My annoyinging naturally thin Dad

OK my Dad is one of those people who has been thin his entire life. He was once 6'0 and 140 lbs and a semicompetitive athlete. He's now 165 lbs, 60 years old. He still has muscle definition in his arms and chest. His blood pressure is quite low, about 115/75. His diet is mostly carbs, salt, and more carbs. He has cocoa and orange juice for breakfast -- everyday. A coffee during the day. Lunch when he's at home is peanut butter and crackers or canned soup. If he's on the road, it's usually a few ju jubes. Dinner is a couple of bottles of Coke, hamburger, french fries, potato chips and cookies/cake for dessert. Guy has never been vaguely fat a day in his life. He doesn't get hungry. I put on muscle easily like he does, but I also put on fat easily like my mom. Frustrating.

Replies

  • deluxmary2000
    deluxmary2000 Posts: 981 Member
    My dad was the same way and he died fairly young from a heart attack and undiagnosed bladder cancer. Don't be jealous. Naturally thin does not always equal "healthy".
  • MamaRiss
    MamaRiss Posts: 481 Member
    You just described my husband. Doesn't eat breakfast, ever. Just coffee. Lunch is a sandwich, a soda, chips, and something sweet. Dinner is whatever I make, so we have the same dinner. He is 5'8" and 135 on a "fat" day. I hate him sometimes.
  • mbbseb
    mbbseb Posts: 124 Member
    My husband too. Never even thinks about eating.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    Unless you post pictures to prove otherwise, your dad most likely does not put on a lot of muscle. Based on the calories hej's eating most of the time, he's not eating all that much for a male. He eats maybe 1000 cals for dinner or a bit more, and then maybe 1000 cals max throughout the rest of the day when considering liquid calories. 2000 calories a day for a man is very low.

    So basically your dad has always just had low body fat because he doesn't eat all that much. So I don't see why there's any reason to be jealous. If I were a man, honestly I'd not be all that jealous of his stats - I'm a female and my goal is 150-160lbs as a final weight before bulking for muscle.

    You put on fat because you eat too much, simple as that. easy way to get over your frustration is to figure out how much you are eating that causes you to gain, and subtract 20% from that and reduce as needed. Keep protein intake moderate, strength train, and you're golden.
  • ricki011
    ricki011 Posts: 89 Member
    i like your advice!
  • My dad was the same way and he died fairly young from a heart attack and undiagnosed bladder cancer. Don't be jealous. Naturally thin does not always equal "healthy".

    Exactly. It's the same way with my dad. Most of his life, he was tall, thin, and muscular (fit).... But he was a ticking time bomb because he wouldn't take care of the diabetes he tried to hide from everyone. Now he's dying from kidney failure and can barely move because of the excess fluid.... Being healthy and being thin are two completely different things....
  • intrepidelephant
    intrepidelephant Posts: 100 Member
    Unless you post pictures to prove otherwise, your dad most likely does not put on a lot of muscle. Based on the calories hej's eating most of the time, he's not eating all that much for a male. He eats maybe 1000 cals for dinner or a bit more, and then maybe 1000 cals max throughout the rest of the day when considering liquid calories. 2000 calories a day for a man is very low.

    So basically your dad has always just had low body fat because he doesn't eat all that much. So I don't see why there's any reason to be jealous. If I were a man, honestly I'd not be all that jealous of his stats - I'm a female and my goal is 150-160lbs as a final weight before bulking for muscle.

    You put on fat because you eat too much, simple as that. easy way to get over your frustration is to figure out how much you are eating that causes you to gain, and subtract 20% from that and reduce as needed. Keep protein intake moderate, strength train, and you're golden.

    My dad has a physical job. His resting heart rate is still below 60
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    Unless you post pictures to prove otherwise, your dad most likely does not put on a lot of muscle. Based on the calories hej's eating most of the time, he's not eating all that much for a male. He eats maybe 1000 cals for dinner or a bit more, and then maybe 1000 cals max throughout the rest of the day when considering liquid calories. 2000 calories a day for a man is very low.

    So basically your dad has always just had low body fat because he doesn't eat all that much. So I don't see why there's any reason to be jealous. If I were a man, honestly I'd not be all that jealous of his stats - I'm a female and my goal is 150-160lbs as a final weight before bulking for muscle.

    You put on fat because you eat too much, simple as that. easy way to get over your frustration is to figure out how much you are eating that causes you to gain, and subtract 20% from that and reduce as needed. Keep protein intake moderate, strength train, and you're golden.

    My dad has a physical job. His resting heart rate is still below 60

    Another reason why he's "naturally thin." He's not eating a lot, plus his daily job allows him to burn a lot of calories. It's what we tell everyone on here--eat less and move more. Your father has been doing that his entire life.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Yes... not that much food.
  • LeonCX
    LeonCX Posts: 862 Member
    My pet iguana eats and eats and never gains an ounce. Oh, I hate him. I just hate him.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    My husband is naturally thin. when I got thin I realized he just eats less then most men, and works a physical job.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Unless he actually has a digestive issue with absorption of nutrients (like chrons disease) the he just doesn't eat enough to gain weight. (possibly because of high activity levels)

    Same with old mates iguana.
  • BombshellPhoenix
    BombshellPhoenix Posts: 1,693 Member
    I just don't worry about what other people eat and worry about myself and what I'm doing...problem solved.
  • chadya07
    chadya07 Posts: 627 Member
    so... he doesnt eat much and he exersizes all day.

    thats not naturally thin, its circumstantial. if you dont have the same circumstances you wont have the same result. change your circumstances and you will. simple as that. simple... not necessarily easy, but simple.

    no reason to be hatin.