Hi shanshan,  When you are in diet recovery, eventually your appetite will become less but this will happen naturally and will be a good thing. To lose weight, of course, it’s necessary to eat less BUT your body does this for you and it is NOT something you consciously do by yourself. At the right time for you, your appetite will change, assuming your are eating high quality real food and eating on time without ignoring your hunger.

Personally I do not know my grams of fiber per day, or lean protein percentage, or count my fruits and veggies.  Have you always been calculating your meals like this, Noel?

Not always, Swan, I’m just estimating. I’ve always been interested in the nutrient value of foods, especially as to how various foods affect my energy. I prefer to eat healthy because I feel best that way. I might get hungry and ask myself what I have eaten so far, any fruits, for example, and choose an orange.  I like reading and knowing about nutrition and we like keeping real, healthy foods in our pantry. I live in Utah now and many of my neighbors are interested in preserving foods,  emergency preparedness, bread baking, healthy cooking and nutrition… it’s fun.

I have a niece who just got into running several years ago, and now that she is actually interested in winning races, rather than just finishing races, she has changed her diet to improve her performance, so I see what you mean Noel.

I however, being rather new to being naturally thin, haven’t gotten around to being that precise with counting percentages and grams thus far. At this early stage for me, it would seem somewhat like being back in “Food Jail” because I used to have sooooooo many calorie charts, fat gram charts, protein & calcium charts, that for now I’m loving the feeling without all of that!  But who knows, maybe I will be curious to do so down the road if I need to improve my energy. I am a lap swimmer (have been since I was 20, taking off a bunch of years when I was raising my kids) and I’m just loving the feeling of not being hungry while I swim.  In former years, while dieting, I would swim on an empty stomach and fantasize about food the whole time I swam, usually homemade gingersnap cookies or peanut butter.  Now I eat before I swim, usually 2 slices of whole grain toast with real butter and a glass of orange juice.  Then immediately after swimming I have a nutty granola bar—it has almonds and oatmeal in it, and a thin bottom layer that is sweet, but it’s not chocolate—this is eaten in the locker room before I even hit the shower. I do not feel hungry at all while I swim, but this granola bar sure hits the spot.  I have contemplated substituting a banana in place of the granola bar, but every time I think about it, a banana just wouldn’t taste as good as the granola bar.  Then when I’m back home I’ll have my second morning meal, usually by 9 AM!  I like to make a lot of casseroles from cookbooks and magazines. I have a box full of pages of recipes I’ve ripped out of magazines to try.  Typically I have a portion of a casserole at this time, but if I have nothing prepared in the fridge, I will opt for a double portion of oatmeal.  Sometimes the casseroles I have on hand are made with pasta, tomato sauce & diced tomatoes, cheese, and lean ground beef, while sometimes they consist of veggies & chicken and boxed stuffing mix, and others have a Mexican flair with tortillas and either beef or chicken, cheese and a sauce. Occasionally I’ll want a big salad of Romaine and red leaf lettuce, with toasted walnuts, feta cheese, a diced golden apple, and my favorite homemade dressing, but that is usually later in the day. I seem to want meat dishes earlier in the day These are all recipes I would never allow myself to eat while dieting, since they didn’t conform to my “dieting rules.”  Now I can’t get enough of ‘em!  I have 3 casseroles in my fridge right now that my husband and I will eat from for several days.  So for now, I’m just eating and enjoying, and would find it too tedious at this point to figure out grams and percentages of things like this, since when I scoop out a portion of veggie-laden casserole, I know the veggies are in there, I’m just happy to be eating them. While I am interested in nutrition and know first hand what it feels like to eat lousy, and not enough food, I find it hard to dissect foods that I eat, like casserole, where everything is jumbled up, and maybe I’m getting 4 types of veggies in this portion, and will get 6 in tomorrow’s portion.  Then, I will usually be hungry again by 1:00, if not before.  Then typically I will eat again, usually by 6 if not before, and it is my lightest meal.  Except for that little granola bar on swim days, I can now go forever without having desserts, even chocolate.

Every year my YMCA has a maintenance shut-down, where I can’t swim. So back in August I went 14 days without swimming, and tried to take notice if my appetite would stay the same, or diminish.  It actually seemed like I kept eating like I normally would while swimming for the first 10 or 11 days, then I noticed a drop in my appetite for the last couple days.  This proved to me that my body is in control inspiring me to eat more calories when exercising, and not requiring as many if I stopped. 

I just wanted to share with everyone, since we all like to eat different things, participate in different levels of activities, and are all different ages and at different stages in NT, yet we can all be naturally thin!

Yum.  Yum, yum, yum, YUM!  Will you move in with me and be my chef??  Swan, may I have the brand name of that granola bar you like?  I really need something to nosh on while working out.  I’ve been eating a graham cracker or two right after lifting (or sometimes during) because it’s really high on the glycemic index and gives me a quick boost, but I’d like something with more redeeming nutritional value.

Annual, my favorite brand of granola bars is Cascadian Farm, but they are just too expensive that I can’t always justify a box of 5 little bars for a million dollars. (okay, not quite that much)

The kind I currently have been buying and described in my last post is Sweet & Salty Nut granola bars with almonds by Millville, but I believe this brand may only be sold at Aldi stores, if you have any near you.  They also make them with peanuts, but I prefer almonds. They may not rate an A+ in nutrition, but they sure make me happy after a swim!!!  I mean, a banana would just make me frown.  Anyway, they are much less expensive, plus you get 6 bars.

Oh, Annual, I drink a lot of water while I swim too, because I do get thirsty even though I’m in water!, sometimes a whole 16 oz.  Make sure you are drinking when you need to, while working out.

“A banana would just make me frown.”  Ha!!  You make me laugh!!  I do drink lots of water when working out.  Thanks for the reminder.

Hi there Swan, I think you are doing awesome and, by the way, in the first many years of eating the NT way, I would’ve felt like looking closely at the nutrient value of my foods was just all too much like a diet and I might have rebelled or felt “scared.” Now that I completely trust myself not to restrict, I am curious and enjoy knowing about my foods. Unlike you, I don’t really enjoy casserole-type foods. My husband is retired and he is into cooking like that so we have a little more variety.

Today we were out looking for a new car. I had a good breakfast and two snacks with me but midway through the process, I said we had to go out immediately for a good lunch before we do anymore! I can’t keep my wits about me when I’m hungry. The very fact that I do get hungry regularly tells me that my metabolism is humming along just fine. I consider my hunger to be a very good thing.

Thanks to everyone who posted on this thread.  I am catching up on all that has been posted on this website this month.  Back in January, I became discouraged after coming here and rarely finding anything posted.  So I stopped even checking in for a while.  There has been a revival.  And am I ever grateful.

Many blessings!
Ela

It’s like a lull in the conversation at a cocktail party.  Once someone hits a hot topic, the conversation is off and running again!

Dear Kelcy,

I was reading older posts today for inspiration and read that you have been gaining/plateaued for SEVEN years on NT?!  How frustrating for you dear girl!  I was really inspired that you keep the faith and when you said that despite it all, “I want to succeed at NT more then anything else in my life”.

We all want you to succeed! I hope I’m not out of line to make a suggestion?  It sounds like you have a hidden food allergy.  Specifically, dairy.  When your body doesn’t break it down properly it suppresses thyroid.  Wheat is another biggie - although not as linked to thyroid function.  I think its quite likely the reason some people stay stuck, despite following NT religiously.  I know its poor form to add our own spin to the NT program and I hope its not offensive to post this.  But a simple 1-2 week elimination could be the turning point for you, so I just had to mention it.  And OF COURSE it doesn’t mean restricting, going hungry or going against any of the NT principles!  Many of us on the forum are well-fed without ever eating wheat/dairy products.  You may take or leave this advice… I really hope you are successful either way!

Jenny

Good point, Jenny. It is consistent with naturally thin principles to notice how our bodies react to foods. We are all different people and it is great how much we can learn from each other. My body doesn’t like very much milk and I do have thyroid issues, perhaps a connection, I don’t know. By observation, I have learned over the years what makes me feel good. I probably eat completely different from how Swan eats, for example, but both of us experience freedom and comfort with food and are naturally thin and healthy. That’s where it’s at for me.

At this point in my life, I’ve learned to trust myself and know that my way is the right way for me.

Thank you Noel!  Glad I didn’t alienate everyone with that post!

In other news, I was invited to Vegas for a girl’s weekend.  I’m excited to go…but also so grateful I don’t have to obsess over how much to starve beforehand, how much can I lose beforehand, how will I manage not to binge once there, how much will I gain, etc.  Its the first time I’ve ever felt so FREE about travel.  Once I fasted before Vegas and actually gained 20 pounds (not a misprint) in 4 days of buffets!  NT is such a miracle.

I second that Jenny!  I love to travel, but I have always restricted a lot before going and ended up coming home even heavier than when I left by at least 5-8 lbs, if not more!  I was in MN for a long weekend a month ago and the enjoyment I had was so amazing!  Normally I am using super human will-power not to binge all vacation long because I was so hungry from starving myself the weeks prior to leaving!

I am headed to Honduras for 12 days the end of June…although I am not “swim suit ready” I am also not stressing over trying to be a certain size when I go.  What freedom it will be to not spend my vacation curbing or giving into a binge!