According to a report, the average American woman wishes they weighed 16 lbs lighter. And while losing 16 pounds typically won’t make everyone skinny, it’s important to understand that you shouldn’t actually aim for that goal anyway.
Medically speaking, you should aim for your healthy weight according to your body type. And mentally speaking, you should love yourself and not define your value by your weight.
So whether you just want to lose a few pounds if you’re slightly over your healthy weight, or you’re at the beginning of your weight loss journey, here’s “the skinny” on how skinny girls get slim and stay slim.
These habits that keep them in shape aren’t complicated, and they’re something you can start adopting this week.
1. They Eat What They Want
This is probably one of the best healthy habits you can adopt.
Effortlessly slim women don’t see certain foods as “bad” or “off-limits”. And creating an off-limits list increases the likelihood that you’ll want it even more. So you shouldn’t ban your favorite foods entirely, just enjoy them in moderation.
2. They Cook at Home
According to a 2016 study from the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eating at home is a great way to shave off nearly 200 calories per day. But you eat more when you eat out, so make sure to set up a weekly meal plan so you can keep a balanced lifestyle, stay healthy, and lose weight.
3. Eating an Early Dinner
Eating right before bedtime is an unhealthy habit that many people fall into. Studies aren’t conclusive about eating later = more weight gain. What’s really more likely is that, eating more = more weight gain. According to studies, we tend to eat more later on in the evening, and it could be because we’re hungrier since we waited longer to eat.
So if you want to be one of those women who stay in shape, then make sure you have your dinners earlier in the evening.
4. They Weigh Themselves Weekly Instead of Daily
If you want to stick to your new healthy lifestyle, then this is an important habit to remember.
While checking in with the scale daily might be tempting, it’s better to do it weekly since your weight fluctuates daily. If you see yourself starting to gain weight over the course of weeks, adjust your diet and exercise appropriately.
5. Passing on the Supersize
Prioritize your health over getting a bargain. Just say no to those family-sized potato chips or large, wallet-friendly meals when eating out (you shouldn’t be eating out too much anyway! See tip 2).
6. They Eat Until They’re No Longer Hungry
Learning to recognize when you’re no longer hungry is an important habit to develop. And while this can be especially hard for people who eat fast, have a sweet tooth, or who love to snack, it really is important be mindful.
So eat slow, pay attention to your body, and make a conscious choice to stop when you actually feel like you’re full. It really is a great way to practice self-care.
7. Eating Breakfast
As studies suggest, breakfast eaters tend to have healthier habits than those who skip breakfast. Also, skipping breakfast can lead to overeating, so try to make sure you’re eating high-protein breakfasts that’ll help you stay full longer.
8. They Exercise Frequently
Frequent workouts help slim people stay slim. Around 150 minutes of aerobic exercise in a week is generally recommended for weight loss.
But if that doesn’t sound so great to you, find ways you can be consistently active like taking a walk with a friend in the evening, or bicycling around the neighborhood throughout the week.
9. They Snack on Fewer Calories
If you need to snack, then be intentional about it. Slim people are thoughtful about the snacks they consume so that they can keep their calorie intake down.
So whether you’re eating something low-calorie, or you’re having a smaller portion of a healthy, but high-calorie snack, just keep track!
10. Chewing More
I’m pretty sure you remember your parents telling you to chew your food and they were right! People who chew their food more have better control over their portions because eating slower may help you feel full faster.
11. They Have a Regular Bedtime
Poor sleep has consistently been linked with weight gain and stress, and stress can lower your metabolism. So having a regular bedtime helps promote better sleep that, in turn, helps you to maintain a healthier weight.
Side Note: If you want to get to sleep a bit sooner, then here are 6 ways to romanticize your night routine for better sleep.
12. They Don’t Guilt Trip Themselves
Women who keep their slim figures know that if they overdo it with the calories, or a day of unhealthy eating, mentally beating themselves up literally does nothing. So instead, they’ll think about where they went wrong and make sure they change up their eating habits. They know they’re human and they have grace for themselves.
13. Working Out in the Morning
Once you get to the end of your day, it can be pretty hard to find the motivation you need to work out. And fit girls get this!
So by doing it first thing in the day, you can check it off your list as a completed task. You might also find that it helps boost your energy levels for the rest of the day too!
14. Goals
And lastly, they have goals.
This could either be a weigh loss goal or a lifestyle goal (or a bit of both).
So for instance, they might have the weight loss goal of wanting to hit 125 pounds and maintain it. Or they might have a long-term healthy lifestyle goal of wanting to be able to still move about as freely as 20-year-old when they’re in their 80s.
It’s up to you, but just make sure you’re basing it off of what’s actually important to you, not what you think your goal should be.
Grace Moser is the author and founder of Chasing Foxes, where she writes articles to help women create a life they love in big and small ways. She's been a full-time traveler since 2016 and loves sharing her experiences and exploring the world with her husband, Silas. Her lifestyle and travel advice can also be seen on sites such as Business Insider, Glamour, Newsweek, Huffpost, & Apartment Therapy.
These tips realy helped thx
Thanks for the information it really helped
Thank you for your tips, I know you are just trying to help. The key is not to starve, because starving can take you to the point of anxiety and you would ended eating more.
That totally makes sense. 🙂
I already do half of these tips! I have cut down on eating meat that’s for sure. I look back on last years food diary. Holy cow, sometimes weeks I ate McDonalds 2 times a day. That’s crazy to think. Looking back makes me realize how bad I was back then. Now I’m really paying attention to what I put in my body.
Thanks for posting useful information.
Honestly after going back and forth with yo yo dieting, from Keto to Vegan high carb low fat I have come to the conclusion that everything is good to eat just in moderation. And its best to try to train your body to eat less food and exercise more. Even if it means to go on a walk.
Thank you for the great tips. I had practiced these behaviors in my youth. After an injury and life style changes, now that I’m older I can not seem to keep the weight off; I’d forget about the early dinner rule. This should help me get back on track to improve my health.
We’re glad to be helpful, Brenda. 🙂
Some of these are definitely good. However, the 100 calorie snack bags are a good way to stay hungry. Cut yourself up some fruit or veggies if you’re trying to stay low calorie but fill your tummy up. And/Or consider a protein shake or a high protein yogurt like Skyr. They’re still 150 calories and have 10-25 grams of protein. These will be much more satiating and getting in more protein is better for keeping lean muscle mass while burning fat. I’d also recommend throwing out the scale. Take progress pictures if you’re trying to really change your body. Pictures will tell a fuller story than that number will. And even more importantly, be more mindful about the way you feel while you’re working on new habits. Lots of love <3
I am going to try these tips be careful what I eat I like fish and chicken best but sometimes crave beef so I do have some and nuts and berries or citrus do help my snack feelings that I get for my sweet tooth Thank you for your tips
You’re welcome! 🙂
Excellent post and wonderful blog, this sort of interesting posts I really like, keep it up…
Thank you for sharing that detail. It was fascinating and insightful. Continue to share useful resources over these blogs…
these are really good tips i have done them on my own for weight loss and the work , i drive trucks so i like to munch a lot , so eating nuts and berries are good , peanut butter no salt pretzels are good & apples or grapes works out fine. doing some fast pace walking helps and i weigh myself once a week keeps me motivated! great tips that helped me loose 30 lbs
Great tips, thanks! 🙂
This is a horrible title, some “girls who are always SK many” literally starve themselves you didn’t mention that? Also, bodies differ based on genetics and underlying health I’ve seen different people with the same eating habits but different weights. Also, what is “skinny” anyways. This title is damaging and ignorant.
I understand that some girls may starve themselves, but I’m of course not talking about them. I’m just talking about the girls who stay skinny in a healthy way.
Yes, there are also genetics, but you also must realize that out of the billions of people, there are plenty of girls who are keeping slim and doing it in a healthy way. I know plenty of them. And this is just for girls who want to do this. I’m not shaming anyone into being skinny, but sharing some tips of what I’ve learned for those who want to practice these habits.
As for what is “skinny,” well if you’re being skinny in a healthy way, then it would just mean being your height’s healthy weight. Everyone’s healthy average weight depends on their height. I hope this all makes sense! 🙂
Chill, girl. It’s really not a big deal. It’s not ignorant and if you feel damaged it’s definitely not coming from this. The majority of skinny girls who have healthy mental and physical habits may do this. Either way tho, there’s no reason to get that worked up over it.
I disagree, I think the term skinny the writer is referring to is what your healthy weight should be by your height and genetics. Your doctor could tell you what your skinny is. I don’t believe it was arrogant or ignorant, it seemed quite informed to me. Try not to take things so personally. She wasn’t shaming any figure, if you read the while article she explains well what she means. Nine of this will help excessively much without a decent amount of exercise. If only we just had the motivation to do that, and to properly portion control. Unfortunately for me, I much larger portions than recommended.. 2 slices of bread is a serving.. Maybe for a small child! XD but I experimented and only ate “serving size” on everything and cut out coke for a few weeks while exercising and I lost five pounds so.. Also.. Starving people aren’t skinny-they’re starving. Their body sufferers from lack of nutrients and vitamins.. So, they aren’t healthy skinny- which is what is stated as the topic in the first paragraph or so- healthy skinny.
Don’t be offended if you’re struggling with weight loss/gain. I’m about 30 lbs overweight myself, but I honestly felt more energetic and healthier when I was about 20 lbs lighter (my ideal weight is 45 lbs lighter, but too me, I looked like I was starving) as someone who was underweight my whole life, I’ll take the heavier me any day! 🙂 do you and don’t let things like this get to you hun. You’re beautiful either way,as the writer said. It isn’t about being skinny- it’s about being comfortable and happy with yourself. 🙂 best wishes.
You have shown all habits of girls. May be all are true. Good blog.