For "normal" sized people out there...

[ficklefaye]

i think i''m normal sized, my doctor told me not to lose any weight, i''m 5''-5", 120lbs, i eat little meals throughout the day and manage my portions, i also work out five days a week, this is just to stay fit, i haven''t lost any weight since i''ve started exercising again, i haven''t had any issues with excessive weight gain over the years but i have noticed my hips and butt getting bigger

 

[whitby_2773]

hi elegant

i need to lose some weight now since i had a bad back injury, but i was 5''5" and 150lbs for many years, and was VERY fit.

i used to do 10 hours at the gym a week - 5 hours of aerobics and 5 hours of weights, and i had a trainer who was a member of the british olympic fencing team. plus i used to walk EVERYwhere.

i used to eat small meals plus snacks, but would stay away from heavy foods as a general rule. i am the dessert QUEEN, however, and would treat myself about once a week.

i used to bake my own bread (generally olive and walnut) and would have one large slice, hot, for breakfast with butter. or sometimes oatmeal with ground flax. i''d make it with skim milk rather than water. often instead i''d have a filet of salmon. i''d pretty much alternate these three.

lunch was pretty much always a salad. big, with low fat grilled meat (most often chicken) and fat reduced mayo. LOTS of leafy greens tho, and onion and tomatoes. sometimes a little avocado as well.

dinner was often fish or vegetarian with a plate load of veges. i''d generally have fat reduced sour cream on my veges. sometimes i''d have pasta or another salad (say, a big plate of greens with sliced warm beef/lamb/poultry tossed through, or eggs and walnuts), and occasionally soup.

interspersed was around 3 regular, not jumbo sized, cups of coffee a day (decaf with fake sugar

), but i always had light cream in it. in the afternoons after working out i''d often have a fruit smoothie made with mangoes, banana, strawberries and ice (no dairy) and if i got hungry i''d have some nuts or a couple of mouthfuls of egg salad. i''d eat apples for snacks in the evening. my daily calorie intake was around 2400 cals and i used to track it carefully and daily. my meals were around 1500 cals a day, snacks were 500, and 400 were either treats or coffee.

i''d have a treat around twice a week - either a dessert, or a cheese plate or sometimes small hot donuts, but would compensate by not having any other snacks between meals and would drop the coffee to one cup. i used to work out so hard, and had such a high muscle mass, it never made a difference to my weight, and it was always controlled. apart from occasional, intensional treats, i never ate badly or deviated what i ate and i never - EVER - ate takeout. despite being 150lbs, i was a size 8 and very firm all over.

 

[KristyDarling]

I eat a smallish breakfast (english muffin with jam and Smart Balance butter, coffee with cream and sugar), a large lunch (pasta with meat, salad), and a very light dinner with fruit for dessert. I don't eat anything else between dinner and bedtime. My meals are fairly healthy -- I rarely eat stuff that's buttery, fried, or has creamy sauces.

On the other hand, my snacking habits are atrocious. Between breakfast and lunch, I might have a few potato chips to stave off hunger. Between lunch and dinner, perhaps a chocolate chip cookie, Luna bar, or if I'm feeling really bad -- a tapioca pearl drink (Asian dessert beverage). The snacks I choose are not super-healthy, but I don't go overboard with them in terms of quantity either.

I consider myself normal-sized: I'm short and small-framed but it's more of an untoned, "skinny soft." If I ever have enough time to exercise regularly, I'd love to be able to tone up. The most exercise I get right now is walking my dog every evening, and running after my kids.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 7/14/2009 4:28:39 PM
Author: KristyDarling
I eat a smallish breakfast (english muffin with jam and Smart Balance butter, coffee with cream and sugar), a large lunch (pasta with meat, salad), and a very light dinner with fruit for dessert. I don''t eat anything else between dinner and bedtime. My meals are fairly healthy -- I rarely eat stuff that''s buttery, fried, or has creamy sauces.

On the other hand, my snacking habits are atrocious. Between breakfast and lunch, I might have a few potato chips to stave off hunger. Between lunch and dinner, perhaps a chocolate chip cookie, Luna bar, or if I''m feeling really bad -- a tapioca pearl drink (Asian dessert beverage). The snacks I choose are not super-healthy, but I don''t go overboard with them in terms of quantity either.

I consider myself normal-sized: I''m short and small-framed but it''s more of an untoned, ''skinny soft.'' If I ever have enough time to exercise regularly, I''d love to be able to tone up. The most exercise I get right now is walking my dog every evening, and running after my kids.

Threadjack: holy woodwork, where have you been KristyDarling! Good to "see" you again!

 

[KristyDarling]

Awww, thanks Monnie! I''ve popped in a few times recently.

Just been busy with work and the kids, and well, life! No jewelry projects for me though, not for a few years now. We''re in penny-pinchin'' mode!

Good to see you, too!

 

[Little Monster]

I suppose I''m normal sized (5''5, 130 lbs, size 4-6 US) but certainly not normal

things I''ve done in the last few years to cut weight & build muscle...

-hit the gym 4-5x/week... longer runs 3x/week, weights and other cardio the other days (bike, elliptical, stair mill, etc.)

-make small changes in my diet... My boyfriend was a personal trainer before changing careers & at the beginning when I met him I tried to make drastic changes all at once (like no more sweets, no more pasta, 1500 calories/day, etc...) that didn''t work so well! I have learned I need to make small adjustments that I can stick to or else I''m cranky & frustrated with the entire concept of food in general

-whole wheat fiber/multi-grain bread instead of oatmeal/sourdough
-water or iced tea instead of diet soda or juices (I drink skim milk sometimes, though not the 2 gallons/week insanity I used to)
-egg whites instead of whole eggs
-low sugar jam or home-made no-sugar jams
-a few Hershey''s kisses or some fruit for dessert instead of cookies or ice cream... if we do ice cream in the house, we get the single serve Ben & Jerry''s cups so that once splurge time is over, it''s over... and there''s no going back for more!
-go out for dinner & order in less often... but make it a splurge night, guilt-free when we do
-take snacks with us on trips (Fiber One bar as a tide-me-over instead of something evil from Starbucks at the airport)... saves us money too
-drink a lot of cold water... it amazes me how many times this is really what I want and not food!

 

[Elegant]

Thank you so much for your help!!!

 

[ursulawrite]

I''m a little over 5''7 and weigh 120lbs. As per several others, I don''t eat wheat, cow''s milk or red meat. The bulk of my diet is fibrous vegetables, whole grains (Tinkyada''s brown rice pasta; quinoa; millet; black rice) and pulses, with a little fish, white meat and sheep milk products thrown in for good measure. I love to cook!

I''ve gained 10lb in the past year due to a running injury, and 120lbs seems to be my "natural" weight i.e. 2000-2500 calories per day of food, and five times a week of moderate effort at the gym.

 

[Black Jade]

''Normal sized'' is different for different people.
Also, I don''t know your situation but if you just had a baby, for instance, it is normal for you to weigh a bit more.
I''d discuss my weight with my doctor if I were you, and see if he thought I was overweight. If he did, I''d go to a nutritionist and discuss my eating habits.
A good program for people worried about eating more than they''d like and finding they are unable to control it on their own is Overeaters Anonymous. You can find out about it on the internet.

 

[mousey]

I am normal sized (my GP told me I had a perfect BMI last time I was there), and I am pretty relaxed about food. I used to be neurotic about weight, so I dont weigh myself anymore. When my clothes get tight I cut out the chocolate, when they are nt I eat what I want. I do have some rules for myself though. I get at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, this is the only food thing that I insist on, and I do a mental check everyday to see if I have reached the target, and I eat a good quality meusli every morn. The only don t I have is MacDonalds, BurgerKing and KFC etc. I once got food poisoning from a fastfood joint, and as I was cleaning up my own vomit (the boyf was away and I was on my own- it was really horrid) I promised myself to never darken the door of a fastfood place, and now the slightly sweet smell of them makes me gag. Personally I hate the whole low fat this n that thing. We do need some fat in our diets, don t we? iI do try and make them good fats (olive oil), but if being thin means I have to avoid full fat irish butter on fresh bread, then I d rather not be thin. I do try and go to he gym a couple of times a week. I also think cooking your food from scratch is a good way to keep a normal weight, at least then you know exactly what you are eating.

 

[Tropicmaster]

Hard to know what " normal" is these days! America is the land of the obese with 6 in 10 clinically obese, and expected to be 8 in 10 by 2015. That said, I am 6'' 3" 195lbs winter and 180lbs summer, and consider myself to be pretty normal. It is a pretty simple formula for me- I eat around 3000-3500 calories a day in any way I can get them, although I have recently cut back on processed foods. I eat lots of cheese,bread,pies and cakes,pasta,candy, etc. The rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say, is that I usually burn around 4000 calories a day between work and outdoor activities at home. I also have a pretty high metabolism. I can eat a 1 lb bag of peanut M&M''s in the evening and my wife can hardly stand to be in the same bed with me later because I am so hot from burning off the sugar. Not a bad thing for her in the winter though! lol

 

[mamong]

Elegant,
I''m 41, petite, BMI within normal range (20.7) and my weight is stable since my 20s (+2 kg during winter). I don''t take breakfast except weekends and holidays. My biggest meal is lunch, usually includes salads, (I eat a lot of) fish with, rice, pasta or vegetables, fruit and yoghurt or other dessert. Espresso 2-3 times per day. Fruits between the meals, although often I have some dark chocolate or anything chocolate. I drink water a lot and rarely drink soda (less than 10 glasses in a year). Light dinner, no dessert. No food after 8.30 pm, except occasionally.
And BTW, I''m allergic to any kind of physical exercise but I like to walk (oh well, depending on the shoes)...

 

[veryprettygood]

Elegant,
Thank you for this thread. I think it may have changed my life!! I am not joking. I know I have pounds to lose and reading this, i finally see how I need to be eating. I guess I have to admit that I eat way too much and if I want to be thinner, I need to be more disciplined. I always thought other women ate whatever they want. Reading that other women limit themselves gives me the feeling that I can too. I printed this thread to keep with me. Thanks to all!