In the past year I’ve watched gazillions of videos documenting differences between skinny and overweight people. (By ‘skinny’ I mean BMI 18 to 25 folks, no anorexia cases).
It is truly mesmerizing.
Most of the time people blame their genes, slow or fast metabolism, the list is long.
However when you really observe people over a certain period of time you clearly see a significant difference in their daily behavior resulting in a certain body weight levels.
1) FOOD
Skinny people use to say that they can eat anything they want without gaining weight. And this is how they feel.
Sugar
In reality they do not eat a fraction of sugar the overweight people are consuming. Their deserts are mostly absent. In a rare case a desert is present – it is very small. How small? Like a one single piece of a chocolate bar small. Skinny people often report not to like chocolate or cake, not to like sweets.
Portion size
Skinny people eat smaller portions. And by smaller I mean significantly smaller. They rarely take a second serving. Their plates are smaller. Even coffee! They would not get a 8 ounce cup of cappuccino, but enjoy a 4 ounce one! Please note – they’ve never planned this kind of behavior. They just act this way naturally. That’s why they will always tell you that they eat A LOT! and EVERYTHING THEY WANT!
Eating location
Skinny people tend to eat at a table (not in standing and not on the go). They do not snack.
Food quality
Home cooked meals. They eat junk food occasionally. May be once a week max.
Fasting
This is a really cool insight. Skinny people unconsciously regulate their average caloric intake by skipping meals day after a party with unusually large food consumption. In My Secret Online Fitness Game we call it ‘Holding Your Grounds’.
Alcohol
Very moderate consumption.
So, yes, skinny people eat everything they want. The truth is they barely eat any of the stuff which makes people obese, and if they do – the portions are very small, or it happens seldom, or it is balanced by skipping meals afterwards 🙂
CONCLUSIONS FOOD:
a) Ditch junk food.
b) Eat from a saucer instead of a plate.
c) Drink your coffee from an espresso-size cup.
d) Make water to your drink and re-categorize your coffee from a drink to a desert.
e) Cook your meals from scratch.
f) Eat at a table.
g) Do not snack in-between.
h) Eat your desert from a finger-hood (no, I am not joking).
i) Ah yes, ditch alcohol for the time being.
2) EXERCISE
Skinny people are mostly not engaged into any exaggerated levels of exercise. They tend to regulate their weight through food mostly.
However there is tendency to more movement during the day. They walk more instead of driving. Even when doing sedentary work they have much more micro movements, gesticulating with their hands, standing up, sitting down etc, fidgeting around so to speak. Often you will find them moving, dancing, stretching while doing other activities.
CONCLUSIONS EXERCISE:
Build in more movement into your day. Here some ideas for additional movements.
a) Walk everywhere including stairs.
b) Stand while working on computer.
c) Or even better – get a thread mill table.
d) Don’t want to stand? Sit on a yoga ball while working on computer. (Let me know if
you can do that 🙂
e) Dance while sitting and working on your computer.
f) Stationary bike, mini trampoline or stretching while watching TV.
g) Jump while walking your dog.
h) Get a dog to gain a great friend and a reason for daily walks / jumps 🙂
i) Dance in the shower.
j) Dance while getting dressed.
k) Dance while brushing your teeth.
Move – move – move!
Try to move no matter what you are doing. This will become a great habit for the times when you have lost all excess weight and go into the maintenance mode 🙂
This and more fun insights in My Secret Online Fitness Game! Not in the game yet? Let me know in the comments!
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