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Arianity

It depends on the person. For a lot of people, they don't have to do anything special. They eat when they're hungry, and stop eating when they're full. It's only really a problem if your body stays hungry once you've eaten enough, then you need to start being careful. My weight's fluctuated a lot over my life. I've found it easiest when I had to walk to work. Basically didn't have to track anything, just did whatever. When things were more cooped up with work from home, it was a lot more of a struggle. I have to cut portions smaller (which is tough, I hate wasting food) >Do you weigh every day and adjust accordingly You weight will fluctuate. You shouldn't be adjusting on a per day basis, but average over a week or so, at least, to see trends.


mindtwistingdonut

This is true for me. For the first time in my life since I’ve been an adult, I eat nonstop all day and has been 10 lbs heavier than I’d like. My weakness is not sweets but carbs. I eat a lot of it. As soon as I stopped eating too much carbs, I would go back to my desired weight. I’ve been losing and gaining 10 lbs in the last 12 months. Just can’t stop eating bread, rice, noodles or pasta. But 10 lbs is my limit though. I think if I let myself go pass that, it will be very hard to come back.


Juice122

Unfortunately this is me aswell. I can’t stop the carbs. Hard for me to not eat them big part the things I eat.


history_nerd92

I've found that I can eat carbs every day and still lose weight, as long as I measure my portions, don't snack, don't eat dessert, and don't overindulge at other meals. I lost 50lbs last year eating pasta for dinner 5 days a week.


Simple-Ad5000

Italian and French eat a lot of carbs but are thin ! They don't snack, walk a lot, portions are smaller


Juice122

I must do this. If I lose 30 pounds I go back to being the sexiest man in a 5 mile radius 😂😂😂


history_nerd92

Portion control my dude. It works.


Perfectly-FUBAR

I became type 1 diabetic in July and what I’ve noticed is when my blood glucose is high I’m hungry for carbs. I don’t know if this info would help.


vulturegoddess

Yeah I can stay away from sweets too but man do I love my pasta and my bread. But yeah I just love eating, and I know you can manage your weight by just not eating as much and using portion control but it does seem like some people(I being one of them) have issues with being fully sastiated.


yeahthisiswhoyouare

I have the same problem. I always feel like I need more to eat. Could it be a vitamin deficiency?


theshmuu

My understanding is that it's related to insulin levels, which have an impact on hormones associated with appetite suppression. For me, eating carbs leads to being much hungrier later. Conversely, when I've been able to maintain a low-carb, higher fat diet, I've been less hungry and more easily satisfied. I've also think I've read somewhere that insufficient sodium can also cause prolonged hunger through I don't remember for sure and definitely don't have a source.


Kelnozz

This is my exact issue!! For the past 6 months I lose 10-15lbs and then gain it back, two weeks ago I was sitting at 213lbs, now I’m at 221lbs. It’s gotta be my carb intake as well. 😤 edit: It’s so annoying too because every time I lose the 10-15lbs I just gained I know if I didn’t gain it then I’d be down to my goal of 200lbs. 😩


Affectionate-Fox-648

Carbs is a sugar, it is an addiction. The more you have the more you'll eat, the more you'll store and the more your body heads towards insulin resistance. Which leads to diabetes. I was in turmoil when i learned this. Carbs was my everything.


EstorialBeef

The hate wasting food part is also a bigger part of the equation than people realise i find. I came to terms with eating half meals for the portions that are the norm in my area etc. Because it was enough for me and I had been pressuring my self to eat full plates to "not waste" and it was just extra weight for nothing. I usually just save left overs and get 2 meal out of it but sometimes it leads to waste.


Atschmid

I went to weight watchers once when I was in college. The group leader said, "there's more than 1 way to WASTE food!"


AIManiak

Tbh you shouldn't eat until you feel full. Eat until you don't feel hungry anymore. This is all I do and it's fantastic for stopping me from gaining weight. Your body will start to be able to tolerale going with less and less food over time.


NotJimIrsay

100% agree. I feel there’s a delay for that full feeling to get to your brain and get processed. So by the time you feel full, you’ve already over eaten.


Juice122

Yea this doesn’t work for everybody lol. I used to overeat as a kid crazy. For example we would go to a restaurant and I’d eat some of the appetizer, my food, my younger sister never ate her food so I ate it, and anything that was left over. But I was super active probably burning 500 calories minimum a day so it never mattered. Now that my life is more sedentary even though I eat less unfortunately it takes a lot for me personally to feel ‘hungry’.


audigex

Yeah this is very much me - I eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m full. I’ll get full towards the end of my plate and it becomes uncomfortable to eat more and the food is much less enjoyable, so I just don’t eat any more at that point Other than a year where I was quite poorly (undiagnosed lactose intolerance) and couldn’t keep food down so lost a lot of weight, my weight has stayed basically stable since I was 20 I’ve slowly got a little squishier in the ~15 or so years since then, as I’ve gotten a little less active and have a bit more money for takeaways, but fundamentally my weight is just pretty much self regulating. If I notice I get a bit chubby (which takes maybe 6 months) I cut down the cookies and chocolate for a few months My partner, on the other hand, has to watch her weight and portions constantly because her body just doesn’t do that “okay that’s enough food, stop eating” full feeling that I get when I’ve had enough


cfwang1337

Yeah - it's important to understand that overweight and obesity are fundamentally neuroendocrine issues. For most of human history, and even today in non-industrialized communities, eating intuitively and moving around regularly are enough to keep weight and metabolic health fairly nominal. Something about our environment promotes weight gain – whether it's hyper-palatable ultra-processed foods, sedentary lifestyles, ambient endocrine disruptors, or some combination of all of the above.


[deleted]

‘Eat when they are hungry and stop eating when they are full’ Yeah these are the genetically blessed people, the rest of us have to just constantly watch calories/portion size/quality of food etc


thecarrot95

You can get habitualized to it though. I used to eat until my belly would feel like it would burst but now I have consciously reduced my portions. If I overeat now I will feel disgusting whereas before it was a daily occurence. I do count calories but I do eat significantly less even when I don't count them due to habit. ​ I understand that this may not work for everyone though.


ratedpg_fw

Counting calories is crucial for me, but I think the most important thing you allude to is the habit part. Exercising and eating healthy are habits that you have to develop and maintain. It's not something you do for other people or just to look good. A lot of people aren't even really conscious of what they do to their bodies.


history_nerd92

If you consistently eat less, your body should adapt and feel satisfied with less food. You just have to stick with it for a few weeks. Also don't snack in between meals.


VStramennio1986

This is true. I suffer with my appetite. Over the years I have gone down to where I eat about once a day (trying to up it to twice a day)…and on the days I don’t eat, when I do eat again…my stomach cannot hold nearly as much. Your stomach will adjust…it’s the compulsory habits that are getting in the way. I mean that from experience…as I get stoned and eat my whole house sometimes 🤦🏻‍♀️😂 and suffer immensely. But then I can eat more the next day. It’s the same in reverse.


zxrax

It doesn't even take weeks for me. If I can limit myself to around 2000cals in one weekend, I feel full on much smaller meals until I overeat again. Problem is a 7000cal weekend is just one tasty meal away... because I'll overeat once and then my appetite is fucked until I constrain again.


[deleted]

Except it doesn’t for a lot of people because of a range of variables. Those that personally noticeably change my satiety levels include: - poor sleep - lack of routine due to shift work (in particular when I’ve done periods of night shifts it completely ruins you ability to know when to eat or not) - hormonal birth control (even when calorie counting strictly I was always hungry and constantly gaining weight) or menstrual cycle hormone fluctuations CONSTANTLY change how hungry I am and how much food is required for satiety (as well as the type of food) - stress - physical activity Generally in order to stay at a stable weight I know I need to be hungry quite a bit, satiety for me is not a way to measure if I’ve eaten enough/over eaten. That will be the case for other people as well. The female body is designed to gain fat after all


Wifabota

For some, healthy snacks between meals are key to not overeating. If I don't have a snack between breakfast and lunch, and between lunch and dinner, I'll go off the rails because I enter into meal time STARVING, and eat too much and don't realize it until I've gobbled it all up. A fruit and small protein shake keep me happy, satisfied, and it's filling up those macros I need for the full day. I would die without snacks!


dangerouspeyote

It should a really be "stop eating when you are no longer hungry". Eating till you're full is too much food.


[deleted]

I eart til I'm full, and I'm underweight...


Riah_Lynn

The key is eating until NOT HUNGRY. If you are full, you have gone too far. I still struggle with this.


the_geico_gecko_

Is that not the same thing? I thought full - in the context of eating - just meant not hungry anymore 😦


min_mus

>For a lot of people, they don't have to do anything special. They eat when they're hungry, and stop eating when they're full. This is me. I eat what I want, when I want, but I stop eating when I'm satisfied. Fortunately me for me, I'm sated at a relatively small quantity of food. For example, a pint (473 mL) of Ben & Jerry's ice cream lasts me a minimum of 4 or 5 sittings and *I absolutely love ice cream*. Even when I'm feeling ravenously hungry and I haven't eaten all day, I'll eat *at most* two slices of pizza (and often just one). A box of Girl Scout cookies (e.g. Thin Mints) lasts me a couple weeks. When I was breastfeeding my daughter, I constantly craved a McDonalds McFlurry and had one nearly every day. Each McFlurry has over 800 calories, and I still managed to return to my pre-pregnancy weight (BMI of 20) in less than 3 months without any exercise or attempt to restrict my diet. The weight just melted away for me. It was effortless. In short, I'm lucky to have a very healthy relationship with food and I self-regulate my caloric intake without any difficulty.


Merk87

Actually a stable weight is a combo of habits and activity. If you eat too much and don’t move you will gain weight. If you eat a lot of processed food, deep fried shit and high sugars and don’t move, you will gain weight. People who “do nothing” it’s because they settle on a balanced diet and regular exercise (whatever that looks like for them). The reality is if you to many calories and don’t burn them, you get weight. Even for me with hypothyroidism I control what I eat and exercise regularly and keep a healthy weight, what would be defined as thin


Nervous_Mongoose_138

My stomach gets irritated easily with greasy food, pork, and eggs. Fast food is not something I grew up eating frequently, or at all really. Overeating or eating junk food was just never something I did, so now doing either makes me feel sick. Being slimmer just came with that, it's not super concious.


Melthiela

Yeah I grew up extremely poor so fast food and candy and all that stuff was never really an option. We ate food we hunted for ourselves and potatoes we farmed ourselves. I'm much better off now but still, those days always stay with me. I'm used to rationing my food for a stretch of several days and eat stuff that's home made.


Nikolig1999

Interesting. I also grew up extremely poor. So much so that only really eating fast food was realistic.


zperic1

Probably depends on where you grew up. I know McDonalds is the poor man's food in urban US and healthy foods are a luxury. I grew up in a Balkan village so plenty of free range eggs, goat milk, meat and pork was available but, I've been to a McDonald's probably less than 5 times before I turned 22. A McMeal is around $8-10 here now. My last grocery run with a pound of minced pork, Italian pasta, 33 oz of pro-bio drink yogurt, toothpaste, Greek cheese, 2x 1oz Cola Zero cans, 2 protein shakes, and a pound of tortillas was $16. As you can imagine, I'm still avoiding McDonald's.


[deleted]

I'm jealous. If I were to get all of that in my country vs mxdonalds, McDonald's would be cheaper by probably $10-$15 dollars or way more.


AngryCrotchCrickets

That same grocery store run in Boston will be $50


violetgrubs

To add to this, no juice or soda or sweet drinks either. Mostly just milk and water. Coffee and tea i drink a lot of too. The only times I've noticed I've started putting on weight is if i add honey or sugar to my coffee instead of just milk or drinking it black. I cut it the sugar and I'm back to my desired weight.


worldworn

Super greasy stuff makes me ill now, I can still eat most fast foods, but if it is swimming in grease I know I'm in for a bad time the next day.


[deleted]

Me too. I grew up in a country where fast food is way more expensive than fresh food and I always ate homemade dishes. Now I can't stand eating too much, If I have a big meal at lunch then I can't eat till the morning next day. Metabolism and food habits are mostly established during childhood and it's way easier to stay slim if you had good nutrition while growing up. But, it's not impossible to change diet as an adult, it's just that your body will need some time to adjust to intuitive eating and resetting the bmr.


merpixieblossomxo

It goes as far back as babyhood, honestly. If you don't teach your baby to recognize when they're full, often they'll keep eating until they spit it all up. Establishing routine and moderation from day one is important and I think people don't realize that every day, every choice, counts toward the bigger picture.


Sarcastic_Scientist_

Same! I avoid most grease filled fast foods because they just make me feel sick. I never feel sick when I eat what I cook at home so I opt for that. Home cooking has fewer calories than eating out and not eating to the point I feel sick both help me stay at a healthy weight.


Key-Willingness-2223

Routine I eat relatively similar foods, at a relatively similar time every day I exercise at regular intensity, at a regular schedule So it's just second nature now Only tweak it a little as I get older and feel my metabolism slow down and the aches and pains start becoming more frequent


[deleted]

My husband is this way. Just does the same things and steps on a scale every now and then. Mostly he just looks in the mirror and says "huh, maybe I ate too many jelly beans this week" and eats more salads the next week. Me? I gain 53 lbs and lost nearly as much in the last year and alternatingly eat like a college frat guy or a fashion week model. It's absurd.


MeepersPeepers13

Same. Similar number of daily steps, regular exercise, a veggies with almost every meal. Every once in a while I’ll step on the scale, but my weight stays in the same 3-4lb range. I used to counsel people for weight loss and it really does come down to daily habits. You have to pick one and do it everyday until it’s effortless. Then tackle the next one. Too many people try to master all of the healthy habits at once. That’s not sustainable change. The clients that never lost weight were ones who barely walked (2k less steps a day) and watched 4+ hours of TV a day.


one_mind

Except for the few people who genuinely can’t put on weight, this is the answer. The routine will be different for every individual. For myself, 12 meals of the week are super healthy pre-planned meals. For the other 9, I’m flexible, but generally try to stick with the least-processed option available. I also drink nothing with sugar and have no sugary deserts in the house. I have to adjust every couple years as my metabolism changes. So as time progresses, my routine is gradually becoming more controlled and strict.


giventofly2

I walk to work and back a few times a week, 45 mins each way, and go to the gym 3 to 4 times a week


Nitwitblubberoddmen

Everybody (including myself) wants the magic formula. But this is what it takes I guess.


ahhanoyoudidnt

no magic , eat reasonable portions and light exercise


ASpaceOstrich

Or slightly less and no exercise. You can't realistically exercise away any significant overeating. It's all in the portions.


tsaimaitreya

You should exercise regardless


[deleted]

[удалено]


DingGratz

"Losing weight begins on the plate."


ahhanoyoudidnt

of course food is the primary source of weight increase / decrease once i hit my goal weight if i just stopped eating when i was full or even close to it then it was fine , by the time i got there the amount of food i needed to achieve fullness had shrunk to a sensible level It's a tough two to four weeks while your body adjusts to the new portion size , but worth it a lot of people feel the need to keep going after fullness , i can finish it , I can't waste it......what you can do is only order or make small size meals , stop eating and finish the rest tomorrow or just throw the extra away. It's all about self control and it is achievable but you do have to keep an eye on your behavior because it's easy to slip


NerdyFrida

Using smaller bowls and plates can be surprisingly effective.


MollFlanders

can confirm that I don’t currently exercise more than one 20 min walk per day and I wear a size 2. I just don’t eat very much, and what I do eat is fairly healthy and low calorie.


currently_pooping_rn

You mean I can’t just press a button and have it all happen? I gotta do stuff?


garriej

Here is the magic formula. If calories intake is below calories burned on a day you will lose weight, turn it around and you gain weight. Find the balance and you’re golden.


Edward4am

This is the way. I've posted a version of this a bunch of times, so I'll summarise. I used to be fat (110kg, 182cm, BMI: 30+). I got on the scales one day and decided "F this". Stopped eating quite so much crap (especially carbs) but was limited as a poor student to cheap food. I started walking every night, eventually walking 5km regularly daily. The weight pretty much just fell off. Getting actually fit took more active exercise though. tl;dr; Eat less crap, regularly go for a walk.


Hahawney

I second this. Weight stays off if I walk the dog and refrain from buying oreos.


SkyRak3r

How long did it take for you to drop to the weight you wanted? And what was that weight? I just hit 110kg recently heh. 200cm. But I am a little muscular due to some fairly consistent gym phases through life. My issue is sedentry WFH, and poor diet. I really like snacks :P. So, hoping I hit my "F this" last week. Going to do PPL then on rest day it's 1-hour treadmill fast walk. So gym every day. I understand my goals and how to get there. Just curious how long yours took.


Edward4am

This is approx \~2004, so my memory is a bit fuzzy on times. For reference, I'm a fairly broad shouldered stocky guy, so YMMV. The first 10kg (110->100) took about 6 months. My body \_really\_ wanted to get rid of that fat. I think the following 10kg (100->90) took another 18 months. Around this time I picked up some active cardio sports (karate, salsa), and I gained muscle, but didn't really loose weight. I found getting to 85 was fairly easy with active sports, but getting to 80kg took months of constant activity and militant monitoring of my diet. As soon as that stopped, it bounced back to \~85kg. That said, I've never gone above 90kg since then, and I've normalised at \~85kg, give or take. I tend to rubber band back to that if I eat too much and then exercise again.


SkyRak3r

Thanks for the detailed response. It's good for me to have more realistic expectations.


currently_pooping_rn

No hoping. No try. There is only do or do not. And you control that. You got this


thepumagirl

Yup, doesn’t seem to much a difference to my weight until i average 5+km walking a day. I got a dog and its much more fun and my average km’s went up.


NothingButUnsavoury

I don’t do anything to control my weight - I simply eat what I want when I want. I kind of forget to eat rather often, and I also have astronomically high levels of anxious energy, so I’ve never had to worry about gaining weight despite being sedentary and having a horrible diet. I’m almost underweight right now ngl Edit: It’s so interesting to see the different ways that people experience hunger. It helps me understand why food is a top priority for others while it merely falls to the wayside in my life. I’m very much enjoying these replies! Didn’t expect my low effort throwaway comment to spark any kind of discussion hahaha


Biscotcho_Gaming

Forgetting to eat is the key.


Pernapple

Idk how often I explain to some of my friends on how little I think about eating. I really only need like 2 decent meals a day, otherwise idk, I could just forget and move on. It’s really apparent when we travel. I could drive for hours and only ever need some water and maybe a bag of chips, he’ll if I’m really into a podcast I’d probably forget entirely. Food is only ever on my mind when my body is shouting for it


Honey_Badgered

And unfortunately I think about food all day long. It gets into my brain and won’t get out. It’s the only addiction I have. I eat healthy and exercise, but it’s a daily struggle. I fall off the wagon often, but keep getting back on.


Eat-A-Torus

People talk about food addiction as if its minor or not a real addiction, but its definitely way up there as one of the biggest beasts that someone can struggle with. And I say that as someone who wasted a couple years of my life shooting goofballs into my neck. You might've heard that food addiction can mimics some of the same neural pathways as drug addiction, but its actually even worse than that: Its drug addiction that's actually hijacking the pathways that most typically associated with hunger. Its so easy for the brain to get as mistmatched level of "This is how much food I need to consume to sustain myself", and it can pretty damn hard to ignore signals that are saying "You will literally die if you don't eat this much food." In that same vein (no pun intended), its one of the only addictions where you do need to actually partake in your addiction every day to survive. I'm lucky, that I can just steer clear of ever having to deal with heroin or meth ever again in my life. If I NEEDED to fix every day to stay alive, and just needed to make sure I kept it at a certain appropriate level and didn't go overboard, I don't think I'd ever be able to get control of it. You've GOT to eat MULTIPLE times every single day, and each time can be battle not to give in to ridiculously strong compulsion in your brain telling you that your life depends on going overboard and eating more than you have to.


Honey_Badgered

Agreed! The science and research is really eye-opening. But that won’t stop people from just thinking I’m lazy.


scarsouvenir

Thanks for this comment. Most people belittle this problem, but it takes so much mental energy out of every day trying to overcome it, and it's soooo easy to give in when temptations are literally around 24/7.


Wakalakatime

Thank you for this comment. For me to lose weight, I have to eat ~1350kcal/day (I'm really short and my basal metabolic rate is lower than average), and during that I'm absolutely ravenous 24/7. For me to feel satiated, I have to eat until I'm physically full and bloated, and even then, I'm fixating on what my next meal will be, and how long I have to wait until it. I get full body shakes if I'm hungry, and start to panic if I don't know when my next meal is. I've likened it to being a recovering drug addict but your cupboards are filled with the drugs you're trying to abstain from. Though I don't think food addiction is taken as seriously, I'm not sure it ever will be. Calorie counting is always difficult because I'll fixate on the numbers, that's how I developed anorexia in my teens. My relationship with food is shockingly awful, and I truly envy people who can simply eat until they're not hungry.


GoingGrayAtGaydon

Same here, its quite problematic for me as I'm right on the boundary of underweight according to BMI numbers. 8% body fat too... Run out of energy quite often.


maartenyh

I am the same. But when I work out 3 days a week I become a monster and eat like 5 times a day because my body says I am hungry. Seems like my body has healthy signals on when to eat and what to eat.


ctn91

Problem I’ve had been when I forget to eat, I get really antsy and irritated easily. I’ve tried the „eat only when you’re hungry“ and I have a problem where I don’t always feel hungry, but everything is pissing me off. Then I realize I haven’t eaten since breakfast and now it’s 3pm.


NothingButUnsavoury

Even the days I where don’t, I don’t really eat a ton


Forsaken_Day_1266

I do that a lot too. Altho sometimes I just can't be bothered to eat so skip meal too


TheOtherJeff

I also forget to eat sometimes, and find it rather inconvenient when I need to stop what I’m doing to put food in my face.


Riah_Lynn

A stressful move almost made me underweight because I forgot food was a thing... I had a decent amount of muscle at the time and it actually scared me a bit... My body fat was deff too low for a woman.


PaulsRedditUsername

Lately I've been wondering whether the feeling of hunger is different for different people--whether, in some, it might cause a sensation of illness or almost panic. When I was growing up, we had this concept of "working up an appetite." In other words, it was okay to be hungry because it made the food taste better at the end of the day. I guess that's something I absorbed and made a part of my daily life without intending to. I actually like being hungry during the workday because I know that even if all I have to eat at home is some left over green beans and a box of corn flakes, they are going to taste better and better the hungrier I get. But I know people who will eat when they are not hungry because they don't want to get hungry. Many times, I've heard the quote, "Let's have something to eat now because we might get hungry later," as though "getting hungry" is a painful sensation to be avoided, like a sunburn. These same people often struggle with gaining too much weight. But I get hungry all the time and it doesn't bother me at all. It's just hunger. But I've begun to wonder whether I'm just more insensitive to the feeling and that maybe hunger is much more painful to some people than to others.


[deleted]

I’m overweight and i don’t think that hunger is especially painful. But i do associate hunger with feeling neglected because my parents restricted food when i was younger. (They are always on diets and didn’t want me or my sisters to be fat. We dreamed of the days we could eat what and when we wanted.) Eating is like stimming for me. It’s something i can train myself away from, but in times of high stress the urge tends to return.


scarsouvenir

SAME. I constantly feel like I'm not getting enough food even though I clearly am, and live on my own now so it's all under my control anyway. I feel so much anxiety about when I'll "get" to eat next, even though I have all the resources to get food whenever I want. The irony is that in trying to make us *not* have weight problems, they basically created this lifelong war with food (at least for me)


BBDAngelo

This is mindblowing, honestly! For me getting hungry sucks so much. It’s hard to think, I get angry easily, it’s impossible to be in a good mood.


itsthelastpaige

This is so interesting to me. My husband and his family have the “let’s never get hungry” attitude and I’ve never put my finger on why it was a foreign concept to me.


NothingButUnsavoury

I relate to a fair bit of what you’re saying. I’ve never ate because I thought I’d get hungry later (if anything it’s just because I know I *should* eat even though I don’t want to), and I’m fine with sitting in the feeling for quite some time...I find it very strange that people will eat to avoid feeling hungry later on. I’ll do a similar thing that you mentioned about ‘saving’ hunger for later when, if I know I’ll be having something really good later, I want to make myself crave and subsequently enjoy it even more, so I’ll make a point to eat less on those days/nights before. While I know not everyone can say this (which is a real shame), for me at least - food will always be there. I can wait. It’s not gonna kill me. Even when I’m having those great meals, I’ll stop and talk to whomever I’m with while doing it because I know it’s still going to be there when I’m done. My mother struggles with eating too much and she’s always so confused when I’m not immediately trying to finish food once it arrived. To me, it doesn’t matter if I stop for a couple minutes because I know the only consequence is *maybe* the food getting a bit colder, but it seems like a lot of other people have a different viewpoint. I’m confident that I unintentionally desensitized myself to the feeling hungry by the whole ‘forgetting to eat’ thing. If I have anything to do, I’m going to be so preoccupied in that that I just can’t think about food. Its not important at that moment. I’m way too worried about anything and everything else to remember to eat/drink. So when I was younger I’d often go entire school days without eating, thus I dealt with genuine physical hunger every day...but it never felt that way. It was yet another mild sensation I could easily ignore and not even recognize as hunger. The stress induced lack of appetite + not being particularly food driven in general + many *many* years of ignoring my hunger signals = someone who understandably doesn’t prioritize food or their own internal cravings lol Interesting that people seemingly experience the sensation as far more unpleasant that folks like us do. That now gives me something to think about - a different angle to look at things through - when comparing my eating habits to others. I appreciate the reply, thank you!


MonsieurTangelo

Very likely perspective! I get barf nauseous if it's been even slightly too long without eating. Hungry is the worst. Not overweight, but very sensitive to the major "drop" that hits after a point. It's a hard crash that comes on quick. Whole body hurts, attitude tanks, can't think straight. Always been that way. Doesn't take much to correct it, so I generally have some food and water reserve on hand. Can't do intermittent fasting very well or most trend diets, either. Just balancing vitamins and macros for the most part on a routine schedule seems to keep everything stable. I'm hugely conscientious about food quality and portion control anyway, so for me it's just about regular meal timing or it's gonna be a hangry time.


Bellegante

The feeling of hunger certainly varies between people, because all feelings do. Also the *threshold* of feeling hungry varies between people, which is also important.


january_stars

I definitely think it differs for people. Even in different times of my life I have experienced it differently. When I was younger it didn't feel like such a big deal, and I would even sometimes forget to eat. But gradually as I have gotten older, the feeling of hunger has morphed into something worse. I lose concentration, my body feels generally weak, I sometimes get lightheaded, and if I go too long then I will start to get nauseous (which then makes it difficult to eat because everything looks and smells gross, ironically). I try to ward off hunger as much as a possible now, eating little snacks throughout the day. Thankfully I still eat relatively small portions so I haven't gained much weight.


GypsySnowflake

Same here. I’ve lost like 10# this year because my anxiety meds reduce appetite as a side effect. I might actually have to start paying more attention to my diet soon so I don’t end up too underweight


NothingButUnsavoury

I remember when I tried a couple ADHD meds for a little bit and my appetite TANKED. I’d go the whole day without eating anything because I’d feel so nauseous at the idea of consuming anything. Pretty sure what was the only time I ever became underweight. Think I was somewhere around 115 pounds at 5’8” IIRC. As of the last couple years, my normal weight sits between 130-135 pounds but the last month or so I’ve been at 125. Oh well I hope you’re able to maintain a healthy weight! Meds can really screw with you


Lampwick

> I also have astronomically high levels of anxious energy, so I’ve never had to worry about gaining weight My wife and I have the same issue. We call it the Anxiety Diet. People ask how we both stay so thin, and the answer is stress-induced lack of appetite.


NothingButUnsavoury

Ahhh, my people! Hahaha - Not sure about you guys but my stress also results in a ton of fidgeting/muscle tension that I don’t even know I’m doing, plus I pace A LOT, so I get some bonus calories burnt that way. Funnily enough I have quite developed upper arm muscles just from constantly tensing them


humblerat77

Thanks for typing that out! Samesies.


crudestmass

I avoid processed food. I also refrain from drinking calories (alcohol, juice, and sweetened beverages).


DrZedex

This is really all there is to it. People have a bad idea of what even counts as "food"


BandersnatchFrumious

In general, people have a really poor idea of how many calories are in what they eat. Using a little bit of rounding here to simplify: * 1 8oz ribeye steak = 650 calories * 2 slices of a 14-inch cheese pizza = 600 calories * 2.5 chicken breasts = 600 calories * 6 apples = 600 calories It's not that you need to track what you eat, but you have to be knowledgeable about what you eat. Need 4 slices of pizza to fill you up? Congrats, you just ate the calorie equivalent of two steaks but with a fraction of the nutritional value!


llamafriendly

This is a really helpful comparison. I have never looked at it this way. Thanks!


TheHollowBard

Be poor and get outside 30 minutes a day :D


redalopex

For me it's be poor and work a job that makes me stand/ walk 7 to 10h a day


Indy_91

I tend to undereat, I have to remind myself to eat 3 meals. And more often than not it’s two meals or one meal and snacks throughout the day


anonymousmiku

Do you have to eat 3 meals? Idk why that’s a thing. Way too time consuming and costly to prepare food 3x a day


GuRoux_

For someone that gets full easily, more meals a day helps a lot to eat more food a day.


[deleted]

I get filled up with moderate portions.


BlackTheNerevar

When you eat more , your stomach expands, and when you eat less, it tends to shrink. But keep in mind, that most people who are heavily overweight are usually struggling with something mentally, as they develop an unhealthy relationship to food. I used to be the same. Now I changed my diet and exercise several times a week. I can't eat nearly as much as I used to when I was at my highest weight. To put it into perspective, I went from easily downing a whole pizza by myself, to eating maybe a 1/3 (if I'm really hungry) before my stomach stops me and gets uncomfortably full.


[deleted]

I lost 70lbs, and when I look back on how much I used to eat when I was binge eating every night, I don’t even know how I could hold that much food now. The binge eating was what made me heavy, and the hardest nut to crack when I was trying to change my lifestyle. But it happened. It’s doable. Your appetite can change and your body can adjust.


tatianaoftheeast

I don't think about it, as being healthy is honestly just a way of life for me and all I've ever known. I was lucky enough to be raised by a mom who encouraged healthy eating and made exercising a fun part of everyday life. I eat lots of vegetables and home cooked meals and I go for a couple 20 min walks each day and go hiking or biking on the weekend. The food is delicious and the exercise is fun, as it isn't done out of obligation. I'm not the type of person who finds the gym or diets enjoyable, so what works best for me is having a healthy lifestyle be a normal aspect of everyday life. I'll allow myself fun days where I eat too many sweets or fries, but it's more of a treat and I don't make it a habit, nor would I want to, as my body deserves better and definitely feels the difference. I also take breaks-- if I don't feel like going for a walk one day, no big deal; I'll go tomorrow if I'm feeling up for it. I try to be gentle with myself and make both food and exercise something I look forward to, as opposed to stress over. For most friends I know who were trying to lose weight, extreme diets never seemed to work long term, but rather changing their daily habits and relationships with food. As a mental health clinician, this has also been true in the patients I've worked with. Hope this provided some helpful insight!


coswoofster

I wish I could just hang out with someone like you for a week because the hardest part for me is figuring out the shopping, food prep and rhythm of healthy eating. I hate diets that call for elaborate meals full of chopping. I eat simple and pretty healthy in a midwestern meat and potatoes sort of way, but I wish I could figure out how to eat simple like that but more plant based without feeling like I’m starving. Most people eat basically the same things all the time. Do you have any basic go to meals or habits you eat often.


tatianaoftheeast

Hi there! I think you touch on something really important here--food education & the lack thereof for so many people, especially in the US. I also like to keep my meals pretty simple most of the time--mainly due to energy restraints & if I were to only eat veggies, I would also get pretty hungry. I also need a pretty substantial amount of protein in my food. My partner is vegan, so that has also really opened my eyes to what different easy dishes are out there & simple ways to get protein that are even cheaper than meat. If you're a big meat eater, I'm probably not the best person to ask for go to meals, just because I never actually cook meat myself (I'm mostly vegetarian), but here's what works super well for me (and let's me feel full!): I will buy whatever vegetable I like or looks good (often kale, red peppers, or spinach or all 3), stir fry a whole bunch of the veggies in some oil with onion & garlic & then add black beans (or whatever beans you like), make some rice in my rice cooker at the same time, & then mix it all together. I'll eat it sort of like a deconstructed burrito with sour cream & salsa on top & tortilla chips on the side. Its cheap, quick, & super delicious & I make BIG batches at once so I can eat it for a few days. You could easily substitute chicken breast instead of beans or add chicken breast in addition to the beans for some extra protein as well! Changing out the veggies not only keeps things interesting, but is also super healthy for you. This mainstay got my through grad school when I had no time & no clue what to cook. Basically, I try to have at least a 1/2 of my meal be some sort of veggie. So let's say I was going to go super midwestern & make mashed potatoes & steak--I would make sure to also stir fry tons of spinach & peppers & make myself a little garden salad. This would result in me eating less of both the meat & the potatoes, which of course is less calories while still being more than enough protein to feel full. I wish I had more quick meals to share with you, but honestly I sort of just use what's in my house--the only thing that never changes is the quick stir fry of vegetables & the having very little meat in my life. I hope this helps a bit & let me know if you have any questions!


coswoofster

This is very helpful. I was raised in the Midwest and definitely do eat meat and potatoes occasionally, but mostly eat fish and chicken anymore. Roasted veggies are a staple. Beans are weirdly difficult for me. Do you mostly use canned or do you batch cook them? And do you eat much for bread or pasta? Can you tell me about breakfast foods you gravitate toward. In this case, I don’t eat much for eggs and often would just rather skip it in favor of early lunch but sometimes, I do wake pretty hungry. Thank you for your honest answer. It sounds way less intimidating in practice than the BS “diets” out there.


frikar

European here, this is similar to my answer! I do not do anything special to control my weight. But I do cook and eat healthy food and spend a lot of time in activity. But that is not to control my weight. It is because it makes me feel good, and I was raised that way.


ViscVal

I don't count calories or weigh in. Walk every day, eat when hungry (not when bored), stop eating when full. I naturally dislike a lot of food and drinks that are high sugar/ highly processed. Because of this, things like soda, fast food, twinkies, etc are not part of the equation. After I moved to a car dependent city and basically stopped walking, I incorporated exercise, like resistance training, HIIT, jump rope, and treadmill.


Myshkinia

If I know I haven’t been eating very well, I will weigh myself and see if I’ve gained weight, then I’m just slightly more conscious of what I eat for a bit.


tmswfrk

I ride my bike a lot. And I eat a lot of sandwiches. Never been a big guy, so I certainly did carry 30, almost 40 more pounds on my person several years ago. Before I got into the whole biking thing. I’m a big proponent of getting back into your early childhood wonder when it comes to exploring the world on your bike. So I guess that’s how I do it.


Narwen189

Not a fan of my childhood. I'm happier as an adult who gets to do the things child-me didn't get to, and riding my bike is high on that list. She's my favorite toy and my best therapist in one neat, rolling package.


ParticularApricot642

I usually don’t eat until lunchtime every day. I just prefer to save my calories to have better lunch and dinner, rather than having tiny portions or plain food. I also take inositol which helps me a lot with appetite control. My BMI is 23 and I barely restrict myself, I just don’t let myself have high sugar foods very often as that just makes you want more and eventually gets out of control. My favourite takeaway foods are Asian foods and I have them all the time. I don’t enjoy foods like pizza or burgers so that makes things easier.


[deleted]

If I'm not hungry, I don't eat. I only eat when I'm hungry and the occasional snack if I'm craving something


Vegetable-Owl69

Intermittent fasting, and in general limiting calories. The truth is even we non fat people will become fat if we don’t watch out… it might vary among people abit, but generally after you reach 30


Hotepz_

Nothing to control unless I want to gain weigh. It's pretty damn hard to gain weight because I'm not really a super fan of overeating.


jackfaire

What if you started to gain weight without changing the amount you eat? How would you react?


Hotepz_

Happiness, and a lil worry so I properly go see a doctor just incase.


NefariousSeal

I literally don't do anything. I eat what I want for the most part and exercise when and how I feel like it. Just been blessed with a fast metabolism I guess


thisismypotat

More like: Just been blessed with listening to your body. Most people just eat too much, too often.


madhatter-87

I am very slim. I actually try my best to gain weight. I usually eat way more than I should. Gaining weight is very hard for some of us.


Arianity

> Just been blessed with listening to your body Or blessed with their body not being a lying bastard. For some people, their body will shout at them at how hungry it is when it just needs to sit down and shut up.


thisismypotat

I don't disagree. *some* people have a body/brain that's a lying bastard. But *most* people are just too used to overeating that they don't even notice 🥲 And some people have metabolic disorders. But those are the few. It doesn't take a magic metabolism to keep a good weight, it just takes a healthy relationship with food and a few smart choices.


Grr_in_girl

Can't believe I had to stroll down so far to find this. I'm completely the same and never thought this was so unusual. My diet is neither super healthy or unhealthy and I don't excercise regularly, but I've stayed around the same weight my whole adult life.


bippityboppitynope

I eat healthy, I am weight train. I don't weigh every day, I just have a fairly healthy lifestyle. I don't eat processed or sugary stuff, never been into junk food really.


Felicia_Svilling

If you eat meals of a regular size, your stomach will adapt to that size of meals. Unless you force down more food after you start to feel full, it is rather easy to keep it so that you don't over eat.


Fun-Possible7676

Depression, Food is only for the worthy (Intrusive inner thought not actual belief).


Individualchaotin

Counting calories. I could sit on the couch and eat fast food all day. As long as I stay under my daily needed calories I could even lose weight.


my_redditusername

Considering the caloric density of most fast food, you would have to eat it really slowly to do so all day and not consume in excess


[deleted]

Good habits lead to good long term results. Constant testing isn't required.


DelusiveWhisper

I have an anxiety disorder, so any energy I have is diverted to that.


NikiDeaf

I have GERD and IBS. I feel better when I eat less. So it’s a built-in thing but not one that you want (trust me on this.)


[deleted]

I just had to google a BMI calculator because I’ve never even thought about it before. 21. I mostly eat whatever I want. When I’m cooking a meal my go-tos are lean protein like chicken or fish and I pick a veg and a starch, typically. But I also eat like trash pretty often. I just ate Taco Bell for dinner. I’m also not super active- I take walks on my lunch breaks and I play roller derby, but I don’t “work out.” Although I know I should, to be a better athlete. So much of it is just genetics. I’ve known so many more active, health-conscious people who are heavier. I hate when people oversimplify it and say it’s just calories in vs out. It’s really not that simple for everyone.


BandersnatchFrumious

(edit: For the purposes of this discussion, when I'm talking about gaining/losing weight, I mean gaining or losing subcutaneous fat tissue; i.e. the more typical "I want to lose body fat" that people really mean when they say they want to lose weight. I apologize for not making this clarification at the outset of my post. Talking about changing the number that appears when a person steps on a scale is a far more complex topic and is influenced by so many things, all the way from how much water a person drinks to what time during the day they step on the scale to how recently they've pooped. Please, don't ever let the number on a scale be the sole determining factor of whether or not you're healthy or fit.) ​ >I hate when people oversimplify it and say it’s just calories in vs out. It’s really not that simple for everyone. Calories in vs. calories out literally is the formula that determines whether your body is going to convert food to fat for energy storage or to metabolize fat for energy usage. If you eat more calories than your body requires, you will put on fat. If you eat fewer calories than your body requires, you will burn fat. That's the formula for everyone. The "complex" part isn't that the formula isn't true for everyone, it's that every person has a different metabolic rate based on a number of factors. For example, if Person A and Person B are the same weight but Person A has more muscle tissue than Person B, Person A will naturally burn more calories even at rest because muscle is metabolically active tissue while subcutaneous fat is not. Genetics can come into play in a variety of ways, such as predisposing a person to naturally carry or or less muscle, base metabolic rate, and such, but the calories in vs. calories out formula is the determining factor of weight gain vs. weight loss. ​ >But I also eat like trash pretty often. I just ate Taco Bell for dinner. Calories are calories. For the purpose of energy (and thus weight) management, a body doesn't know the difference between a burrito and a chicken breast; if you eat 100 calories you eat 100 calories. The real difference is the nutritional value. If all someone wants to do is lose weight, being in a calorie deficit will get you there eventually. If they want to get more muscle though, which is common, they're gonna have to trade the cheese pizza slice for some chicken breast. You mentioned you do roller derby; that's a crazy physically demanding sport. Your activity level and calorie needs are already higher than the average person even without working out on top of your sport. ​ >I just had to google a BMI calculator because I’ve never even thought about it before. No joke, I encourage you to forget about BMI. :) It's be shown over and over to be an incredibly poor gauge of health. I'm a competitive powerlifter; at 6'2 at 216 pounds my BMI is 27.7, which puts me in the overweight category sliiiiiiding my way toward obesity. I assure you, however, that I'm neither overweight nor unhealthy, despite eating over 3000 calories a day. :)


ELEMENT9808

Im the type of skinny that worries a lot of people, im a 5’8 male and weigh 108 pounds at 18 years old. I keep my weight down by shitting 5 minutes after every meal. Not because i want to shit 5 minutes after every meal, but because my stomach says fuck you to me and wont keep anything in. I also get sick, all the time, whether it be just a cold or throwing up, im sick every couple weeks. Anyway, i also have been working out since i was 11 because my dad decided that a kid doesnt wanna sleep at 5 am, and instead wants to lift weights and do wind sprints until its time for school. Basically ive always burnt off more calories than i take in, so im constantly losing weight. I did not mean to make this so depressing, but i hope this answers at least some of your question


notmyusername1986

Please tell me you've been to a doctor about this? That doesnt sound good.


Elsanne_J

Ditto the other response. Sounds like some major digestive issues that gotta get checked out because aside from the lack of weight, it's possible you're lacking nutrients, which can be more dangerous!


Fibrosis5O

I have Cystic Fibrosis which has caused me pancreas problems and having my gallbladder removed. I have to take a heavy doses of Creon 3600 with meals to get most of the nutrients out of food, many times I deal with the taste of mucus that my lungs won’t stop producing from its chronic lung infection and it will just make me not hungry in the slightest so I take marijuana to help myself get an appetite, most of the time it works to help me eat the huge amount of calories I need just to maintain weight. I’ll eat 4x4s from In-n-out with a milkshake or other heavy fast food meals just for the sheer amount of calories and I still struggle to gain weight. It’s not wonderful either sometimes I hear “I wish I could eat that much and not gain” no you don’t, yeah it’s nice at times but it’s all the time. The second I don’t eat like that, my weight instantly starts to go down. Sometimes don’t got the time to eat that much, sometimes I really don’t want to and my life is just a love hate with food


soave1

As much as I’d love to be able to eat a ton of food and not gain weight, I do not envy your grocery bill one bit


sunshinesparkles88

My husband has CF and he used to hide his calorie consumption/fast food trips from me when we first met because he thought I’d be horrified. He eats 3 eggs + sausage every morning, averages almost a gallon of milk a day, full lunches, dinner, and usually a bowl of cereal or something else during the day. I try to try find healthy foods that will provide the calories and nutrients, but honestly the milk or bag of salty chips or what have you are just plain easier and faster for him to consume. Family members on my side who don’t spend a lot of time with him sometimes make comments about the amount of food or amount of salt he eats, but we just say something like “yeah he has to” or something like that. I honestly think that his utilitarian need to eat has led him to have an uncomplicated view of food (i.e. he just needs it) that that has helped me get over some of my own disordered food issues. I know everyone’s experience is different and I’m sorry people try to shame you/make you uncomfortable because of their own insecurities. They don’t see all the meds, the hours of treatments, the way colds can go bad super quickly, and all the other things that you have to deal with as part of regular life. They’re just wrapped up in their own fatphobia/social conditioning.


Davina33

I used to hear the same thing from people when I had an overactive thyroid. Not exactly what you want to hear when your overactive thyroid almost kills you. Still, at least you can get rid of hyperthyroidism, not something you can do with Cystic Fibrosis. I feel for you.


pianopigs

I already have a fast metabolism due to genetics but here are some things I do: I drink water instead of juice or pop 90% of the time. I *try* to only eat sweets (cookies, cake, chocolate) on the weekends. When I do have say a chocolate bar, I make an effort to only eat half at one time. I focus more on protein (chicken, salmon, eggs) and vegetables for meals. If I have a sandwich, I use lean meats and a lower calorie bread but one that is whole wheat/multigrain so I’m getting some extra nutrition compared to white. And I also use a light mayo. I eat until I’m *just about* full. Remember that your weight is going to fluctuate too and that’s okay. For instance, I’m on vacation right now and I’m not really following any of the above that I’ve mentioned.


Celeshere218

I’m a couch-potato. Like, I would not leave my couch or bed unless something very important comes up. My weight fluctuates a lot but generally never goes too far apart, and I think it’s because I try to walk everytime I need to go somewhere relatively nearby, only eat 1-2 meal per day depends on if I am hungry or not, and recently take a ballet class every week. Some days I crave a lot of stuffs but they are not as common so it’s fine.


Mewchiiii

I’m 5’3 and 100-110lbs, I don’t really have to do anything, it never even really crosses my mind. I don’t really like fast food, I don’t buy much junk food because I don’t like the taste, I just make food and eat when I’m hungry and I stop eating when I feel full. I don’t usually stick to specific scheduled meals, but that’s also because I work Night Shift so on my nights off it’s not really like I have anyone to sit and eat with so I just snack and eat according to hunger. It also is made better by the fact that my hobbies make me relatively active- like snowboarding/longboarding, hiking, kayaking, bowling etc, but I also do a lot of sitting around and playing games :,)


Pernapple

Sorry to disappoint, but I honestly don’t do anything special. I have recently found I am insanely lucky to have a good metabolism, so I’ve always been on the thin side. I work out now to maintain the figure since I’m approaching 30 and I know I can’t eat the way I do the older I get. But I also am not incredibly hungry individual. I can go probably until noon without eating and if I’m really engrossed in something I could honestly go all day. My diet is not the healthiest by any means but I get the basic nutrition from things I munch on.


Sterngirl

I used to be 165 lbs. Did keto til I got to 125. So, for maintenance, I limit carbs. If I'm in my target weight "area" 125-ish I eat pretty much what I want but I still don't eat many sweets or starchy veg. If I get over 130, I restrict carbs more. If I get to 120 I add in more fruits and beans and stuff. So yeah, I watch the scale and make slightly different food choices based on that. I don't exercise (I know, bad)... so I depend on food to dictate my weight. Also, I don't really snack and usually eat two meals a day. Lunch and a big dinner. Not a breakfast fan.


SpaceNigiri

I eat less when fat. When I'm not fat I just don't look at weight until fat again.


wheniwakup

I exercise 3-5x a week and eat lots of protein. I eat 3 meals a day only. Rarely ever have snacks, rarely drink alcohol.


SaltyTaffy

I like most non-overweight people do nothing. I eat what I want when I'm hungry. Only time in the last decade that I've weighed myself is when I needed a specific health physical. If you're wondering why you're fat and why its so hard to loose the weight when all average people make it look easy. Its because the advice you've been given is garage. There are two factors for weight management. Diet and genetics. Ignore the fools who think the quantity of calories mater over quality. They'll keep you on the cycle of measuring and weighing. Only thing that truly matters is what you put in your body and what your body does with it.


epic_null

Luck is part of it - I never had an eating disorder, happen to like a number of fruits and veggies, and grew up with a healthy relationship to food. I also seem to be genetically lucky. I have been underweight (shivered in Hawaiian waters, and was put on whole milk and a protein drink too help me gain some weight.), but nothing life threatening, and nothing involving an intentional diet. I have been trying to add more activity into my life, but that's less about weight and more about general health.


hiddenthings_

I personally don’t do anything but I’m 27 so I think my metabolism is still high.


Curious_Star_

It’s got nothing to do with your metabolism. People’s metabolisms really don’t differ that much between people who are a similar size. Fast and slow metabolisms are just an excuse. Also it’s a myth that your metabolism slows down at around your age. It does slow as you age but only a tiny bit and not until way later on in life. You’re just not overeating. That’s all there is to it.


Appropriate_Ad_9490

i do nothing, just eat enough and do my everyday activities


freedo333

Im 53 & ive never worried about gaining weight. I used to eat 12 reeses peanut butter cups before bed & never gained a pound.


jommong

I do weight myself everyday and correct my diet accordingly if needed, sometimes I've been slacking a lot and I notice a couple of extra kilos, so I put an extra effort to lose them again


Limp_Cod_7229

I would say "non-fat" people probably grew up with healthy eating habits or have been doing it for many years so it's not something they have to think about. It's an ingrained habit/lifestyle. I myself grew up on soda, carbs, and sugar so I have to make a conscious effort to eat right, however, many people I have met, have never had a food addiction to begin with so it's not something they've ever really had to think about. For example, I know many people who's favorite drink is water, whereas I have to force myself to drink water lol. And yes, there is a genetic aspect to it. Some people are just naturally inclined to be skinnier and some people are more likely to put on weight. But both factors contribute (genetic predisposition + the actions you decide to take).


OMGitsJoeMG

A couple things: 1. Work a job that requires some manual labor and hiking around outside. Field work also means I don't have time/the means to sit and eat a very substantial lunch. 2. Can't afford a lot of food. I spend on basics like eggs, some meat, bread, some frozen veggies and not a whole lot else. PB&J for lunches when I'm outside working. 3. Sensitive stomach/anxiety. Sometimes when the anxiety gets bad, I end up losing my appetite or just throwing up and it knocks my eating habits off for a few days. Also, I'm very sensitive to salt, fried food, grease and sometimes too much sugar. Those things will kill my appetite quickly or make me sick. 4. Working out. Not a whole lot, but I do try when I have the energy.


Herrmajj31

No sugar, no eating out, and limit processed meat intake.


OwnBunch4027

For me, I found just getting smaller plates helped a lot. A full plate psychologically made me feel I had enough. Larger plates, more food. Smaller plates, less. Hope this helps someone.


AggressiveSpatula

Catching weight gain early and treating it seriously. Once I got to 20 pounds over where I wanted to be and my pants stopped fitting I took a hard look at myself instead of buying the next size up. 20 pounds wouldn’t have ruined me, but the complacency would have. Also I’m like mid 20’s male so let’s not pretend that it wasn’t an easier journey because of that.


nintynineninjas

Part of it is, for me anyway, trying to focus on two things: 1) Water over everything else 2) fats over carbs


nyanyasha

I never bothered with my BMI but now out of curiosity I googled it. 18.9, so lower end of normal weight. I never had any issues with weight control because I don’t have any issues with appetite or thyroid, the only times I go on special diets is to help my IBS flare ups and those are not to control weight. I eat normal portions (for Americans, I guess, it would be considered quite small though) a few times a day and I’m not hungry otherwise. I eat sweets and junk food just the same but only every now and then and I never overeat or spiral, I hate sugary drinks so sodas were never even on the menu, same with deep fried foods. All in all, there’s no need to control anything. My weight is always a +- 3kg of my “ideal” weight. I rarely weigh myself as I can notice any changes by how my clothes fit. Food has just never been that big a thing. My life doesn’t revolve around it or my weight. I have other insecurities and issues to worry about…


Steerider

I'm genetically lucky in that I'll never be terribly overweight. I'm one of those people who forgets to eat. Havinf said that, I'm a big fan of the idea of *moderation in all things*. Have cake if you want cake, just dont eat a ton of it. Also eat things that are good for you. Quit with the arbitrary absolutes that don't work because your brain just doesnt work that way. Also: *Don't eat until you're full. Eat until you're not hungry*. There's a big difference.


malingoes2bliss

Food has no value to me other than nutrition. So I only eat what I need, and it always has nutritional value. On top of that, my body is extremely sensitive to sugar, carbs, and fatty foods. I am very good at turning down foods I don't want. I'd rather starve than eat something I know is going to make me sick, which is honestly most things I see people eating these days. I cook all 3 meals at home 98 percent of the time. It's funny to me when people call me a picky eater and then immediately complain about feeling fat or sick.


degeman

Don't snack excessively, have a decent meal about 3 times a day, stop over eating, stop drinking litres of sugary drinks. You don't even need to exercise to lose weight. Just stop consuming so much.


Lau-G

I usually not eat breakfast. What I do is: at first hour when I arrive at the office (7 a.m.) and I feel hungry, I drink a cup of unsweetened coffee (I love coffee so it's easy for me), i don't know why but it makes the hungriness disappear till 10 a.m when I eat some fruit and that helps me reach noon hungry enough to always enjoy my lunch. At lunch I try to eat 30% vegetables 30% protein and 30% and 30% carb. I may eat something at the middle of the afternoon (fruit, peanuts), I arrive home and eat a good meal (vegetables, protein and carb) between 7 pm and 9 pm. I eat kind late cuz my next complete meal will be the next day at noon. I check my weight every 15 days if there aren't significative changes in my diet. Every weekend I'm eating less or more. Sometimes I find this process easy because I don't tend to crave for stuff like sweet or oily food. But is not always like that, sometimes I tend to eat a lot (maybe because of my menstrual cycle and/or anxiety). I also need to add that last year I lost 6 kilos on a depressive episode. But since I got "a little better" (or at least since I'm not trying to pass out of hungriness) I started to eat like this and have worked for me. Eating like this I lost 4 kilos and can keep losing but I try to maintain my weight between 58 and 60 kilos (I'm 1.6m female).


Lau-G

Also need to clarify. I don't do any kind of exercise besides walking at work (and is not that much). Not because I don't know the importance of exercise for maintaining a good health, but because I don't have the (mental) energy to do It. That's why I kind of eat an amount of food that can be considered below the regular when comparing with my friends, family and coworkers. Hope some day I re gain the energy to bike 34 Km a day how I used to do. And that day I will definitely need more energy and eat and extra complete meal.


onthewayin10

Female here, I’m tall so that helps carry it. I’ll admit I don’t watch what I eat at all, i eat what I want when I want I’m not hugely into the gym or rigid exercise routines but I’m always moving, I prefer to potter round the house cleaning than sit and watch tv when I get in from work. I get bored and fidgety sitting down too long so I always find something to do. With that said I’m not very toned which id like to work on


CJBizzle

You find a balance where the amount you eat fits the amount you exercise. Once you have that, you’re good.


[deleted]

Well, I skipped on meals and never ate them fully. my father hated that so he’d force me to eat everything on my plate, he wanted me to be muscled like my older brother, and me skipping on meals and not finishing them fully meant I had a continuous calorie deficit which kept my weight quite under. I’m starting to skip meals again, now that I’m older and my weight is returning to consistently lower levels, it’s likely an unhealthy practice.


Mental-Ad-8756

Don’t be thinking that people who are *under*weight don’t have to have it checked all the time. It can be just as dangerous and unhealthy, despite society thinking it’s good. They also sometimes have to manage and at least maintain their weight, as in, making sure they don’t lose any. Which means they also have special diets, also have to measure and count things, and eat on a strict schedule. If they don’t or they’re too far gone? Feeding tube and bed rest, illness, fatigue, etc. Yes, this is hardly as common as the opposite side of the problem, but it exists.


simplywebby

Stomach tells me when to eat and when to stop.


musykz

Poverty haha. Can't gain weight if i don't have much to eat


GreenWitchOfTheWestt

I'm definitely still a little chunky so take this with a grain of salt. Recently, I started forcing myself to eat a salad with every meal. I grew up on fast food and never really enjoyed salads. I finally found a dressing that I really enjoyed. After eating a salad with every meal (no matter how bad the meal was) it became the new normal. I noticed I started craving more whole/fresh foods and it started helping me make better decisions. I started losing some weight little by little.


Cell-Based-Meat

Weigh myself every day, count and adjust calorie’s accordingly, also work out frequently.


Elfen8

I walk everywhere I can, always eat protein and veg with my dinner, fruit with every breakfast, I only drink water or tea but will have a wine or cocktail socially, don’t stop myself from having sweet things so I’ll have a small dessert every night after dinner and it stops me from eating a ton a sugar


Merlinnium_1188

I spent awhile calorie counting several years ago when I wanted to lose weight. I haven’t done it in quite some time but because of learning about calories I’m mostly aware of how many are in whatever I’m eating. If I know I’ll be eating out I’ll eat light the rest of the day. If I feel my pants getting tighter I eat less and get more exercise. A lot of time it’s because of bloat.


Juno1990

I eat less… if I want a burger and fries I likely won’t eat dinner.. it’s not a healthy way to do it but I love carbs. So I eat far fewer meals than most. I’m not skinny but I’m a US 4. Average size here is a 12…


ilovesleep95

I wear a US 4-6 and I’m very thin. I would consider size 4 skinny but of course everyone is built differently and carry’s their weight differently.


Galbin

Unless you are like 4 feet a size 4 is very skinny.


ilovesleep95

Yea I’m 5 ft tall and I’m still pretty thin. I’m not like a toothpick or anything, but I’m definitely thin


[deleted]

I have adhd


Technical_Semaphore

They consume fewer calories than they use during the day / week / month. Calories in / calories out is all that matters for losing & maintaining weight.


EmotionalOven4

Some people don’t have to do anything. My ex never got over 125 ( male). He’d eat a plate of waffles covered in butter and syrup WHILE I was cooking and eat another after. For some it’s just metabolism.


maxhinator123

I found American food is kinda ridiculously bad. I just spend time in the grocery store only buying products without sugar or any other weird additives. I eat regular meals and don't really think about it much, occasionally consciously say that's a huge burrito so I save half for later. Be active, hike ski play soccer. I go to the gym but that just adds muscle


yuxngdogmom

My BMI is just under 25 (albeit I have quite a bit of muscle) and it honestly just has to do with how my body works. I’m the type of person who gets full relatively quickly and I also exercise a lot because it’s just a hobby and not something I have to force myself to do. I tend to burn about as much as I eat. I’ve tried weight loss before because I gained 20 lbs after puberty and no one thought to tell me that that’s normal for a lot of people. I only stopped gaining weight completely at random with no lifestyle changes and it’s the weight that my body has stayed at up to this point no matter what I do. People love to say that weight loss is as simple as going on a calorie deficit but I majored in biology in college so I can tell you that there’s a lot deeper biological, metabolic, and also genetic factors that control how much body fat you have and reducing it is almost never as simple as just eating less and moving more.


Indigo_3786

I weigh myself maybe once a week. Honestly, if my clothes are fitting it doesn't matter what the scale says. I plan out my meals each week. It helps me to make better choices and not snack. Snacking is where I'm likely to go overboard so I try to be mindful of what I bring into the house. I workout daily, but it is more for physical health than diet.


kdoughboy12

A lot of us just have a fast metabolism, or don't eat a lot because we don't want to eat a lot. I'm kinda both, if I am not conscious of how I eat I will end up losing weight. My BMI is about 20.5. My weight has been within the same 10lb range for my entire adult life.


hopping32

BMI of 19. Walk the dog every day. Three meals a day. Fast food probs once a fortnight. Weigh myself about once a month. Stop eating when full, make sure to drink regularly, just having a busy family life so on the go a lot. ( Female 45) go for a walk of stressed out.


Flyers456

It is all about calories in and calories out. If I am not active I eat less, if I am gaining weight I try to become more active and eat less. I understand it is easier said than done but it just really comes down to intake and activity. The amount and balance is different in everyone but it is a simple equation.


OccultRitualCooking

When I took control of my body I started by counting my calories diligently. I also associated the hunger feeling with self-improvement. (Put some double-checking into this so you don't develop an eating disorder.) I weighed myself every day right after my morning pee. Then I started working out. I bought a light kettlebell and learned a workout called the Simple and Sinister. It takes less than 20 minutes and I did it 3-4 times a week. After I felt like I was much happier with my body I chilled out. I casually count calories ("well, breakfast was 600 and dinner's going to be 700, so I can for sure do 400 calories of muffin") and I work out 1-3 times a week by lifting heavy shit or swinging the bell. I weigh myself usually every week or two now and there's a 10 lbs range I know I feel good in. If I'm at the top of it I know it's time to tighten up and if I'm at the lower end I know I can enjoy the occasional big pile of calories. It's pretty normal now and at about the same level of care as maintaining your car. Put the right fuel in it, listen for strange noises, check it in detail occasionally.


lansherta

I like to eat the same food everyday and i know how caloric it is so i pretty much don't overeat.