How can some people eat so much junk and gain no weight?
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CattOfTheGarage wrote: »RollTideTri wrote: »Yes all calories are burned by some kind of heat generation, but you don't believe people can burn variable amounts of calories given identical activity levels? People can't just have bodies that burn more calories than average? There are lots of processes that burn calories in the body that don't involve movement. Some people will burn more calories than you while sitting perfectly still or sleeping, some less.
Yes, that can happen, but only by generating excess heat. The energy must go somewhere...
I'm an engineer. This is very much my area of expertise. Energy in equals energy out in ANY system. It is not a matter of opinion, and in the human body there is limited variation in energy out unless there'sa big difference in activity level. Imo, those rare cases where someone genuinely eats hugely with little activity and fails to gain weight are more likely a digestive problem reducing the amount of energy going in.
What are your ideas about gut bacteria?0 -
gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
When I was in college - Almost 6' 1", 145 lbs., no exercise other than walking to class, ate like a horse, and could not put on a pound. I even bought a product called "Weight On." It didn't work.
When I hit my late 20's, I ate less, but started gaining weight.
There is only one answer - metabolism. With a super-fast metabolism, calories out seems to have no limit. At least that's how it worked for me.
That is like my brother. He is 6'3 and weighed 145 pounds at 18 years old. He ate constantly it seemed, and he had no visible fat. I'm fairly sure metabolism comes into play.0 -
sky_northern wrote: »For those bringing up teenagers, I think teenagers and other children are a whole different ball game, growing uses energy.
And they have faster metabolisms. Mine slowed down over time, unfortunately.0 -
CattOfTheGarage wrote: »You're all talking about "fast metabolism" and "fidgeting" or "being active" as if they were different things. A fast metabolism manifests itself through fidgeting and spontaneous activity (also generating excess heat). It's not some magic thing that makes the calories disappear. They get burned the same way you burn yours.
The one way the calories CAN disappear, and it's worth mentioning, is through digestive problems. If your gut is not functioning properly, you might not be able to absorb all the energy from your food, and calories are then literally going down the toilet.
I personally wouldn't wish for that. Nor would I wish to be unable to put on fat, or to lose my passion for food. We all have our own challenges. I'll stick with mine.
This is my husband. Because his IBS is so severe, he was diagnosed with wasting syndrome. He eats, but he's not really processing much. He - at one point - got down to 110lbs, partially because he didn't want to eat from the pain. Medical marijuana has helped tremendously to slow his body down and allow him to hold onto food longer, plus he gets hungrier.4 -
kshama2001 wrote: »My 78 year old mom always hovers around Underweight and even used a tub of weight gainer. When I eat with her, she eats large meals. However:
1. She is extremely active. This time of year she often puts in an 8 hour day in her garden, and also walks, and goes to the gym for strength training with a trainer. She was Client of the Month this month
2. She eats irregularly. She often has breakfast after noon.
3. Her large meals have a lot of high volume, low calorie foods.
She does intermittent fasting.
Does your mom eat low calorie foods on purpose to stay thin?0 -
I'm not trying to be mean or anything but since we can all agree that metabolisms vary based on a multitude of factors, what exactly is the discussion here at this point?
With medication, changes in diet, or other methods, certain medical conditions can be dealt with to an extent. Teens are not even factors in this in my opinion as they are growing. As mentioned previously, 96% of people have varying metabolisms of +/-300 calories which is a snack, honestly. Some people fidget, some people don't. Some people workout, some people don't. Some people have higher body temperatures, other people don't. Half of these things are things we cannot change, so I would think that the ultimate take away from this should be that we should focus on ourselves, no?
If I don't remain active, I'm projected to maintain on 1200 to 1400 calories. I very much enjoy eating and I'm fortunate to have my health, so I move more. Because I move more, I can eat 2500 calories and not gain. All it takes for me is movement. I'm willing to bet for most people, this is all it would take. You can't sit on the couch and get upset that someone else sitting on the couch can eat more than you. You can't workout for 30 minutes or even an hour per day and get upset that someone sitting on the couch can eat more than you. All you can do is do the best you can for yourself because your own body is all you have to work with.
Some of the points in here are valid, but others like implying most of us are ignoring the OP because he's overweight and must be wrong or, written by the same person, that she ate ZERO calories for TWO weeks and didn't lose weight are complete nonsense. I would never, ever disregard someone's opinion due to their weight. It's callous and inane. I was overweight myself, many people here were/are; why in the hell would we treat someone like that? I swear discussions like this, while thought provoking, get muddled by certain individuals who have zero grasp on reality. Nobody is perfect, but if actual discussions are to be had, let's stick to what facts we do know instead of acting like statistical outliers are actually the norm. It defeats the purpose of topics like this.7 -
CattOfTheGarage wrote: »RollTideTri wrote: »Yes all calories are burned by some kind of heat generation, but you don't believe people can burn variable amounts of calories given identical activity levels? People can't just have bodies that burn more calories than average? There are lots of processes that burn calories in the body that don't involve movement. Some people will burn more calories than you while sitting perfectly still or sleeping, some less.
Yes, that can happen, but only by generating excess heat. The energy must go somewhere...
I'm an engineer. This is very much my area of expertise. Energy in equals energy out in ANY system. It is not a matter of opinion, and in the human body there is limited variation in energy out unless there'sa big difference in activity level. Imo, those rare cases where someone genuinely eats hugely with little activity and fails to gain weight are more likely a digestive problem reducing the amount of energy going in.
What are your ideas about gut bacteria?
What no lipogenesis? There are a lot of normal anabolic reactions in the body that are endergonic and not heat generating.0 -
I'm not trying to be mean or anything but since we can all agree that metabolisms vary based on a multitude of factors, what exactly is the discussion here at this point?
... Some people fidget, some people don't. Some people workout, some people don't. Some people have higher body temperatures, other people don't. Half of these things are things we cannot change, so I would think that the ultimate take away from this should be that we should focus on ourselves, no?
...You can't sit on the couch and get upset that someone else sitting on the couch can eat more than you. You can't workout for 30 minutes or even an hour per day and get upset that someone sitting on the couch can eat more than you. All you can do is do the best you can for yourself because your own body is all you have to work with.
...I would never, ever disregard someone's opinion due to their weight. It's callous and inane. I was overweight myself, many people here were/are; why in the hell would we treat someone like that? I swear discussions like this, while thought provoking, get muddled by certain individuals who have zero grasp on reality. Nobody is perfect, but if actual discussions are to be had, let's stick to what facts we do know instead of acting like statistical outliers are actually the norm. It defeats the purpose of topics like this.
Why are there always people in the MFP Community who like to squelch conversations just because they don't like what others converse about? I think that OP wrote a very thought provoking question that has generated interest.
We know that people have varying ages, metabolisms, health, and activity levels that impact CICO. Be happy and enjoy your health, youth, and whatever else you have going for you. If anyone compliments your physique do them a favor, perhaps, and nicely tell them that you burn off lots of calories with extra workouts so that you can eat more. I am enjoying reading about this topic.3 -
EvgeniZyntx wrote: »CattOfTheGarage wrote: »RollTideTri wrote: »Yes all calories are burned by some kind of heat generation, but you don't believe people can burn variable amounts of calories given identical activity levels? People can't just have bodies that burn more calories than average? There are lots of processes that burn calories in the body that don't involve movement. Some people will burn more calories than you while sitting perfectly still or sleeping, some less.
Yes, that can happen, but only by generating excess heat. The energy must go somewhere...
I'm an engineer. This is very much my area of expertise. Energy in equals energy out in ANY system. It is not a matter of opinion, and in the human body there is limited variation in energy out unless there'sa big difference in activity level. Imo, those rare cases where someone genuinely eats hugely with little activity and fails to gain weight are more likely a digestive problem reducing the amount of energy going in.
What are your ideas about gut bacteria?
What no lipogenesis? There are a lot of normal anabolic reactions in the body that are endergonic and not heat generating.
I would love to research about them more.0 -
dave_in_ni wrote: »How exactly does this work? I have lost quite a lot of weight in this past 6 months, over 3 stone. But even when at my fattest I never ate as much as 1 little skinny guy I work with.
I am eating 1500 cals per day at the moment, this is one meal I count over 1000 cals roughly in 1 meal. For lunch he a burger and several bars of chocolate, chips/crips washed down with a bottle of coke, and this is every day. I'm sure the guy easily eats double what I do. French fries and burgers are a daily thing for him. Even at my fattest I never ate anywhere near that amount.
How exactly can he do this? He's not active at all, never does any exercise either.
My wife is about half my weight and eats about twice as much but doesn't put any weight on. Can be quite frustrating at times!
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RunRutheeRun wrote: »ObsidianMist wrote: »huntersmom2016 wrote: »huntersmom2016 wrote: »Some people are just built that way. I have a nephew that tried so hard to get into the Marines but they kept rejecting him bc he didn't weigh enough. He would eat and eat to gain weight. Eventually he made the weight requirement... Barely
To add to my previous post... My nephew was born prematurely and very small. Probably affected him in some way that makes it hard to gain weight
I wonder if this is a factor. I wasn't a preemie, but I was small, just over 5 pounds at birth, and so I've always been small.
This is interesting! my sister was born premature and she is stick thin (she doesn't exercise at all and eats loads all the time - yeah totally annoying when I have to watch everything that goes in my mouth).... perhaps its just coincidence but for any science buffs out there it would be nice to hear your opinions.
I don't think it does actually. I was very small at birth as was my son...I battled my weight for 20 years...including some of my teenage years.
My son...he's huge...over 6 ft 2...currently at 195 and fit but that is just over the past year...he got up to about 240 or 250...same with my youngest brother...small at birth...about 250 atm...1 -
I'm not trying to be mean or anything but since we can all agree that metabolisms vary based on a multitude of factors, what exactly is the discussion here at this point?
... Some people fidget, some people don't. Some people workout, some people don't. Some people have higher body temperatures, other people don't. Half of these things are things we cannot change, so I would think that the ultimate take away from this should be that we should focus on ourselves, no?
...You can't sit on the couch and get upset that someone else sitting on the couch can eat more than you. You can't workout for 30 minutes or even an hour per day and get upset that someone sitting on the couch can eat more than you. All you can do is do the best you can for yourself because your own body is all you have to work with.
...I would never, ever disregard someone's opinion due to their weight. It's callous and inane. I was overweight myself, many people here were/are; why in the hell would we treat someone like that? I swear discussions like this, while thought provoking, get muddled by certain individuals who have zero grasp on reality. Nobody is perfect, but if actual discussions are to be had, let's stick to what facts we do know instead of acting like statistical outliers are actually the norm. It defeats the purpose of topics like this.
Why are there always people in the MFP Community who like to squelch conversations just because they don't like what others converse about? I think that OP wrote a very thought provoking question that has generated interest.
We know that people have varying ages, metabolisms, health, and activity levels that impact CICO. Be happy and enjoy your health, youth, and whatever else you have going for you. If anyone compliments your physique do them a favor, perhaps, and nicely tell them that you burn off lots of calories with extra workouts so that you can eat more. I am enjoying reading about this topic.
I don't see where the conversation is being squelched more realigned to where it started...
did you miss where this person said
"I swear discussions like this, while thought provoking, get muddled by certain individuals who have zero grasp on reality. Nobody is perfect, but if actual discussions are to be had, let's stick to what facts we do know instead of acting like statistical outliers are actually the norm. It defeats the purpose of topics like this"2 -
dave_in_ni wrote: »How exactly does this work? I have lost quite a lot of weight in this past 6 months, over 3 stone. But even when at my fattest I never ate as much as 1 little skinny guy I work with.
I am eating 1500 cals per day at the moment, this is one meal I count over 1000 cals roughly in 1 meal. For lunch he a burger and several bars of chocolate, chips/crips washed down with a bottle of coke, and this is every day. I'm sure the guy easily eats double what I do. French fries and burgers are a daily thing for him. Even at my fattest I never ate anywhere near that amount.
How exactly can he do this? He's not active at all, never does any exercise either.
My wife is about half my weight and eats about twice as much but doesn't put any weight on. Can be quite frustrating at times!
and probably moves 2 or 3x more than you do....2 -
I'm not trying to be mean or anything but since we can all agree that metabolisms vary based on a multitude of factors, what exactly is the discussion here at this point?
... Some people fidget, some people don't. Some people workout, some people don't. Some people have higher body temperatures, other people don't. Half of these things are things we cannot change, so I would think that the ultimate take away from this should be that we should focus on ourselves, no?
...You can't sit on the couch and get upset that someone else sitting on the couch can eat more than you. You can't workout for 30 minutes or even an hour per day and get upset that someone sitting on the couch can eat more than you. All you can do is do the best you can for yourself because your own body is all you have to work with.
...I would never, ever disregard someone's opinion due to their weight. It's callous and inane. I was overweight myself, many people here were/are; why in the hell would we treat someone like that? I swear discussions like this, while thought provoking, get muddled by certain individuals who have zero grasp on reality. Nobody is perfect, but if actual discussions are to be had, let's stick to what facts we do know instead of acting like statistical outliers are actually the norm. It defeats the purpose of topics like this.
Why are there always people in the MFP Community who like to squelch conversations just because they don't like what others converse about? I think that OP wrote a very thought provoking question that has generated interest.
We know that people have varying ages, metabolisms, health, and activity levels that impact CICO. Be happy and enjoy your health, youth, and whatever else you have going for you. If anyone compliments your physique do them a favor, perhaps, and nicely tell them that you burn off lots of calories with extra workouts so that you can eat more. I am enjoying reading about this topic.
I tried to choose my words carefully but it's evident I'm not doing so properly in order to get my point across. I'm not trying to squelch anything and I'm quite enjoying this discussion too, actually. What I was trying to do was point out that the facts here are what matters and that certain things that are being mentioned are erroneous at best. There are things we can't change and things we can, but life sucks when we focus on what we can't change about ourselves or others. I wouldn't want anyone to be discouraged, thinking they have to starve themselves to lose weight. I used to be one of those people who truly believed if I looked at food, I'd gain weight. The problem was not my metabolism, it was me as a whole. Once I changed certain factors, everything else clicked.
I don't want to assume you've taken a dig at me by mentioning my physique, but what I'd like for you to understand is that people talking about how much I eat and how skinny I am isn't exactly a compliment. People assume that if the world views you as skinny it's an automatic compliment when it isn't. I've told anyone that asks about MFP, CICO, and working out. I LOVE to help people if they ask. The problem is that most of the time I'm accused of lying. I've been accused of being anorexic/bulimic and I've been targeted due to my weight. I'm sure many people who have ever been overweight, underweight, or any weight someone had an apparent problem with could relate. I just feel like some posters appear to be coming from a place of bitterness when they need not be. Nobody has a perfect life. I don't want to put my thoughts on the OP's intent, but for me it read as bitterness starting from the implication that these people are eating junk instead of, you know, food.
Regardless, I agree with you that this is an interesting discussion but I was wondering if the focus is on thyroid conditions, which aren't as common as people assume, what people can do to potentially change their CO, or how we can really determine what influences metabolic rates.5 -
Guarantee they eat less when you don't see. I have MANY friends and my sister with which I've spent full weeks with on vacation. They can eat like 4000 one day, but then another day aren't very hungry and only eat 800-1000. They just naturally balance it out.5
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violajunerose wrote: »I can go on any restrictive diet I want, and so far, I haven't lost an ounce on most of them. I experimented with not eating at all, and ate zero calories a day for two weeks. Nothing. I've adjusted my calories from 2000 to 1500 to 800 and never lost one pound. I've eaten paleo and atkins and everything else on the planet, and zip. I feel your pain.
None of this happened, especially the part in bold. There is no possible way on this planet- I don't care what medical conditions you have or what medications you may be taking or whatever- that any human being can go two weeks without any food whatsoever and not lose one single pound.
There are definitely variations in basal energy expenditure for everyone. Your height, weight, gender, and age are all factors to varying degrees- that's why they're variables in equations to estimate BEE, and that's ignoring movement and activity throughout the day. Barring serious medical conditions, no- other people are not magically eating insane amounts above their maintenance levels and not gaining a pound. Calories needed for weight LOSS are going to be much lower than people eating at maintenance- so yes, there may be a huge gap between the amount of calories one is able to eat to lose weight and what another can eat to maintain depending on what two people you're comparing. That's why it's not good to compare yourself to what others eat.
I know a lot of people who say they used to be able to eat whatever they wanted and not gain weight- I'm willing to bet not much changed about their metabolism (maybe a little bit with age) but with a variety of other factors- activity level for one. Also, they may have been more easily full or satisfied with smaller portions of food but they recall feeling like that was much more than it was. I know I went out to a couple of restaurants this weekend and ate until I was uncomfortably full- I felt like I must have consumed 3,000 calories. Then I realized I only ate like 1/3-1/2 of my meal, and the calories added up to be much less than they felt. I have been so used to restricting my calories that much less food feels like a lot more to me now. In the past I would have cleared my plate and felt comfortable. The stomach can be deceiving.
I think there's a lot of reasonable explanations for why one person can eat (or appear to eat) much more than another, many of which have been discussed in this thread. I do, however, caution anyone to not be too hung up on the idea of "there's DEFINITELY people who NEVER move and eat SO MUCH and it's not fair". In a way, it's another excuse or way of thinking that can only hurt your weight loss efforts. I've been there- I'm still there- I'm still obese but losing steadily- and I know all of the excuses and harmful things we tell ourselves to explain away why we are at a disadvantage in the weight game of life does nothing to help us.
6 -
I'm not trying to be mean or anything but since we can all agree that metabolisms vary based on a multitude of factors, what exactly is the discussion here at this point?
... Some people fidget, some people don't. Some people workout, some people don't. Some people have higher body temperatures, other people don't. Half of these things are things we cannot change, so I would think that the ultimate take away from this should be that we should focus on ourselves, no?
...You can't sit on the couch and get upset that someone else sitting on the couch can eat more than you. You can't workout for 30 minutes or even an hour per day and get upset that someone sitting on the couch can eat more than you. All you can do is do the best you can for yourself because your own body is all you have to work with.
...I would never, ever disregard someone's opinion due to their weight. It's callous and inane. I was overweight myself, many people here were/are; why in the hell would we treat someone like that? I swear discussions like this, while thought provoking, get muddled by certain individuals who have zero grasp on reality. Nobody is perfect, but if actual discussions are to be had, let's stick to what facts we do know instead of acting like statistical outliers are actually the norm. It defeats the purpose of topics like this.
Why are there always people in the MFP Community who like to squelch conversations just because they don't like what others converse about? I think that OP wrote a very thought provoking question that has generated interest.
We know that people have varying ages, metabolisms, health, and activity levels that impact CICO. Be happy and enjoy your health, youth, and whatever else you have going for you. If anyone compliments your physique do them a favor, perhaps, and nicely tell them that you burn off lots of calories with extra workouts so that you can eat more. I am enjoying reading about this topic.
I don't see where the conversation is being squelched more realigned to where it started...
[/b]
... by people who self-appoint themselves as thread monitors. I've only been around the MFP community a month, but have noticed this. It is disheartening at times.1 -
Synacious, sorry I apologize. I wasn't making a dig at your weight or appearance. Actually I have no idea what you look like and assumed you must look terrific. My iPhone doesn't show the profile pic.0
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violajunerose wrote: »I can go on any restrictive diet I want, and so far, I haven't lost an ounce on most of them. I experimented with not eating at all, and ate zero calories a day for two weeks. Nothing. I've adjusted my calories from 2000 to 1500 to 800 and never lost one pound. I've eaten paleo and atkins and everything else on the planet, and zip. I feel your pain.
None of this happened, especially the part in bold. There is no possible way on this planet- I don't care what medical conditions you have or what medications you may be taking or whatever- that any human being can go two weeks without any food whatsoever and not lose one single pound.
There are definitely variations in basal energy expenditure for everyone. Your height, weight, gender, and age are all factors to varying degrees- that's why they're variables in equations to estimate BEE, and that's ignoring movement and activity throughout the day. Barring serious medical conditions, no- other people are not magically eating insane amounts above their maintenance levels and not gaining a pound. Calories needed for weight LOSS are going to be much lower than people eating at maintenance- so yes, there may be a huge gap between the amount of calories one is able to eat to lose weight and what another can eat to maintain depending on what two people you're comparing. That's why it's not good to compare yourself to what others eat.
I know a lot of people who say they used to be able to eat whatever they wanted and not gain weight- I'm willing to bet not much changed about their metabolism (maybe a little bit with age) but with a variety of other factors- activity level for one. Also, they may have been more easily full or satisfied with smaller portions of food but they recall feeling like that was much more than it was. I know I went out to a couple of restaurants this weekend and ate until I was uncomfortably full- I felt like I must have consumed 3,000 calories. Then I realized I only ate like 1/3-1/2 of my meal, and the calories added up to be much less than they felt. I have been so used to restricting my calories that much less food feels like a lot more to me now. In the past I would have cleared my plate and felt comfortable. The stomach can be deceiving.
I think there's a lot of reasonable explanations for why one person can eat (or appear to eat) much more than another, many of which have been discussed in this thread. I do, however, caution anyone to not be too hung up on the idea of "there's DEFINITELY people who NEVER move and eat SO MUCH and it's not fair". In a way, it's another excuse or way of thinking that can only hurt your weight loss efforts. I've been there- I'm still there- I'm still obese but losing steadily- and I know all of the excuses and harmful things we tell ourselves to explain away why we are at a disadvantage in the weight game of life does nothing to help us.
Sorry I apologize. I wasn't making a dig at your weight or appearance. Actually I have no idea what you look like and assumed you must look terrific.
I think you quoted the wrong person 0
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