Let's face it. The skinny girls aren't just skinny due to good genetics. There are definately some things they do (or don't do) that help them to stay thin.

Everyone knows someone thin. Ever watch them eat?

Here's some of the things I have observed about "skinny girls":

They:

pick at food...eat a tiny bite, put it down...do something else for like 10 minutes...take another bite

similar situation...take fork push food from one side of plate to the other...repeat...possibly take one bite...take two bites...push food...maybe take the fourth bite

NEVER EVER clean off your plate

If boyfriend orders pizza they might have one slice, but they never eat the same amount as boyfriend

say things like, "I don't like sweets..."

don't eat when they are not hungry

Does anyone else know of some skinny girl tips? I've honestly tried to incorporate some of these techniques into my eating habits. For example, I am now eating much more slowly. I am also learning to not clean off my plate.

I find it amusing to think of the things skinny girls do. My mother is one of them and she agrees that her eating habits are different.

Sandi

170/156/120

"all glory comes from daring to begin"

My younger DD (who is not skinny, but normal weight) will have half a cookie and then if she is full asks to save it. And then she goes off to do something else.

Both girls will stop when they are full and say, I need to rest my stomach. And even if they only ate a little I say, fine...because they can eat a little more when and if they do get hungry again.

And my DH, who is thin (I know he is a guy but I do try to observe what he does!) will eat a snack if he is hungry and then go on to other stuff...whereas I sometimes try and try not to eat and then - I am so hungry I pick and pick at stuff. Better to just eat the snack when you need it.

DDs and DH I notice do GO ON to other stuff -they genuinely do not keep thinking about goodies. Good idea!

Lidian

You're so right, Sandi!
My "oldest" friend is model-thin. We actually had the same size waist size in college, but she's about six inches taller than me. Anyhow, anytime we go out for a meal together, she gets half-way through her food, starts pushing it aside and says, "This is too much. Why did I order all this food?"
Meantime, Ellis can't get HER food down her gullet fast enough! But as soon as my friend stops eating, I think, "Damn, now I have to stop eating, too! Otherwise everyone in the restaurant will think I'm a pig!"

Adopting some of their habits is an excellent idea!

Lidian, my daughter is the same. She actually never used to eat desserts! My parents thought there was something wrong with her. She's a very good eater. When she's full, she stops. And she'll make herself a salad if she "feels the need".

Ellis: I'm not a big dessert eater myself. I can't imagine having room for it after a meal. When you go out to eat the portions are huge. I easily used to be able to "shovel" it all down and want for more!!!!!


I guess I'm just learning to improve my way of thinking.

I shared this tip somewhere else on the boards, but it really works:

When you go out to eat immediately ask for the take out box when the waitress serves your entree. Half the meal and put the take out aside for the next day. You can clean off your plate guilt free and you get a really good lunch for the next day!

I read this idea somewhere and I love it!!!

Sandi

My oldest DS has had a bite of cake halfway to his mouth and put it down because he was full (!!) Some of it IS metabolism though. My MIL eats like a pig and is still thin!!!

I agree that a great deal of it is due to metabolism. Heres my 2 cents though.


Portion size (i.e. if it is on my plate no matter what size I have to eat it.) If you eat off of a smaller plate then it looks like you are eating more, hence tricking your brain. Alot of thin people do not eat as much.....

What are they eating? Filling up on salads and veggies seems to be the rule of thumb, they tend not to eat a large amount of carbs like rice, bread and potatoes.... Meat is usually lean and not fried....

What are they doing? Alot of thin people are figgiter(sp) they never slow down, they walk everywhere, they take the stairs, they don't sit down, go go go go... no sitting in front of the TV with a bowl of ice cream or a bag of chips....

In between meal snacking consists of low fat, low calorie not that they don't eat them it is what they are eating... pretzels (no fat) instead of chips, sugar free candy if they eat it, veggies to go, fruit.....

Most thin people do not make excuses not to exercise, I am too tire isn't usually in their vocabulary and if there isn't time during the day then they get up earlier.

Hummmmm, so can I see what I am doing wrong?


Amy

My boyfriend forgets to eat all the time. He doesn't have to eat apon waking up. If he doesn't feel like finishing it, he doesn't. He only eats the part of the dinner he likes. True, he can eat a 1 pound steak but he skips the pasta and the bread. He is a major fidgeter. He never finishes his soda, I throw 1/2 cans away all the time!!!!! He has been known to eat a whole box of little debbie snacks, but you won't see him eat for another 12 hours. So he might not eat healthy all the time, but he is thin!

Sometimes you can be thin just because of genetics and a good metabolism. I have a thin friend who could never keep up with me physically or just daily, and I still am about 15 pounds overweight. Oddly enough she has two overweight parents!! I wonder how she was set to be so thin? (she's 32 so its not an age thing) She may be a "skinny girl" eater...but is NOT an exerciser at all!!

Sandi

I agree, Sandi. I have a friend who is a size 4 who can drink beer all the time and bagels with cheese, and when she describes what she eats it sounds like a lot more than I eat. I will say that she doesn't eat snacks between meals, but that can't be the whole reason why she is more than 25 lbs lighter than I am. She exercises sporadically too, nothing regular. When she is stressed she will stop eating.

When I am stressed, that's when I START. Bring on the buttered toast and chocolate mints!

Lidian

When I first saw this topic all I could think of is my friend Kimmy. Kimmy is a runner but LOVES sweets. She is one of the few people I know that have eaten a full container of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream with me. She weighs about 105 lbs at 5'3 and is absolutely wonderful about it.

Kimmy packed her lunch for work everyday. She never brought bags of things. She had little packets of single serving everything in her lunch. Carrot slices and apple slices stand out the most. She ate all the time but only a little bit. She never ate emotionally, she always would tell you if she was happy or sad. And she mostly laughed and tried to look on the bright side of things. She also lived. She didn't understand how I could spend hours in front of the computer or lying around watching movies. She moved all the time. Plus when she made treats she was excited about it. It was a treat! Chris you have to try my fudge I haven't made it in forever. And it was delicious fudge and in the whole time I knew her we had it once.

I miss Kimmy, she moved to New Jersey following the romantic whim of a weekend. But I guess she left a few lessons behind. Mostly to live and follow your heart.

Miss Chris

Well, I can remember being thin (although I thought I was HUGE at the time) and I have to say that I was more active then, less time to think about food.

Also, recently I've started approaching mealtime with the mindset that I will eat UNTIL I AM NO LONGER HUNGRY rather than eating until I am full. There is definitely a difference, and it takes some discipline/practice to notice that difference.

S.
166/159!!!/135

Miss Chris: your friend Kimmy sounds like a special person who wasn't afraid to take risks...that's a lesson I try to remember, but I mostly play my life safe...I keep thinking I'll take risks soon!

Sabrina, we started at a similar weight and we are now at a similar weight. I agree with the eating when full. I also think you feel really full when you eat very slowly.

Sandi

170/156/120

Chris, I like your story about Kimmy. It's sad when friends move away, but I'm glad you have good memories.

Sabrina, I used to think I was fat, too. I was 128 through grade 13 and four years of college, and I was in GREAT shape! I was jogging several times a week, eating vast quantities of chips, cereal, chocolate bars... you name it. That was 15 some years ago... it's got to be the metabolism.

You know what sucks I weighed about 160 lbs when my hubby and I got married. I thought I was huge!!!! Soon after I got pregnant and the Dr. encouraged my 34 lb. weight gain after I got pregnant 194 lbs when my son was born!!! That is still 6 lbs. lighter than I am now!!!!!!

Miss Chris

Recently I've been trying to get more active doing those "little things" - and here's what I've noticed. Practically 100% of the other people I see doing these things are thin people!

For example, I park six blocks away from where I work, and there is a free trolley/shuttle that comes right by my parking deck every 5 minutes or so. I started walking those six blocks every day, and pretty much every person I see walking it with me is a thin person. One day I took the shuttle because I had too much stuff to carry in... there were some thin people there, but the majority were overweight (or very elderly).

I also started walking down the stairs (five flights) of the parking deck... I have never, not one time, seen an overweight person walking down or up those stairs!

Last example - I was running into the grocery store and I noticed a car circling around & around & around - as I was hiking through the entire lot, lol. Of course, the person finally parked (in a fire lane - I hate that!!!!) and it was... you guessed it - an overweight person.

Great thread, BTW! Can you tell that anthropology was one of my favorite classes in college? lol