How Skinny People Eat

[JackieOMonroe 123]

It's been 8 months since my surgery. For me, the honeymoon phase of never being hungry is O-V-E-R. I caught myself grazing a few times this week, and those calories add up. My old habits made me fat, so it's time for new ones. I needed to find out how naturally thin people eat, so I did a little Google-fu and found this article on Prevention.com that pretty much breaks down the difference between the fats and the fat-nots. I'm posting a slightly shortened/edited version of the article here. Most of you will know this stuff (I'd forgotten all about HALT), but I hope it's helpful to some of you. Habit #2 might be my biggest issue. In my brain, hunger = brink of death = MUST EAT RIGHT NOW.

8 Habits of Skinny People

1. They Choose Satisfied Over Stuffed

On a fullness scale of 1 to 10, skinny people stop eating at a level of 6 or 7. The rest of us may keep going to an 8 or 10. Why? Maybe you mistakenly equate the sensation of fullness with satisfaction and feel deprived if you stop short. Or maybe you were raised to clean your plate.

Copy Them: About halfway through your next meal, stop eating and rate your level of fullness on a scale of 1-10. Do it again when you have about five bites left. The goal is to increase your awareness of how satisfied you feel during a meal. (Bonus: It also slows down your eating, which allows the sensation of fullness to settle in.)

2. They Realize Hunger Isn't An Emergency

We often view hunger as a condition that needs to be cured. If you fear hunger, you might routinely overeat to avoid it. Thin people tolerate it because they know hunger pangs always come and go, buying them some time to eat later.

Copy Them: Pick a busy day to purposely delay lunch by an hour or two, and see that you can still function just fine. Then next time you feel those grumbles, maybe you'll hold off before making a beeline for the fridge.

3. They Don't Use food To Cure The Blues

It's not that skinny people are immune to emotional eating, they just tend to recognize when they're doing it and stop.

Copy Them: Add the word 'Halt' to your vocabulary. More than just a command, it's an acronym that stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired --the four most common triggers for emotional eating. If you're truly hungry, eat a balanced snack to tide you over until your next meal. But if you're angry, lonely, or tired, seek an alternative calorie-free solution to your emotional need. (Personal note: food as a solution makes no sense. If a friend told you they were lonely, would you tell them that a fish stick will fix it? Sorry, Finding Nemo. Fish are food, not friends.)

4. They Eat More Fruit

Skinny people, on average, have one more serving of fruit and eat more Fiber and less fat per day than overweight people.

Copy Them: Find ways to add whole fruits (not juices) to your meals and Snacks. Sprinkle berries on your yogurt. Add sliced pears to your turkey sandwich, or bake an apple for dessert. Keep a bowl of fruit on your kitchen table or desk to motivate you to think fruit first, vending machine never.

5. They're Creatures Of Habit

A varied diet is good, but too much variety can backfire. Too many tastes and textures encourage you to overeat. Thin people have a "food groove". Most of their meals consist of staples. There are a few surprises thrown in, but for the most part, their diets are fairly predictable.

Copy Them: Try to eat as consistently as possible with your major meals--have Cereal for Breakfast, a salad at lunch, and so forth. It's okay to add grilled chicken to the salad one day and tuna the next, but by sticking to a loosely prescribed meal schedule, you limit the opportunities to overindulge.

6. They Have A Self-Control Gene

Researchers at Tufts University found that the biggest predictor of weight gain among women in their 50s and 60s was their level of disinhibition, or unrestrained behavior. Women with low disinhibition (in other words, a finely tuned sense of restraint) had the lowest body mass index. High disinhibition (i.e., low restraint) was linked to an adult weight gain of as much as 33 pounds.

Copy Them: Prepare for moments when your disinhibition is likely to be higher--such as when you're in a festive atmosphere with a large group of friends. If you're at a party, tell yourself you'll take one of every fourth passed hors d'oeuvre. If you're out at dinner, order an appetizer portion and share dessert. Or if you're stressed, make sure you have a source of crunchy Snacks (like fruit or carrot sticks) at the ready.

7. They're Movers And Shakers

On average, skinny women are on their feet an extra 2 1/2 hours per day--which can help burn off 33 pounds a year.

Copy Them: Try a reality check. People often overestimate how active they really are. Most people actually spend 16 to 20 hours a day just sitting. Wear a pedometer on an average day, and see how close you get to the recommended 10,000 steps. Your day should combine 30 minutes of structured exercise with a variety of healthy habits, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or mopping the floor with extra vigor.

8. They Sleep--Well

Skinny women snooze 2 more hours per week, compared with overweight people. Researchers theorize that a lack of shut-eye is linked to lower levels of appetite-suppressing hormones like leptin and higher levels of the appetite-boosting hormone ghrelin.

Copy Them: Break it down: Two extra hours of sleep a week is only 17 more minutes a day--a lot more manageable, even for the most packed of schedules. Start there and slowly work toward 8 hours of snooze time a night.

This might be a little tl;dr for some of you, but I tried to trim the fat! Pun totally intended.

[lsereno 2,525]

Thanks Jackie - these are great tips. I'm about a month out further than you and I know what you mean about the honeymoon phase. I've got just a few pounds to goal, but my bad habits creeping back in are making them s-l-o-w to go.

The problem with snacking is the more I do it, the more I want too. It's good to see you are maintaining at goal. I'm looking forward to joining you there soon!

Lynda

[Luisa4ever21 16]

Really great tips...