Question from a skinny friend:

SheGlistensasSheSings

Question from a skinny friend:

She's been underweight most of her life for the past 8 years or so more but has teeny tiny bones.
She eats super healthy but huge portions probably twice or three times the amount of dieters/calorie conscious on MFP.
She wanted to know/her question is if she's overeating?

She doesn't do any of the counting measuring people on this site do ever.

She says she sometimes feels too full but doesn't like to waste and wonders if she's binging. My intuition is like well its going some where her body is using the food somehow....but I don't know the answer to her question why posting here!
Before she got into what she describes as compulsively finishing not being able to waste, she probably weighed 5-10 pounds less.
She doesn't work out so its mostly some fat around her belly.
I think all her tests and health is the same at either weight I could ask her more but mostly just let her share so far..

Is she worrying needlessly? Or do you guys think she should watch her portions eat less?

She didn't know, and I don't either how to advise so would be grateful for your feedback knowledge insights all that good MFP stuff. Thanks!

BillyJan1992

I think she is fine with the way she is eating now but should probably start watching her food portions

SheGlistensasSheSings

Yeah she looks fine to me with the little belly.

I am to advise her why to watch portions/the answer to whether she is overeating or binging?
What should I say to explain clarify for her?

Thank you!!

SheGlistensasSheSings

Should she just eat smaller portions of everything or certain things? Even with the healthy stuff she likes they seem unusually big. I think maybe that's part of why she feels self conscious? So then would she be advised to eat smaller portions of healthy stuff for social reasons or something else pertaining to overeating/binging/her general health? Thanks again!!

gigglesinthesun

if she is still underweight then clearly what she eats matches her energy output. For all you know she twists and turns constantly in her sleep and thus uses more then the average person. Eating large quantities does not make you a binge eater. Finishing your plate does not make you a compulsive eater. Most people who suffer from either are considerably overweight or have bulimia. She is probably eating less then she thinks she is or has a fast metabolism.

Also when you say she eat super healthy it doesn't actually give any indication of calories. For example if she were to only eat vegetables, it would take an awful lot of it in order to get to even 1200 calories. Alternatively if she were to munch on nuts all day, hitting 3000 would not take much of an effort.

People do have some fat unless they exercise their bottom off. So again unless she is actually overweight or at least in the top half of her BMI or has a very high bf%, there seems to be nothing wrong with her. By all means tell her to add exercise into her life, but the situation you have described is very general and unless she is compulsively eating her own weight in cheese or upwards of 5000 cals a day and not gaining any weight, in which case she should go to her doctor, because there is nothing we could tell her, she is fine.

SheGlistensasSheSings

Cool! I'm grateful she can be a woman free of diet stress
Don't know how likely it is can motivate her to excercise though....
Any suggestions how to make it something she would actually consider?

Many thanks again.
She eats a good variety I mean way larger portions of vegetables fruits proteins grains healthy treats dairy whatever she wants I guess. So that is the best of my ability to clarify. I guess the fruits and veg take up a lot of space. I think she has varying a wide range of different quantities amounts some days is not always consistent. I could ask her more specifically.

What could I tell her to calm the "do I stick out for eating so much in public" and should I really be finishing all this not to waste is that normal?" Worry? How can I explain to her better what overeating/binging would be quantify for her body?

Multiplicity of thanks and gratitude. She is a worrier and has enough other stuff to worry about but needs/looks for rationale to stop her questions.

blankney94

My question would be - how old is your friend? Sounds like she might be gifted with a fairly fast metabolism. I was the same right through my 20's. However now that I am in my late 30's things are not the same, and I have to be a little more watchful of what I am eating.

So my suggestion to your friend (in hindsight from my own experience) would be to eat good quality food in the right portions, and try to get some regular exercise to maintain bone and muscle density.

Ed98043

So, she's recently started compulsively finishing all the food in front of her regardless of hunger level (even to the point of being uncomfortably full) and says it's because she doesn't want to waste anything...yet she doesn't feel good about it? Sounds like there could be disordered thinking there. Logically I have to ask why she can't just make less food or put less on her plate...but there's just not enough information to say whether anything's "wrong" with what she's doing. If she feels out of control then that's not a healthy relationship with food even if she's not overweight.

gigglesinthesun

Cool! I'm grateful she can be a woman free of diet stress
Don't know how likely it is can motivate her to excercise though....
Any suggestions how to make it something she would actually consider?

Many thanks again.
She eats a good variety I mean way larger portions of vegetables fruits proteins grains healthy treats dairy whatever she wants I guess. So that is the best of my ability to clarify. I guess the fruits and veg take up a lot of space. I think she has varying a wide range of different quantities amounts some days is not always consistent. I could ask her more specifically.

What could I tell her to calm the "do I stick out for eating so much in public" and should I really be finishing all this not to waste is that normal?" Worry? How can I explain to her better what overeating/binging would be quantify for her body?

Multiplicity of thanks and gratitude. She is a worrier and has enough other stuff to worry about but needs/looks for rationale to stop her questions.

I eat upwards of 4lbs in fruit and veggies all day and only hit about 1350 a day, if not less (yes, I do eat other foods as well, but the bulk of my diet in terms of volume is fruit and veggies).

One of the things to consider is that you are here probably because you are trying to manage your weight and she might read through all this and talk to you about, because she wants to 'share' your journey and make you feel good. If you talk about she might simply want to chime in and assure you that she is not perfect either.

Lizzy622

If she is really concerned I would suggest that she log on MFP for a couple of weeks. She can track what and how she is eating and may find some changes she may want to make for health reasons. She probably does not need to worry about calories but may need to tweak other areas like nutrient balances. I have a cousin who has always been skinny but had heart bypass surgery. Her diet wasn't very healthy(hated any kind of vegetable other than potato chips) and she had fat around the heart.