naturally thin people

fitbulky

is there anybody who can eat a lot & still not gain weight?

psuLemon

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

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

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

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

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

my boyfriend. and i hate him for it haha

QuietBloom

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

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

As mentioned, basically all "naturally thin" people are just not overeating calories vs what they burn.

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jasonpclement

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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Mokey41

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

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.

LauraBee96

This is an interesting topic! I was never a naturally thin person. I put on weight from puberty and never lost, not until this year (15 years post puberty).

Which means that I haven't been this weight since I was 12. Hm. Sounds sick when I put it that way.

psuLemon

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.

so you tracked your calories as well as theirs?

BTW, i was naturally thin until junior year of college.. And if it makes you feel better, my wife thinks I have a tapeworm because she swears I can devourer anything. And while i do eat a lot, its the type of foods I am eating that don't add to high calories.


ps - during high school and most of college, it wasn't unusual for me to eat 3 big macs in one sitting.

ninerbuff

BBC did a documentary on "skinny and fat" metabolisms:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTr1JUvEiUU

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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sunnshhiine

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.

THIS. I was also one of those "naturally thin" people who hardly ever moved and ate taco bell, zaxbys, and chik fila for breakfast/lunch/dinner everyday. I didn't put weight on until I went through some major health issues and was put on countless meds/steroids, treatments for 6 months, and a few surgeries. after that i was put on BC which also contribued to it all.

So yeah -- some people are naturally thin without moving much and without eating healthy anything. They're out there -- living proof here. I also had a couple ex's that are this way as well. most of them drink on the weekends like their liver is untouchable and eat out almost every day. that's just life for some people.

Zombieinkpot

One of my sisters is very thin and has been all her life. She eats whatever she wants, but she eats very little food. She might have a slice of cake, but that would be her dinner. If she eats a relatively large meal, it might be the only thing she eats or she will eat less the next few days.

The other thing is that she is always active. She rarely sits, she stands most of the time and she doesn't stand still, she is always stretching and doing little exercises. She runs everywhere or walks really fast. She will jump up and down off things just for fun. I don't think she does any of this consciously, it is just part of who she is. If you look at pictures of her when she was a child, she is the one who is always doing a ballet pose (she didn't take classes) or dancing about while my other sisters are standing looking at the camera.

clareyoung80

All the 'naturally thin' people I knew had considerably smaller appetites than me. Like, we'd go to a restaurant and I'd have a starter, mains and dessert. They would struggle to just eat their mains. And they were people who left things on their plate when they were full. I was brought up to clear my plate every time!

firstsip

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.

Were you actively tracking your calories?

Just like people can not realize how many calories they're eating, people can also over-estimate how much they eat. Plus, the whole, "growing/developing" thing happening into the early 20s is a natural calorie burner that eventually ebbs.

Plus, your fiance (When did I miss you got engaged? Congrats!) could easily be one of those people who: "fidgets" more, does more when he's away from you than he realizes, and in general is a guy and/or has higher LBM.

Again, it's just hard to fight the science with sort of subjective viewing of, "Lots of food." What's "tons and tons" for one person might be a scant amount for another, and in turn, show why the "tons and tons" person remains slim while the other becomes overweight.

MinnieInMaine

I personally don't believe it. I used to think this way too and now see it as another convenient excuse. "Oh, she's so lucky to be naturally thin, why even bother trying to keep up". The only "natural" part of it is that these folks somehow figured out on their own how to balance their calories and activity in order to stay at a healthy weight instead of having to track and measure and schedule workouts, etc like many of the rest of us have to. Both of my best friends, my mother and several co-workers are like this. Seiously, my mother eats more ice cream than anyone else I know but aside from that she eats very little and is pretty active so she's able to maintain her weight without much effort. Hopefully one day, with continued practice towards bulding good eating habits, I will be so lucky!

This is the same argument as the obesity genetics debate IMHO. Yes, we're all different but with the exception of some rare instances, not to the extreme that causes obesity - maybe overweight, but not obese.

michellekicks

I think a lightbulb went on for me, once, when I was standing and talking with this woman I knew - a lovely-looking, healthy, very thin woman. As we stood and chatted, she was eating a tomato as a snack. I had never reached for a tomato when I needed a snack.

bbubble5

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.

that one ^^^ so True