Are they just lucky?

As some people have already stated, you don't know the exact eating or exercise habits of those you observe to be "naturally skinny".

No one is just lucky. There are other trends at work.

I know what MY exercise and eating habits were when I was in that category. Just sayin'.

Did you record intake and expenditure? I'm curious how much your TDEE changed if you have that data. It would make for interesting discussion since in most cases people have anecdote and not data.

Sorry to butt in. But I tracked my husbands intake and expenditure on MFP actually. He took in about 2500-3000 calories and does not work out. He's 5"6 and 120lbs. Just shows that it -is- possible for someone to just have a high metabolism. That being said, being thin doesn't necessarily make them healthy.

What does he do for a living and did you weigh his food?

I think you'll find those skinny people don't eat as much as you think they do and that they are very active. I get accused of eating all day long but my daily intake is actually about 1300 calories. There are very few people in the world who have a super metabolism. Most people are within 5% of each other whether fat or thin.

so so very true. Really think about it. I know a lot of thin people who eat junk, but they pick at it. A cookie here, a few chips there, etc... It always looks like they are eating crap, but they eat very little of it.

True. When I was 20 I would eat as much as I could and would only go for calorie dense food so I would not "waste the room in my stomach" on low calorie food. No matter how much I tried I would rarely intake above 1400 or so. Usually around 1100.

These people are usually very active, even if they're not specifically working out they no doubt move more in general, That, or they don't eat as much as you think. You can eat nothing but junk food and be under the amount of calories you need to maintain your weight, it's not the type of foods (when it comes to simple weight loss) but more the amount of energy/calories.

Ex 1: You have a friend, and go out for lunch once a week and all you see him/her eat is high calorie foods. They order big main meals, with calorie dense foods. They get dessert and eat a ton...... etc, while you're there ordering grilled chicken with salad and wondering how they find it so easy. What you may not know is this friend doesn't eat much beforehand, or just has a light meal / snack in the evening instead of a traditional dinner. Every other area of their life is in moderation, apart from these days out. You don't lose weight by eating low calorie foods for 1 meal a week, so it's very unlikely that you'll gain weight from 1 high calorie meals a week if the rest of your diet is in check.

Ex 2: Friend says "I eat what I want, when I want" or words that are similar. They may well do, but what they want may be a lot less than you. They may feel full / satisfied easier and be able to leave the plate without finishing it all. They may genuinely have a dislike for a lot of normal high calorie junk foods. Usually their total calorie intake is the same or less than is actually required to maintain their weight. Either that or they're lying to make themselves seem better.

Ex 3: Friend eats a ton, unhealthy, high calorie foods. You name it, they eat it! You may spend a lot of time with them, know that it's not just a treat every now and again. Yet you don't realise how much more active they are than you. They may have an active job, spend a lot of the time cleaning the house, or doing chores (I know someone who never sits still!) You don't have to visit the gym to burn calories, or do planned workouts just to lose weight, especially if you don't move much at the moment.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Some people genuinely have a fantastic metabolism or great genetics, while others have the short end of the stick and find it easy to gain weight, or have a crappy metabolism. Yet this number is so much lower than people think. I don't believe people get 150lbs overweight from a slow metabolism if they're eating sensibly. A bit overweight, I can understand but not excessively so. Get them to log their food accurately and consistently, as well as monitoring their exercise, then you'll know for sure. It could be a real eye-opener!

As some people have already stated, you don't know the exact eating or exercise habits of those you observe to be "naturally skinny".

No one is just lucky. There are other trends at work.

I know what MY exercise and eating habits were when I was in that category. Just sayin'.

Did you record intake and expenditure? I'm curious how much your TDEE changed if you have that data. It would make for interesting discussion since in most cases people have anecdote and not data.

Sorry to butt in. But I tracked my husbands intake and expenditure on MFP actually. He took in about 2500-3000 calories and does not work out. He's 5"6 and 120lbs. Just shows that it -is- possible for someone to just have a high metabolism. That being said, being thin doesn't necessarily make them healthy.

What does he do for a living and did you weigh his food?

Nothing that requires much physical labour. If any at all. And yes, I weighed his food. Since I was tracking for myself, everything I cook is weighed and portioned. His portions are always double, because that man can eat. Though, he goes through periods where he's not as hungry and eats less. Perhaps that could account for the fact that he doesn't seem to gain? Or maybe it'll just hit him in 5 years and he'll gain a whole bunch of weight. :P

The only person I personally know who does this has chronic fatigue syndrome and has to eat high calorie food just to stay up at a natural healthy weight. It's only been like this since her health condition kicked in. As she said, she would rather have a healthy life and struggle with her weight than the other way round :-(

But you are here and doing the work and because of that you'll get there!

Though, he goes through periods where he's not as hungry and eats less.

This is pretty normal, they eat a ton for a few days then they eat very little. If he eats 3000 for a few days then eats 1800 a few days it can certainly offset things quite fast.

How long did you do this for?

My BMR is incredibly low, 1114. I don't do cardio, like running or Zumba, but I still remain active. On an average non-lifting day, my TDEE is 2,200. I don't have a freak metabolism, I just lift and walk around. And I do have a desk job, so you'd think I'd have a lower TDEE but when I am not sitting at my desk, I am moving around.

My husband is one of those people, and trust me he EATS a lot. And junk. But he is skinny. He has a very active job, but he was the same even when he had a desk job. Some people have a higher metbolism. It makes it a little harder for me because he likes to have junk food around the house, He tries to get junk food that I don't like, but sometimes it is hard. He is very supportive of my efforts tho.

As some people have already stated, you don't know the exact eating or exercise habits of those you observe to be "naturally skinny".

No one is just lucky. There are other trends at work.

I know what MY exercise and eating habits were when I was in that category. Just sayin'.

Did you record intake and expenditure? I'm curious how much your TDEE changed if you have that data. It would make for interesting discussion since in most cases people have anecdote and not data.

No, But my previous post lists what I ate on a daily basis. It was a lot and I didn't exercise ever. The year I turned 29 I started gaining weight for no obious reason. I had the same job, the same daily activities and the same diet I'd had the year before. Suddenly, I was gaining when I never had that problem before and I had to modify my lifestyle in order to lose that weight.

When I think about what I ate back in the day vs. what I eat now, I should weigh 300 pounds. Restaurant meals more than once a week (always with dessert -- lunch was at least 2,000 calories alone); fast food -- and not the healthier, low-calorie options; and no exercise to speak of.

I'm a creature of habit and always got the same meals at restaurants so I can look back and tell you what my calorie intake was at the time. If I ate like that now, even with exercising nearly daily, I would be gaining weight left and right.

I just looked up my regular entree at TGI Friday, where I often went with people from work: Sizzling chicken and cheese for 1,100 calories and I cleaned my plate and had dessert every time. Then ate dinner. That's just one example.

So, you ate more calories a few times a week? What did you eat the rest of the time?

I love how when people assume a thin person eats a lot everyone jumps up to say, "You don't know what that person is really eating or how me he or she is exercising," but when someone who WAS one of those people tells you exactly what she was eating and how much she was exercising, everyone jumps up to tell that person she's wrong about her own lfe experience.

So, you can't know what someone does unless that person's experience goes against what you think is reality and then suddenly you know all about her habits.

The truth is, there ARE people who are just lucky. Not everyone, of course. But they exist. Metabolic rate is not static person to person. There are factors such as brown fat and hormones that affect how one metabolizes the energy consumed, so one person can eat 3,000 calories a day and maintain his or her weight and another person of the same age, height and gender can consume 3,000 calories a day and gain weight.

There was a study done a few years ago on twins measuring brown fat and its affect on weight gain that pretty much proves what I'm saying.

So, you ate more calories a few times a week? What did you eat the rest of the time?

The same. I ate out for lunch every day and then had dinner. I ate a lot. Believe me or don't believe me. I really don't care anymore.

Years of this.... and we found out he had a SUPER hyperactive thyroid (Graves Disease) which caused serious medical problems (weakness, mental issues, heart problems, body shaking).

I should dig up a source on this as I recall reading about it -- apparently hypothyroid is not nearly as pronounced as hyperthyroid. I still believe that these conditions are more often excuses vs when it's actually diagnosed (people often assume thyroid problem without being diagnosed) -- but those who legitimately have an overactive thyroid indeed need to eat crap-tons of calories.

Nothing that requires much physical labour. If any at all. And yes, I weighed his food. Since I was tracking for myself, everything I cook is weighed and portioned. His portions are always double, because that man can eat. Though, he goes through periods where he's not as hungry and eats less. Perhaps that could account for the fact that he doesn't seem to gain? Or maybe it'll just hit him in 5 years and he'll gain a whole bunch of weight. :P

Sounds like my husband. I don't weigh his food, but it doesn't take a scale to know that 2 chicken breasts smothered in cheese and 2-3 large helping of mashed potatoes is a lot more than my 1 chicken breast and steamed veggies.
My husband does twitch his legs all the time though. I would think habitual shaking your foot while eating would burn THAT much, but maybe it does. Maybe at need to start twitching more.

Collectively, non exercise activity thermogenesis is a very big contributor to total calories burned.

The only person I personally know who does this has chronic fatigue syndrome and has to eat high calorie food just to stay up at a natural healthy weight. It's only been like this since her health condition kicked in. As she said, she would rather have a healthy life and struggle with her weight than the other way round :-(

But you are here and doing the work and because of that you'll get there!

This is interesting to me because I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and apparently I missed this particular symptom :P For me it affects me the opposite, because when it's flaring up I can barely drag myself off the couch.

Same here. Was there a symptom list we could have picked from? I was down all day yesterday with muscle weakness and fatigue, hoping to kick into the curb today so I can get stuff done here with these kids!

Now that I am getting back to a weight that fits with higher activity levels I am also eating more - and both my planned exercise and NEAT are starting to ramp up.

So if you set with me at lunch today you'd think I was a monster eater - Burger King Chicken BBQ Large Menu (diet coke) AND a Whopper Burger (no bun) AND a protein bar -- all together close to a 1200 calories, for lunch. But, given my activity level for the day and week - this is fine - my dinner will be lighter and I'll likely log at 2000 or so net - which is still a deficit for me right now - maintenance is about 2200-2400 (without exercise). Don't judge by what you see, in terms of activity or NEAT a lot is hidden.