usually doesn't eat before going to work, and he rarely eats when he gets home. I've tried to tell him how unhealthy that is, but he doesn't care. He is 6' tall, and about 140lb's, so he is pretty thin. It just drives me nuts that he gets no enjoyment from food! It seems ridiculous to me! Lol. Me on the other hand...I'm the complete opposite. I really do have emotional attachments to food. I eat when I'm bored, stressed, anxious, sad...all of it! Well, I used to. I sometimes find myself trying to slip back into old habits. It's hard. Basically, most of us on here do have an eating problem. We get so much pleasure from food, and use it to cope with many of our feelings, as well. Others just don't have that, and so they don't have to worry about what they put in their mouth. They just eat when hungry, and no big deal. It may taste good, but probably not as good as it does to the rest of us.

I absolutely agree, and I've read your observations before in health articles.

Unfortunately, it's so hard to change habits. One habit I struggle with is my habit to clean my plate, and my absolute aversion to throwing away food. It just seems wasteful--(I try to strategically put small portions on my plate so I CAN eat everything and I DON'T have to throw everything away and I DON'T overeat, but it's hard because...) Another habit I struggle with is boredom eating. Or just simply not eating slowly enough that I can feel my body's natural signals that I'm full. Throughout the day, I sometimes pause what I'm doing and have to analyze whether I'm hungry or not... Obviously I'm not -that- hungry, otherwise I would be in the kitchen preparing something. But I just like to eat. <-- These are all abnormal signs. This is why I'm overweight. And it's hard to change lifelong habits.

Eat more, move more; move less, eat less. This is so natural for some people. I can only dream about how that mindset must be.

One of my housemates is really thin--she eats cheese and cooks with oil, which is a big deal to me, because one of my first (subconscious) decisions when I started losing weight was to shy hardcore away from calorie-dense foods, always choosing low-calorie substitutes. Another girl I live with drinks a can of full-sugar Coca Cola every single day. I haven't touched a non-diet soda in years. I can't even remember the taste.

I've read that eating "whole" foods (not diet soda, not sugar substitute, not fat-free cheese, not "lite" anything--at the same time, not a box of oreos or a whole cinnabon) really aids in weight loss, and the people who consume those foods tend to be better at portion control because the tastes are richer. I'm thinking of trying this out. It seems to me like another thing that "naturally" lean people do.

Anyways, good insight. I wish it was easier to change built up habits!

I really liked "The Body Fat Solution" by Tom Venuto. He has a really good chapter on emotional eating. It helped me out, and basically the "diet" that he talks about is basically what I'm doing. Strive for high protein, moderate fat, and low carbs. One thing I didn't like, is that he kind of puts down other diets, but it's overall a very good book, and it's worth the read, if atleast for the part on emotional eating. I got it on Amazon, I think, for like $10. The biggest thing to try to fix first, is the whole "mindless eating," which is basically just eating for the hell of it, because it's there. Like seeing a bag of Doritos, or something lying around, and grabbing it and going n sitting in front of the TV. Before you know it, the bag is empty. You weren't even hungry, you weren't even craving it. You just saw it, and were bored, and decided to chow down. Lol. Just thinking about what you're eating, and asking yourself if you could choose something healthier, like maybe baked Doritos, in a smaller portion, if you're really wanting it.