Let's start with the food topic. Food is what allows us to move and have energy for our daily activities, and because of our genetic structure of self-preservation, the human body claims for food and releases pleasure in the act of eating. Social gatherings and most of the fun activities, including the romantic ones, include eating food. Thinking about that, do you think it is correct to deprive yourself from this pleasure? I don't think so.
You know what is the worst think for a fat person (I used to obese, so I know what I'm talking about)? Is to see those people who can eat anything and any food they want and never get any fatter. I felt especially angry with my friends who could eat pizza every single day and don't get a single pound on their bellies. Well… I confess that sometimes I still do.
I found tricks to eat as much food as I want and keep thin. Some of them need some getting used to, but I know they work, because I'm thin for four years now, and I never got hungry again. If you want to know about my journey to get thin, I wrote it in this article: “Losing 100 Pounds and Developing Kidney Stones”. But stay thin is a completely different thing and I'd like to share how I do it.
Eat More Counting Calories
There are hundreds of calorie diagrams in the Internet that shows the calories of any food you can imagine. To keep thin, you must know the answer for each one of those food pieces. If you ask me any regular food, I would tell you how many calories it has before I could blink my eyes.
So… memorize that and get a food scale (some food needs to be weighted so you know how much calories they have). An average person won't get any fatter eating until 2000 calories a day. Of course, some of that asks a little trying and error; myself, I work better with an 1800 calories day. You; maybe you can eat 2300 or 1500. Takes time to establish how much food your body can metabolize. Blame mostly genetics for that.
Eat as Many Verdures and Legumes as You Can
image source
That also needs some getting used to, but believe me, you will. You will learn to appreciate the fulfillment of your stomach, even if it is with legumes and verdures. It will be hard in the first couple months, but you must eat as much verdures and legumes you can in the meals. They aren't only healthy food; they are calories free food. Me… I used to hate them, and when I use the word “hate”, I really mean it. I felt nausea sometimes. But, back then, I used a small trick. If you cut a little piece of any meat (really little), chew it a few times and insert a large amount of salad without swallowing the meat, you won't feel the horrible verdure taste. Nowadays, I eat almost two pounds of legume and verdure in the lunch. I'm not kidding: two pounds, and as I said, I love the feeling of the full stomach. It makes me feel nice. A nutritionist told me once that lettuce is calm inducing, and maybe that's the thing.
The point is: Eat verdures and legumes to the point where you can't eat anything else. Two hours later, you will feel hungry again, but a cracker will be enough. Your body will be metabolizing the lunch food yet.
Diet Soda
People say that diet soda tastes nasty and I think it's bullshit. What I realized is that people don't really enjoy the soda, but the sugar. If you make an effort to drink only diet soda for two months, I guarantee you that you will like it more than the regular soda. Is like bitter tastes; it needs some “getting used to”. But really… sugar is addictive, and what I believe that people like so much about regular sodas is the sugar. If you keep drinking diet soda during time enough for the abstinence syndrome to go away, you will start liking diet soda.
Diet soda will help a lot when the need for food attacks you without any decent reason, like half an hour after lunch. Take a diet soda, and you will feel better. I'm not sure why, but maybe is the gas that gives a relaxing sensation and makes you forget food for a while. That will certainly help you keeping thin.
image source
Drinking
Drinking is certainly a problem. I don't drink, so I didn't have problems with that, but alcoholic drinks have more calories than a person who wants to keep thin can afford. Beer, Wine, Whisky, any of them can ruin a whole day of dieting. I mean it. If you want to keep thin, you must reduce your drinking.
Eat Every Couple Hours
Not much. Just a little cracker to keep your metabolism working and digesting the food you ate. Carbs get the best result, but as I said, just a very tiny portion.
Water
Drink two liters a day. It will keep your stomach full and won't allow your body to retain liquid, what can make you look fat.
Diets
Every now and then, try one of the popular diets that people are talking about, just for a couple days. You may lose a few pounds, break the monotony, and you will learn to value the real food after the diet.
Well… those are the best tips I can give for someone to keep thin. I share it from my personal experience. Some of those tips need some getting used to, but it is not as hard as it seems. Keep thin and keep healthy.
