What do you observe about naturally thin people? (NTP) Do you notice people's grocery cart more since you started WW? I ate lunch with a bunch of ladies (who were all thin). I noticed that while I cleaned my plate, they all ate 1/2 their sandwich and no chips. It was a revelation to me to see that these women who looked so good really were working at staying that way. It wasn't just some accident that I had a weight problem and they didn't. I would like to hear what you notice.

Hi there. Well, this was the meeting topic for this week -- Having a Thin Attitude (essentially) and how you carry yourself, treat yourself, and intellectualize and handle that Thin-ness we all seek. natually thin people ACT thin, think thin, eat thin, dress thin. Most thin people, when they OCCASIONALLY binge, will the next day, put on something that's too tight, to remind themselves NOT to overeat. WE, those of us in recovery, tend to wear an elastic waistband so as not to feel the pinch.... (If we don't feel it, it's not reality, so it doesn't count.) Your naturally thin friends ("Civilians" as Jean Nidetch used to call them) will complain about the food, too: "too much on my plate, "can't possibly eat it all," or , "EWWWWW, I HATE when (pick your two items) touch each other on the plate." Etc. And, of course, as you pointed out, they never eat the whole thing, rarely order dessert, SHARE if they do, and get stuffed on a couple of bites.

Thin people are not passionate about food the way we are. Although many will attest to enjoying a fabulous meal, they don't seek them out the way "foodies" do; and are satisfied sooner and simpler.

The challenges of being thin!

I'm not sure I agree with your statement that the thin people you were eating with were "working at it". I think naturally thin people do not work as hard at it. It simply comes naturally to them, not making it work for them. I think that is one of the big differences between "us" and "them". (yeah, life is not always fair )

If you know them well enough and feel comfortable with this - ask them if they are working at being thin. And pay close attention to what they are really saying and then compare it to your attutides about eating.

I guess what I am trying to say is that what they call working at staying thin does not require the same amount of mental energy (or will power) that it does for those of us who have a weight problem.

For example - while they are eating half their meal and forgoing the chips laying next to their sandwich, does it require minute by minute consious effort not to eat those chips? Or do they simply decide not to eat them and then forget about them.

Even if I decide not to eat them, my chips would sit there on the plate yelling at me! And it requires constant effort to ignore them. I think the chips on the plates of naturally thin people simply do not yell as loud.

While I aspire to have the eating habits / attitudes of a naturally thin person, I don't kid myself into thinking that it will be as effortless for me as it appears for them.

GSC4: I totally agree with you. They CAN just leave those potato chips, because they're not interested in them. "Civilians" don't obsess over what to eat, what not to eat. they have an innate sense of what will be enough, what they need to survive, and stop at that. See my posting under WWGeneral headed "Duke University."

Naturally thin people have a totally different approach because they don't really "control their weight." It's more second nature to them.

Hi!

My mother is what most people would call "naturally thin." Today at 62, she is 5'4", weighs 120-125 and wears a size 6-8. Myself, at age 40 - I am not even close to that!!! BUT, I aspire to be. Once I started WW, I noticed her eating habits - she stays very busy and sometimes doesn't have time to eat, but when she does she will eat very healthy foods. At the holidays she eats reasonable or small amounts of foods and as soon as the holidays are over, she goes back to eating small amounts of healthy food. It has been a complete way of life for her. If her clothes are tight - she doesn't wait until Monday - the very next meal she is cutting back. So, it is not so much that she is "naturally thin" as it is that is just the way she is!

AND, to top it all off, she has very few wrinkles, and few gray hairs!! She really is a beautiful person, inside and out!!!



LJ

I agree totally with GSC4. They don't have to work at it because it's just their nature not to put too high an importance on food. When they go out to lunch or dinner it's for the company of others more than a craving for Italian or Chinese. In fact, they will often get so involved in a mealtime conversation that they will forget to eat what's on their plate or will just pick at it.
My hubby is a naturally thin person. He's developed a bit of a pot as he nears 60 but he's basically a thin person who has just slowed down a bit. He couldn't care less what I put on his plate as long as it's edible. He has no interest whatsoever in helping to plan the menu and hates it when I ask him to make a decision regarding what I should cook. "Just make something" is his usual reply. He rarely tells me something tastes good. He assumes that I know he likes it because he's eating it, isn't he? Even if I'm serving a dish that I know is a favorite of his, I've often seen him leave some of it on his plate. In fact I rarely see him clean his plate totally. His attitude is that he "eats to live" he doesn't "live to eat". I think the world is divided into two groups. Those who eat to live and those who live to eat and never the twain shall meet.
Try as I may, I don't think I could ever think so little of food that I'd forget a meal or ignore one that was sitting right in front of me.

My sister-in-law is one of the "naturally thin", but I'd rather have my problem than hers. She truly does not like food and has to make herself eat. I may deal with weight issues, but I'd rather be where I am than to have to force myself to eat and to miss out on enjoying good food.

The frustrating ones are those like DH that eat everything in sight and still don't gain. Him I could hate if I didn't love him so much.

Maybe we should take those potato chips on our plate and crush them to tiny pieces so they are not edible. Or spill water on them so they are all soggy and nasty. Heaven forbid we should ask the waitperson to remove them from our plate. When they just stare you in the face it is so hard not to put one in your mouth and then another and another.

Do you think those 'thin' people are as good a cook as we are? I don't. They probably are lucky to own one cookbook. We just must learn to channel our cooking talents to more healthy foods and healthier eating.

I've watched my "naturally" thin SIL and nieces actually order just 1/2 sandwiches - without chips - and then take forever to finish the 1/2, and sometimes leave a bite or two. Amazing to me. I might have the willpower to order the 1/2, but I'd finish it for sure, and not slowly either. I need to hang out with them more!

It's funny. I think my cousin sees me as being a Naturally Thin Person. But I'm not. I'm muscular, and I've always been about a size 12-16 in my adult life.
I've recently started Weight Watchers again ( I didn't tell her...just my family and BF know), and I've been making better food choices...partly to lose weight, but also because I feel better and healthier when I eat this way.
I mentioned to my cousin that I had a Boca Burger for breakfast/lunch (I sleep late on weekends), and her response was "So you are still eating that stuff..." sorta sarcastic and pissy. I think she resents me because I am thinner than her, and she thinks it's something that is just genetic for me or something.
As for heavier people being better cooks, I don't agree with that one. I've known some people that were obese, but couldn't make a pot of coffee to save their lives, and some skinny people that could make food fit to serve in expensive gourmet restaurants.

I think eating slowly is definately a goal for me. My cousin inhales her food in a few moments, but I like to let it sit and eat it slowly, and really think about what I'm eating, and how I enjoy the taste of it. My eventual goal is to eat slower than my boyfriend...I dunno if that'll ever happen.

andrea