A question re skinny people
sunshineblue1
Posts: 60 Member
in Chit-Chat
Hi there
Having been obsessively calorie counting for a week now with the general emphasis that one should eat as much as they put out,
I was thinking- does it work for skinny people?
Looking at every day examples.....for instance my husband, he is 6ft 3 and has weighed 10 stones for as long as i can remember. I highly doubt he puts out anything. He skips breakfast, for lunch he has a sandwich, a can of coke and a snickers bar. Then on the way home he has some crisps, comes home and has tea and biscuits and then has dinner topped with some high in fat dessert drenched with custard or cream.
He doesnt exercise, unless u count walking to the car and driving.
The weekends are another story.....right now, he has had a big mac and chips with some apple pie and a strawberry shake.
I adore him completely and i am frightfully jealous......i have always, in our 7 years of marriage, ate less than him. I have always had half his portions and always found time to work out, even through two pregnancies.
But i have always been a lot fatter than him......if i had his diet i will be huge.
So my point is....................how does it work? i am sure he isnt the only one out there who has the ability to eat for England and not gain any weight.
why is it some people, like myself have to watch everything and continuously maintain this balance whilst other people dont. Ironically my mother is skinny and his mother is a large potatoe.....so maybe it isnt all genetics
Having been obsessively calorie counting for a week now with the general emphasis that one should eat as much as they put out,
I was thinking- does it work for skinny people?
Looking at every day examples.....for instance my husband, he is 6ft 3 and has weighed 10 stones for as long as i can remember. I highly doubt he puts out anything. He skips breakfast, for lunch he has a sandwich, a can of coke and a snickers bar. Then on the way home he has some crisps, comes home and has tea and biscuits and then has dinner topped with some high in fat dessert drenched with custard or cream.
He doesnt exercise, unless u count walking to the car and driving.
The weekends are another story.....right now, he has had a big mac and chips with some apple pie and a strawberry shake.
I adore him completely and i am frightfully jealous......i have always, in our 7 years of marriage, ate less than him. I have always had half his portions and always found time to work out, even through two pregnancies.
But i have always been a lot fatter than him......if i had his diet i will be huge.
So my point is....................how does it work? i am sure he isnt the only one out there who has the ability to eat for England and not gain any weight.
why is it some people, like myself have to watch everything and continuously maintain this balance whilst other people dont. Ironically my mother is skinny and his mother is a large potatoe.....so maybe it isnt all genetics
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Replies
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This gives some info on why some people don't gain weight easily. It was programme done by the BBC.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7838668.stm0 -
What do your fathers look like? How about grandparents? Genetics are weird, and some things don't always hit every generation. Good luck on your journey!0
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is there anyone on here who is married/with such a person?0
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thanks tmarie.....my dad is fat and his family have all got weight gain issues. Both my brothers and me have weight issues.
funnily enough his dad is skinny....as is his brother and uncles from his dads side.....0 -
Just wanted to say that just because someone isn't gaining weight, doesn't mean they're healthy.
My fiance has similar eating habits (stressful job). He's thin, but he is by no means healthy.0 -
is there anyone on here who is married/with such a person?
My husband is 6'2" and is stick skinny. He eats non stop all day long and massive amounts and is still skinny.
His father and his grand father were the same way. I joke that he has a hollow leg or a tape worm.
It's just not fair. I have to watch what I eat and exercise while he just blinks and burns off his hoagie he had for lunch with the side bag of chips and extra large coke.0 -
Just wanted to say that just because someone isn't gaining weight, doesn't mean they're healthy.
My fiance has similar eating habits (stressful job). He's thin, but he is by no means healthy.
OMG I HATE THAT! LOL My "skinny" friend eats HORRIBLE! I remember one time we were on the phone, she was CHOWING a bag of cookies, ATE HALF THE BAG! And she is thin. I think during that chat I gained 5 pounds. That's so unhealthy, and "unfair."0 -
Your husband eats at a level equal to his TDEE.
You do not (or did not in the past) which is why you now consider yourself overweight.0 -
I've known lots of people like that, including an ex. He could eat anything and never exercise but was always super thin. It's genetics mostly, IMO. But, as pp said, doesn't mean they are healthy! I've heard it said that a slightly overweight person who exercises and eats right is WAY healthier than someone who is super thin but doesn't care for themselves. It makes sense!0
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My husband is super skinny, but he does work out. He is 6 ft and 10st.2lbs. I try to get him to gain weight by feeding him cake, but he doesnt eat more than 2200 max a day and works out 600 minimum. He is slowly losing weight which worries me but he is not a big eater. On holiday he usually puts on with a few more beers and cake. Very frustrating for me who have to really work at it, but I have lost 41 lbs over 10 months. I only burn off 400 in the same time he does 600 on the same machines. Shame! :frown:0
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Just wanted to say that just because someone isn't gaining weight, doesn't mean they're healthy.
My fiance has similar eating habits (stressful job). He's thin, but he is by no means healthy.
Exactly!! While my husband is stick skinny and yes all muscle. I swear he doesn't have an oz of fat on him he is by no means healthy. His blood work is horrible!! He has always had high cholesterol in the 20+ years I've been with him and now his BP is high. He won't eat healthy because he is skinny and doesn't feel he needs to. He is also hypoglycemic to which he does not eat properly for. He eats carbs all day and night. Junk junk and more junk is his motto. I swear he's going to keel over with a heart attack some day.
While I'm not muscular my blood work is awesome! My EKG looks great and my heart sounds wonderful. I have never had high cholesterol and after I lost my first 20 pounds I no longer needed BP meds.
So just because your spouse is thin like mine doesn't mean he is healthy. Its not all calories in calories out as people here will tell you. Its the quality of those calories as well that counts. Just because your muscular doesn't mean you have healthy cholesterol levels. I have a sibling who the rest of the family call the muscle head. He is far from healthy. He has high cholesterol and high BP. Sure that high protein diet is great for building muscle but you have to watch other factors as well. But he won't listen to the doctors and cut back on his 6 strips of bacon and 3 egg breakfast before his workout. He also refuses to cut back on the sausage and steaks he loves so much...because he "looks" good he thinks he's healthy. Doesn't always work that way. There are flip sides to everything.0 -
I know of two people who are married. The man was very thin through most of his 20's and into his 30's, but has terrible eating habits. Junk all the time. Very high metabolism, though. The wife was always struggling with weight loss. Would go on many diets, fall into binge eating, or eat on pace with her husband (this can happen).
It's slowly starting to catch up to him. He's looking rather bloated.
It has a lot to do with genetics.0 -
My sister is one of those people. Her diet consists of pop tarts, honey bunches of oat, and ice cream. My husband and I both struggle, but growing up with a big butt and a skinny sister was a huge blow to my self esteem. I feel your pain.0
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Just wanted to say that just because someone isn't gaining weight, doesn't mean they're healthy.
My fiance has similar eating habits (stressful job). He's thin, but he is by no means healthy.
Exactly!! I think a lot of people confuse skinny as being healthy. You can still have a stroke or heart attack or diabetes if you are skinny. This is also why I don't understand some people on here who eat a ton of junk but still remain under some sort of deficit to lose weight. When I made the decision to lose weight I also wanted to get more healthy. Sure I have a day out of the week where I will eat a meal I want. But the majority of the week is spent eating foods I know are better for me.
As far as the OP's question, I think it still is genetics. Like some others have said, its weird how it works and it can miss generations or one parent can effect you more than the other. If your hubby is eating high fat meals, he may not be so healthy, even though he does not gain
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Just wanted to say that just because someone isn't gaining weight, doesn't mean they're healthy.
My fiance has similar eating habits (stressful job). He's thin, but he is by no means healthy.
Exactly!! I think a lot of people confuse skinny as being healthy. You can still have a stroke or heart attack or diabetes if you are skinny. This is also why I don't understand some people on here who eat a ton of junk but still remain under some sort of deficit to lose weight. When I made the decision to lose weight I also wanted to get more healthy. Sure I have a day out of the week where I will eat a meal I want. But the majority of the week is spent eating foods I know are better for me.
As far as the OP's question, I think it still is genetics. Like some others have said, its weird how it works and it can miss generations or one parent can effect you more than the other. If your hubby is eating high fat meals, he may not be so healthy, even though he does not gain
Exactly!! My friends husband keeled over from a massive heart attack. The man was thin and never gained an oz. Ate whatever he wanted to. People used to joke about him eating so much and wondering where he put it all. She came home and found him dead on the kitchen floor. He had high cholesterol and high BP. Never got it treated and figured since he wasn't over weight he didn't need to worry about it. WRONG!0 -
My ex was skinny and it looked like he ate a lot because he did at dinner but didn't eat the rest of the day, maybe a snack at lunch but never breakfast. He could consume vast amounts of beer and pizza on the weekends as well and stayed skinny. I think it was just overall calories over the week not being as high as you would think due to the lack of breakfast and lunch. Some people have higher TDEEs as well, the online calculator is just an estimate.0
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I understand where you are coming from, but I kinda think for a man being skinny (really stick thin skinny) must feel as bad as being overweight? Men are stereotypically meant to be muscled and look strong, as much as women are brainwashed (myself included!!) to have an hourglass figure to be attractive. If I was a man I would hate to be skinny!0
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IMO it all comes down to metabolism...the only type of "watching what I eat" that i need to to do, it to keep an eye on eating enough...I only used MFP to gain weigh to get me up into a healthy range....and it took me a quite a while to gain, and I had to eat much more than I imagined..I am 5'4" around 110-112lbs, <20% fat and I maintain on 2000....anything below that I lose, and anything below 1700 I lose scary fast, I had to go over 2400 to gain just on a lb a week. I have to eat back every calorie I burn, I stick to circuit and weights and avoid pure cardio like the plague...however even if I don't work out, I sat the same, I just lose my slight muscle definition, soften up.
I generally don't watch what I eat...I am fairly healthy in my choices, I eat full fat, and try to keep to mostly whole products, though I eat junk, and love crabs and fat,....
I have always been this way, my kids are this way, my husband is this way, my father is this way...my mother and sister however are not...
It may sound amazing, but its not all roses all the time.0 -
One of my ex boyfriends weighed all of 8 stone (112 lb at average height). He was a good cook and ate a fair bit, although he couldn't eat a really huge meal the way some people can. He was quite active, though, and didn't sit still for long. My current boyfriend eats a fair bit too and he seemed to be naturally slim, but just recently he says he's put on a little weight, so maybe age is a factor. I didn't start gaining weight until I was older. Before that I could eat whatever I liked, regardless of how active I was.0
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/threadYour husband eats at a level equal to his TDEE.
You do not (or did not in the past) which is why you now consider yourself overweight.0 -
My bf is Welsh and weighs 9 stone. I think he does have a high metabolism but I have noticed he more or less follows the 5:2 diet without meaning to- eating a lot most of the time, but then some days just not being hungry and barely eating.0
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public opinion doesnt help.....when we go out together, i look like the one who eats all the pies and he is the one who is starving.
even at family events, my darling MIL asks if i have been to the gym lately and comments her DS has lost weight.
such is the way of the world......it still doesnt seem fair, i will be thinking about this on my run tommorrow
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/threadYour husband eats at a level equal to his TDEE.
You do not (or did not in the past) which is why you now consider yourself overweight.
^ This is your answer. It sounds though that you're just here to complain. If you want to change then change. The tools are here.0 -
public opinion doesnt help.....when we go out together, i look like the one who eats all the pies and he is the one who is starving.
even at family events, my darling MIL asks if i have been to the gym lately and comments her DS has lost weight.
such is the way of the world......it still doesnt seem fair, i will be thinking about this on my run tommorrow
Some rude family member once made the comment that my husband was skinny because I ate all the food. If they saw how much he ate and how little I ate they would be shocked. There is a lot more than genetics or as one rude posted has said that someone is here just to complain... Medications, hormone problems, disabilities, genetics etc etc. Once my disease went into remission and I was able to discontinue all meds and didn't need steroids anymore I was finally able to lose weight.0 -
It just happens to some people. My flatmate is an inch shorter than me (I'm 5' 11.5"), does zero exercise ever (ten minutes of walking as part of his commute five days a week, never anything at weekends), and I live with him so know exactly what he gets through, his idea of a 'snack' can be a full pack of biscuits, a 200g chocolate bar or a family size bag of Doritos. He can quite comfortably get through 5,000 cals in a day. But his weight has stuck solidly between 10 and 10.5 stone for the last 10 years, body fat around 9-10%. His body just seems to be locked, he can eat everything or nothing and it never changes. He's not particularly fit or healthy, but he seems physically unable to get fat. Yes it's irritating that he can stuff his face with nice things and I can't partake and have to track everything and work out all the time to not balloon, which happens very quickly unless I'm strict, but he has his genes and I have mine, nothing I can do about it, I just have to focus on me and do the best I can with what I was given.0
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My biological family has always been chunky. One of my older brothers is adopted and the dude has always, ALWAYS been thin, no matter what he puts in his mouth. I lived with him, so I know he ate like nobody's business. Plus, he lived with US and therefore ate what we ate. The effects on him were obviously different than they were on us. I recently saw his biological mother for the first time and it all made sense. She's tall and thin like him. He will likely always be thin. I will likely always have to fight like a dog just to be "not fat." People who say genetics plays a negligible role in weight loss are idiots. Or liars. Or both.0
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I'm one of those guys that can eat anything and not gain weight. Everyone in my family is tall, I'm 6'5 myself. I've had an awful diet most of my life full of takeaways, sweets, biscuits and fizzy drinks. I have no clue why I never really put on weight, having that diet did make me feel lethargic most of the time. It made me lazy with no energy. My sisters eat a lot less and constantly struggle with their weight fluctuating.
I've changed my diet completely now and I've noticed a real spike in energy levels.0 -
My sister is like that. Growing up she was a stick, but all she ate was loads of crap. No veggies, no fruit, hated anything green (she's anemic now, go figure) and ate lots of sugar. Then after high school she got really chubby, which I will admit made me quite happy! She has learned to eat better and is right back to her slim figure, but she eats a lot better now! Makes me a little less jealous of the fact she's so thin, but we have different fathers so different genes.
Also, have you tried getting him to at least eat healthier food? He sounds terribly unhealthy.0 -
Genetics? Partially, though both of my parents are obese and my brothers are both stick thin. I always joke and say I am the short fat kid in my family. My older brother is 6'2" and worked out to "bulk" and was happy to be 170lbs! My younger brother is 6' 160lbs, maybe 165lbs. Older brother is 31 and still has flat abs and doesn't work out as much he eats what he wants, as does baby bro.
I am 5'8" 135 to 145 and have watched what I ate, and worked out to have less body fat and a lower weight since the age of 15.
My SO is 6'2" 190lbs and very lean. He eats whatever he wants and if I ate like him I'd look like my parents. His mother is tall and pretty thin (5'10" 150lbs) but his father was slightly over weight in his older years. I could see my SO's food choices catching up with him eventually. I think he just has a high metabolism and he is active at work. I think if he did a desk job he'd gain weight. My brothers however... they just have mad fast metabolisms.0 -
Just wanted to say that just because someone isn't gaining weight, doesn't mean they're healthy.
My fiance has similar eating habits (stressful job). He's thin, but he is by no means healthy.
Along these lines I would also point out a positive about gaining weight easily. It forces us to think about our health, sort of a warning. The thin people that eat junk and don't exercise are also in a high risk catagory but if you can't see a manifestation on the outside you really have no idea if what you are doing is harming you, especially if you are disconnected to your body. I am also one that gains weight really easy if I do not watch what I do. I see it as abetter way to keep me connected to my body through exercise and feeding it right. I really listen to what it needs now which is huge for me. Comparing ourselves to others is pointless, as we all have our own unique journies and challenges.0
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