Eating Habits of Naturally Thin People

I know that we all have ways we like to eat. But sometimes it’s our eating habits that can cause us to feel unhappy with our bodies and ourselves, we form these habits without even knowing that it’s a habit and maybe not such a good one at that. Eating is an essential part of our daily lives and who doesn’t love to eat?! But, we do have to watch at times how we eat. This is why I want to share with you the (secret) actually; known but not practiced eating habits of thin people.
They are simple steps we all know about and actually not that hard to follow if we make them our habits too, it will help our over all mood and way we look. Let’s see:

 

Naturally Thin Habit #1 – Don’t Overeat

Have you ever noticed that naturally thin people don’t over stuff themselves with excess amounts of food? They rarely eat larger portions or go back for seconds, but more often than not they have a natural awareness of their bodies and stop eating when they recognize that little signal that says, “Thank you, I’ve had enough to eat for now.”

Start applying this habit in your own life by paying close attention to how your body feels as you eat. When your body starts communicating that it is now satisfied, stop eating.

Naturally Thin Habit #2 – Get Rid of Guilt

Naturally thin people don’t beat themselves up for eating something they shouldn’t have – in fact, there are no forbidden foods in their world. They eat what they want, but they don’t overdo it. If they do eat something they would consider to be more fattening than their normal food choices, they don’t obsess over it for days. They don’t beat themselves up for eating it, and they don’t jump to conclusions like they are out of control and can’t be trusted to make wise decisions. They simply accept that they ate the food, and move on. No regrets, no guilt.

How freeing would it feel to adopt this habit yourself? Give it a try and notice how much better it feels to not have to carry such a heavy burden of guilt on your shoulders all the time.

Naturally Thin Habit #3 – Fill Up On Greens

Eat a side salad or green vegetable like broccoli to help fill your stomach. This gives you the volume of food that you’re used to without a lot of calories. Then, eat something that will satisfy your taste buds. An example would be an appetizer of a side salad to tame my hunger, then an appropriate portion of whatever sounds good to you. Maybe it’s a juicy steak or a pasta dish that looks good. A smaller portion of pasta will go a long way when you’re already partly satisfied from the greens.

Naturally Thin Habit #4 -Don’t be Obsessive

Don’t Get Obsessive About Losing Weight. When you first decide that you want to start losing weight it’s really easy to get obsessed with it. You may find yourself spending a lot of time thinking about what you’re going to eat or Googling weight loss topics online. This will only backfire on you. What goes up must come down. The key is to fit your “diet” into your life instead of trying to fit into your “diet.” Naturally thin people don’t obsess about working out and burning calories. They think positive and maintain a healthy exercise routine, if they miss one day there is always tomorrow.

Exercise is good, just don’t over do it. Almost all of your weight loss will be a result of your “diet.”

Naturally Thin Habit #5 – Find What Works for You

Naturally thin people eat what works with their body type. They listen to their body, some can stomach grapefruit, other can’t. Some can stomach soy milk, other can’t. Some eat dairy, other don’t. Some eat beans, others don’t.

You have to listen to your body and know what makes you feel good, some food bloat certain people and others don’t so you really have to learn to listen to your body and notice what is working for you in that moment. With this being said, we can all agree that too much sugar, junk food, sodas or artificial stuff doesn’t work great for anyone.
This is just some personal habits that I find to work for me, my husband and all the fellow Mythineaters out there.Thin people shouldn’t have to worry about what they eat, because they know themselves well and don’t feel controlled by food. Have a wonderful day!! Cheers to better eating habits from my Husband and I

 

                                          

115 thoughts on “Eating Habits of Naturally Thin People

  1. If you have no objections I’d like to pin this article for future reference. For the last 14 months or so I’ve been eating little or nothing, as I’ve become obsessed with the weight I gained from taking an epilepsy medication and am terrified that it will return.

    Like you, I used to eat whatever I wanted; no guilt, no agonising about food choices – simply “I’m hungry; I’m going to eat until I’m full”. I’d love to get back to that wonderful state of mind; I know there is nothing wrong with my body or my weight any more but it’s so difficult to move away from the feelings of horror that food and mirrors engendered in me while I was taking that medication.

    • We all go through things and deal with them in different ways, so don’t feel bad that you have formed this eating habits in the past months. When you are ready you’ll get back on track.
      Keep in mind I eat whatever I want but 80% of my cravings are healthy cravings, lots of veggies, nuts, lean meats, fruits, whole grains. And then 20% of the time I crave, a glass of wine, mojito, the occasional home cooked cake with no frosting (just the way I like it), salami, chicken wings, and my favorite soft white crusty Italian bread.
      I just eat healthy and most of the time don’t crave the rest so I don’t really think about it, but when I do eat them, it tastes delicious I love it and move on.
      You have to enjoy life, it’s too short to be unhappy for not eating and to be unhappy for over eating. We need balance just like anything else.

  2. Great article, very compassionate and thank you for that. While reading this I am reminded of one of my friends who is naturally thin and he does all the things you say! Perhaps I must learn more from him. 🙂

    • Why, thank you. I appreciate you comment and am happy that I am able to inspire you into a better outlook on your eating habits. Thanks fr stopping by mythineats and good luck.

  3. this is great, I just translate this to Carmen and it was really convicting for her and really want to put it ino practice, thanks! you both look sooo beautiful!

  4. What really helps with #1 is to take breaks while eating, put down the fork, and drink a sip or two of water. When you’re full, hte stomach sends a message to your brain to stop eating. But your eyes are a lot closer to the brain and they say to keep eating. Water gives time for the stomach message to catch up.

    Also found that water helps in between meals because a lot of times I found I was really just thirsty, not hungry.

    • I agree about drinking the water in-between meals because sometimes we think that we are hungry but really we are thirsty. Thanks for stopping by Mythineats

    • I agree with the water-intake recommendation but I’ve also found that, because I’m a ridiculously slow eater, I get that sated feeling faster and stop eating. People shovel their food down too fast and don’t savour it – try chewing each mouthful well and enjoying the food someone has (hopefully) lovingly prepared for you. It makes for a happier eater and a nice digestion! Oh, and you don’t look so gross to other people because you’re not hoovering your food with your face two inches from the plate.

  5. A timely post! We have the Biggest Loser contest going on at work. I participated even though I’m one of the smaller contestants but I wanted to motivate myself to get back into control since I have been overeating at special events, happy hours, and parties (which happen every week!). The hard part was avoiding being obsessive–AGH! I don’t want to stop cooking or stop seeing my friends either so yeah…this is good advice.

    • That’s great. Just don’t over do it and don’t stress out about it because if you do it will only make matters worse. Enjoy.
      Thanks for stopping by mythineats.

  6. Thank you very much for directing me to this. I think you’re right about all these. I think they’re simple, you just need to learn how to use them in the right way. I’m for sure going to look at this often and slowly try to start following them. Thanks love.

  7. Wonderful post! I am so thankful to have grown up in a family that adopted these eating habits! We had 3 huge gardens, ate vegetables, and rarely had soda in the house. I eat what I want, when I want and have never had a negative relationship with food. I trust my body and what it wants (even if that means cake for breakfast : ). I often crave beans, brown rice and vegetables…and my body thanks me for it! Thanks again for the great post…

    • Yes, Because your body is trained and has formed healthy habits so your occasional cravings for cake or sweets, is not everyday. Your body wants most of the time what it is used to and that is healthy veggies and stuff.
      That’s great. Thanks for your support and for stopping by mythineats.

  8. Great advice! I’m putting it on the fridge, so I’ll stop, and think before I automatically choose the wrong thing. Rosie and I are really trying to make better choices. Thanks for your good common sense approach to eating. Lol.

    • Thank you! I know that you both will be able to accomplish your goal. I’m glad that you like this post. Ciao

  9. Thanks, great words of wisdom! I do have to be a bit easier on myself for sure! One thing I struggle with is healthy snacks. I’m not into veggies and stuff, do not eat any carbs except limited gluten free crackers. I’ve gotten into watermelon but I LOVE roasted almonds with raisins and other yummy stuff. Mozza cheese has also been high on my list but lately finding nuts and mozza cheese leave me with cramps. Any suggestions on other snacks in this area?

    • Ok, well I’d say that roasted almonds are one of my favorites for sure, I love them. So, I think that Almonds is good, other nuts do tend to give e cramps at times so I don’t really eat them. If Almonds don’t give you cramps that’s a good snack, as well as Walnuts, or Dried Sulfite Free Figs, Apricots or Mango. Then of course I think that fresh fruit is delicious, I generally will buy a Pineapple chop it up and keep it in a container in the fridge so it’s easy to eat when hunger hits, or Mango, or Watermelon or Melon. I love to snack on fresh blueberries, rasberries, apples, pears, peaches, and of course plums. Also a snack I love is home made from scratch popcorn, cooked in a drizzle of olive oil and topped of with sea salt (not too much) and cayenne. You could try a cup of dairy free low fat yogurt or greek yogurt with a swirl of honey and just about 2 tbsp. of oats, or nuts (mentioned above), or no honey and fruit.
      Also you could try some low sodium oven roasted turkey meat, my favorite cracked pepper mill. Also if you are doing gluten free, there are an array of options, there are pretzels, flatbreads, there are some chips that I love that are made with adzuki beans, sweet potato chips, or tortilla chips with some salsa a handful of these should do the trick. And of course a nice homemade shake with fresh fruits and soy powders or a home made smoothie with your favorite fruits. The sky is the limit.
      I hope that this helps you. Thanks for stopping by mythineats.

    • That fantastic, Did you find that it has worked for you?
      Let me know and Thanks for stopping by mythineats

      • What you are writing about is similar to Intuitive Eating which is a book I read last summer. It has helped me to maintain my weight for a long stretch, and recently it has started to slowly go down. I have always been great at loosing weight and gaining it. This has helped me find a balance.

  10. Pingback: Second week weigh-in! | Roads are made by Traveling

  11. I really think the guilt and the obsessive things are key. I am just realizing that without even thinking about it, I have a tendency to get down on myself when I eat too much of something or not well one day. Also eating what works for you, it is hard because everyone can make some suggestions but only you know how you feel. Thanks! I will have to share this.

    • We all have days when we regret the food choices we made, but remember you can’t gain weight from one bad choice it’s when you beat yourself up about it and then just start making other bad decisions because we think that we failed. That’s not true, one day what the hell, tomorrow you’ll make a better food choice and you’ll get back on track. Suggestions are fine but find what works for your body. I honestly love oats, everyone says that I should eat oats but everytime I eat them I get really bloated and constipated. So, when I eat them I know what effects it’s going to have so I tend to only eat them on rare occasions because I like them so much but the negative effects are not so nice. You’re more than welcome. Enjoy yourself and love yourself.
      Thanks for stopping by mythineats

    • Thanks. My secret is to tell myself that I have eaten enough and I can always have it tomorrow, today I feel good and why overeat as if it were the last meal. I want to feel good about my choices, eventually it becomes a habit.
      Thanks for stopping by Mythineats

  12. I love #4! Perfectly said, you must fit your diet to your life, not the other way around! I feel this can be the thing we miss when we’re try losing weight and it’s the reason it fails.

  13. People should stop blogging ’bout food, it is so depressing haha just kidding. As you have seen earlier, I am undergoing water therapy and so far the results matches the expectation 🙂 After this diet, will follow some of these steps to maintain the target weight. Thanks a bunch.

    • I hope that these tips workout for you. I know there are so many food blogs, but I love food and staying healthy. 🙂

  14. Such wonderful common sense! Thank you for voicing it out loud. I am always asked how I can cook for a living and stay so thin. I don’t have a big secret to whip out of my pocket – from now on I will refer them to your blog!
    Enjoy Italy – that is where I am from but live in the States now. Do you know what I miss most? The regular portions of food in restaurants!

    • Thank you. I am glad that you liked it; I appreciate the feedback and your support. Enjoy the States and I also missed the Italian food portions when living in the USA! Ha!
      Thanks for stopping by mythineats.

    • Well thanks. That is what this blog is for to share with other my tidbits, I love to make people happy and proud of themselves. Thanks for stopping by mythineats.

  15. Great article! It’s so true, we really do need to listen to our bodies as well as not stress out. Sometimes stressing out only causes us to eat more and then we stress out over eating more, so go through another cycle of eating…sheesh. I find that not snacking or eating anything after 7pm is key for me. I wanted to let you know also, I found the flour for the pizza dough, but you are right, it is pretty hard and near impossible to find fresh yeast here. I made pizza last night for dinner and just used a store bought pizza dough. It worked, but if you think I would be able to make an authentic Italian pizza dough with dry yeast, please let me know. I love authentic foods.

    • You could try with the dry yeast and see how it turns out. I’m sure that if you use the recipe you have and just replace it with the flour that you found you should be able to have a nice flat a delicious pizza fr dinner.
      P.s. Sorry about the late response. Ciao

  16. I love this post. You’re totally right… it’s about eating in moderation and not beating ourselves up. Stress is worse than ice cream. Also finding an active activity we like! Also I’m LOVING the new research out on Chocolate. There have been a few studies indicating that not only is chocolate a good source of antioxidants but it also helps you stay slim. Here’s the CBS news article… http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57405100-10391704/eating-lots-of-chocolate-helps-people-stay-thin-study-finds/

    YAY for Chocolate!

    • I did hear about the chocolate, I however will say that it should be dark chocolate about 70% it’s the best for you.

      • Yes, almonds I highly recommend. You could also melt the chocolate and dip your almonds and make your own healthy snack that is fantastic.

  17. Pingback: Eating Habits of Naturally Thin People | mythineats « timsdiet

  18. Great post – and I’d agree with all your points, being a naturally thin person myself. I have zero hang ups over food and will eat what I want to eat, when I want to eat… although these days I’m more sceptical about mass-produced food-stuffs that aren’t really “food” at all 😉
    Everything in moderation, I reckon!

    • Thanks. Like I say I do eat what I want. But as I have grown older what I generally crave is all healthy foods, I love salads, fish, chicken, nuts, vegetables, fruit and whole-grains. The other foods are things that I rarely if ever have, and this is because my body is so used to those other foods that it craves them. What I call an indulgence is really not anything crazy, I don’t like sweets that much, so generally it’s a cocktail or more often than not wine (Italians we just love wine), and then crusty white Italian bread with cheeses and a nice home baked cake with no frosting….these are considered my not everyday occasional indulgences, so as you see these aren’t bad but these are things that I occasionally crave (except the wine, I’ll crave tat more often 🙂

      Everything in moderation and it will all be fine.

      Thanks for stopping by mythineats

  19. Hey, thanks for checking out my blog! I like yours too and the recipes look great (gonna have to vegan-tweak them, but I’m going to try some). I chose this post to comment on because it reminded me of something that happened in the retail store where I work. Last week, a woman was trying on a winter jacket that was on sale. I told her it looked nice on her, and she said, “Yeah, that’s my problem. Everything looks good on me.” I found it difficult to respond. Haha! :0)

  20. Great post, thank you. I’m going to give ‘listening to my body’ a try for a few weeks…but not get too obsessed about it of course. 🙂

    • Thank you! I hope that you can connect to your body and understand it’s needs. Best of luck and let me know how it works.

      Thank you for stopping by mythineats

  21. I would add one more to your list–naturally thin people eat when they’re hungry and stop when they’re full. While that’s a bit like your #1, it’s philosophically a bit different. For example, if you aren’t hungry at breakfast, you shouldn’t force yourself to eat–it can lead to forced overeating later in the day. That doesn’t mean that you can’t go out with friends when they want to eat, it just means that you don’t have to eat to be social or fit a schedule.

    I have found it very freeing, after growing up in a home that had three big meals a day at exactly the same time every day. When I wait to eat my first small meal of the day until 9 or 10, and eat 5 to 6 small meals at regular intervals as I get hungry, I’m thinner and feel better.

    • It’s never too late to try and let people know how to better themselves… At least this is what I am hoping for!

      I completely agree with your comment and thank you for stopping by mythineats

  22. Agree completely! I go by the 80/20 rule – be good to your body 80% of the time and it will regulate the 20% by itself. No guilt and still time to enjoy and relax.
    Start each meal with a large glass if water and really chew your food. Be aware of what you eat-where it came from. Makes it more enjoyable!
    Great post.
    Cecilie

  23. I like you list. Very rational and common sense. I ecspecially like #5. People that focus only on making a number move on the scale often do things that are not healthy long term. If you can’t do what you are doing all the time, you are doomed to fail.

    • Agreed. It’s ok to sometimes have to do a quick fix cleanse or something like that if you want to fit into a dress for a party and feel a little bloated. But as far as long term loss or a healthy eating habit, it has to be a habit. Long Term.

      Thanks for stopping by mythineats

  24. Thank you for liking my post on putting the power 9 into play, encouraging people to use a plant slant. I was pleasantly surprised to absolutely fall in love with your page and will be subscribing to follow your blog. It is refreshing and heart warming. I completely agree with this article on how thin people eat! So true.

    • Wow, Thank you! It’s always a pleasure to hear nice comments as the ones that you just made. I’m happy that you approve.

      Have a fantastic weekend and thank you for stopping by mythineats

    • Better late than never. It takes some time, effort and patience but when we put our minds to it and make it a conscious effort to create healthy habits the benefits are fantastic.

      Thanks for stopping by mythineats

    • Exactly. We all know our limits and if we don’t we know when we are going overboard so we just need to learn to avoid that feeling by just listening to our bodies.

      Thanks for stopping by mythineats

  25. Find What Works for You – .really resonates with me. I definitely do better by not eating processed carbs. My husband does better on low fat diets. So…I have to find a healthy medium for us

    • That great. At least you already figured what works for the 2 of you and that’s a huge start. Thanks for stopping by mythineats

  26. Thanks for visiting my blog. That what I love about Beachbody and having a personal coach through them. There is no guilt on what I ate. Working out and eating healthy 90% of the time and you will see results. When you deny yourself what you love you will crave it and then overeat and then when you finally have it will eat until you are sick of it. Not for me!
    http://www.beachbodycoach.com/conniemterry
    personal coaching $38.87 for 90 days

  27. Excellent. When I skip dinner and eat balanced small healthy dishes, not meals, throughout the day, it works well for me. I will keep coming back to this blog for inspiration.

    thesidetrek.com
    recipedetours.com

    • That’s excellent that you have figured out what works for you, you seem to have figured out how to keep your metabolism up while eating healthy throughout the day.

      Thanks for stopping by mythineats.

  28. Most people have bad habits with dealing with food. It’s tougher to break than some other bad habits. It’s all around us. Thanks for the hints to follow.

    • Your welcome. I am always happy when people can relate or find my postings useful…that’s what they are for.

      Thanks for stopping by mythineats

  29. great advice:) I always tell people eat whatever you want in moderation!!! And eat REAL food, not fake sugar.. eat real sugar… real maple syrup… real food! Your our outlook is a piece of fresh celery… Blog on 🙂

    • Thanks. I agree sometimes I do think that you just have to eat the real deal. I don’t think that sugar substitutes are better they may even cause more harm in the end so go on eat a pancake with some real maple syrup and move on.

      Thanks for stopping by mythineats

    • Thank you! It means a lot to me that you appreciate the way I blog.

      Thanks for stopping by mythineats

  30. Good article, practical points and way of living as if eating were natural, not a curse or bad habit.
    I have never understood how the word “guilt” was ever connected to eating. It’s dumb. I don’t know who/what shadow started that suggestion of having done something wrong when you eat certain foods. To whom does one have to answer? (well, your mother if you’ve just eaten your sister Sandra’s piece of pie when she wasn’t looking–and that’s just opportune, not guilt-inducing to my way of thinking!)

  31. Thanks for stopping by my blog – without it, I wouldn’t have come across yours! Great post and very true indeed. I am currently working through the process of finding the cause of an allergic reaction, this after recently learning my mother has coeliac’s disease. It has been one very steep learning curve but ultimately it IS all about listening to the signs your body gives you and responding to that.

    • Agree 100%. You’re body knows best and you just have to listen to it. If it helps keep a food journal and jot down what you eat and how you felt after you ate it.

      Best of luck in figuring it out; seems like you already have the steps down.
      Ciao

  32. Haha this made me laugh. Good post though… see, my problem is (well, actually i am quite lucky) is that I overeat often. Not all the time, but this past Christmas was not good. But I can bounce back very quickly.
    So I think what works for me is that I will overeat, yes and feel guilty too, but I don’t do it all the time. And I eat very healthy foods most of the time and workout, which I suppose that balances out these “oops i ate way too much” moments.
    And listening to your body is a big one! I can’t do dairy or soy (sad).

    • Glad that you liked. I think that realistically everyone will have a day of ‘oops I ate too much’, but just like you mentioned you don’t do it all the time and you know your body well enough to get back to healthy. This is key! Listening to your body is major.

      Thanks for stopping by mythineats.

  33. YES! I think I’m one of these “naturally thin people.” I eat everything I want, and STOP when I’m full. I focus on exercise rather than losing weight, and adequate hydration is soo key!!

    • That’s a great habit. I enjoy hearing that no one should ever feel guilty.

      Thanks for stopping by mythineats

  34. Hi, thanks for thr sound advice – I knew about intuitive eating (ie listening to your body instead of external “rules” eg diet plans) – however I think I trip myself up by applying that concept too rigidly – like “I must only ever eat if I’m hungry and stop when I’m full” – so I am terrified to eat anything if I’m not hungry (like sometimes you just fancy a little bit of something but you’re not technically hungry – is that normal? should you allow yourself to eat it? because what you resist tends to persist…) and I feel really guilty if I ever overeat (even if by just a small amount) – basically I think I have become completely obsessive about the concept of listening to my body, to the point where it’s actually causing me problems with binge eating (I think as a result of being too black and white about my hunger “rule” I feel a bit constrained rather than liberated, and sometimes I just don’t feel like keeping up the self discipline of only eating when I’m hungry, so I end up thinking “F it” and losing all control). So I like the fact that you endorse being relaxed and non-obsessive about this approach – its just not the easiest thing to do if you’re someone who struggles with food and is constantly obsessing about trying to lose weight! But it is definitely worth trying 🙂

    I also think that people who don’t naturally listen to their bodies tend to have quite complex emotional relationships with food and get real cravings to eat for emotional reasons rather than hunger, and these habits are hard to break (I know, I’ve been trying for years and years and can’t seem to get a handle on my binge eating, despite numerous successes with managing to eat intuitively for days or weeks at a time). So, what would your advice be for dealing with a fairly well set in binge eating habit? As sometimes it’s just not that easy to simply listen to your body – food can have enormous power over some people and in that moment when you really feel like eating even though you know you don’t need to, it can be difficult to resist and just wait until you get hungry again. What would you say to that? Is that something you’ve ever experienced? I’d love to hear from anyone who’s conquered binge eating and is now a completely binge-free intuitive eater! Because that is my aim, if I can ever get there!

    • Hi there,
      I’m glad that you appreciated what works for me in this post and in life as well.

      Ok, so to answer your question about intuitive eating I’ll start off by saying that it’s not easy to really know what your body is craving when you are not used to listening to it. Sometimes our body is just hungry and if we put that thought off and try not to eat; it starts craving foods that might not be so good for us but will give us that 5 second satisfaction and then utter regret. What I mean by this is that food is fuel and you have to give it foods that power your engine not hinder it and exhaust it! You have to think of a car; it cannot get anywhere without fuel, of course you can ignore the blinking ‘E’ light but eventually the car will just stop. Same thing with our bodies, if you feel hungry and say maybe you just ate, then drink a glass of water if after 15-20 minutes that feeling hasn’t left then it’s because you are probably hungry, you are the one that is going to decide what is going in your body (not the other way around) so if you go for a healthy snack i.e nuts, fruit, yogurt, veggies, whole grain crackers with cheese, a smoothie and make this a habit your body will only crave these types of food and you will get the same satisfaction you would from a greasy piece of pizza or fries, except (and here’s the secret) you’ll feel so proud of yourself for making that decision that you’ll automatically only want to fill up on these types of foods.

      I know that it’s hard and here is the tricky part. If you restrict the occasional piece of cake, or pizza, or ice cream and look at it as the enemy and as something you can never ever touch, you are automatically going to want it anytime you see it. It’s like when your parents told you you couldn’t chew gum or eat candies you automatically wanted to eat those things because they were forbidden (at least I know I did) and even if you don’t really want them you gravitate towards them because they are forbidden and as humans we want to be able to do just as we please. Be it good or bad. Right? We want to make the decision of what’s good or bad, we don’t want someone to tell us! No one gets fat or loses control of their body because they ate a piece of pizza (I for sure don’t) but that’s because I don’t punish myself with more bad food after I eat it. I eat my pizza if that’s what I want and if I’m still hungry Ill have a salad or veggies or something else that I know will keep me happy and satisfied until my next meal. I don’t have to eat a million pieces because I already ate one so I might as well eat one more because after this I will punish myself and not eat pizza for another month. No!

      I used to tell myself that next week start Monday I could only eat Veggies, no meat, no dairy, no carbs, no sweets, no alcohol and that same very week that is all I could see I couldn’t think of what veggies to eat all the ideas for dinner would come to mind where only with the forbidden foods or I would get invited to massive amounts of parties, dinners, get togethers, etc…. and then if I did do good the moment I got off this “veggie week”, the first thing I craved were Sweets, Carbs, Dariy, Etc…. I’ve learned to eat that piece of bread if I really want it and move on. No harm. If I don’t eat it when I crave it I will most likely eat triple the amount later. So I eat it when I want. And if I had it for lunch and my body wants more I know that it’s probably only hungry and I feed it something that I didn’t just eat. Veggies, Fruits, Proteins, Etc…. It works Trust Me! Eventually you’ll know exactly what you want because you will be able to sit in front of that hot fresh baked bread and not touch it because it’s not forbidden and you just don’t crave it now so why eat it.

      Of course, you also have to train your body a bit. If you eat unhealthy foods your body will automatically crave unhealthy. So train yourself to eat healthy and your body will crave healthy because that is what it’s used to eating. I honestly have always been a healthy eater; I was raised that way and I’m lucky to have loved it. But I do crave things in the not so healthy sections and I can really only eat it in small portions because my body after a few bites or a day of eating unhealthy will start crying out for a delicious mixed green salad with olive oil, lemon and salt. Yum! Seriously if I skip a salad for a few days I will get an instant need for it….almost like a drug. Ha!

      Sometimes you will want to eat something even if you are not hungry, if you really can’t resist have a bite or two and then move on. But don’t punish yourself for eating 2 pieces by eating 20 pieces that’s where you go downhill. Why punish yourself for the 2 pieces…?? Doesn’t make sense to eat a ton more. You aren’t happy with the first 2 what makes you think that you will be after 20. Think about that. You can have what you want just think about it and remember food is your friend but you need to make healthy decisions and fuel up on healthy, nutritious foods. I follow the 80/20 rule 80% healthy and 20% whatever else; be it a dark piece of chocolate, an almond butter cookie or glass of wine. You pick.
      I hope this helps a bit. This topic is so tricky and hard to answer because we are all so different. Just try to be healthy and form healthy, mindful habits.

      Thanks for stopping by mythineats

  35. Hi, sorry for posting again but just had another thought!

    I noticed that there was a big undertone in what you wrote about eating the way you do because it FEELS GOOD.

    Which led me to realise that maybe we all approach food the wrong way – we try to find a way to eat in order to lose weight / attain our ideal bodies – so yeah, learning to eat intuitively helps with that, but the focus has to be on eating in a more enjoyable way, a way that feels good in our bodies, rather than focussing on the weight loss that might result from eating intuitively for X number of days/weeks/months. I think the more we focus on our weight the more obsessive we get and the more likely we are to fall off the band wagon and eat in ways which are counterproductive – and we lose the very essence of what you’re trying to say about listening to our bodies – that it feels good! The focus should be on eating in a way that feels good rather than eating in a certain way that influences our body weight. And anything that feels good will surely flow much more naturally than any forced regime? This might sound like if you ate what feels good all the time you’d eat nothing but sweets and cakes – but in actual fact, like you said in your blog, these foods don’t actually feel that great in our bodies in any large amount – fresh, wholesome foods generally make us feel better – lighter, healthier, more nourished – and often these types of foods actually taste better than junky processes rubbish! If you really listen to what your body is telling you. And over eating on any kind of food – whether it’s cake or grapes – doesn’t feel good – its not comfortable to be too full. Yet the more rigid and obsessive we are about the way we eat, the more likely it is that we might end u eating to that level of discomfort.

    So maybe instead of focussing on eating in a way that will make us lose weight, we should be focussing on eating in a way that makes us feel good and weight loss will be a natural by product that we don’t even have to consciously think about??

    • No worries, I’m here to help.
      Remember these are things that work for me and I am glad to share if they can in some way help you!

      So yes, I say I eat what makes me feel good because it’s the truth! You have to listen to your body.
      I like so many people started about 8 years ago to think that dairy was the enemy I started supplementing with soy. I used to make my cappuccino in the morning with soy, after about 6 month I just couldn’t take it anymore, I couldn’t care that everyone was saying that it was good for you; I felt like crap, fatigued, bloated and just plain uncomfortable I stopped drinking it and went back to my organic milk, (now I like the lactose-free organic milk) I felt fantastic, no bloating, no fatigue and very happy. I later found out that I am really intolerant to soy and this is probably why I felt the way I did. So, it might be a good substitution but just not for me. So, I say you have to listen to your body and how you feel after you eat anything. I like to keep a food journal and have been faithfully keeping one for about 5 years now. I really notice how I feel and it’s been great.

      I notice that I feel great after days of eating healthy proteins, carbs, fruits, vegetables and nuts. But maybe on the days that I eat say a burger I feel heavy and uncomfortable the next day, so now I just really avoid eating it because I can’t help but feel bloated and fatigued. I also feel that way when I eat Turkey (one the best white meats especially for dieters), so I avoid it. I eat salmon, shrimp, chicken breasts, lamb and lean meats but I can’t stomach turkey. So, you see why I say I eat to feel good, because other than the obvious not so good for you foods that you should limit to occasions there are some foods that your body just rejects. This is why I stress to listen to your body and see how you feel after you eat certain foods, do you wake up bloated, puffy, fatigued, moody or just plain out of whack the next day? Well, it’s probably because the day before you ate something the day before that your body is having a hard time digesting.

      Also, try to space out your foods, you don’t want to over eat just because it’s good for you! I love love almonds, they are my go-to everyday snack, but I also know that I can’t eat a whole bowl of them, so I serve myself a ramekin of them for my snack and that is what I have. If I’m still hungry I’ll have an apple, or something healthy to even it out. Although, lately I have been drinking green tea and it seems to pair so wonderfully that I don’t need anything else with them. Listen to your body, it has a voice and it knows exactly what it wants.

      You will lose weight I am thinner now and in better shape than I have ever been and I really eat what I want, but I listen to my body. I’ll have my cake and eat it too, just not the whole thing. If I want the whole thing I’ll eat my piece today and then put away and go back to eat tomorrow…spacing it out. (which leads to me not wanting it anymore, but my body made that decision…see the trick?!)

      Let’s form healthy eating habits and your body will love you for it!
      Ciao

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