Weight-loss secrets of the naturally thin

They’re everywhere we go, but still, we’re amazed to see them. We stare, hoping that if we look long enough, their secret will reveal itself. We envy them, and wonder about their habits and lifestyles They are enigmas, and everyone knows at least a few. They are the naturally thin, and those of us who struggle to lose or maintain weight want to know how in the world they do it. I became increasingly curious about this topic after spending a day at the Jersey shore with Caroline, a naturally thin girlfriend of mine. She ate almost non stop the entire day: Candy, chips, sandwiches, regular soda. It went on and on. She was chewing the second her feet hit the sand and didn’t stop until the key was back in the ignition. I finally asked her how she could eat so much and stay in such great shape. She answered that she views food as a social thing, similar to how social drinkers view alcohol. Unless she was socializing or in a restaurant, food was simply not a priority. She could go almost all day at home without ever feeling the desire to eat. Her weight has been the same her entire adult life. In fact, (sit down for this one ladies) she buys her jeans without trying them on first. Yes, you read that correctly. That is how consistent her weight is. Ugh! These people fascinate me. In a country where so many are battling the bulge, it seems unfair that others seem to stay thin without ever giving it a second thought. Recently, I set out to get some answers from my naturally thin peers. While getting a pedicure one day, Maryanne in the next chair put down her book, stared at me as if I were an alien, and explained that she thinks she is thin because she has never had a sweet tooth, and can’t remember the last time she had a cookie, cake or candy. “I just never got those cravings for sweet things, not even as a kid,” she said. She also skips breakfast. Her first meal is at noon. Amy, questioned as she delivered her daughter for a sleep over, says her thin frame is genetic, but admits she is conscious of what she eats, and that she eats “normal” portions. “I eat real food, nothing ‘prepared’ or processed, and try to limit the salt,” she explained. She also eats a bowl of cereal or ice cream before bed. Joan, behind me in line at ShopRite, said everyone “over-thinks” weight control. We’re becoming an obese nation, despite our obsession with weight loss, she noted. “Just eat what you like, and don’t over do it,” she advised.. “Moderation is the key for success for everything in life, and deprivation is the key for failure.” By the way, Joan works as a psychotherapist. I met Carole from Vernon at a ski shop on Route 15. “I never thought about it other than it just being my body type,” she said. “But as far as food goes, I eat whatever …I will say, though, that some weeks it seems like I’m always eating and other weeks the desire is simply not there. It may have something to do with work, business trips, being home, or maybe hormones. Somehow the calories all balance out at the end of the month, keeping my weight the same for over 20 years.” My friend, Tina, laughed as she answered my question. “I know what my answer is,” she said. “My mother would always say I was a picky eater. The truth is that I have a texture issue with food. Foods with certain textures make me ill; I can’t eat them. So I guess my mother was right in a way. My food choices are rather limited, and I‘m fine with that.” As we waited for our photos to be developed, Suzanne told me her motto for weight control: “When dinner’s over, the kitchen’s closed.” My friend, Tammy, said she got back to her pre pregnancy weight by working out and eating right. “I’m a small woman,” she added, “and I decided that smaller people can’t possibly need to consume as many calories as bigger people and expect to stay in shape.” I guess that makes sense, since my little dog doesn’t eat half as much as my large dog. Karen said her stomach never growls. When her body needs to remind her to eat, she explained, “I eventually get a little light headed, and my stomach feels empty. I naturally eat a lot of salads and have always been a big water drinker. I think both give you the feeling of being full.” Karen never liked sodas or juices, but admits to drinking four to five cups of coffee a day. Class mom Jackie said she never eats snacks. “You’ll never find me snacking during the day or after dinner,” said class mom Jackie. “I never really did that, snacking between meals.” Lisa from the PTO had an interesting explanation. “I’m thinner now than before I had my kids,” she said. “I honestly think my metabolism has changed for the better.” Okay ladies, there’s still hope. Robin, a CPA, is thankful she’s thin because she would not be successful if she had to go on a diet. “I have no will power,” she explained. “However,” she laughed, “I’ve never done anything to excess ...good or bad. Seeing so many of my friends on these popular fad diets, I would say my way of eating most represents the ‘Zone Diet,’ very little, if any, junk food, with every meal being pretty well balanced.” “I’m a type A personality,” said Cathy. “I never stop moving unless I’m sleeping ...I don’t ever make a big ordeal about meals; I even eat on the go and rarely sit at my kitchen table to dine.” Joanne, who I tapped on the shoulder at the local Dunkin’ Donuts, reminded me that the saying is “eat to live,” not “live to eat.” She had her own epiphany for weight control. “Now that I have kids, I really have no desire to drink alcohol, not even socially. I’ve lost about five pounds, and it wasn’t even intentional.” Her friend, Diana, agreed, “I don’t want to get the so called middle age spread, so I watch everything I eat,” she said. “My trick for weight management is not so much in what I eat, but rather what I drink. I don’t drink calories at all. My number one beverage choice is water, followed by Diet Coke, and I’ve learned to drink my coffee black.” So there you have it: some helpful hints to healthy weight control. I have my own tip for instant weight loss that has nothing to do with food …your wardrobe. Some styles can add pounds to certain body types while others give the illusion of appearing thinner. Go through you closet and get rid of those “fat” clothes and then treat yourself to a trip to the mall in search of some of those more “thinning” garments. Bingo! Instant weight loss without counting one single calorie.