On weight maintenance
A reader recently emailed me, saying:
Would love to know how you keep so nice and trim! Maybe you would post a few tips from that department!
I get this kind of question regularly from readers, but weight maintenance is a topic I've felt a little uncomfortable writing about for several reasons.
First, a person's weight isn't super crazy important, unless it's a situation in which their health is being affected.
Secondly, there's an awfully broad range of body sizes that can be perfectly healthy. My frame happens to be on the small side of things, but there are plenty of other body frames/types that are healthy.
Thirdly, there are a lot of complicating factors when it comes to weight, and I'm not anywhere near qualified to address things like emotional eating*.
*When I am super stressed out, I totally lose my appetite. And going without food isn't a lot healthier than eating your feelings.
Fourthly, I think people's size is at least partially biological/genetic, which means even if you eat exactly like I eat, you might end up lighter or heavier than me.
All that said, I'm not super interested in thinking too hard about exact weights, but I am interested in being healthy and energetic and fit.
My philosophy is that if I 1) eat mostly good food, 2) follow my body's hunger cues, and 3) stay active, then I will end up at the weight I'm supposed to be, and I'll be pretty healthy.
Specific diet plans and rules don't work well for me (I'm a moderator!), so this flexible philosophy fits me pretty well.
1. Eat (mostly) Good Food
The "mostly" is in there because I don't like restrictions, and the ability to eat treat foods here and there keeps me sane. 😉
What does good food look like for me?
I try to minimize sugar.
I do put sugar into my daily tea, and I don't stress about the bit of sugar in my almond butter or in my 80% dark chocolate.
But I don't generally drink juice/soda/iced tea (water all the way!), I don't eat sugary cereals, I don't eat sugary processed snacks, and so on.
And if I eat dessert, I try not to go overboard with it. 10 cookies don't ultimately make me feel good!
I don't minimize fat, per se.
I try to avoid junky fats, but I happily eat avocados, full-fat yogurt, butter, whole eggs, nuts, dark chocolate, and such.
These foods help keep me full, which means that even though they do have a fair amount of calories, they help me eat less overall.
I try to eat lots of nutritious foods.
Rather than thinking about avoiding bad foods, I think about what I could eat that gives me lots of positive nutrition.
That's what motivates me to choose smoothies, eggs, raw fruits and veggies, nuts, and yogurt over junk food. It's less about avoiding empty calories and more about actively choosing nutritious calories.
(That feels a lot less like rules and more like choices. Are you seeing a theme here?? Ha.)
I try to mostly eat homemade foods.
This saves money, certainly, but by sticking to homemade food, I automatically end up consuming less junk. Manufacturers almost always put more preservatives, coloring, salt, and sugar into their food than I do when I cook at home.
2. Follow hunger cues
When it comes to how much I eat, I try to pay attention to how hungry I am. I don't want to starve myself or in be hungry on a regular basis, so if I'm hungry, I eat.
And by the same token, if I'm not very hungry, then I don't feel like it's necessary to eat, even if it's mealtime.
For example, some mornings, I'm starving and I'll drink a big smoothie and also have a banana with peanut butter, or an egg, or a sausage. But some mornings, a smoothie holds me over just fine until lunchtime.
3. Stay Active
While I'm not one to spend hours doing formal exercise, I'm a moderately active person.
Cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping,home maintenance, and laundry-doing keep me pretty active, and I don't have a lot of sedentary hobbies (Except blogging! Blogging is rather sedentary. 😉 )
Plus, I have a martial arts class, I try to do the 7-minute workout several times a week, and I go on walks and bike rides with Mr. FG at least once a week.
It would be awesome to spend more time to spend exercising, but for now, this level of activity is what I can fit in.
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So, there you have it. I know it's nothing earth-shaking, but it's what works for me.
One of my frugal motivations for keeping a ~stable weight is so I can keep wearing the clothes I already have!
(Thanks for the blog Frugal Girl, I always enjoy reading your thoughts on things)
That is true! Staying the same size does allow you to keep your clothes for a long time.
I wanted to chime in that your plan is similar to mine (although you are way better about workouts, I just walk whenever I can :). I don't have a naturally teeny-tiny frame but I have been able to stay my same lifetime relatively good size at 45 and after four kids. I cringe when I see people counting calories and following restrictive diets because I feel it hurts us and our self-esteem over the long haul. I love to read books about how food works in our bodies, it seems like the message is the more you can eat real food that isn't made in a factory the easier it will be to stay healthy. We do eat take-out pizza once a week though because I just need a messy kitchen break and junk food finds it's way in the house once in awhile, with the exception of anything with HFCS in it, that's a deal breaker. But we try to outweigh those times by far with simple food that we prepare at home.
I love your approach. I don't keep a scale or anything in my home. I just work out daily and measure my fitness levels instead of my weight or appearance. I've noticed a loooot of muscle build and definition over the last six months; I can finally lift heavy stuff by myself, which is a huge accomplishment!!!
I think it really can come down to diet, lifestyle, and exercise for many people, but at the end of the day the body you have is the body you have. Some people really struggle with weight, despite living a healthy lifestyle.
Do what makes you happy and healthy and everything else will fall into place. 🙂
As a registered dietitian, can I just say that I LOVE your view on weight and health. And your advice is right on and what I do myself. Like the previous commenter, I also do not own a scale. I make being healthy my goal, not my weight.
Ditto from another RD!
I knew you are a common sense kind of girl so i wasn't surprised by your post. Well, except for one. I didnt realize you do martial arts!!
What style martial arts do you do? My daughter and I practice Japanese Shotokan. 🙂
As far as regular exercise goes, I do what makes me happy and what feels good. If I don't feel like running on a particular day, then I will not run; I'll choose another activity. I HATE being sedentary....unless it's a well deserved couch break in the evening before bed! 🙂
We do northern Shaolin Kung Fu. 🙂
I love your post because it shows a person just taking care of her health.
I'm a science-y type person and can tell you that heredity plays an enormous role in how likely we are to be thin, fat or medium (twins separated at birth usually have similar body sizes, for example.) None of us like to think about how important genetics are in the weight issue because we want to feel we can control everything. You did a great job in pointing out that eating like you doesn't mean a person will look tall and lanky.
Even though nutritional experts vary wildly in what they think is the "best" diet - I am certain that ALL agree that home-prepared food, less-processed food and lower-sugar foods, coupled with exercise and eating moderate quantities, is definitely the best way to go for any one of us at any size.
One factor that's overlooked in weight control is sufficient sleep. For about half a decade, the stress of work and taking care of an elderly family member led to insomnia, which led to lack of energy to exercise, and increased consumption of high-calorie foods to keep my energy level up, complicated by the necessity to be away from home frequently. I got to the highest weight I'd ever been (200 lbs on a 5'6" frame). However, both of those life factors ended within a couple of weeks of each other, and the result was the near-immediate cessation of insomnia and notably higher energy levels. Within three months, I lost 30 lbs because of the regained ability to exercise and I was not eating fast food for half of my meals (I know the latter was a factor, but I'd say it was not *the* factor in my case).
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/lack-of-sleep-weight-gain#1
True, true. Sleep is crazy important on a lot of levels.
Thank you for your post and honesty. As someone who has struggled with my weight most of my adulthood, I can say that your approach is the best, but can sometimes be hard to follow. So much of our society is focused on food and treating our emotions with food. Our portions are so out of whack that I think our brains are trained to overcome our bodies hunger signals and just keep stuffing ourselves. This is where tracking my food does help me. I have always eaten healthy, but I have always eaten more than one portion. Tracking keeps me in balance and reminds my brain that one portion is enough. I have three young daughters and other than encouraging and serving healthy foods I am trying to let them eat when they are hungry and not require them to only eat at certain times. I don't make them finish everything, but they are required to try everything. I do worry they will struggle like I did in middle school, but I hope I can assure them that their appearance is not the most important aspect if their selves.
What a good topic! I'm a short, small-built person and I often get asked "how I do it." I say I eat a healthy, organic diet and have good genes, and that is true, but I also have one sibling who has had a life-long weight problem, while growing up on and still following the same home-cooked, no junk food diet that the rest of us did and do now, so I'd have to say she didn't get the same genes for weight that I did. She certainly has to work harder at her weight to stay healthy. Sometimes, nature throws you a curve ball. So I think how "I" do it is influenced by how my body does it naturally.
Since I've matured, my weight has crept up a few pounds, but I used to be too thin, so it doesn't bother me. Twice, I've had to cut back on my portions to lose about 8-10 extra pounds, because on a small frame like mine, that much weight changes my clothing sizes and I refuse to buy a new wardrobe for 8 pounds. I've learned that as I get older, portion size is the one thing I need to watch. I eat very much like Kristen -- I'm not afraid of fat either -- and try to work in exercise as I can -- I usually do a few exercises in the mornings, for about 5-10 minutes, and then walk during my lunch hour. I work in the yard when weather permits, and do my own housework, something which I believe burns more calories than the experts claim. About the time I've done my 15th deep knee bend dusting the legs of furniture, the 10th time I go up and down 19 stairs to carry laundry, clean upstairs, tote a vacuum up and down or fetch an item, and the fifth time I've toted a heavy basket of wet laundry out to the line, I feel very sure I'm burning a good bit of calories.
I'm the same, with regard to completely losing my appetite when I'm stressed. Eating completely goes out of the window for me at that time and I can, if I'm not careful, lose a lot of weight very quickly. When I'm in that state, I try to eat small, calorie-dense meals.
The rest of the time, I practise a system of trying to mostly eat what is going to make both me AND my body happy. For instance, I know I love mangoes, strawberries and grapes, so I eat lots of those, instead of sweets and chocolate!
And the bad thing about that is that not eating makes you feel even worse! Stress makes you feel tired and overwhelmed and shaky and going without food has exactly the same effects on the body.
I love your approach, it's very similar to my own, though since I took up cycling, and usually ride about 100 miles per week (when the weather is good) I now get a LOT of exercise. Funny thing though, you'd think with all that riding I'd be shedding weight right and left, but it doesn't seem to work that way for me. In terms of exercise for weight maintenance, I've found that building muscle mass is much more effective than aerobic exercise.
Anyhow, I also wanted to comment on the sugar thing. For me it's HUGE... and it's not just sugar itself, it's simple carbs in general. For me they have a real snowball effect. When I get too many, I just start feeling HUNGRY... like all. the. time! Maybe I just have really sensitive blood sugar or something, or perhaps it just means that I'm an abstainer and not a moderator. So if I can keep the carbs in check, and limit my sugar intake - meaning no sweets except a bottle of Gatorade on long (4-5 hour) bike rides, I feel satisfied and my energy is pretty stable. But once I fall off the sugar/carb bandwagon, it's like a spiral of doom, and it takes concerted effort and real discipline to get back to good again.
I'm sure other people have different experiences, but that's what works for me.
And THAT is what matters...finding what works for you, not what works for someone else.
Some people love having a strict set of rules or a detailed plan with black and and white yes and no foods, but that's not what works for me at all. You have to know yourself and adjust your eating accordingly.
EcoCatLady, I have a similar issue. I agree that it might be due to blood sugar issues. I have naturally low blood sugar but it is very sensitive. If I don't eat regularly or I eat too much sugar/HFCS/etc. it drops and I will get headaches, nausea and sometimes lightheaded. I have even fainted in the past, simply due to plummeting blood sugar. My tendency is to want carbs and sweets, which make me sick, so instead I fill my plate with vegetables, protein and healthy fats. If I have a carb I measure it out because I have such poor portion control. It is ridiculous but I refuse to continue getting dizzy when I am otherwise healthy and energetic! The worst is when I do indulge I feel lethargic the next day. I hate that. I have things to conquer and no time for desperately wanting a nap. Lol.
A me-too moment: I don't lose weight when I do serious exercise (such as 5-6 hrs weightlifting a week or 15+ miles running a week). My shape changed but not my weight, so I conclude that I must have been eating a lot more than I do when I'm not seriously exercising.
Good thing I don't exercise to lose weight, or I would be discouraged.
After a lifetime of being over weight and a yo-yo dieter, I have finally achieved a healthy weight at 52. Why could I not do it before? Becuase it was all about temporary restrictions and exercise. Unlike FG I did not cultivate healthy habits like eating six times a day to balance blood sugar, sleep enough, drink enough water. Change your habits change your life:). I am so grateful!!
Hi Kirsten,
Thanks for answering your readers question, it's a hard one, I think. There is no magic formula and what works for one person doesn't always work for the next. Like you, I eat a variety of good healthy foods, get some gentle exercise everyday, drink plenty of water and get to bed early. It's a simple way of living that keeps me kinda healthy and happy.
Have a wonderful day.
Fi
Kristen, can I mention how wonderful your initial thoughts and answer to dietary advice is.
Reminds me of another awesome diet... The book is "run fat bitch run" and her diet is
..
Eat less junk.
Keep up the great work, love your blog.
I am doing what EcoCatLady and others are doing: reducing carbs and reducing sugar. Those two factors alone help me feel much better and lose weight. From what I've read, carbs (bread, grains, etc.) turn into sugar in the body and increase cholesterol. I let myself have one treat on the weekend. So far it's working!
Something I've discovered helps me with sugar cravings is gum. After dinner, if I crave dessert, I chew some gum and that seems to satisfy while consuming much less calories. Whole Foods sells some (expensive!) gum without fillers, etc. There is sugar, but not much.
I picked up a vintage dinner plate (in my pattern) at the Goodwill, and it was much smaller than the typical plate in my set. Everywhere I look, and especially in restaurants, I see very large plates, large drinking glasses, and large silverware. It seems like the grocery stores and restaurants want to help us eat more and more! Also, furniture in the U.S.A. is large as well, compared to European furniture.
Exercise is a challenge since I don't really enjoy it, but I've do a simple routine for 12+ minutes in the morning. If I tell myself it's only 12 minutes, I'm much more apt to do it, and it does start of my day on a good note. I walk with a group 1x/week.
That is totally me with the 7-minute workout app...I tell myself, ok, it's only 7 minutes!
When I set the table I use the salad plates rather than the dinner plates.
Kristen, what an incredibly sensible approach. I think you are giving your children an incredible gift by way of example.
In the last year I have gained and loss 40 pounds. It comes and goes. Three car wrecks and health problems and a bad relationship has been a really bad struggle for me. I am fat and I am skinny and I love all the comments I get. I often wonder why so many people feel the need to make ugly remarks. I am off the steroids and have my eye sight back. Hopefully being able to drive and shop will help me back into my skinny jeans. Value is not based on my weight. How wonderful it is to be loved by all,
Loved your response.
Weight is a sensitive subject and when I was a teen and the family doctor would call me "O-beast" it was so upsetting. I then found a new doctor who figured out that my thyroid wasn't functioning properly. After getting meds, the weight got much better and I felt better. So really, we just don't know everyone's life story.
.In general, the old saying that everything in moderation is key. And you are a fine example of that. 🙂
My granddaughter, who has two Type 1 and three Type 2 diabetics in her close family, inherited a predisposition to insulin resistance. After 2.5 years of going from doctor to doctor to find out why she suddenly gained so much, she's being treated by a specialist, but she is still quite overweight for her height. The doctor warned us it would be a lifelong struggle. It's so painful to see her get sidewise looks and to hear her being called fat. She's only 10, and eats a better diet than a lot of kids, plus exercises regularly, swims and plays sports. As you say, we don't know everyone's life story!
ughhh - I hate to hear that 🙁 Especially with a child.
Thanks so much!
A fantastic book to check out regarding insulin resistance and how to be healthy and not fat when you have it is The Obesity Code. I totally recommend for her, or more accurately, for those looking after her.
Let's face it, you are just a naturally disciplined person which most of us aren't. I am on the frugal realm, but not so much where food is concerned. When there are children about, they usually take care of any excess food, but later on when there are just 2 or 1 ppeople, then it's harder to leave the extras alone.
Thank you for your kind way of approaching this topic, a sensitive one for those of us who really struggle with weight. I think it is akin to alcoholism in the sense that some of us have to fight the urge every single day not to overeat, eat the wrong thing, feel discouraged when we see that others can eat so much more and not gain weight, feel shame at our supposed lack of will power and know that others are judging us harshly---sometimes out loud. At my heaviest, I was in a grocery store in the soda aisle with my kid and a guy came up and said to her, "Be careful. Drink sodas and you will end up as fat as your mother." I wanted to die on the spot.
Oh my goodness...what a terrible thing for someone to say. I'm sorry.
Some people say such rude things to people who don't fit the "average" size. I just don't get why people think it's ok to comment on someone else's body size or shape, especially to their face! My family has gotten a lot of grief from people about being skinny, and I know people who are heavier experience the same and worse.
Having people comment about me being skinny has always really confused me as well. As I've gotten older I can ignore it, but I remember growing up feeling that people were always watching me eat because they had decided I was anorexic (not ever true). I know I have it a million times easier than people who are overweight because our society values thinness, but I can relate to the weird feeling of having perfect strangers judge me without knowing anything about me and police my eating with snide comments.
Love it!
Sounds like you basically practice intuitive eating and staying active.
I don't fall into any typical body size/shape categories, and it took me years after I had kids to really become comfortable in my skin again.
I love to bike, and do 50-100 miles/week, with most of that coming from one big ride (40+ miles) on Sunday mornings with a cycling club. I also swim and run a bit, aiming for 1-2 sprint triathlons and 1-2 5k races per year, as having goals like that helps me on days I'd rather binge watch Doctor Who.
I enjoy cooking, so we eat almost everything from scratch, and I have genetically high cholesterol, so our diet is high in soluble fiber and low in animal-source saturated fats.
And at the end of the day, I'm 5'9" and 235lb. My lean body mass is 150lb, so even if I managed to drop some body fat, at a healthy body fat percentage, I'll never be under 200lb.
I like to eat good food, but I don't like to feel like crap, so my food decisions are not just what sounds good, but also how will I feel later after eating that.
My body works, I can keep up with the A pace group in my bike club for one extra hill every week, I'm decently flexible, and can still pick up both of my kids (8 and 5, the older one is over 60lb and both are tall for their ages) and get down on the floor to play with them, so I'm happy.
So great to hear from you!
It sounds like you are doing a great job of taking care of your body without obsessing or focusing too much on reaching a particular appearance goal. So healthy.
I've been skinny all my life and they said because genes play an important role, but having a healthy habits and active lifestyles are the key to maintain it.
It's true that we don't know everyone's story. My heart is sad after reading some of these comments (don't drink soda or you'll end up fat like your mom? My granddaughter already gets sideways looks even though she eats healthier and is more active than most kids her age?). People can be so judgmental and so cruel to people they do not know.
I'm naturally thin and take after my dad who's been rail-thin his whole life. It get's so frustrating trying to defend why I try to eat healthy and why I exercise. People automatically jump in with "oh, you are so skinny-you can eat whatever you want." Because heart attacks and tooth decay can't possibly happen to a skinny person.... or "I'm sure you're in much better shape than you think you are." Right. That's why I can't play a game of volleyball without being winded and exhausted. Or jog a half-mile without stopping. Or do even a single pushup. In comparison to the experiences of others though, those comments are minor...I should probably just let them roll off my back.