Why aren't I fat?

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misspenny762
misspenny762 Posts: 279 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This is a serious question and something I've wondered my entire life.
First of all, before I ever started MFP my diet was atrocious. Tons of junk food and carbs all day long without really stopping or thinking about what I ate at all. Plus my family dines out a LOT, and when we do I usually get something extremely high in calorie, like pasta or fried food, and very, very seldom do I exercise.
Second of all, as some of you know for several months now I've been struggling with binge-eating disorder. I consume MASS quantities of terrible food almost on a daily basis, well into the multiple thousands, and continue to barely work out.

However, despite all this I have never really been overweight. (I may now be just barely be into the overweight zone on the BMI scale, but honestly I'm too terrified to check the scale to know - I might still be in the healthy range.)

This sounds great and I guess it is but it's also kind of making me insane. People don't believe me when I say I have BED because "people who binge are overweight". Plus I use my seeming inability to gain too much weight as an excuse to keep binging, and I'm perpetuating this vicious cycle.

Anyone have any idea what's going on? I can't imagine that my metabolism is really that fast... Something here is odd to me.
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Replies

  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    You are still young and I'm guessing you still have a good metabolism. I would also guess if you continued this life style, it would have caught up with you. Good luck and I hope you can find the answers you're looking for.
  • TabiHerbalifeCoach
    TabiHerbalifeCoach Posts: 691 Member
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    How old are you? you look fairly young your metabolism is a lot faster the younger you are.
  • BflSaberfan
    BflSaberfan Posts: 1,272
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    My first thought is that it is because you are only 20. Do you have kids?

    Expect all this to change by your mid to late 20's. I was the same way as you and quickly ended up being 80lbs overweight after always being slightly underweight, I had HORRIBLE eating habits and they caught up to me once my body starting slowing down.
  • wiggleroom
    wiggleroom Posts: 322 Member
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    I think your focus needs to shift to whether or not you're healthy. Even if your body isn't large, you're not giving it the nutrition that it needs by eating junk and then purging.

    Very thin people can be very unhealthy, and can have clogged arteries -- the comedian Dana Carvey had to have a quadruple bypass several years ago -- not an ounce of fat on him!

    I am so sorry for your struggle. Please remember that the harmful effects don't have to be outwardly visible to be very real and very dangerous. I'll be praying for you. <3
  • samantharae121205
    samantharae121205 Posts: 185
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    you sound exactly like my bf!!. he is 27 nd cant gain or lose and he eats well over 5000 cals a day with barely any exercise at all. lol. im soo jelous of you two. i would lovee to know whats going on tho.
  • AmandaArnwine
    AmandaArnwine Posts: 56
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    BECAUSE your 20 !!.. probably No kids... I was the same way til I was 30.. 30 is when your metabolism starts to slow.. 40, it's crawling.. and 50 it's at a stand still....Start building muscle now, so you don't get that problem when you are older
  • Jessica_Lo
    Jessica_Lo Posts: 199 Member
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    Yeah it's your age. Enjoy it...embrace it. I was always super skinny...super. Could not gain weight for the life of me and then I had my son. I know people say this and your not grasping it (cause I did at your age) but believe me when I tell you, you will. So that and my age and not understanding nutrition and exercise because I never had to caught up with me. The good thing is you are learning about this now so you can stay ahead of the curve.
  • misspenny762
    misspenny762 Posts: 279 Member
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    Don't be jealous of me, honestly. I wouldn't wish what I have on ANYONE.

    Yikes, all these posts are scary and a little foreboding... But I'm not complaining, I need a little reality check to hopefully shock me into stopping this behavior. Please God, let it work this time...
  • DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo
    DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo Posts: 296
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    Oh Grasshopper....

    there are MANY UNDERWEIGHT diabetics.... SKINNY folks have heart attacks..... thin people have renal failure.....
  • louiseei
    louiseei Posts: 254 Member
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    It's your age, when I was in my late teens I was often known to eat 4 jam donuts for lunch (they were 4 for £1 that was my excuse) I was a UK size 6 and was skinny as a rake, never got hangovers and could stay up until 3 in the morning and be fine at school/uni the next day.
    It catches up with you though, and the weight gradually creeps on, though I must say I feel much healthier now, I can certainly run further without getting out of breath and my skin's better.
    Fuel your body properly and it will thank you for it!
  • gameovergt
    gameovergt Posts: 502
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    your age/metabolism
  • dailyorange
    dailyorange Posts: 128
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    Like the other posters commented, it's most likely due to your age and metabolism. I'm 23 now, but when I was 18-21 (basically my college years), I hardly worked out too and ate out a lot, plus drank on the weekends. I never really gained any weight, maybe the most 5 lbs. However, the pounds creep up and as you get older! It's good to start taking care of yourself early on =)
  • paigemang♥
    paigemang♥ Posts: 102
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    Your 20 years old, when I was 20 I ate EVERYTHING and ANYTHING and was never fat. You may have high cholesterol from all the junk etc. Its not really about being fat its about being HEALTHY. Instead of binge eating maybe go for a walk or a run etc. Food is just like anything else, its an escape...I used to smoke and drink heavily but I never had liver failure or lung cancer...same thing. Take care of your body :happy:
  • kj891
    kj891 Posts: 2 Member
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    I knew so many girls who were itty bitty in high school and they never had smart eating habits. However, just a little over ten years later, it has already caught up to some of them, especially after having children.

    You need to talk with someone, professional or not. There might be things that you don't even realize are bothering you. This type of behavior is not healthy for your mind or body.

    Besides the long term effects on your health, another main concern here is that if you continue this lifestyle and you do actually start gaining weight, you might resort to purging after the binging. Eating disorders are a deadly and serious condition. Just because you may not "appear" to have one, does not mean that it is not dangerous.

    Good luck and I hope you can get a grip on what is going on.
  • katnotfat
    katnotfat Posts: 59 Member
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    Hey there,
    I think it would be a good idea to go to the doctor to talk to them about your concerns and eating habits. I think it could possibly do you some good. I understand that it can be scary facing any of these problems but you need to take care of yourself. Who knows why everyone's bodys are the way they are, but BED is more than just physical, it's mental as well.
    I wish you luck! I hope that you find out how to be healthy and happy.
  • MalTru
    MalTru Posts: 37
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    Well, first off, I of course recommend going to see a doctor. Maybe you really do have a fast metabolism, maybe there's some other reason. I'm not at all a medical person, I won't even begin to hypothesize on that.

    I think, though, regarding your BED that you should remind yourself of this the next time you're getting ready to binge: skinny people die of heart attacks too! Now, that sounds harsh and I certainly don't mean you're going to, but what that statement means to me is that even if you look healthy on the outside, you could still have high cholesterol, etc. Eating junky food does have a toll, even if it's not on a scale. Back when I was a healthy weight, I still wasn't healthy, b/c I would skip meals, eat chips and a lollipop for lunch, eat fast food all the time, and never paid attention to sodium levels, fat content, calories, etc.

    I didn't make sure I was getting enough protein, iron, potassium, etc. I didn't even attempt to make sure I was giving my body the right fuel to work efficiently, build muscle, etc. And I was even an athlete back then! Then, once I stopped playing sports but didn't change my eating habits, all the crap caught up to me and I ballooned up, something I'm finally addressing (10 years later!).

    So, I think being on MFP is a great thing for you, since the boards and full of people giving advice about eating healthy and living healthy, versus just getting skinny. And I do think if you're concerned about your weight in relation to your eating habits, you really should go see a doctor.
  • misspenny762
    misspenny762 Posts: 279 Member
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    Yeah I'm currently looking at ED treatment centers but I'm worried... They're going to tell me to stop counting calories etc. And basically aren't going to care about how thin I am as long as I'm healthy, but I want to be BOTH... And I'm worried that it's going to perpetuate the cycle. Ugh.
  • fuzzymel
    fuzzymel Posts: 400 Member
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    Oh Grasshopper....

    there are MANY UNDERWEIGHT diabetics.... SKINNY folks have heart attacks..... thin people have renal failure.....

    So true.

    I think society sees thin as healthy but its just not that simple.

    You can be overweight and healthy (though obviously not too overweight).

    In my opinion health is far more important than weight.
  • Newmammaluv
    Newmammaluv Posts: 379 Member
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    I think saying that she is thin because she is young is misleading... I know PLENTY of young people who eat the way she described and are obese. I think there might be something more to it than her age... have your thyroid checked. I know not many people would consider your issue a "problem" but with time it may become one. I'm sorry for your struggles and I hope you find some peace with your own body with time.
  • cardswimmom
    cardswimmom Posts: 71
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    I think your focus needs to shift to whether or not you're healthy. Even if your body isn't large, you're not giving it the nutrition that it needs by eating junk and then purging.

    Very thin people can be very unhealthy, and can have clogged arteries -- the comedian Dana Carvey had to have a quadruple bypass several years ago -- not an ounce of fat on him!

    I am so sorry for your struggle. Please remember that the harmful effects don't have to be outwardly visible to be very real and very dangerous. I'll be praying for you. <3

    Exactly what I was going to say.

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