Calling all the skinny Mini's

[PrairieRose]

Naturally or otherwise....

I'm talking about you girls who are thin. I'll get to my question here in a sec but the reason I'm asking is this. I've been working for going on 3 years now to a) lose a goal of 88 pounds and b) keep it off. Now I do ok on the keeping off what I've lost (about 80 most of the time depending on if we've just been on a trip somewhere---I tend to do terrible on trips ) but I do still struggle with it. Sssooooo my question is this. If you are naturally thin, please give an example of a 'normal' day of eating for you.....and if you sometimes swing a little with your weight what do you do to 'get back down' etc...

For those of you who are 'otherwise' skinny (i.e. have to *work* at it) tell us your secrets please..........inquiring minds need to know.

I know that I'll be wrestling with this for the rest of my life but I'd like to learn all the tips and tricks I can to make it as painless as possible, short of taking pills or having surgeries.

Thanks in advance.

[justpeachy92]

I am not a skinny mini, I am working on losing weight myself. One thing I have done is I got rid of all my elastic waist clothes. I read that wearing pants you have to button helps maintain your weight because you are able to feel when those pants are getting too snug, unlike with elastic waists that just stretch with you. As for eating I try to do several mini meals through out the day. Keeps me from actually getting hungry where I would over-eat at a meal.

[Frugal Nurse]

I'm gonna check back on the this thread periodically. I want the inside scoop.
I don't mean inside scoop of ice cream. (or do I?)

[IntlMom]

Ok, so I'll jump in here. While I am not a "skinny mini".......
I am 5'8" and I range from 130 - 135. I've been sitting here at 131 for the last several months, so anyway, here is a very average day while at home:

nonfat latte it's about 12 oz, I make on for dh and myself every single morning!
I eat breakfast midmorning. Sometimes an egg on dry toast, sometimes a bowl of "healthy" cereal, this morning I had my new favourite, bowl of hearty (NOT instant) oatmeal (1/2 cup oatmeal 1 cup water) with a bit of skim milk and honey on it. Then I put a banana on top and just eat peices of banana with each bite....it;s fabulous!!!
Lunch could be a can of healthy request soup, or a sandwich with tuna and lowfat mayo, I think today I'm having my other fav. I take a can of reduced sodium V8 juice, put it in a pan and dump in a bunch of frozen veggies (mostly brocolli....I LOVE brocolli!). Leftover rice is good in this soup too. I add a bunch of hot sauce for my taste too.
Mid afternoon snack might be a handful of pretzels, or fruit, or maybe a hard boiled egg, sometimes another nonfat latte if that sounds especially good.
dinner is usually something like this:
if I make a casserole, I make a steamed veggie with it. I then put a little casserole on my plate and loads and loads of veggies. Each bite I take has most veggies and just a bit of casserole for the flavour. If it's bbq, i just eat a little meat and a good helping of veggies and beans. If I make spegetti, I almost always do canned green beans with it. I put mostly beans on my plate and a a little pasta, then I put a bit of sauce over the whole thing.....mmmmmm
I can really go without snacking at nite, but once my dh starts, I'm dead meat. So I got myself and air popper and make air popped popcorn for myself that I put spray butter and salt on.
I drink lots and lots of water. If I feel hungry thoughout the day, I drink water first, sometimes the hunger goes away for an hour or so, and then I eat.
Hope this makes sense......

~I've gotten hungry while typing.

[annymoll]

I have weighed 115# since high school. I am 5'5. Daily looks similar to this:

*AM:Hard Boiled Egg
Small bowl of Rolled Oats or Grainy Cereal with some walnuts sprinkled over it, also some cranberry and fruit chunks.
Orange , apple or banana( some times a couple.

snack;Yogart and fruit.

Lunch: One half turkey or chicken sandwich on grainy bread
Tomato, Onion slices
Minestrone soup
Fruit

Snack; Fruit, maybe a hunk of cheese

Supper: Small piece of meat, usually chicken, seafood, turkey or else beans
Potato or rice(usually brown rice or sweet potato
Salad( Mix all kinds of veggies or fruit
Fruit for dessert.

I exercise daily.. walk, bike, tennis os swim. Sometimes several things.

I f i gorge on junk(Like the midnight chocolate buffet on several cruise ships... do you know the one? Ha, Ha!!! I can gain 5-10 pounds in a week.I lose when I go back to a regular diet.

[The Muse]

I'm not really a skinny minnie, but I'm 5'2" and a fit and consistent 115 lbs. and I'm often complimented on my figure. I used to weigh 165, so I know a thing or two about losing and maintaining.

First and foremost for me is a well-designed fitness routine that I can tolerate enough to stick with. I run at least 3 times a week and strength train 2-3 times a week. Having a personal training certification helps me here.

I watch what I eat, a lot! I'm a vegetarian so it's pretty easy for me to avoid saturated fat, but I still tend to gain weight easily. I'd say my main "tricks" are portion control, not snacking, avoiding processed foods, and sipping green tea. Great tea increases metabolism, so I'm rarely without it.

If I slip up at a meal, I don't take it as a pass to eat out of control for the rest of the day. I jump right back into my good habits at the next meal, and try to extend my workout time.

[Bethany]

I am 5 ' 10" and weigh 150. I fluctuate a bit between 145-152, but not alot.
I'm not a great eater, but I try like crazy every day to get better.
One thing you may find helpful is to log into Weight Watchers.com daily just to give yourself a little boost every morning. I usually log into my e-mail, FV and WW every morning just to gain a bit of inspiration and keep my awareness of finances and fitness/health/nutrition in the forefront of my brain.
I try to do cardio daily, but it's usually more like 2-3 days a week. I take one strengthening excercise class a week, and I try to lift weights one other day during the week. I walk alot, but not as much as I'd like.
As for food, I try to limit the useless calories. For example, equal goes in the coffee instead of sugar. I try to never drink anything that has calories. So, I tend to drink diet soda, crystal light, water. I also try to eat breakfast. Oh yeah, and I totally cut out butter a few years back due to rising cholesteral. I switched to Smart Balance and now I think butter is gross. I don't fry anything at home either. Hope this is helpful. I'm certainly not a poster child for fitness/nutrition, etc, but I'm not overweight. My parents are both small, and they eat an almost strictly Mediteranean diet:tomatoes, garlic, olives, olive oil, fresh fruit, fresh veggies, pasta. They eat alot of bread, too.

[Drgnfly423]

I'm also 5'2" and fluctuate between 116-125 depending on the time of year!
I have my definite ups and downs with weight, so I wouldn't consider myself "naurally" slim. It's something I have to consciously have to work at.

I guess that would be my advice. Be aware. Know how much you're moving. How much you're eating. I try to consistently count my calories. Run/ Elliptical 30 min/day 3 days/week and strength train 2-3 days/week.

Breakfast- Light yogurt w/ fiber one, and coffee
Lunch - soup, salad and fruit (sometime a sandwich or leftovers)
Dinner - lean meat, veggies, salad
Snack - coffee treat, NF Ice cream

If I fall off the wagon and gain a little, I reign it back in and track my calories, everything that goes in my mouth. It helps keeps me accountable.

[Bournecrazy]

im 5'2" and im about 90 max not been over that in years but i dont watch what i eat, i dont have most greens/veg or salad dont eat red meat off the bone unless its minced, but eats lots of chicken.
i can eat a whole cheesecake to myself, not all at once tho.
i work at McDonalds so i have that 5 days a week, pancakes most days

but i have a 10 mintue walk to work from my car one way, 10 minutes back every day im at work and im always running around.

im natural slim anyways and i always have been, i just dont have much muscle on me and its never bothered me as i eat what i want but the only thing i have to watch is sugar content

[suki]

My youngest daughter fits the skinny minnie category and we're both like Bournecrazy. Pretty much can eat whatever and do whatever. I'm less active now and still eat whatever I want, but tend to eat somewhat healthy. I joke that I eat the pita chips so I can have the Oreos. That's sorta true.

My daughter eats a light breakfast - bagel and cream cheese, breakfast burrito, sometimes biscuits and gravy, sausage biscuits or bacon mcgriddles. She dances and was on the swim team until March. She eats double cheeseburgers, fries and sweet tea when she works at mcdonalds. She does also eat a lot of healthy food. She just doesn't worry about it when she wants a cheeseburger and it's not daily. She's 5'4, 110 lbs.

Since being diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, I no longer worry about my weight. I eat whatever I can. Tonight, it will be shrimp stir fry with rice. But, I just polished off 6 Oreos and some organic, baked cheese puffs. I'm 5'5, 135 lbs. I fluctuate between 155 and 125. When I gain weight, I just get out the bigger clothes because when I get sick, I need the reserves to help me through. If I drop below 125, I have to see my doc for intervention... whatever that is at the time. So, I just gave up on some of my vanity as far as my weight to cope with my disease. If I weigh 135, it's a lot quicker for me to hit 125 when I'm in a flare... so, I have plenty of size 12 clothes in the closet for my big months!

My oldest daughter eats much healthier now. She cooks for herself a lot during the summer, but during the school year her cafeteria has some great choices - including sushi Fridays! She can eat a lot less than her sister or me and she still struggles with her weight. She also swam and she remains fairly active. She doesn't have a car so she walks everywhere around her college to shop or catch the bus. She's 5'6 and has reached 180 but is currently around 150 with an effort to eat healthier and exercise more.

We all have different metabolisms.

[nuisance26]

~I don't have a big appetite and I HATE feeling full so those are probably the main reasons I'm skinny. I'll tell you exactly what I had to eat today because it's pretty typical and not at all planned.
Breakfast: Kix cereal, dry(I happen to love not sweet/healthy cereals) and coffee with sugar and Bailey's
Lunch: 3 pieces of leftover homemade pizza with peppers and olives and a Coke Zero
Snack: a 1.5 inch square cookie bar
Second Snack: Ice cream bar
Dinner: 2 small steak fahitas with cheese and sour cream and a glass of green tea

I won't won't want anything else until tomorrow morning. I actually eat a fair amount of fat, mostly from dairy. I also have a very high activity level. We just got back from vacation so I've been busy unpacking, laundry, cooking, cleaning, ect all day. HTH!~

[Bournecrazy]

oo what are bacon mcgriddles? we dont have those

oreos!! i love them, your all talking of food and making me hungary evn tho i just had 2 rounds of peanut butter on toast yummmm!

also thinking about it i never seem to feel full but i dont eat big sized portions so im always looking to snack on something. Oo i think i have a chocolate brownie from work *rummages* woo i found it sugarbad but oh well

[FrugalMomof3]

Well I am in the normal range for my age, I am 5' 2" and I weigh 115-118lbs.... I used to weigh 100 lbs but DH and DD and my mom kept saying I was too skinny so I put on a few pounds.

During the day I pretty much eat the normal things like mini muffins for breakfast, some lunch meat for lunch and for dinner I eat a small portion no matter what it is.

I too am worried that I will gain the weight back but I dont starve myself I just cut down portions, back when I was majorly dieting I would eat a bowl of cereal like honey nut cheerios or oatmeal for breakfast, a turkey sandwich for lunch w/a fruit or veggies and a michelina's lean meal, I lost the weight so fast I was amazed since I had been trying for almost 10 years to lose weight.

I think if you cut portions and eat healthy (no "all the time" junk food) you will be able to maintain your weight or a weight you feel happy/healthy at, if I can do it... so can you.

[MomToTwoBoys]

I'm 5'11" and I was at about 120 for most of my adult life. I gained weight during my first pregnancy (bounced to 185) and then lost about 60 pounds in a month. I stayed at 120-125 until I had my second pregnancy, and struggled alot with getting back to where I was before I got pregnant with DS #2. I'm at 135lbs now and it's been pretty constant.

What do I eat in a normal day? Two cups of coffee in the morning, a sandwich (or two) at lunch and a can of Coke, then I eat normal meals at dinner time. I was eating potato chips, ice cream, pie, etc and that's when I started to notice my weight go up. I set out last January to lose the "baby weight" and went to the gym three times a week. I'd eat a protein bar before my workout and keep myself hydrated with Gatorade, so I spent about an hour during the week and two hours on the weekend at the gym. I did cut out alot of fattening foods during that time and I saw the weight come right off.

I'd eat alot of salads, protein and rice. I cut out alot of butter, salt and dairy. I drank more water, quit eating potato chips and stopped drinking so much pop. I did this for about a month and I lost alot of fat, but the weight was pretty much the same.

[acidcookie]

I'm 5'8" and settle in around 135. I don't consider myself "skinny" really, just average-thin. I had to work at it though. I used to weigh 195! For me it was more the exercise than eating to get rid of it, but eating is what maintains it now. Because now I don't have to work too hard to keep my weight here, but my body refuses to drop another pound!

I'm not a normal eater. I tend to eat a small "breakfast" (often a bowl of regular oatmeal--non of that sugary, flavored stuff--with a bit of maple syrup & cinnamon), or a single serving cup of plain yogurt with honey and granola.

Then I usually have a midmorning snack, maybe a banana.

Small lunch: whole wheat bagel w/light cream cheese maybe.

Then a bigger lunch, haha: often this is plain rice cakes & natural peanut butter w/dried cranberries for some reason (love!) which is not BIG, but I eat a few. This is maybe at 3 or 4 when I'm usually at my hungriest.

Then a smallish dinner a few hours later and maybe another snack at 8 or so.

See, I'm not normal. I have a hard time on trips and full days with others because my body won't listen to breakfast-lunch-dinner. I'm constantly hungry, but only need a little bit at a time. So my bag's always full of granola bars, bananas, carrots, grapes...

I guess my biggest thing is listening to my body. I'm most hungry at 4? Ok, I'll eat my biggest meal then. I know this isn't feasible for all--in this sense I'm lucky to live alone and have such flexibility.

I don't really eat meat either (occasional chicken or turkey IF it's all white, grilled, and doesn't resemble an animal, lol). I avoid deep-fried foods, and avoid as much refined sugar as I can. I'm convinced this last part (and not buying foods with HFCS) really helps me feel balanced.