How Do Some People Have The Self Discipline To Always Stay Thin?

How do they do it?

You have to make sure you don't eat too many calories every day cut back on all the high calorie foods that everyone enjoys, along with keeping up formal exercise.

Anyone who just eats what they feel like every day is gonna be obese. It takes a hell of a lot of effort and self discipline to be thin.

So the statistics for the number of obese people doesn't surprise me at all. It actually surprises me that so many people aern't overweight.

I think being active on CC forums can give you a very skewed opinions on people who are thin (and hence not on CC). But there are many of those who actually enjoy fruits as snacks, don't like greasy/fried food or don't like to eat a lot. And these people never really needed self discipline.

It's not to say that all thin people don't have/need self discipline. All I want to mention that, outside of CC there are many people with great eating habits that restriction of this and that aren't necessary for them. 

The people I know who are "naturally" thin fall into 3 categories:

• They don't much like food -- they truly eat to live rather than live to eat.  My father's mother fell into this category, she saw meals as a necessary chore, not a pleasure.
• They are incredibly active naturally.  They are always moving, and often moving vigorously.
• They are incredibly disciplined -- they love to eat, prefer healthy foods, and only allow themselves occasional treats.  Probably "naturally" behave like those of us who are successful on CC have to learn to behave.

I think it is normal to be envious of other's good traits and dismissive of our own good traits, but ultimately, not very useful to living a productive life.  I am trying to cultivate my own garden now, not worry about how others cultivate theirs.

Another thing that may contribute is the portion sizes that different people were raised with, or that they have become used to. In other countries, portions are just habitually smaller than in the US, so people can still feel that they're eating whatever they want--they're not stepping outside of anything normal--and they're simply accustomed to thinking of a satisfying amount as smaller. It's not JUST "other countries," though. Regions within the United States differ in this way, also, as well as offering different fare.

All that to say... it's not always a straight-up matter of self-discipline and willpower, with human beings in one corner of the ring and food in the other. A lot of it is simply environment and habit for the "thin" people you're talking about, and not a battle at all. For them, the statement "Anyone who just eats what they feel like every day is gonna be obese" simply isn't true, because they may not be in the habit of thinking of food constantly, or as rewards and comfort, or eating much when they do sit down for a meal. In many ways the modern middle-class appetite is a matter of programming instead of honest hunger.

Applying that to general weightloss, then, means putting thought into those elements: environment and habit. And in that sense, for many of those "thin" people, exercise is the same way. You don't have to be raised that way to think of it as simply something that you do, but many people are, so it's not too far out in left field to think of it as simply part of their culture.

Well, staying thin is pretty easy if you never get overweight in the first place, eating a variety of whole foods in moderation will pretty much take care of it.

The problem comes with processed foods and such. Foods become very calorie dense, poor nutrition-wise, and sort of highjack the sense of taste by adding lots of salt, bad fats, chemicals, simple carbs, etc.

So people end up eating tons of food because everything they're eating offers poor satiety.

After you've been obese it's a little bit harder to get and stay thin. Getting there is harder than maintaining though.

And how do people eat super-clean and healthy diets barring a lot of foods that people love? Well, they simply have their priorities straight. It's a simple question: do you want lots of unrealistically tasty food, or do you want to look good?

Of course, there's also those who are ectomorphs and simply don't hold onto much fat or muscle by nature. Some people consider that "lucky", although they experience the same health effects of a poor diet.

i agree with dkenworthy's 3 categories, combined with what fruit_tart said, as well as ibez. there are a lot of people out there who don't need to work to "stay thin" because they've always been thin on account of being raised on healthy foods as opposed to huge portions and junk food.

it seems (to me at least) that people who have always been thin have a much easier time than people who had to diet to become thin. some people (thin and not so thin) have no concept of dieting at all, and don't intentionally try to maintain the size/weight they are, they just do.

people who become thin through dieting do need to put in effort to stay that way, but why would they stop after working so hard to lose the weight in the first place? CC is obviously a large supporter of the "lifestyle change" as opposed to just simply dieting for a period of time. if you look at it that way, it will get easier. once you change to a maintaining regime, your body adapts and it's not as hard.
but i'm not saying it's a breeze either, it does take motivation & work.

Original Post by ibez:

Getting there is harder than maintaining though.

Personally, I have not found this to be the case - I found it easier to lose weight because I could see progress. Maintaining, there is no progress, so I don't have the same motivation.

Otherwise, I agree with other posters. The statement Anyone who just eats what they feel like every day is gonna be obese is demonstrably untrue.

Well, I don't know what qualifies as thin, but I think I do OK.  I'm 5'3", 124 lbs, 26" waist.  This is down from 130 & 29" waist a few years ago.  Still not overweight, but not as thin.  From my perspective as a somewhat thin person, I think it's only partly about motivation and discipline, and partly about the fact that at a certain point a lifestyle change stops requiring discipline.

Things I'm good at naturally:

• avoiding fatty foods: i'm a vegetarian and i don't like foods that are overly oily.
• controlling portions at meals: i eat foods that are high volume for low calories, like soup, oatmeal, and healthy sandwiches, and they fill me up easily.
• keeping trigger foods out of my house: my husband and i joined a CSA this year, so we get tons of fresh veggies delivered to us every week.  when we go to the store, it's pretty much only for tofu, pasta, and a few other essentials.  since joining, we've cut a lot of our snacking down just by going shopping at the store so much less (we go maybe once a month now).

Things I'm naturally bad at:

• portion control with snacks: if there's a big bag of chips and i start eating them, i'll always say "just one more" until i've eaten about 300 calories worth.  and if there's peanut butter, i'm doomed.  straight up doomed.
• snacking while bored: stick me ten feet from the kitchen in front of the TV and i'll be in there in a matter of seconds.
• getting enough protein: vegetarian diets are carb-rich.  if i'm not vigilant, i'll realize i've only had half the protein i need by the end of the day.  my options are either don't eat protein and risk muscle loss or eat over my calories.

Things I used to be bad that now come naturally:

• cutting out sugary drinks: i almost always drink only water, tea, or milk.  occasionally, i'll have a glass of wine or a margarita with dinner, but it's very rare.  now, even when i go out about 75% of the time i only drink water.  this is huge for me because my company provides free sodas at work...the only time i'm ever tempted is when i'm tired, and even then i think i've only ever had two sodas in the five months i've been working here.
• drinking lots of water: when you don't have anything else to drink, you tend to drink what you can.
• being active: i used to hate exercise, and i think a big part of it was that i was just bad at it.  i had no stamina, which made me feel like a failure.  last summer, though, i started running to lose weight.  now i can run 2 fast miles or 4-6 slower miles no problem.  working with a trainer has also helped.  i only see my trainer twice a month, but i know she'll be looking to see what i've done and i HATE feel guilty and disappointing her...so i do what i'm supposed to do, regularly.

So I guess my answer to your question is: removing temptation, finding exercise you love, and a healthy serving of guilt.  And having non-weight goals helps too--I'm more likely to run 4-5x/wk if I'm training to run a race than if I'm doing it to keep the weight off.

Well being in self recovery somewhat of ED, I can say from my standpoint that it really just comes down to everyone is programmed differently and sad to say but for me "self discipline" doesn't sound like such a great quality as to how much of it I have given myself. If that makes any sense. 

Though, if you do something enough I am pretty sure it will become a habit, I used to eat one fattening thing after another when I was a kid but now they on most days don't even appeal to me as much. Now my mind just gravitates to teas, coffee, water over sugary drinks, taking a walk next to laying around, and actually craving naturally healthier options without any real ED thoughts coming into play. 

I tend to agree with dkenworthy. A few of my friends are very thin but mostly because they just simply don't like to eat or are limited on what they eat because of taste.

It does take discipline to a certain extent for everyone. Some might need more then others, but it also takes retraining your mind. Knowing that food is just food and nothing more. It's not your boss, or your best friend, even though many people use it as a friend, but just simply fuel to keep your body moving. I think we all know what we need/should eat it's just a matter of doing it.

I grew up having huge portions and eating all of my food on the restaurant plates and those portions are huge in the US! Now I eat half and usually take the rest home for another meal. It really doesn't take a lot of food to keep your body running depending on what you're doing. It's simply a matter or retraining our brains to view food differently.

I agree also with how some people just don't care for a wide variety of food because of taste (such as my friend is REPULSED by chocolate and soda and doesn't get what the big deal is about either of them) And my sisters who eat like three meal selections and certain snacks, WHILE I ON THE OTHER HAND love to cook, experiment, and have the gift and a curse kind of situation where I find just about every food imaginable good in some way or at very least edible -.- .... It takes something REALLY REALLY bad or off for me to 'hate' it.

Original Post by ibez:

 Getting there is harder than maintaining though.

 

Nope, afraid not

Original Post by dkenworthy:

• They don't much like food -- they truly eat to live rather than live to eat.  My father's mother fell into this category, she saw meals as a necessary chore, not a pleasure.

That's me.  Occasionally, I'll get a craving for something, but for the most part I eat to get rid of the feeling of hunger.  Eating itsn't an unpleasant thing at all, but it's not something I look forward to much either.  It's just something I have to do.  Oddly enough, I've noticed I have a very keen sense of "fullness" on top of that.  There's a very fine line for me between full and I-don't-feel-so-good full that I notice other folks don't seem to have.

I think it's that sensation of fullness that has helped me stay about the same size for the last 10 years.  When I got into running in college, my apetite ramped up accordingly and it took significantly more food to get to the same feeling of "full".  As soon as I stopped running (injury), my apetite dropped.  I'm not sure if it's genetics but I do consider myself very, very lucky because I know some folks never get to the point of feeling that same fullness.  My mom, for one, has dieted most of her adult life and has told me before, she only occasionally feels full after a meal.

I agree with what mawata said about just not liking the taste of certain foods.  I tend to like blander foods.  Most overly sweet/salty/oily foods just don't appeal to me at all - meaning most fast food.

Original Post by carolally:

Original Post by ibez:

 Getting there is harder than maintaining though.

 

Nope, afraid not

Certainly is in my experience. Naturally, you have to be more strict to lose weight than you have to be to not gain it. Maybe some people fall into complacency, but I maintined for 6 months at one point and didn't have any trouble with it. I guess it all depends on whether you've gone on a diet or actually made a lifestyle change.

Really, if you have the discipline to lose weight, maintaining should not require a lot of willpower.

I think that people who manage to stay thin in a society that centers itself around food, do so largely because of who they are.  They might be that 'type A' personality that have the natural drive to focus on everything in life, rather than counting the minutes down 'til they can put something else in their mouth!

(Not speaking from personal experience... ;))

However, I have given up the mentality that all thin people are naturally that way, have a fast metabolism, haven't eaten a bite of chocolate since their last Halloween outting at the age of 8, or have some kind of eating disorder.  I've discovered that a lot of people who are thin have to actually work at it!  They've mastered a regular work out schedule, overcome the need to 'super-size' their value meal, and have to exercise a level of discipline at the gym as well as at the dinner table. 

In any case, being 'thin' and healthy is something anyone can accomplish, and the more you want it, the longer you'll stick to it.  Once you start craving healthy snacks instead of chocolate, keep 'trigger' foods out of your life, and recognize your weaknesses (thin people have them, too) the majority of people adapt to a lifestyle change because they find their body thanks them :)

I find it very interesting to see all of the different viewpoints on this subject!

Although, I believe it to be a person-to-person thing. There is no set way of thinking, everyone has their own relationship with food and therefore their own body/weight/issues/non-issues.

I was always a very self-disciplined person without ever knowing it. One day I decided to get "fit" and not only did I develop my relationship with food but I began to understand how people gain weight. If you are never told the things we learn on CC in your life, you may not understand why if you eat a gigantic bowl of granola 4 times a day, you will gain weight. Even though it is granola? Maybe this is not coming together very well, but I think the first step to going where you want to go is learning where you are, and being able to recognize these differences helps a lot.

We all have to put together our relationships with food and the relationship that has with our bodies. In all it comes down to what is more important to you.

"Anyone who just eats what they feel like every day is gonna be obese"

The reason this statement isn't true is because what people "feel like" can vary greatly.  As an extreme example if all a person ever wanted to eat was celery they could eat as much as they wanted and never be obese.

I try to figure out how my husband does it, he is naturally thin borderline underweight, eats whatever he wants whenever he wants and does not excersise.

1. He gets bored of eating ( I know! he will have a full plate of food and only eat half when I ask if he wasn't hungry he simply says he is bored of eating said thing ).  This also prevents him from eating a bag of chips or box of chocolates in one shot, he gets bored of eating the same thing.  This most commonly happens with one-dish meals like a casserole or a pasta dish where everything is together and in his opinion tastes the same.

2. He is very picky about what he eats and as a result rejects a lot of the food on his plate i.e. he doesn't eat the crust on pizza, there is a bit of fat on the meat so he cuts that piece off because he hates the taste of fat, there is a small spot on the potato he cuts that part off because it's gross, part of the side dish touched the ketchup/sauce so he can't eat that part etc etc.

3. He will literally forget to eat or is simply to lazy to bother, often I come home from work and when he greets me at the door, I ask him what he had to eat that day.. athe answer is usually "nothing" or "toast" when I ask if he is hungry he has to think about it before answering.  Even though I leave tins of baked goods all around him to encourage him to eat more.  Me on the other hand, I see something I want to eat or even just think of something yummy and my mind convinces my body im hungry and can't live without consuming said item even if i have just eaten a full meal.

Hey! My sister and I have that "bored" feeling too! 

That didn't even cross my mind, but it's true, there are a lot of things that are good but after the first three or four bites just get boring, thats why I end up with a purse of half eaten food mid day. Now that I think of it, that is pretty much how I never let myself be deprived of anything recently. 

Like we will get a large baked good, split it, and snack on that though out the day or week, hmm, I think it's pretty self explanatory right?

But anyways, I completely agree on the pasta thing, can NEVER get through a plate lol.

Bored of eating?!!?!

1/2 of me wishes that I had that curse!

1/2 of me is grateful for how much I enjoy food!

i think where you live kinda features.....

if you live somewhere hot,or has good summers(unlike here,haha)......near a beach your  gonna be more concious because youll be in bikini alot..,..where as if ya live somwhere where u wear hoodies all the time....its easier to put on a few extra pounds....plus whenever i go away somewhere hot....because of the heat i completely loose my apetite

my friends that are thin either dont eat that much, or are really active.....

I think that sometimes medical issues can figure into being "naturally thin."  I'm not talking EDs I'm talking food allergies and genetic diseases that require avoidance of foods and/or medications that cannot be taken with food on the stomach.

I, for example, have Wilson's disease.  Now I wasn't diagnosed until 2 years ago and I had been overweight, but since I began treatment (and before I started CC) I lost probably 15 lbs from the fact that I couldn't snack.  My medication has to be taken on a completely empty stomach...that means I have to wait 2 hrs after I eat(eating nothing but water), take the pill, and wait at least an hour (nothing but water) before I can eat again.  There are also many foods I should avoid, although most of them I didn't like in the first place.