The Top 5 Secrets To Staying Slim

The Top 5 Secrets

To Staying Slim

by Megan McMorris

Act like you’re a size smaller, and you’ll be a size smaller.  This is how thin women thrive in a supersized world.  We all have that one thin friend—the one who’s never bullied into submission by the bread basket, and when she says “I’ll just have a bite,” she does just that.  Is she for real?  Turns out, research shows that thin people simply don’t think about food the same way as the rest of us. 

“Thin people have a relaxed relationship with food,” explains David L. Katz, MD, an associate professor adjunct in public health at Yale University.  “Those who are overweight, however, tend to be preoccupied with it.  They focus on how much or how often they eat or attach labels like good and bad to certain foods.  As a result, mealtime is always on the brain.”  Here, weight loss experts explore the mysterious minds of the “naturally” slim. Learn what they do, what they don’t, and how you can act the part.

They Choose To Feel Satisfied Over Stuffed –  On a fullness scale of 1 to 10, the slim stop eating at a level of 6 or 7, says Jill Fleming, RD, author of Thin People Don’t Clean Their Plates.  The rest of us may keep going to an 8 or 10.  Why?  It may be because you mistakenly equate the sensation of fullness with satisfaction and feel deprived if you stop short.  Or you may just be used to finishing what’s in front of you, regardless of whether you really need it or want it.

Copy Them:  About halfway through your next meal, put your fork down and, using the 1 to 10 scale, rate your level of fullness.  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.)

They Don’t Use Food To Cure The Blues – It’s not that thin women are immune to emotional eating, but they tend to recognize when they’re doing it and stop.   Copy Them:  Add the word ‘Halt’ to your vocabulary.  More than just a command (as in stop eating that entire sleeve of cookies), 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, choose a balanced snack, such as a handful of nuts, 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. Blow off steam by going for a run or just jumping around—the heartbeat boost will help dissipate your anger.  Lonely?  Call a friend, or walk to the park or mall.  Being around others will make you feel more connected to your community (even if you don’t bump into anyone you know). If you’re tired, for heaven’s sake, sleep!

They Eat More Fruit – Lean people, on average, have one more serving of fruit and eat more fiber and less fat per day than overweight people, reports a 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.   Copy Them:  Start tinkering.  Examine your diet for ways to add whole fruits (not juices) to your meals and snacks.  Aim for two or three servings per day.  Sprinkle berries in your cereal or 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.

They’re Creatures Of Habit – Any dietitian will tell you that a varied diet is good—but too much variety can backfire.  Studies have shown that too many tastes and textures encourage you to overeat.  Thin people have what I call a food groove—the majority of their meals consist of well-planned staples.  There are a few surprises thrown in, but for the most part, their diets are fairly predictable.   Copy Them:  Try to be as consistent 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.