Thoughts on people who eat so much yet stay skinny

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  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    Agreed. Before I turned 30 I was a skinny ectomorph, now I'm an endomorph. And the change in lifestyle? Over 30 I got a desk job, started driving instead of walking everywhere and was better paid so could afford to eat out more, buy lots of lovely food to eat at home and afford to buy more pints of beer.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    I would love to see the food journal and exercise trends of these people who can eat anything.

    You are not tracking their intake. I guarantee you they are either eating less calories "over time" than you think, or they are fidgety as hell and NEAT is through the roof, creating large expenditures.
  • FirefitMike
    FirefitMike Posts: 85 Member
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    I know two people who eat a lot and stay thin. They're both close to me, so I've seen firsthand for years how much they eat and how little they exercise. I used to envy them, but then I got to thinking about all the junk they put into their bodies and how lazy they are. That can't be good in the long run, health-wise.

    Skinny doesn't mean healthy anymore than "overweight" is necessarily unhealthy.

    Not in all cases, but generally speaking, an overweight or obese person going from overweight to average weight, will improve health markers. As a whole, most overweight people will have worse health markers. I wouldn't say in all cases, but as a general trend, obesity is not good for health.

    I remember an article on the world's "fittest fat man" that spoke to something on this. I'm not defending obesity, but some people get fooled into thinking since they are thin, they are healthy.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    You're right, everyone is the same and responds the same to everything.

    Nobody said that. But body type does not negate themodynamics.

    I never said that either, but "nonsense" to me means someone is totally discounting body type. No one matches exactly, but there is something to be said for natural build.

    Ok, then can you concisely say how build matters at all?
  • Smurfette1987
    Smurfette1987 Posts: 110 Member
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    Why nonsense? I know 2 definite ectomorphs, either that or they have a tapeworm. They find it very hard to gain muscle and they are string thin, but both of them can eat, and they do, but mostly dirt. If there are people with naturally faster metabolisms I wouldn't swap with them because by their own admittance they eat more bad foods because as far as weight is concerned, they can, but they are really unhealthy even if they aren't fat. My ex was a mesomorph, he had alot of muscle when he did NOTHING. My boyfriend now eats waaaay too much, and of the wrong thing, it's catching up with him though, just not as fast as it should. He easily eats 4000 calories at least a day, his activity level is zero, unless you count pressing buttons on the xbox and he's only gained 10lbs in the past year. If I did that I would be like a house. Again not jealous, when I drag him out on the tiniest walk with the dog he puffs like a steam train, pulls muscles when he stands up, that sort of thing. I hate it actually, because I'm just watching him go to an early grave.
  • WhatAgirl_
    WhatAgirl_ Posts: 151 Member
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    :mad: hate them. :sad:
  • Kaiukas
    Kaiukas Posts: 111 Member
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    Really slim people may eat a lot, but they rarely eat out of boredom or to stuff their emotions. They tend to have a very healthy relationship with food, even if the food they eat isn't always picture-perfect healthy.

    I am sure someone can now come up with an example of a slim emotional eater, but I maintain that it would be an exception rather than rule.
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
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    I know someone who eats McDonalds 3 times a week and the other days are filled with various other fastfood places. He also only drinks rootbeer. He's 6'4" and thin as a rail. Says he wears the same size now that he wore in college. I've known this person for 12 years now. My thought: Just because he's thin, doesn't mean he's healthy. Probably has a high metabolism.
  • karagetsfit
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    My husband is like that. He has 4% body fat. He's also an ectomorph. It's so hard for him to gain weight, even when he is trying and eating way over his TDEE. He has a very active job. But I know he is not healthy due to what he eats. He also doesn't have much muscle mass. So jealous? No.
  • Katbody10
    Katbody10 Posts: 369 Member
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    People who seem to eat what they want without gaining are either:
    1. Very, very active
    2. Not eating as much as you think

    okay .. I'm 46 .. and in Aug/Sept. - I gained weight! I've been one of those people that could eat anything and everything under the sun .. my daily calorie intake was between 2100-2500 on average (not counting days I sat and ate whole loaded pizzas with triple extra cheese, several glasses of wine or chowed down more than most men) .. and I hadn't exercised in nearly 8 years due to an unfortunate event that happened back then. I've always weighed between 105-110 lbs @ 5'4

    Why did I gain weight? I quit smoking! I only smoked maybe 5-7 cigarettes a day .. not really heavy. Never in my house. Never in my car. Never taking them with me as I'm out and about for dinner, movies, shopping or whatever errands.

    I quit smoking .. and in one month .. BANG .. gained 15 lbs .. and never changed my eating habits. I wasn't more hungry than usual .. I was more pissed and angry ... LOL didn't feel like eating .. and still gained! Yucko! My jeans didn't fit anymore and I can't afford to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe for 15 lbs! So .. hate me .. here I am.

    I joined weighing 121 lbs .. I'm 114 now .. I don't care to get down all the way to 105 .. I always considered that my lowest healthy weight (I have a very petite frame/bone structure) .. I'd like to see 110 before the holidays since I always gain about 5-7 lbs during that time.

    I'm exercising now .. walking .. water exercises and yoga .. low impact stuff since that's all I can do. I used to run marathons .. really miss running, but certain injuries have left me somewhat limited in how aggressively I can work out. I hope to incorporate some weight/strength training soon .. which means the scale gets thrown out anyway .. muscle weighs more .. and I just want to be healthy and remain the same size :flowerforyou:

    Actual weight is less important
  • rpm2012
    rpm2012 Posts: 13 Member
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    [/quote]
    "He's too lazy to do that :laugh: Last night before bed, he ate half a CLUB bag of doritos, a can of coke, and 4 mini chocolate bars.....but asked me first if it was okay to eat that sitting beside me lol"
    [/quote]


    That made me laugh haha too funny
  • bhelmreich
    bhelmreich Posts: 254 Member
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    Oh that'd be my boyfriend. He pretty much eats fast food and junk all day. He is in the USMC though and in training. He doesn't get why I eat healthy and do Insanity.
    We'll be old and he'll be unhealthy :/
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
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    You're right, everyone is the same and responds the same to everything.

    OMG, the irony. I can hardly stand it.
  • JennedyJLD
    JennedyJLD Posts: 123 Member
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    People who seem to eat what they want without gaining are either:
    1. Very, very active
    2. Not eating as much as you think

    Yes, this! I used to feel that way. Having gone from a size 14 to a size 6, my friends constantly make comments like: "But you eat pretty much what you want!" and "How can you eat ice cream almost every day and stay slim?" The difference is now I'm running 30-35 miles a week. They see me eating; but I run alone. Could be the people you envy are running their butts off when they're not having cookies. :-)
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,721 Member
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    High metabolism, high amount of lean body mass from exercise from youth, high amount of exercise, etc. etc.


    I'm lazy and I know it :p
  • ashleew1117
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    yes, i am very jealous of them, and i wonder why i wasn't blessed with those jeans cause then i would be able to eat healthy and not have to worry about it as much and i would actually be able to stay healthy.

    with the first post it's not always about being very active blah,blah.
    my friend doesn't eat healthy and isn't active and she is in a size 0.
  • kmbweber2014
    kmbweber2014 Posts: 680 Member
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    Oh these mythical creatures exist. They eat whatever they want and have insanely fast metabolisms. When I tried to eat 1/3 of what my ex ate, i still ended up gaining weight. My opinion.. they should all burn. Bitter? Slightly.

    This right here.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    Honestly not even joking my brother eats however much he wants whenever he wants and his diet consists of jack in the box, subway, chilli mac, thick peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pizza pockets, rock stars and beer and he literally has 8 percent body fat. He does have a physical job but that's it, he doesn't work out.... Plus he looked like that before he got that job.

    my dad is the same way he's 53 and has a six pack, doesn't work out and eats whatever.... He's a bartender and eats chicken wings all the time lol.

    wth..... Why didn't I get those jeans!

    Probably because they wear jeans for guys.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    I know two people who eat a lot and stay thin. They're both close to me, so I've seen firsthand for years how much they eat and how little they exercise. I used to envy them, but then I got to thinking about all the junk they put into their bodies and how lazy they are. That can't be good in the long run, health-wise.

    Skinny doesn't mean healthy anymore than "overweight" is necessarily unhealthy.

    Not in all cases, but generally speaking, an overweight or obese person going from overweight to average weight, will improve health markers. As a whole, most overweight people will have worse health markers. I wouldn't say in all cases, but as a general trend, obesity is not good for health.

    I remember an article on the world's "fittest fat man" that spoke to something on this. I'm not defending obesity, but some people get fooled into thinking since they are thin, they are healthy.

    That part I agee with. Thin=/= healthy. There are unhealthy thin people. But that same person, also being obese, would be even more unhealthy.
  • wrevhn
    wrevhn Posts: 864 Member
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    People who seem to eat what they want without gaining are either:
    1. Very, very active
    2. Not eating as much as you think

    Example for #1 - my dad eats tons. But he never sits down. He has a physical job, is constantly moving, working on projects until it's bedtime, etc. He can eat a lot because his TDEE is high.

    Example for #2 - A friend that packs away the food when we are out to dinner. But what I don't see is that she eats salad for lunch and yogurt for breakfast and very rarely snacks. She can eat what she wants in certain situations because she eats in moderation the rest of the time.


    I had a friend who seemed that way. Size zero, actually wanted to gain it and would eat cookie dough and milkshakes. But she did not have much money, so did not eat as much as one would have thought. Also younger ppl can have this sometimes. I've seen those that after they were out of growing years (teen years) and kept eating that way eventually gained a bunch.