There are people who eat poorly, don’t exercise, and yet remain slim throughout their lives. There are also people who, no matter how hard they try, are unable to control their weight. Scientists have no single answer as to why some people never have weight problems, while others seem to become overweight just by looking at a piece of cake. However, the consensus is that habits are only one side of the phenomenon – genetic and environmental factors are just as important.
Although ‘thin’ is not synonymous with ‘healthy’, people with these characteristics have something in common, and adopting certain behaviors from them can at least help to improve their health and well-being.
Here are five secrets that slim (and healthy) people know:
1. They eat only until they are full
By nature, slim people listen to their bodies and eat only until they feel hungry (not out of boredom, sadness, tiredness or just seeing food nearby). They also stop eating as soon as they feel full, not when there is nothing left on the plate. This trait may be innate, but it can also be learned, but first, you need to experience what true hunger is.
2. They get enough sleep
Of course, many thin people suffer from insomnia or are busy and go to bed late, but sleep is essential for good health. Too little sleep stimulates the release of the hormone cortisol, which triggers hunger, and also affects other hormones, making it harder to metabolize carbohydrates, burn fat and grow muscle. If you are not getting enough hours of sleep, take a look at your lifestyle and see what you can change. There are many ways to improve sleep quality: choosing a stable bedtime, using the bedroom only for sleeping (no eating!), and managing stress. The best way to improve your sleep and regulate your weight is through sport.
3. They move more
A study has shown that people who move more and sit less tend to weigh less than those who sit a lot, even when they are not playing sport. Putting sports training on the agenda is the best way to burn calories, but any movement burns calories – try walking more, standing instead of sitting, or even moving your limbs freely. According to one study, this extra non-athletic movement can have a calorie-reducing effect: walking more each day or just doing some work can burn an extra 500-1000 calories a day.
4. They don’t go on diets
Most inherently thin people do not go on permanent diets – they simply eat enough food and are not distracted by the extremes of emotional eating and uncontrolled bingeing. Instead of bans, choose a variety of foods in moderate portions to avoid feeling unwell, hungry or snacking out of control.
5. They don’t drink the calories
On average, Americans drink 400 calories a day. The problem with these calories is that they come from sugar and don’t satisfy hunger the way food does. It is also much easier to drink a 600-calorie iced coffee drink than to get the same amount of calories from food (for example, from eating a grilled chicken sandwich and a bowl of salad). Avoiding a glass of red wine at lunch or a morning coffee is not necessary, but it is important to make sure that the calories from these drinks become a planned part of your daily calorie intake and not an extra calorie bomb.
It is easy to be jealous of thin people, but sometimes it can be hard to tell whether it is an innate trait or the result of a lot of effort that is invisible to the eye. Instead of blaming yourself for not looking the way you want to, focus on making healthy choices every day.