I've been observing one particular thin friend for a while and trying to see what and how she eats. I've posted earlier about how she rarely looks at menu but just asks the waiter to bring her a cup of soup. This weekend we were away on a girls weekend trip and while the rest of us were splurging on quiche, rolls & butter, and dessert of course, she ordered a fruit plate TWICE. It was a lovely dish when it arrived, but I realized I'd probably never ordered a fruit plate in my life!
How do your thin friends eat?

As I said in a previous post one of my friends when we go to a Mexican restaurant takes 2 or 3 chips and breaks them up and tops them with salsa and eats it with a spoon or fork. Most of my thin friends look at the menu then make wise choices (as I'm learning to do). They will leave food on their plates too.

I have thin friends who eat everything, and in vast quantities! On the other hand, my finace eats whatever he wants, but does not eat constantly, but only when he is hungry. This is something I need to learn to do- I could eat constantly from morning until night, even when I am not hungry at all!!

My sister eats a little of everything (that is a LITTLE). One time we went for a walk and each bought a 4 cookie pack of chocolate chip cookies. Mine were gone in 5 minutes. She took 10 minutes to eat one and put the rest away--for later that week!

My thin friends stop eating when they're full, period. I on the other never much let lack of hunger get in my way. I mean who's going to leave 1/2 their french fries on their plate. If it tastes good, I keep eating it. So stopping when I'm full, rather than stuffed to the point of near illness, is the thin friend behaviour I really am trying to adapt. I once had a roommate who could make a bag of M&Ms last three days. Now that I don't think I could ever do.

Carla

Are you talking about a small bag or the 2 pound bag of M&Ms. I think the 2 pound bag lasts about a day and a half at my house. LOL!

Two of the thinnest gals at my old office used to graze all day. I don't think they actually had what we might consider meals, just snacked all the time. Not all of the choices were particularly healthy, but the ate when hungry and stopped when full.

Also, I've noticed thin peoples' shopping carts. It always seems to be full of skim milk, rice cakes, etc. I laugh when I read someone's post here, about how they wish they could eat like a normal person - to them meaning whatever they wanted without gaining weight. Actually, quite a few thin folks are careful about what they eat as well. I only knew one guy that could eat whatever he wanted (2 lb. bags of M&Ms, huge lunches, etc.) but he was extremely active hiking, mountain biking, snow shoeing, etc and certainly burned the calories.

So, it's back to watching what I eat and hoping for a no side-affects pill some day that will only let my body absorb 1800 cals/day .

Thanks for the great posts. Another one I saw the other day was NOT taking the other 1/2 of a fattening meal home. Sometimes we splurge on something (pasta dish with creamy sauce, dessert, whatever) and then manage to only eat half. But of course we take the other half home for later which results in 2 splurges. My thin friend said "no thank you" to a to go box on her lunch and just walked away. I know that's against my frugal nature, but it might be a good strategy to apply sometimes.
Paige

Kelly,

Amazingly enough, it was a small bag! I think a 2 lb bag would last 1/2 a day less in my house.

My father is thin, has been since high school, so I have observed this behavior a lot. He chooses foods that are low fat, mostly vegetables and stops eating when he is full. He eats very little meat. He also does not eat outside of a regular schedule of meals and snacks. When he has gained a pound, he cuts back on his afternoon snack. His bag of potato chips lasts for at least 5 days. This is something I am just learning. ( I still put a portion in a seperate bowl and close up the bag.

The other thin person I observe is my two year old. She only eats when hungry and thenshe east until she is done. Even if there is candy, or chips or whatever on the table, she ignores it. If she is hungry then she want to eat and asks for something specific. She is also very active.

Thin people also seem to eat more fruit for sweets, and to fill up on vegetables for flavor and fiber. They also know that one slice of pizza tastes the same as the whole thing.

So from these two people I should be able to learn to eat in moderation and to move around more. Simple.
Liza

Hi,

Wow! Are all of your thin friends former fat people who learned to eat right? My thin friends have horrible eating habits. They eat mostly junk food, almost no fruits or vegetables, and drink tons of sodas. But they also don't eat if they're not hungry and stop when they're full, even if there is a ton of food on their plate. These are the folks I know who have never had to worry about their weight. The thin people I know who used to be overweight eat differently than those who have always been thin.

The main thing I've learned from their naturally thin selves is to pay more attention to true hunger and to satisfaction. I don't tend to overstuff myself anymore, but I do have to be careful about my childhood habit of "cleaning my plate no matter what" showing back up. It's not usually a problem at home, but in restaurants it's a major issue. Restaurant portions are getting incredible these days. My husband and I split a skillet breakfast at a local restaurant a couple of weeks ago and each of us had half of our half portions left. One breakfast would have easily fed 4 adults!

Lin

Lin, Thanks for reminding me about splitting meals. My DH and I do that SOMETIMES, and I am always satisfied when we do and usually overly stuffed when we don't (or taking something home for later.) We learned that from thin friends who are also wealthy. (With cost of restaurant meals, could there be a correlation there?) Funny, I rarely ask a girl friend to split something. Could have helped on this past weekend when we ate out every meal! I'm going to study my thin friends even closer to see what the always thin ones eat vrs the used to be heavy ones. If the always thin ones eat junk food, they must limit their quantity, or increase their activity. Liza, Your observation about your 2 year old supports why the pediatrician says let them choose and in a weeks time they will in most cases get in needed nutrition naturally. Good points!

My daughter is also naturally thin, and eats like it. For example, if she wants an oreo cookie, I'll give her the package of oreos -- she will eat just one -- or maybe even half of one, and then stop. She never wants more, even when encouraged. She's like that at dinner time too -- she eats until she's full and then stops. Now she's more than willing to fill up on junk food, but she never over eats.

So, I think recognizing the feeling of satiation and hunger really play a part in whether you are a "thin person" or a "fat person."

Good topic!

Many of you have mentioned the thin people eating until they are full, then quitting. I think that is the secret to being thin. I have a husband who is thin and over the past 30 years have observed this many times. Even when his favorite dessert is served, he will turn it down because he is full.

Now that I have lost excess weight, I am trying to be better at leaving food on my plate when I am full. However, having been trained as a young person to eat everything on my plate, this is very difficult for me. I have now opted for portions that are smaller so that I don't face overeating to clean my plate.

At a family reunion this past weekend, I noticed that I was often full before mealtime started so ordered a salad and then picked a few things off hubby's plate. This actually surprised me when I thought about it because I have been trying to make a conscious decision to stop eating when I am full. It is now becoming an unconscious habit. Yahooo!!

Just to add to what you are all observing, my college psych professor said "Skinny people are skinny because they don't eat when they are not hungry." Makes total sense but I love food and I eat now even when I am not hungry for fear that if I get hungry I will binge. So even if it is just a salad or 5 cups of popcorn (94% of course LOL) I need to eat. It is a bad bad habit I have. That is it, this is where it all stems from. I have a bad eating habit