Losing weight without trying?!!!

katiehepp1

Okay so this may sound strange but has anyone ever lost weight or known someone to when they haven't even tried and don't even realise they are? I have a friend who I know for sure doesn't eat a lot because he's always working - once he was so busy he only had a sausage at work and then dinner when he got home, today we went out for instance and he just had a subway a apple and a cheese burger. He isn't trying to lose weight but is because he's either too busy to eat or eats and gets full quite quickly!! Although some days he will eat loads!! How do people do this without trying when we try so hard

katiehepp1

I must also add his shift patterns he works 8-10 in the morning then 1-10 until the evening so barely even gets the chance to eat

Ready2Rock206

Well if he's not eating or eating very little then he's likely in a calorie deficit and that's all that's needed for weight loss. Doesn't matter if it is purposeful or not.

Neanbean13

Above yes

crzycatlady1

The only person I knew who lost weight without trying had stomach cancer. That was his only symptom too. It's actually one of the questions your doctor asks you at physicals because unexpected/unplanned weight loss can be a big red flag for some very bad things. Sounds like your friend just doesn't prioritize eating though and not so much a medical issue

andrea4736

I definitely don't have that problem. I can gain weight super easy without trying though

CattOfTheGarage

Sure, some people have that problem. I've known people who struggled to keep weight on. Like obesity, I think it's an appetite problem - either the appetite doesn't work correctly, or the person has cultivated the bad habit of overriding it, just as many obese people do. If it can happen one way, it can happen the other way too.

ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken

I have known people who stayed skinny as a rail no matter how much they packed it in. These were just naturally skinny people. Then I knew people who were skinny thanks to drug habits of varying kinds. If there is no logical reason behind the loss then this is a person who should be seen by a Dr. If they are truly eating less than they burn then that can easily be determined and the diet put in check. Aside from cancer as was mentioned already a hyper thyroid can cause serious weight loss but also other symptoms. Whatever the reason the weight loss should be addressed.

Chunkahlunkah

Yeah, I've experienced this a few times when my activity level went way up and I must not have increased my calories enough to compensate.

The first time was when I was a teenager. During summer vacation, I started working full-time at a very busy McDonald's. Going to moving around on my feet 8.5 hours a day, 5 days a week increased my TDEE. At the start of the summer, I weighed around my normal 115. By the end of it, I was down to around 103. I kept eating as I always had, except with the addition of a double cheeseburger value meal for lunch.

Similar scenarios since. That's also how I've gained weight a few times though! Dropping to sedentary and not reducing my calories in proportion. Dramatic TDEE shifts triggering weight loss/gain is a strong pattern for me. Now that I've fully recognized how strong the pattern is, I know I need to keep on top of that.

Chunkahlunkah

CattOfTheGarage wrote: »

Sure, some people have that problem. I've known people who struggled to keep weight on. Like obesity, I think it's an appetite problem - either the appetite doesn't work correctly, or the person has cultivated the bad habit of overriding it, just as many obese people do. If it can happen one way, it can happen the other way too.

Well said.

Tacklewasher

Well, point him out to us and see if he lives through the day

Need2Exerc1se

Most of the people I've known who lose weight without trying did so because of stress. Some people overeat when they are stressed, some under eat.

Alatariel75

I had a friend who got worryingly thin because she was working herself into the ground and barely ate. There was concern she had an eating disorder, but it truly wasn't - she was just so completely overworked and stressed and eating was not on her list of priorities.

My husband recently lost 40lbs without trying, but he was ill.

crzycatlady1

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

Most of the people I've known who lose weight without trying did so because of stress. Some people overeat when they are stressed, some under eat.

I've discovered recently, after going through a very stressful situation, that stress is an appetite suppressant for me. It was crazy-I think there was a couple of days in the midst of things where I didn't eat at all/only a few hundred calories. No appetite at all and its like I forgot about food It was a surreal experience, and though I dropped a couple pounds, I don't ever want to go through that again ugh, lol.

ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken

crzycatlady1 wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

Most of the people I've known who lose weight without trying did so because of stress. Some people overeat when they are stressed, some under eat.

I've discovered recently, after going through a very stressful situation, that stress is an appetite suppressant for me. It was crazy-I think there was a couple of days in the midst of things where I didn't eat at all/only a few hundred calories. No appetite at all and its like I forgot about food It was a surreal experience, and though I dropped a couple pounds, I don't ever want to go through that again ugh, lol.

Me too. When stressed or anxious I tend to lose my appetite.

sardelsa

About 9 years ago I had a job where I was always on the go, no time for breaks or lunch to eat (and I couldn't eat while working), I was so stressed and busy.. eventually my hunger cues gave up on me and I unintentionally lost like 10lbs (I was not overweight) and looked terrible. Obviously I didn't last very long at that job.

I usually lose weight pretty easily without trying after having a baby because of breastfeeding.

endlessfall16

My brother in law doesn't seem to focus on his weight and he has never gained weight. My sister (his wife) swears that he eats a ton but just has a high metabolism, meaning he burns through everything fast. That got me intrigued and started to pay attention. It turns out he's not interested in eating at all, far below average people's desire. In all the times we got together and eat, he's always the last to come to the table. Never bother to get food for himself. He would just eat whatever his wife or anyone puts on the plate for him and eat extremely slow. He never cooks or go around looking for foods.

Naturally he's also much weaker than I expect. We did some furniture moving together and he quit halfway to go to bed.

So, to your question "How do people do this without trying when we try so hard" the answer is control (kill) your appetite!!! On certain days I sort of "program" myself to have no/less appetite. Kinda like we all have programmed ourselves not to wake up at 1 am to eat a steak!

cmriverside

Has he asked for advice about this? I was super thin in my early twenties, I just didn't eat. I was also super thin when being treated for a serious illness. There could be a lot of reasons, but unless he's worried about it I'd say leave it alone.

middlehaitch

All my adult life my basic weight had been 105 lbs, however it had gone as low as 95 and as high as 110 (estimates as I weighed infrequently). This was just living life with no thought to weight at all, and never concerned me as I have a healthy appitite and varied diet.

I put on about 30 lbs during a lazy 5 years - that is why I started counting calories. That weight has been gone for 7+ years now and although I maintain between 100-105 all it takes is a little unnoticed extra activity and I will start to slowly lose.

I think I have good hunger signals though I prefer a neutral feeling over hungry or full and eat to that.

I don't think it is unusual for a person to drop a few lbs or add a few lbs every now and again if food isn't their main focus.

When I first started lifting I dropped 5 lbs in a month even though I thought adding an extra 200 cals a day would cover it. That really surprised me as I kept reading lifting doesn't burn many calories.

Cheers, h.

kshama2001

Sure, I've lost weight without trying several times:

1. When I was in Costa Rica surrounded by yummy fruit and other low calorie foods, and much less higher calorie foods
2. When I took phen/fen - not only was my appetite artificially suppressed but because Phentermine is amphetamine-like I was fidgety and increased my activity
2. When I was in boot camp and the food was terrible and only available three times per day, and my activity level increased

spiriteagle99

Some people just don't care about food. They don't think about it and don't care about it. I have had friends who could eat the same thing every day for a week and not care. For them it's just fuel, and anything will do. I'm not like that. I think about food a lot. I plan my meals and look forward to a varied diet.

My husband is not as food focused as I am. He will forget to eat, or not notice that he hasn't eaten. If I didn't prepare lunch and dinner for him, he would be very thin. Unfortunately, when he does eat and I'm not around, he has no concept or concern for healthy eating.

cwolfman13

katiehepp1 wrote: »

Okay so this may sound strange but has anyone ever lost weight or known someone to when they haven't even tried and don't even realise they are? I have a friend who I know for sure doesn't eat a lot because he's always working - once he was so busy he only had a sausage at work and then dinner when he got home, today we went out for instance and he just had a subway a apple and a cheese burger. He isn't trying to lose weight but is because he's either too busy to eat or eats and gets full quite quickly!! Although some days he will eat loads!! How do people do this without trying when we try so hard

I have. When I was younger I had a very hard time keeping weight on. When I was in high school my parents had to keep a close eye on my eating because left to my own devices I would just find other things to do...I was really active in sports and my parents knew I needed to eat so they basically established an eating plan for me.

When I went into the military I weighed about 135...over the course of about 2 years I put on about 20 Lbs...I was double rations in boot camp and then for awhile I established a good eating plan and gym time...eventually my old eating patterns of not eating much returned and I dumped a good 10 Lbs that I didn't have to lose because I just didn't eat all that much. My life didn't revolve around food...often, it was more of a chore than anything to sit down and eat...places to go, things to do. I basically ate 3 meals per day and sometimes only 2...little to no snacking, and I was really active. Sometimes a meal was a taco from a taco truck from the beach...sometimes it was a whole pizza...it just depended, but as a general rule I wasn't eating what I really needed to be eating to help maintain my weight.

I didn't gain weight really until I was in my mid 20s...and that was good weight as I was pretty rail thin. My real weight issue didn't establish itself until I was in my 30s and became far less active with a desk job and new family life...also, with more money, I could afford more and better food as well as good alcohol. Along the way I basically gained an appreciation for food that I never had before and kind of became a foodie.

Afura

I have a coworker that eats bagels for breakfast, then a 600+ calorie sandwich for lunch (it's Panera, I've looked), then goes out and has a few beers and has yet to expand beyond a twig. I keep telling him one day he's going to have a fat butt as karma. Then you have the people who have to be careful to eat enough to maintain or gain weight, which is both a blessing and a curse in some ways (too heavy = health problems, too skinny = health problems).
I wish I was able to ignore food at times, it's very few and far between, or when I'm deeply engrossed in something, otherwise "FEED ME SEYMOUR" is what I hear from my stomach.

everher

I've lost weight a few times in my life without trying. Never a large amount of weight, but I can easily drop 5-10 lbs with an increase in activity.

crackpotbaby

'Have you been losing weight without trying? is a screening question for malnourishment and need for people to be referred for dietitian review in most hospitals.

Losing weight without trying can also be a sign of underlying serious medical conditions.

That said, by just observing your friend in the hours you see him you really couldn't say for sure what he is or isn't trying to do.

alid8333

Could be he's not eating enough or could be something medically wrong. To be on the safe side I would suggest he go to his doctor for a full work up.

alid8333

andrea4736 wrote: »

I definitely don't have that problem. I can gain weight super easy without trying though

lol I don't have that problem either. I can simply look at a cheeseburger and gain 5 pounds lol

jelleigh

I once had a super crazy roommate that was causing me severe stress. I was so upset and stressed that I couldn't stomach food - had no appetite so I didn't even notice. For a number of weeks on end the only thing could manage to eat was a sesame seeds bagel with tomato and a slice of cheddar, every other or maybe every day. And only because I forced it. I lost like 16 lbs ! Finally moved out and continued to lose (healthy style now) down to my smallest siZe ever. That was like 8 years ago now. Unfortunately not all stressful situations cause this reaction in me. My dad had a massive stroke a year and a half after that and between practically living in the hospital and eating my feelings, I quickly put on about 20 + lbs. Then a few years later when I was getting married, my maid of honor got cancer and died close after the wedding, and then I moved countries. I out on another 50 lbs during that bout. I suppose it just depends on where your brain space is, and how you are reacting to life whether you lose , or gain by accident.

goodkoalie

This actually applied to me. I am a competitive swimmer, and in one season without counting calories, I went from 238 to 217 pounds in about 6 months. It all came back as soon after the season was completed though.