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Naturally thin
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No, I think the OP thinks calories are processed differently by the individuals.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
If they AREN'T gaining weight, then they aren't overeating regardless of their size, shape, etc. Lots of people can eat lots and not gain weight because they just have more efficient metabolisms than others of the same stature.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »"Naturally thin" people have common traits. They just don't eat more than they need to.
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Well, obviously they don't eat more than need to. I don't think anyone is questioning that. The question was, do some people eat more than should need to and not gain weight. Do they eat more than would make the majority of other people of the same size, shape, sex, everything gain weight.
The answer is yes. Absolutely yes. But not commonly yes.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
And that was the OP's question.
That would be a no. In general, if there's no health issue involved, people eat, digest, and then absorb macros and nutrients all the same way.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Yes, my question was if calories could be processed differently. But what I am reading is that it could be because they have a more efficient metabolisms? So does that mean they are using the calories differently?0 -
There was a very interesting thread on reddit about this once. I saw a story there that stuck with me, but of course I can't find it now. Here's a paraphrase.
The poster was a woman who was heavier than her boyfriend, who was a "naturally thin" person. One day she discovered a package of candy bars in his cupboard. After several subsequent visits over many weeks, she noticed that the candy bars were untouched. Perhaps one had been removed from the packaging.
Unable to understand what was going on, she finally asked him about it. "Don't you like those candy bars?", she asked. They've been sitting there for weeks. "They're my absolute favorite," said the boyfriend.
The poster had an epiphany. The boyfriend didn't feel compelled to eat all of the candy bars, as she would have been. He liked the candy, and ate it on occasion, but didn't desire to eat all of them up right away. The poster felt that, if she had a package of her favorite candy bars in her house, that they would be gone in a very short time. She realized that he was "naturally thin" in part not because he never ate candy, but because he didn't feel compelled to eat it all the time.
Yup. That's my wife. No chocolate is safe with her, and oaths that she'll eat it a little at a time mean nothing. A pint of ice cream? Gone in a half hour, with no awareness at all that it consisted of 4 servings. The idea that is should be possible to treat oneself in moderation is understood by her on an intellectual level, but it doesn't penetrate to actual behavior.
Ya, my brother has no concept of serving sizes. But there isn't a lot of calorie dense food in his and mom's house, and she hides the chocolate and doles it out. Either he doesn't have much of a sweet tooth or the fruit available satisfies it. And he's active, so with the food available at mom's has maintained a healthy weight for years without much conscious effort on his part.0 -
No, I think the OP thinks calories are processed differently by the individuals.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
If they AREN'T gaining weight, then they aren't overeating regardless of their size, shape, etc. Lots of people can eat lots and not gain weight because they just have more efficient metabolisms than others of the same stature.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »"Naturally thin" people have common traits. They just don't eat more than they need to.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Well, obviously they don't eat more than need to. I don't think anyone is questioning that. The question was, do some people eat more than should need to and not gain weight. Do they eat more than would make the majority of other people of the same size, shape, sex, everything gain weight.
The answer is yes. Absolutely yes. But not commonly yes.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
And that was the OP's question.
That would be a no. In general, if there's no health issue involved, people eat, digest, and then absorb macros and nutrients all the same way.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Yes, my question was if calories could be processed differently. But what I am reading is that it could be because they have a more efficient metabolisms? So does that mean they are using the calories differently?
Most people are pointing out that "naturally thin" people are more active and not tempted to finish off the bag if favorite junk food as fast. Or overeat on non special occasions.0 -
No, I think the OP thinks calories are processed differently by the individuals.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
If they AREN'T gaining weight, then they aren't overeating regardless of their size, shape, etc. Lots of people can eat lots and not gain weight because they just have more efficient metabolisms than others of the same stature.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »"Naturally thin" people have common traits. They just don't eat more than they need to.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Well, obviously they don't eat more than need to. I don't think anyone is questioning that. The question was, do some people eat more than should need to and not gain weight. Do they eat more than would make the majority of other people of the same size, shape, sex, everything gain weight.
The answer is yes. Absolutely yes. But not commonly yes.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
And that was the OP's question.
That would be a no. In general, if there's no health issue involved, people eat, digest, and then absorb macros and nutrients all the same way.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Yes, my question was if calories could be processed differently. But what I am reading is that it could be because they have a more efficient metabolisms? So does that mean they are using the calories differently?
If they took more calories to do the same functions it wouldn't it mean they had a less efficient metabolism?
But again, if there is a significant difference it's probably due to a medical condition. There are all sorts of GI and auto-immune disorders that can cause calories to not be absorbed properly.0 -
Another "naturally thin" person who "eats all the time" chiming in here. I've never been overweight in my life. I had a BMI of 24.9 right before I delivered my daughter. More normally, it's less than 20.
My whole life I'd had nosy people tell me, "You can't eat that way forever," and "your metabolism is going to slow down eventually," and "wait until you have kids," and probably most accurately, "you have no idea what you're eating."
Since they were right about that last one, I started tracking my food, and have been for about 7 years now, including when I started lifting weights and all through my pregnancy/nursing experience. I got better at it when I started to use a food scale and build recipes in the app. I kept with the tracking mostly because I really like data and numbers. My excel file kept getting larger as I tracked more things: macros, micros, weight, measurements, BF%, bloodwork, steps, lift 1RMs, sleep, milk output, experimentally determined TDEE changes, and campouts (an important health metric).
After years of keeping track of all of this health info, do you know what I've learned? I eat a reasonable amount of food for my size and activity level.8 -
I think one factor a lot of people don't consider is that the endocrine function of someone who has never been overweight/obese is radically different than someone who is currently or formerly overweight/obese. Your body will try its best to keep you from killing yourself with food, and even if you end up losing weight later, many these changes persist. Partly because you never lose white adipose tissue, and it remains metabolically active even if you lose weight. Partly because homeostatic set-points get disrupted in a long-term manner. In extreme cases, this can result in a difference in BMR of ~30% or more between a normal person, and a formerly obese person. One of my formerly obese friends maintains weight at 1400 calories/day working out 6 days/week. A lot of people here would look at him and say "oh he must have bad genetics," but the reality is he has hundreds of pounds of deflated fat still hanging around his body, insulin and leptin issues, and while he is extremely healthy compared to pre-weight loss (the doctor told him he had maybe 2-3 years to live if he didn't lose weight), he will probably never be as healthy as he would have been if he had never been obese in the first place. It sucks, but that's the way the body works.0
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I was very naturally thin, even too thin until I hit 28 and put on 35 lbs. Honestly, the only thing that changed is I am taking a medication that causes weight gain. However, my friend who was never naturally thin, although was a healthy weight, takes the same medication. She put on 150lbs. The major difference isn't our start weight however. The major difference in weight gain I attribute to the fact that I cook, she doesn't.
Strangely enough, even though my BMI says I am overweight, I doubt most people would say I am overweight looking, which I attribute to my body type. Most of my fat goes to my behind, whereas if someone put on all their weight in the middle, especially as a woman, they would look bigger and take bigger sizes.
When I was skinny, any fat I did have was still in my butt, which just made me a thin woman with a round bottom. But if that weight had been on my stomach, I wouldn't have looked quite so thin.
So there are a lot of factors to being skinny. Genetics, hormones, medication, activity level, and what you learn to eat as a child and your habits as an adult, such as whether you cook homemade meals or eat out constantly. Even where you naturally store fat can affect others perceptions of whether you are naturally thin or not. Combine that with a person who has a small bone frame such as myself and you get a naturally thin person.
I mean, I'm 30lbs overweight, and I still don't look fat. But my butt and my boobs can only absorb so much of it before it goes to my middle, so I should probably keep using MFP
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AudreyJDuke wrote: »Love that story above. That is the behavior of a naturally thin person. It is not luck, it is a lifestyle.
I was naturally thin all my life, and that candy would have been GONE in a minute when I was younger. Gone and back to the store for more.
Now I'm older and need to lose a few pounds, which I attribute to medication mostly and I have had to learn to just not buy the candy for my own good.
But yeah, skinny folks binge on sugar too. My skinny husband just ate the whole bag of candy I bought him in one sitting. Thank god too, or else I'd be on it.4 -
The "naturally thin" person might be more active (fidgeting, walking around, moving in general). I fidget a lot, and I read somewhere that people who do can burn a significant amount of extra calories throughout their day. Or maybe they just ate the same sandwich but ended up taking in fewer calories in total during the rest of the day.0
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