Part of my real-world research as I lost over 90 lbs involved following naturally thin people around.  Asking questions.  Posing challenges.  Discerning habits.  My merciless stalking, if you will, produced a wealth of information I had never learned in my food addicted upbringing.

Naturally thin people are not thin because they are smarter, stronger or have more willpower than other people.  They are thin because they have developed habits that serve THIN, instead of making FAT.  Here are the top six:

1.   Never Eat Unless Hungry – Naturally thin people know hunger cues, and see them as signals for action.  Without the green light, they don’t eat.

2.  Stop Before Full – Naturally thin people never feel stuffed or uncomfortable.  They feel a satiation cue which stops them right before they are completely full.  Their connection to their bodies is strong, and they honor the feedback they get from their physical body.

3.  Waste Food, Not Waist It – People who never struggle with their weight don’t worry about throwing food out when they are full, whether that means a to-go box, or the trash can.  They know that refusing to “waste food” means “waisting” it, which is just like carrying your garbage around on your body for everyone to see.

4.  Pay for Satisfaction, Not Quantity – In restaurants, naturally thin folks pay for the culinary experience, to enjoy food, and to feel satisfied at the end of a meal.  Quantity is not the point and large servings leave them unmoved.

5.  My Food Doesn’t Have to Look Like Your Food – Naturally thin people eat what they want, based on their own INTERNAL criteria (usually hunger, taste and enjoyment, in that order) and don’t compare their plate to the plates of a spouse, partner, family member or friends.  They may want mashed potatoes and gravy and a green salad at one meal and a little yogurt with nuts at the next… but they don’t measure or judge their food choices from an OUTSIDE angle.  They are similarly unmoved by “ideal” food choices, current trends and fads, and suggestions by media, “experts” and even Mom.

6.  Setting Boundaries is Natural, Easy –  The healthy mind sets boundaries wherever and whenever needed.  Naturally thin people stop food pushers, naysayers, and negative thoughts in their tracks.  They know which activities, foods and people support their health, and which don’t.

What can we learn from naturally thin people?  All these habits are easily adopted.  They are basic behaviors that don’t involve pain, extreme deprivation, or medical or chemical intervention.

These are lifestyle changes that, once adopted and repeated over time, make a sustainable difference in food intake and ability to reach a healthy weight.

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