I eat lots of stuff. My boyfriend occasionally compares me to a garbage disposal.
We'll eat dinner, then go to a movie together, share a large popcorn, which I'll usually eat almost completely myself (if you've ever had one of those movie dates where you reach over and the popcorn has mysteriously disappeared, you understand what I do). Then I'll want ice cream afterward, and I'll get the hot fudge brownie with a vanilla scoop on top. (whisper: And then we'll get home, and I'll ask him to cook me a snack.)
I do unfortunately eat a fair amount of fast food when I'm on my own, but I almost always prefer the healthier places. Chipotle. Subway. Rubio's. I probably eat two medium-sized meals twice a day. Once in the afternoon and once in the evening. I rarely have any kind of appetite in the morning.
I actually stay pretty slim most of the time, despite my bad eating habits. I can eat 3000ish calories a day and not gain weight. When my metabolism is high because I'm active, that's basically how much I eat, and I feel incredibly hungry when I eat "normal" amounts. I can pick up weight quickly, but it's usually not food that does it.
My eating habits and metabolism are really influenced by two things for me. Exercise is a big thing, but it's probably the smaller factor. I take ballet and modern classes sometimes, and I'm an avid cyclist. When I'm actively cycling, I'll probably do a minimum of 30 miles a week. Up to 100 if I tackle some of my harder routes like I did tonight (there's like a 2-3 mile uphill stretch with a gradually increasing grade). So I'm pretty active.
But exercise is not really a choice for me. There are nights where I either let my legs race on a road bike down the street or let my mind race with bad feelings at home.
Honestly, the biggest thing which influences my eating habits is mental state. I haven't been seriously depressed in a few years, but when I get that way, it's like everything I just told you flips on its head. I'll have no appetite, eat maybe 1000ish calories a day, and I'll start gaining weight. Don't ask me how that makes sense. Usually my eating habits at these times decay into me thinking, "I should probably eat something because humans need to do that now and again," eating some terrible junk food, and then not eating for the rest of the day. Luckily, I'm past that lifestyle now.
Honestly, to all the trans people dealing with weight issues, I think the best "diet" is simply two rules:
1. Find a physical activity you _enjoy_ doing enough that you do it freely and willingly, then make it as easy as possible for yourself to do it. Since I have a road bike, I do have to fix pressure every time I ride, but I can basically pick up a few things and be gone in less than 5 minutes at any time.
2. Fight to keep yourself happy and as positive as you can be, even if that's only a little.
Sometimes you have people with outright terrible eating habits which should be fixed, but I think 99% of people eat the same way: sometimes for hunger and sometimes for comfort. So I really think the two changes above will probably do more to help people with weight than any forced dietary modification, since the above things have lasting effects.
That was a little rambling, sorry. I think my blood is still pumping a little from the ride.
