Thoughts on people who eat so much yet stay skinny

LiftAllThePizzas

That human beings have an inherited optimal weight set point = FACT.

If set point were a factor in the current levels of obesity, then where were all these people with high set points 50 years ago? Or are you suggesting that the genotypes of a huge population simultaneously changed without having shared a common ancestor within that time frame?

Rachelc1992

I hate them? And I'm very jealous?!!

mxmkenney

My husband can eat whatever he wants (and I mean whatever - whole pizza, bag of chips, 14 chocolate chip cookies, etc.), but he is usually very active. Based on his activity level and BMI, he is supposed to consume close to 3000 calories a day to maintain. He does some days eat 3000-4000 calories, but not everyday. I'd say on average he eats roughly 2500- 3000 calories a day which is why he doesn't gain weight.

This said, I don't think that there is a RULE about this. I do think there are people out there with super-power metabolisms, but they are not necessarily healthy. OP - don't be jealous of these "lucky ones" because they may have terrible cholesterol or high BP which could be improved if they made better food choices. Skinny doesn't always equal healthy.

paultucker1007

In the absence of any real evidence of people who eat millions of calories yet stay thin (notice its always "my other half", "this guy at work"), I submit myself as someone who is perceived as such:

- TDEE c.3,000 calories before exercise, evidenced by about 6 months of logging and weight tracking
- Desk job
- 73kg (or 158lb in American money)
- 1m85 (or 6'1")
- bodyfat 8%-10% (estimated)
- age 32

With exercise, I regularly have daily targets on Sunday of 5,500 total calories (3 hours cycling, calories accurately estimated with a power meter), I average around 4,000 total per day and I'm still hungry ALL the time despite eating relatively sensibly. My wife who has a target of half of mine can seemingly eat a "meal" of 300 calories and feel full, whereas my stomach would seem to perceive such a meal as a light warm up, and demand a further 1,000 calories.

On the other hand, when I'm actively bulking i.e. trying to net 3,500, I have to bloody force the food in.

Hope this, er, helps.

Blokeypoo

My brother was always underweight/skinny. He ate whatever he liked but I think only ate when hungry and needed fuel whereas I ate frequently and too much. "These people" don't always stay so lucky of course. My brother is now extremely overweight and I have been maintaining a 2st wt loss for over a year and am in healthy range for my ht.

Unlike me and my other brother he'd never had to learn about managing his wt nor how to lose it so he struggles to do so now that he's 50. It's very sad. He works with food and is knowledgeable about it but not about wt management.

ayumi_

They don't eat as much as you think. Fatter people/dieters tend to underestimate how much they eat, and skinny people tend to overestimate. My little sister is "naturally skinny", always has been & has never been on a diet of any kind. She says stuff like "I'm always hungry!", but there have been countless occasions where I've offered her some chips, or cookies, or something I cooked, and she simply said "I'm not hungry right now" and left the food to get stale. She has stale leftover bags of snacks in her room even as I typed this.

These so-called "naturally people" can do that. They know how to say no to food when they're not hungry with no desire to overeat. Bottom line, they know how to listen to their bodies. There is zero calorie-burning magic involved here. And certainly no willpower or self control. This pity party of "wahhh I wish I had skinny genetics" has got to stop. There's no such thing. Some people's bodies are inclined to be a bit more thin than others, sure. But being overweight doesn't mean you've lost the genetic lottery. It means you probably have some (learned) food issues that you need to resolve. You most likely eat for reasons other than hunger, and have been for many years.

ayumi_

That human beings have an inherited optimal weight set point = FACT.

If set point were a factor in the current levels of obesity, then where were all these people with high set points 50 years ago? Or are you suggesting that the genotypes of a huge population simultaneously changed without having shared a common ancestor within that time frame?

Set point isn't a factor in the current levels of obesity. Set point is only relevant when looking at people who actually eat in accordance to their body's hunger signals.

When you look at a "naturally thin" person, the weigh they've maintained most of their lives is their set point. Their body settles at that size when they eat normally, eating when hungry & stopping when they're full.

Obese people do not listen to such signals or have forgotten they existed. Not all obese people are necessarily emotional eaters, but there are definitely learned behaviors regarding eating that causes them to eat as much as they do - likely none being legitimate biological hunger.

Vailara

Your optimal weight set point is fairly static through adulthood, however it shifts naturally upwards between the ages (approximately) of 50-65 and then shifts naturally downwards into old age. And, very interestingly, this might be due to bone and muscle density changes associated with the natural aging process that signal the necessity of a shift upwards in fat mass, nudging the optimal set point, as a health protective process to ensure overall vitality into advanced old age [HM Frost, 1987; AB Newman et al., 2005; F Fantin et al., 2007; VA Hughes et al., 2002]."

This is interesting. I've noticed that middle-aged people tend to be heavier, very old people tend to get thinner. It does make you wonder how much is "natural" and how much we should be fighting against the process.

Anyway, set points - I can't speak for anyone else, but it certainly feels as if my body wants to keep at a certain weight! When I was younger, I could eat whatever I liked and usually stayed the same weight within a couple of pounds. Then I went through a short period of putting on LOADS of weight, but again, "maintained" for a few years, eating whatever I liked, but staying the same weight within a couple of pounds. What I'm finding odd just now, is I've lost some of the weight but seem to have hit another "set point", where I'm finding it very difficult to move any more weight.

eldamiano

I'm the kind of person who gains and loses weight quite easily, but of course, losing is relatively harder cos you need to work you *kitten* up.

I mean, some of them might not be necessarily healthy, but do you feel jealous of them? Do you wish you can just eat and eat and eat without gaining a single pound (which, of course, does not translate to being healthy)?

Just though of this a while ago, and I'd like to know what ya'll think.

There are no such people. This kind of phrase is written by people who are jealous of others. This does not help with one's own self.

MagicalLeopleurodon

My husband has a metabolic disorder. I dont envy him. He has to eat 7000 cslorirs a day to maintain, gets lightheaded if he misses a snack. Any time i want to gripe about my pants getting snug i watch him get dressed and realize the grass isnt always greener...

hmg90

Like others have said, I think the people who are actually "mysteriously skinny" are far in between. My uncle is that way - he is in his fifties, 6"4 and super skinny, have always been. People are talking about how his metabolism is super high, but he also smokes a LOT and I think it honestly replaces quite a few of his meals. He does not look healthy.
I know one girl my age (23) who is very, very skinny to the point where she looks anorexic, even though I know she eats well (pizza when she wants to, cakes and candy for special occasions). She really has a child-like body as if she never grew out of that phase.

I don't have any 'hate' or even envy for those people. I don't consider it more attractive either. I would rather have the potential for curves and have to work to stay slim, than be straight up and down like a pencil. I also know some unwillingly skinny women who wish they had more womanly bodies. It is easier for other women to lose weight than it is for them to gain, if there actually is a physical problem.

Most of the time though, there is a correlation between weight and lifestyle.
- They don't eat as much as you think. They don't eat between meals, or as unhealthy as you see them eating, all the time. You can fit a lot of McDonald's into 1800 cals.
- They are more active than you think. Either through workouts, or simply active during the day. Some people just spend more energy, always choose to take stairs, or have problems sitting still.
- They have a lot of muscle and burn calories more effectively. One good friend of mine was super active growing up, skiing and gymnastics, and now at 23 she can still eat a lot or be lazy during the weekends. Even after an absence without exercise, she snaps easily back in shape. The foundation you lay down growing up matters a lot.

hmg90

They don't eat as much as you think. Fatter people/dieters tend to underestimate how much they eat, and skinny people tend to overestimate. My little sister is "naturally skinny", always has been & has never been on a diet of any kind. She says stuff like "I'm always hungry!", but there have been countless occasions where I've offered her some chips, or cookies, or something I cooked, and she simply said "I'm not hungry right now" and left the food to get stale. She has stale leftover bags of snacks in her room even as I typed this.

These so-called "naturally people" can do that. They know how to say no to food when they're not hungry with no desire to overeat. Bottom line, they know how to listen to their bodies. There is zero calorie-burning magic involved here. And certainly no willpower or self control. This pity party of "wahhh I wish I had skinny genetics" has got to stop. There's no such thing. Some people's bodies are inclined to be a bit more thin than others, sure. But being overweight doesn't mean you've lost the genetic lottery. It means you probably have some (learned) food issues that you need to resolve. You most likely eat for reasons other than hunger, and have been for many years.

Very good post.
I've never been overweight but at times when I've been struggling a bit, I've recognized that it's emotional eating.
My roommate is slim and always have been, but she never diets. She can eat nuts, meat, honey, cheese and foods that are high in calories but she eats one plate, then she does the dishes and starts doing something else. The relationship with food and stopping when full is what makes the difference in most cases.

seltzermint555

I see this topic a lot on the MFP forums and I tend to think yeah, MOST of the time, it's true that the thin person is not eating as much as you think and/or is very very active. Or worse, they are bulimic.

But I think we have all known SOMEONE who really did have a sedentary lifestyle and ate tons of junk all day every day and still stayed thin. Rarer for them to also appear fit and stay healthy long-term with that...but we've known those people too. I'm 37 and have quite a few friends/acquaintances who have always been a "healthy weight" and/or skinny, but are being diagnosed in their 30s and 40s with health problems related to poor diets.

Back to the "they aren't eating as much as you think or are very active" though...I do agree with that in the majority of situations. And I don't think it has to be drastic like the teenage girl who ONLY eats dinner with her family to avoid discussion of an E.D. It can be their lack of snacking, food left on the plate, no salad dressing, etc... Just like I became fat from things like my morning latte and 1/2 cup of cheese on my frozen burrito...not secretly binging on 5 burgers and a triple fudge cheesecake.

Cozmetick

My little sister is tiny, size 6UK, now she does eat what she wants and her frame is naturally thin, and from the outside looking in you would assume it's a gift, but she actually checks the calories she eats and she knows when she's gone too far, she has a busy student life and she works part time so in actual fact, despite appearances her calorie intake wouldn't be that bad... So my point is, just cus it looks like they get it so easy, it doesn't mean it's actually the case.

albayin

They don't eat as much as you think. Fatter people/dieters tend to underestimate how much they eat, and skinny people tend to overestimate. My little sister is "naturally skinny", always has been & has never been on a diet of any kind. She says stuff like "I'm always hungry!", but there have been countless occasions where I've offered her some chips, or cookies, or something I cooked, and she simply said "I'm not hungry right now" and left the food to get stale. She has stale leftover bags of snacks in her room even as I typed this.

These so-called "naturally people" can do that. They know how to say no to food when they're not hungry with no desire to overeat. Bottom line, they know how to listen to their bodies. There is zero calorie-burning magic involved here. And certainly no willpower or self control. This pity party of "wahhh I wish I had skinny genetics" has got to stop. There's no such thing. Some people's bodies are inclined to be a bit more thin than others, sure. But being overweight doesn't mean you've lost the genetic lottery. It means you probably have some (learned) food issues that you need to resolve. You most likely eat for reasons other than hunger, and have been for many years.

Very good post.
I've never been overweight but at times when I've been struggling a bit, I've recognized that it's emotional eating.
My roommate is slim and always have been, but she never diets. She can eat nuts, meat, honey, cheese and foods that are high in calories but she eats one plate, then she does the dishes and starts doing something else. The relationship with food and stopping when full is what makes the difference in most cases.
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I tend to agree but only with one sample at home, my husband. he can simply say to no to food for a long time if he doesn't want to eat. Me, on the contrary, as he described, I love food too much, although I can't remember any moment when I am not counting calories...I just want to eat, and eat a lot...that explains why he's thin while I am...not

Jess732008

I'm the kind of person who gains and loses weight quite easily, but of course, losing is relatively harder cos you need to work you *kitten* up.

I mean, some of them might not be necessarily healthy, but do you feel jealous of them? Do you wish you can just eat and eat and eat without gaining a single pound (which, of course, does not translate to being healthy)?

Just though of this a while ago, and I'd like to know what ya'll think.

Thin women do not eat and eat. They may eat more at one setting or one or two days a week. Generally they do not each much. That is one thing that always annoyed me about thin people. Usually they hardly eat anything. I have never sat down to a sandwich and thought I think I will just have half or I will just take a few bites. The thin people I know do that regularly though. Eating is tied to your activity levels too, so if a thin person eats more it may be because they burn more calories during the day.

I do get jealous that thin people get better treatment and that people generally like them better than heavier people and that their lives generally go better. Even my parents treat my thinner sisters differently than me. They are naturally thin and do not really have to work at it. It is starting to catch up with them and I think they will have to start working at it pretty soon. I have never really been jealous of their thinness though or how they look.

I guess I just get scared around thin people and worry that they will judge me and not like me.

ModernNerd

I'm the kind of person who gains and loses weight quite easily, but of course, losing is relatively harder cos you need to work you *kitten* up.

I mean, some of them might not be necessarily healthy, but do you feel jealous of them? Do you wish you can just eat and eat and eat without gaining a single pound (which, of course, does not translate to being healthy)?

Just though of this a while ago, and I'd like to know what ya'll think.

Thin women do not eat and eat. They may eat more at one setting or one or two days a week. Generally they do not each much. That is one thing that always annoyed me about thin people. Usually they hardly eat anything. I have never sat down to a sandwich and thought I think I will just have half or I will just take a few bites. The thin people I know do that regularly though. Eating is tied to your activity levels too, so if a thin person eats more it may be because they burn more calories during the day.

I do get jealous that thin people get better treatment and that people generally like them better than heavier people and that their lives generally go better. Even my parents treat my thinner sisters differently than me. They are naturally thin and do not really have to work at it. It is starting to catch up with them and I think they will have to start working at it pretty soon. I have never really been jealous of their thinness though or how they look.

I guess I just get scared around thin people and worry that they will judge me and not like me.

yes my life is sunshine and rainbows and unicorns because I'm thin... :huh:

I could tell you stories that would make you cringe, but instead of playing the victim and blaming things on an arbitrary value on the scale I chose to deal with reality. Ignorant generalizations don't get anyone anywhere my darling dearest.

Jess732008

I'm the kind of person who gains and loses weight quite easily, but of course, losing is relatively harder cos you need to work you *kitten* up.

I mean, some of them might not be necessarily healthy, but do you feel jealous of them? Do you wish you can just eat and eat and eat without gaining a single pound (which, of course, does not translate to being healthy)?

Just though of this a while ago, and I'd like to know what ya'll think.

Thin women do not eat and eat. They may eat more at one setting or one or two days a week. Generally they do not each much. That is one thing that always annoyed me about thin people. Usually they hardly eat anything. I have never sat down to a sandwich and thought I think I will just have half or I will just take a few bites. The thin people I know do that regularly though. Eating is tied to your activity levels too, so if a thin person eats more it may be because they burn more calories during the day.

I do get jealous that thin people get better treatment and that people generally like them better than heavier people and that their lives generally go better. Even my parents treat my thinner sisters differently than me. They are naturally thin and do not really have to work at it. It is starting to catch up with them and I think they will have to start working at it pretty soon. I have never really been jealous of their thinness though or how they look.

I guess I just get scared around thin people and worry that they will judge me and not like me.

yes my life is sunshine and rainbows and unicorns because I'm thin... :huh:

I could tell you stories that would make you cringe, but instead of playing the victim and blaming things on an arbitrary value on the scale I chose to deal with reality. Ignorant generalizations don't get anyone anywhere my darling dearest.

I was not playing the victim. Sometimes your feelings are wrong but they are just your feelings. I was expressing how I feel and sometimes it is not pretty. Everybody has faults even thin people.

The truth is people do often treat you like you should hate yourself if you are heavy- that you are inferior, ugly, lazy, and know nothing about health and fitness. I have lost weight in the past year, about 40 lbs, just not as much as I would like. And I am committed to exercising starting today. I try to eat pretty healthy as well, whole grains, fruits, veggies, and nuts.

ab_1203

There are always going to be people that treat you differently for some reason. Heavy, thin and believe it or not, even muscular people get hated on but youve just gotta ignore it. Look at Rachel Frederikson, some people couldnt stop criticizing that girl back when she lost all that weight.