naturally thin people

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is there anybody who can eat a lot & still not gain weight?
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  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,402 MFP Moderator
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    The people who are "naturally thin" are the ones that picked up good eating habits or eat less meals (consuming less calories overall). There really is no such thing as naturally thin as you can't be the law of thermodynamics. Now, genetics can determine BMR to a certain extend but it's not going to be much greater than few hundred points.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    my husband is very slim, 6ft2 and 154lbs, he is eating around 3000 cals per day and trying to eat more to gain a few pounds.

    he is what i would call 'naturally thin'
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    The people who are "naturally thin" are the ones that picked up good eating habits or eat less meals (consuming less calories overall). There really is no such thing as naturally thin as you can't be the law of thermodynamics. Now, genetics can determine BMR to a certain extend but it's not going to be much greater than few hundred points.

    This is what I've come to learn. I do think genetics play a part in a person's build though, such as broad shoulders, wide hips, etc. For example, there's a reason why every thin person doesn't look like a Victoria's Secret model.
  • mwalle09
    mwalle09 Posts: 305 Member
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    I think age and genetics have a lot to do with it. I was naturally thin through 18 and then packed on a lot in college and in the workplace from no more sports and my metabolism dying.
  • septembergrrl
    septembergrrl Posts: 168 Member
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    There are some genetic differences in metabolism, but I also think a lot of naturally thin people either eat less than it looks like, or exercise more than you realize. So a "naturally thin" person might have four pieces of pizza at a sitting, but that's about the only thing they eat that day. Or they have four pieces of pizza, and then they commute six miles on their bicycle. It's natural to them, but if you locked them in a room and fed them a high-calorie diet they'd gain weight just like anybody else.
  • latewinter
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    my boyfriend. and i hate him for it haha
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    I read a study that showed that naturally thin people do calorie restrict in a healthy manner, without really being aware it. My daughter (for instance) is slim at 9 years old, but eat pancakes, chocolate bars, etc. on top of her regular meals. But she usually doesn't eat a lot at one sitting, unless she is REALLY hungry, and can leave chocolate sitting in front of her while she plays on the computer, and just nibbles on it occasionally. My 17 yr old stepson regularly turns down yummy foods because he's just 'not hungry'. But when he's hungry, he definitely eats. It has been interesting to me to watch how they naturally calorie restrict. I have done for years, but intentionally, because I was a chubby kid and teenager and made the choice then to not be overweight and have kept with it.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    The people who are "naturally thin" are the ones that picked up good eating habits or eat less meals (consuming less calories overall). There really is no such thing as naturally thin as you can't be the law of thermodynamics. Now, genetics can determine BMR to a certain extend but it's not going to be much greater than few hundred points.
    Eh.

    I was one of those people and I ate A LOT and did not exercise. That changed when I was about 28-29, though.

    My fiance, though, eats a gallon of ice cream a day, plus tons and tons of other food, doesn't worry about calories, barely exercises and is stick skinny.

    Those people do actually exist.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,680 Member
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    As mentioned, basically all "naturally thin" people are just not overeating calories vs what they burn.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • jasonpclement
    jasonpclement Posts: 146 Member
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    I was pretty thin growing up. And I feel like I ate what I wanted, but I think you are all correct, that I just didn't eat that much. At the same time, I also didn't ever think about it. I was too busy playing video games to eat. I've also, ALWAYS hated the sick feeling I get from overeating. I can remember avoiding that feeling when I wanted to eat more, far earlier than when I started getting into health and fitness.

    There is also of course differences in metabolism. Thats pretty hard to deny.
  • Nutmeg76
    Nutmeg76 Posts: 258 Member
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    Some people really can eat more than others and not gain weight. I have two children like this, to the point that as babies they were almost labeled as "failure to thrive" because they didn't gain enough weight according to the doctors. We had to see specialists and have their diets analized. When they determined my son was eating 1000 (and 700 more than he needed to "gain appropriately)more calories than most babies his age and still only gaining a little bit of weight they deided it was normal for him. My now 8 year old daughter is the same way. She eats MORE food than her older brothers and is tiny, while her brothers are on the *****ier side.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    As mentioned, basically all "naturally thin" people are just not overeating calories vs what they burn.
    Right. But some people naturally burn more than others.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,402 MFP Moderator
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    As mentioned, basically all "naturally thin" people are just not overeating calories vs what they burn.
    Right. But some people naturally burn more than others.

    They do burn more, but it's not their metabolic rate that is higher, it's their TDEE is higher. It's very common to under estimate your own calories and over estimate someone else.. it's part of human nature. If you saw my brother in law, you would think he is naturally skinny because he eats mcdonalds and cheesesteaks and drinks, but the fact is, he rarely eats breakfast, and when he does eat, it's generally a half of plate. Additionally, he walks a lot.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    As mentioned, basically all "naturally thin" people are just not overeating calories vs what they burn.
    Right. But some people naturally burn more than others.

    Which most of those naturally thin people move a lot more than we think or eat less than you think. It's very common to under estimate your own calories and over estimate someone else.. it's part of human nature. If you saw my brother in law, you would think he is naturally skinny because he eats mcdonalds and cheesesteaks and drinks, but the fact is, he rarely eats breakfast, and when he does eat, it's generally a half of plate. Additionally, he walks a lot.

    Again, I WAS one of those people and I live with one of those people. I know how much I moved and how much he moved.
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
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    The people who are "naturally thin" are the ones that picked up good eating habits or eat less meals (consuming less calories overall). There really is no such thing as naturally thin as you can't be the law of thermodynamics. Now, genetics can determine BMR to a certain extend but it's not going to be much greater than few hundred points.
    Eh.

    I was one of those people and I ate A LOT and did not exercise. That changed when I was about 28-29, though.

    My fiance, though, eats a gallon of ice cream a day, plus tons and tons of other food, doesn't worry about calories, barely exercises and is stick skinny.

    Those people do actually exist.

    A couple of my exes were like that. Because I ate like they did to keep up with them(or because of the munchies if you know what I mean), I gained weight and a LOT of it. Now I eat like a normal person and my husband is slowly joining the keto way of life with me.
  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
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    One of the components of TDEE is PAEE. Many experts estimate this number to the largest variation in participants TDEE. This can often times explain why some people are capable of eating large amounts of food and still not gain weight, wheres another can eat very small amounts and barely maintain.
  • 257_Lag
    257_Lag Posts: 1,249 Member
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    I have 3 friends that are "naturally thin". They appear to eat whatever they want but they are also all three on their feet all day.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,680 Member
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    As mentioned, basically all "naturally thin" people are just not overeating calories vs what they burn.
    Right. But some people naturally burn more than others.
    While not untrue, one still has to consume more than they burn to gain weight. I've never met/known/heard of a thin person that trumps the law of thermodynamics.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Really what difference does it make other than starting an argument? If you aren't one of these magical people that can eat all they want, do nothing and stay thin then you have to count calories and exercise.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
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    The people who are "naturally thin" are the ones that picked up good eating habits or eat less meals (consuming less calories overall). There really is no such thing as naturally thin as you can't be the law of thermodynamics. Now, genetics can determine BMR to a certain extend but it's not going to be much greater than few hundred points.
    Eh.

    I was one of those people and I ate A LOT and did not exercise. That changed when I was about 28-29, though.

    My fiance, though, eats a gallon of ice cream a day, plus tons and tons of other food, doesn't worry about calories, barely exercises and is stick skinny.

    Those people do actually exist.

    I can think of one person I knew like that. He was actually seeing a doctor because he was so thin. I spent a lot of time around him and he ate several thousand calories a day and did not gain. His doctor said it was hyperthyroidism. I know what you mean, he ate more than anyone I knew and could NOT gain weight.