Be Naturally Thin

While it's important to understand that not everyone can look like a runway model, you can maintain a small figure for your body type by making a couple of basic lifestyle changes. You'll need to pair a healthy diet designed for burning fat with lots of general activity (no gym required!).

Steps

Eating Smart

  1. Focus on lean proteins. A recent study from the NIH in the UK found that on average, people who eat a low carb diet as opposed to a low fat, carb-focused diet lose more weight, maintain their weight better, and have greater loss of unhealthy cholesterol.[1] If you want to lose weight without putting in much effort, switching to a low-carb diet (less than 40g of carbs a day) is probably your best bet.
    • Good sources of lean protein include chicken without the skin, turkey, salmon, anchovies, sardines, tofu, edamame[2], soy nuts, almonds, walnuts, and peanuts.
    • Try meals like turkey-sausage and eggs, spinach salad with yogurt dressing, or pan-seared chicken with a side of broccoli.
    • Low carb diets work by switching your body over to using fat as an energy source instead of carbs. This means that you can eat loads of fatty meat if you want to but the less fat you take in, the more of your existing fat will get burned. Choosing lean proteins will give you the greatest weight loss effect but you can balance with red meat and fatty protein once you reach a weight you're comfortable with.
    • About 50% of your diet should come from one of these protein sources.
  2. Eat lots of vegetables. Vegetables should make up about 30% of your remaining diet. These can be tricky though, since some contain a lot of carbs themselves. Focus on really nutrient-rich vegetables with as few carbs as possible.
    • Good options include spinach, broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, and swiss chard.
  3. Be smart on grains, fruits, and dairy. These foods can all be eaten with a healthy, low carb diet. However, you'll want to choose which ones you eat carefully and not eat them in too great a number. Your diet should remain focused on meat, nuts, and vegetables.
    • Dairy is a common staple of a low carb diet. However, dairy products are relatively light on nutrients so don't consume a lot of these. Make the dairy products that you do eat relatively low in fats, by choosing low-fat options. Cottage cheese is a good example.
    • You can still eat grains on a low carb diet but you'll have to eat only small portions. Choose nutrient-dense grains with a high protein count in order to make these fit with your diet. Good grain options include quinoa and oatmeal.
    • Fruits contain lots of sugar and carbs, so try to similarly choose very nutrient rich options. A kiwi is a good option, since just one fruit contains more than an entire day's worth of vitamin C and only 13-16 g of carbs.[3]
  4. Avoid sugars and too many unhealthy fats. Avoiding eating any foods with a lot of sugar or unhealthy fats. Unhealthy fats include saturated and trans fats and can usually be identified because they are usually solid at room temperature. You should, however, eat lots of healthy fats.
    • You'll find sugar in soda, juice, candy, and fruit.
    • Unhealthy fats are usually found in red meats, processed meats, butter, and cheese.
    • Sources of healthy fats include salmon, anchovies, sardines, and eggs.
  5. Practice portion control. Even on a low carb diet, you want to avoid overeating. This means that you need to control the size of the meals that you eat. Try to learn how to recognize when your body is full.
    • Try eating from a small side plate instead of a standard dinner plate. Wait 15 minutes after you finish the plate before taking seconds. Sometimes your brain doesn't get the stomach's signals right away.
    • Remember that sometimes when you feel hungry you're really just thirsty or bored. Try dealing with those feelings first before resorting to food.

Getting Active

  1. Try to avoid sitting for long periods. Sitting around uses very little of the energy that your body takes in. Just standing alone burns more energy than sitting does. If you can get up and move in more ways than just standing, you'll be even better off.
    • Switch to using a standing desk if you can. You can also walk around while you study or record audio instead of sitting down at your desk to type.
    • Long periods of sitting have also been found to be linked to many negative health conditions.[4]
  2. Walk as much as you can. Walking may not be as effective as running but it will help you to burn some calories and help maintain your weight. Even if you don't have the time to take a walk on purpose, at least try to sneak in reasons to walk a little bit more in your day. For example, you can:
    • Park further away when you drive somewhere.
    • Take the bus instead of driving to get somewhere.
    • Always take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
    • Take a walking lunch or meeting, making a few laps around your building while you eat or talk.
  3. Take up an active hobby to adopt a slimming lifestyle change. Having something to do for fun that also gets you burning calories can go a long way towards keeping you thin without any extra "work". Try finding a new hobby that you can either do on your own or maybe as part of a club.
    • You can find many activities through your local college clubs (even for non-students), as well as community centers and community colleges. Scholarships will often be available for those with a low income.
    • Try hobbies like rock climbing, adventure photography, or dance. Even theater can mean lots of physical activity.
  4. Fill your waiting time with activity to burn calories without even trying. When you're waiting for something, try to sneak in just a little bit of physical activity. Even a few minutes, while perhaps not enough to get the full health effects, can at least help you burn more calories than if you'd just sat around refreshing Tumblr.
    • Do squats while you wait for your dinner to cook.
    • Do planks or jumping jacks while you wait for the commercials to finish during your favorite show.
  5. Exercise as much as possible to stay naturally thin. If you can make time for it, exercising is definitely one of the most effective ways to keep yourself thin. Just 30 minutes a day of intense physical activity is all that's recommended for adults, [5] and even that can be split into two fifteen minute sections and still give the same benefits.
    • Make what exercise you do do count by doing efficient, full body exercises. Once good example of a full body exercise is the burpee. This exercise looks complicated but is actually easy to do and requires no extra equipment.

Using Clothing Hacks

  1. Invest in some good shapewear. Shapewear is a type of clothing which goes under your street clothes. It is made using a lot of carefully shaped, strong elastic which helps mold your body into one streamlined shape. While cheap versions will have a marginal effect, a really good pair are worth investing in because the difference will be noticeable.
    • The most common brand name of shapewear is Spanx. Generally you can purchase shapewear in any large department store.
    • When you have a streamlined shape, even if it doesn't remove many inches from your waist it will still make you look thinner. This is because people generally perceive rolls as indicating that a person is "fat". The lack of them will do just the opposite.
  2. Wear underwear and clothes that fit. Much like you want to smooth rolls with shapewear, you also want to make sure that you aren't creating any rolls (whether you're wearing shapewear or not). The best way to do this is by wearing clothes that fit. They should be neither to big nor too small, instead fitting your body as well as possible. You should have room for movement but most items should not be so loose that they drape.
  3. Wear colors and patterns strategically. Using colors and patterns can help you to create the illusion of a more slender shape, even if you don't have one.
    • Black classically makes you look thinner, by keeping the eye from seeing shadows which help us perceive depth.
    • You can also use bright colors contrasted with neutral colors to draw attention to a different part of your body, like your calves or feet.
    • Vertical stripes will also make you look taller and thinner, wile horizontal stripes should generally be avoided for making you look shorter and wider.
  4. Choose smart clothing cuts.You can also use how a piece of clothing is cut, what it's shape is, to help make you look thinner. Play around with how different outfits make you look to find the right lines and shapes for your body. Everyone will look different in different clothing combinations.
    • Use a cinched waist and full skirt, for example, make your waist look super small.
  5. Distract with accessories. You can also use accessories to direct the eye and make yourself look thinner. Use bold hats or shoes to draw the eye to naturally small parts of your body. Also, much like with horizontal stripes, you can use long thin pieces (like scarves and necklaces) to make you look taller and thinner.



Tips

  • It's important to understand that not everyone can be thin in the traditional sense. Your body will have a weight that's right and healthy for you and that might be bigger than what you want it to be. It's important to not try to get too thin and to not get discouraged when you can't be the weight you want to be at.

Warnings

  • You need to eat every day. Never starve yourself.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1900694
  2. ↑ http://www.atkins.com/Science/Articles---Library/Protein/The-Good-News-about-Soy.aspx
  3. ↑ http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1934/2
  4. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005
  5. ↑ http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/adults.html

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