naturally thin people

I was actually thinking about posting something like this today. I work with 3 girls (they are 22, 23, & 26). The one who is 26 does exercise on e regular basis and eats pretty healthy. However, the 22 and 23 year old are so very skinny, eat whatever they want (i.e. donuts, bagels and cream cheese, cheese steaks and pizza, taco bell, and lots of alcohol) and they don't gain any weight. They don't exercise and sit pretty much all day long. I would say that they are naturally thin. When I was 23 I ate "whatever I wanted" but I had to exercise every single day for about an hour or two. Drives me nuts cause when they order pizza at work I want to eat some but I gain 5 pounds from just looking at it. While they have 3 slices each.

Naturally thin is a thing. This was an interesting program -- even though some of the people physically couldn't eat all of the required food. If you don't have time to watch all of it if you start at about 45 minutes you'll get the end results as well as a depressing closing about keeping weight off.

Why Are Thin People Not Fat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAQr77QMJiw

Unless there's a health issue or hormonal issue involved, those that believe people who are "naturally thin" will have to explain how these people stay lean while EXCEEDING their TDEE. It doesn't happen. They're thin for one reason, they burn off the calories they consume. Now whether it's due to exercise, N.E.A.T., drugs (yes there are people who use stimulants), or just a higher lean muscle/fat ratio would be the difference, but again observance of what you see them consuming (unless you're tallying every calorie they eat and knowing and counting calories they burn) is anecdotal. It's the same for people who think they have "slow metabolisms" (with the exception of hormonal or health issues as mentioned). People get fat by over consuming.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

When I married my husband he was 6' and weighed 138 lbs, Yes you read that right. That man was skinny. He had a metabolism as they say. Well actually he didn't, his family are all thin as well. Here is what I observed:

My mother-in-law made a pound of pasta for 5, and it was more than enough. My mother made a pound of pasta for 4 as a side dish and we ate it all.
My Sister-in-law walked in the house starving, ate 1/2 a sausage and she was full. Me I would have eaten 3 sausages.
My husband would be hungry, not find food he liked to eat and just wouldn't eat. When I am hungry, there is always something that I will eat.
My mother-in-law made a pan of Lasagna and each person ate one square. My house, a pan of Lasagna fed 3 people.
My husband's home, food was not the center of everything. Food was important, but not the center. My house, food was the center of all social gatherings.

My husband was a smoker at that time and he always had Acid Reflux. He found out his stomach produces too much acid, which is what I think contributed to what we thought was a high metabolism. Before he controled the acid he had a very high tolerance to medication, alcohol, etc. Basically if a drug was take every 6 hours, it completely wore off in 4 for him. He also quick smoking. Between both those things he gained about 50 lbs. He also go older and less active.

So based on what I saw, thinner people naturally eat less food, even if it is high calorie. My MIL cooked steak in oil, husband ate 1/2. I cooked same steak, no added oil, he ate the whole steak. My husband does not ENJOY food the same way I do. He likes food, but he could live without it, he eats to live. I eat sometimes cause well its Pizza.

Thin people eat when they are hungry and stop eating when full, they also don't do comfort eating. When stressed they don't eat. It is the opposite for someone like me, I comfort eat, I eat when stressed, I eat when bored, etc. Not true for thin people.

FYI, my daughter is also thin. I have seen her eat 1200 calories in one sitting at age 5 and the next day eat only 120 calories for the day.

I've always been slender so I suppose I fit the description for "naturally thin." Looking at my own personal experience, I can pretty easily point to genetics and learned behavior toward food from my folks. My mom was quite a bit smaller than I am now at 5'6'' and 107lbs up until she had kids. Like her, I will lose a whole lot of weight in a very short time if I drop the slightest bit below the necessary calories to live. So that bit I'd say is definitely genetic! However, that's paired with having grown up with a healthy approach toward food. I spent a chunk of my time growing up overseas where food is something to certainly enjoy, but in moderation and as a luxury, not an emotional crutch. My folks never used food as a reward either so I grew up looking to engage in active experiences such as going to a sports event or spending time with friends instead of turning to food.

Just me $0.02 from my own experience :flowerforyou:

As mentioned, basically all "naturally thin" people are just not overeating calories vs what they burn.

Right. But some people naturally burn more than others.

Which most of those naturally thin people move a lot more than we think or eat less than you think. It's very common to under estimate your own calories and over estimate someone else.. it's part of human nature. If you saw my brother in law, you would think he is naturally skinny because he eats mcdonalds and cheesesteaks and drinks, but the fact is, he rarely eats breakfast, and when he does eat, it's generally a half of plate. Additionally, he walks a lot.

Again, I WAS one of those people and I live with one of those people. I know how much I moved and how much he moved.

so you tracked your calories as well as theirs?

BTW, i was naturally thin until junior year of college.. And if it makes you feel better, my wife thinks I have a tapeworm because she swears I can devourer anything. And while i do eat a lot, its the type of foods I am eating that don't add to high calories.


ps - during high school and most of college, it wasn't unusual for me to eat 3 big macs in one sitting.

I know what the calories were in the foods I used to eat, so I have a pretty good idea of how much I was eating. It wasn't unusual for me to polish off a small pizza and an order of wings on my own in one sitting. That's about triple the calories I eat now. I wore a size 6.

If you look in my photos here, there is a picture of me in a red ball gown. That is how I ate at the time I wore that dress. I also did not exercise near as much as I do now, nor did I move more in general.

I have a very good idea of how many calories are in the fast food and ice cream my fiance scarfs down every day, as well.

With all due respect, without something like a fitbit tracker and actual logging of food, it's impossible to say with certainty that you (in the past) and your fiance (now) were/are defying the laws of physics. Also, maybe fiance has an overactive thyroid?

I'm not saying that. I'm saying that my metabolism at the time allowed me to burn massive amounts of calories with little effort. It has since changed.

Of course you will gain/not lose if you eat more than you burn or the same amount that you burn. I'm saying I was burning a lot of calories without trying, thus it was pretty much impossible at that time to out-eat my metabolism.

My fiance looks just like his mother, who is also tiny. She actually has hypothyroid. His daughter is 5'6" and weighs 90 pounds.

BMR doesn't change all that much with aging. I mean, it doesn't like half itself (barring huge weight loss).

I think memory can be faulty. I didn't have to watch my weight until I hit 30 but that's probably because I was active, I was on my feet all day working and while I ate pizza and burgers and all, I probably only ate once a day on average. And I didn't drink calories.

I would argue that most of us are born 'naturally thin'. The books on the subject of intuitive eating often point to toddlers as the perfect examples of listening to your body. Their intake will vary a LOT, they will eat mostly anything, they will leave sweets untouched if they're full. It's by us learning to ignore those natural hunger/fullness signs and associate eating instead with everything from celebrations to comfort to stress relief to boredom, and the abundance of super-caloric foods that get in our way.

I had a boyfriend in college that was 6' and weighed 145lbs. He was constantly eating high calories and drinking protein shakes to gain weight. HOWEVER... he also boxed, ran and played tennis! I was always complaining that he never gained and I was always dieting, if anyone asked me I would have said that he is just naturally thin. Please know that at the time I did NOT box, run or play tennis, or do any real exercise except walking everywhere. Since then I have had to reassess my interpretation of "naturally thin" people with the knowledge I now have, and would agree that those we assume are naturally thin are naturally calorie restricting and/or exercising many of their calories away.

I have disagree with just about everyone that said that "its just because they dont eat as much". Genetics plays the BIGGEST part in it.

My mother-in-law is 49 yrs old (way past the point when her metabolism should have slowed down), does not exercise at all, and eats between 2000 and 2500 cals a day. She should be putting on weight, correct? In a 2 week time span she lost 2 lbs, going from 98 to 96 lbs. She is 5'0".

My husband is the same way. He is 5'9" and he has never been over 155lb, and the only reason he go up to that, was because he was in Marine Corps boot camp and he was a "Double Rat" meaning he got double rations everytime the ate. He is currently under 135lbs.

Our son, is only 2 and is in the less than 3 percentile, meaning he is smaller than 97% of all kids his age. We are currently struggling to put weight on him, and short of hidding fishing weights in his diaper, I dont know what else to do.

So, any suggestions or insight into how 3 generations could have such low weight and BMI and it NOT be genetic, I would love to hear them.

People have always considered me naturally thin. In reality, I tend to eat around my TDEE, which balances things out and keeps me from gaining weight. However, if I eat more for an extended period, I definitely gain weight. When I go out with people, I tend to eat a lot more because the food is fresh, good, and I'm paying for it. So then people THINK that I have a super high metabolism.

There are some people with killer metabolisms. But for the most part, thin people are thin not because of genetics, but because it's natural to them to eat an appropriate amount of food to stay at that weight.

I have disagree with just about everyone that said that "its just because they dont eat as much". Genetics plays the BIGGEST part in it.

My mother-in-law is 49 yrs old (way past the point when her metabolism should have slowed down), does not exercise at all, and eats between 2000 and 2500 cals a day. She should be putting on weight, correct? In a 2 week time span she lost 2 lbs, going from 98 to 96 lbs. She is 5'0".

My husband is the same way. He is 5'9" and he has never been over 155lb, and the only reason he go up to that, was because he was in Marine Corps boot camp and he was a "Double Rat" meaning he got double rations everytime the ate. He is currently under 135lbs.

Our son, is only 2 and is in the less than 3 percentile, meaning he is smaller than 97% of all kids his age. We are currently struggling to put weight on him, and short of hidding fishing weights in his diaper, I dont know what else to do.

So, any suggestions or insight into how 3 generations could have such low weight and BMI and it NOT be genetic, I would love to hear them.

1) How do you know how many calories she eats?

2) She may eat a lot at certain times and days, but have long stretches when she does not snack or eat as much as you (and she) thinks.

3) Is she active in other non-exercise ways?

And she probably also does have a slightly higher BMR in addition to those other factors. Or other people have a lower BMR due to other long term lifestyle factors.

I have disagree with just about everyone that said that "its just because they dont eat as much". Genetics plays the BIGGEST part in it.

My mother-in-law is 49 yrs old (way past the point when her metabolism should have slowed down), does not exercise at all, and eats between 2000 and 2500 cals a day. She should be putting on weight, correct? In a 2 week time span she lost 2 lbs, going from 98 to 96 lbs. She is 5'0".

My husband is the same way. He is 5'9" and he has never been over 155lb, and the only reason he go up to that, was because he was in Marine Corps boot camp and he was a "Double Rat" meaning he got double rations everytime the ate. He is currently under 135lbs.

Our son, is only 2 and is in the less than 3 percentile, meaning he is smaller than 97% of all kids his age. We are currently struggling to put weight on him, and short of hidding fishing weights in his diaper, I dont know what else to do.

So, any suggestions or insight into how 3 generations could have such low weight and BMI and it NOT be genetic, I would love to hear them.

1) How do you know how many calories she eats?

2) She may eat a lot at certain times and days, but have long stretches when she does not snack or eat as much as you think.

3) Is she active in other non-exercise ways?

And she probably also does have a slightly higher BMR in addition to those other factors. Or other people have a lower BMR due to other long term lifestyle factors.

^This. I know it's hard for people to accept that it's really lifestyle and eating habits. Once you accept that, then you have no underlying excuse to blame for your weight issues.

I felt the same way for many, many years. My step-mom and dad and step-siblings are all thin. None of them have ever struggled with their weight. It frustrated me to no end, because I seemed to gain so easily. It turns out, these are their reasons:

1. While they may have eaten a lot in front of me, they didn't eat much else. My step-mom doesn't eat lunch, so if she eats a big dinner it's no big deal. She's not consuming extra calories.

2. They never sit still. They are constantly working on their home, mowing their yard, cleaning, swimming in their pool, going for bike rides, taking walks, running errands, etc. And they have physical jobs. They get up at 5am and hit the door running and don't sit down till maybe 8pm for 30-45 minutes of tv time before bed.

Contrast that with my old habits of sitting on the couch a lot, eating a lot, and not spending much time on my house or doing exercise and it's easy to see why I was fat and they weren't.

When you have family members that don't have weight issues, it's easy to look at the times you do spend with them and get resentful of the *appearance* of things. But you need to remember that appearances are deceiving and you probably don't have the big picture.

I have disagree with just about everyone that said that "its just because they dont eat as much". Genetics plays the BIGGEST part in it.

My mother-in-law is 49 yrs old (way past the point when her metabolism should have slowed down), does not exercise at all, and eats between 2000 and 2500 cals a day. She should be putting on weight, correct? In a 2 week time span she lost 2 lbs, going from 98 to 96 lbs. She is 5'0".

My husband is the same way. He is 5'9" and he has never been over 155lb, and the only reason he go up to that, was because he was in Marine Corps boot camp and he was a "Double Rat" meaning he got double rations everytime the ate. He is currently under 135lbs.

Our son, is only 2 and is in the less than 3 percentile, meaning he is smaller than 97% of all kids his age. We are currently struggling to put weight on him, and short of hidding fishing weights in his diaper, I dont know what else to do.

So, any suggestions or insight into how 3 generations could have such low weight and BMI and it NOT be genetic, I would love to hear them.

1) How do you know how many calories she eats?

2) She may eat a lot at certain times and days, but have long stretches when she does not snack or eat as much as you (and she) thinks.

3) Is she active in other non-exercise ways?

And she probably also does have a slightly higher BMR in addition to those other factors. Or other people have a lower BMR due to other long term lifestyle factors.

1) I asked her one day (since she lives with us) and she said she didnt know for sure. So we added up a typical days worth for food for her and it was aroud 2200.

2) I cant say exactly what time of the day she eats, but being as she lives with us and eats out of my fridge and pantry, I can tell you she does not miss any meals.

3) Although she doesnt sit at a computer all day like some, she works in logisitcs preping shipments with styrefoam. That is the extent for her daily exercise. While at home, she sits and watches tv. Oh, and smokes.

my son is thin. constantly trying to put on weight. he is ALWAYS eating. and basically sits around all day. I don't consider it naturally thin but he has a very high metabolism so his body burns the calories fast.

I am always telling him someday his metabolism will slow down and with all he eats he is going to gain weight...lol

As mentioned, basically all "naturally thin" people are just not overeating calories vs what they burn.

Right. But some people naturally burn more than others.

While not untrue, one still has to consume more than they burn to gain weight. I've never met/known/heard of a thin person that trumps the law of thermodynamics.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I just had this same argument with a relatively newly certified trainer... he insisted there are "naturally thin" people. We argued and argued...