What do you think of people who are naturally slim?

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  • gatorsong
    gatorsong Posts: 7,000 Member
    I didn't read the entire thread, but what I did read all seems to have the same common theme. People who are "naturally slim" are all active, not sedentary. This is the primary reason that the incidence of obesity has gone up drastically from previous generations is due to the change in lifestyle causing a more sedentary life. The typical serving size of food hasn't changed, just our perception of it has, mostly due to restaurants and fast food. People who eat normally large amounts of food and aren't active enough to counteract that won't be thin. Yes, there are genetic abnormalities and actual diseases that effect things, but in general no.

    tl;dr CI>CO=overweight(without conditioning) CI<CO=slim or underweight
  • GirlonBliss
    GirlonBliss Posts: 38 Member
    Conclusion: "naturally thin people" just less or exactly what their body needs, so they don't gain weight. Agreed!

    But now, I have a question to add: why do so many of those people SAY that they do otherwise?

    I ask because I was an overweight teenager in a world full of "naturally thin people" who would say things like: "Oh man, I could eat a horse! Let's gorge ourselves on pizza and cake" (ok, not verbatim, but you get the idea). We would then proceed to buy massive amounts of food. I, being the chubster I was/am totally took them at their word and would then eat way above my calorie needs. I guess I never really noticed whether they were actually doing what they claimed to do or not, but I was overweight and they weren't, so I guess not.

    I'm not blaming anyone for my weight issues. I'm just pointing out that if people said they ate all the time, massive amounts of junk food, etc., I believed them, and then assumed that my weight gain was due to genetics and hypothyridism.

    Yes I agree with this!
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    edited July 2016
    Zipp237 wrote: »
    Depends. People who struggle to keep weight on have a struggle, too. Different, but not easy. It's especially hard for small men who have trouble getting buff when that's what they really want.

    That is how one of my sons feels. He can eat a lot and not gain weight and wants to except he is tall and lean.
  • Marss86
    Marss86 Posts: 33 Member
    To some extent I used to be envious, but when I really look into their eating habits and workouts or lack of.. It's not that surprising. I'm starting to get over it and not compare myself to that...

    Some people eat a lot, but not for every meal or they may only have one large meal and a snack for the rest of the day. Some people are super active without even going to the gym. They can't sit down and watch tv. They will constantly be doing some house work or just plain fidgety. Some are thin, but "skinny fat". They have no muscles/strength and no endurance because they don't workout and eat poorly.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,691 Member
    Conclusion: "naturally thin people" just less or exactly what their body needs, so they don't gain weight. Agreed!

    But now, I have a question to add: why do so many of those people SAY that they do otherwise?

    I ask because I was an overweight teenager in a world full of "naturally thin people" who would say things like: "Oh man, I could eat a horse! Let's gorge ourselves on pizza and cake" (ok, not verbatim, but you get the idea). We would then proceed to buy massive amounts of food. I, being the chubster I was/am totally took them at their word and would then eat way above my calorie needs. I guess I never really noticed whether they were actually doing what they claimed to do or not, but I was overweight and they weren't, so I guess not.

    I'm not blaming anyone for my weight issues. I'm just pointing out that if people said they ate all the time, massive amounts of junk food, etc., I believed them, and then assumed that my weight gain was due to genetics and hypothyridism.

    I was one of the "naturally slim" people who would say things like that ... but for me, "eating a horse" just meant that I was quite hungry and wanted something slightly larger than my normal-sized meal. If it were something like pizza, I'd eat my usual amount of pizza, and maybe one extra slice, and I was full.

    And the reason I was quite hungry ... usually because I had just cycled a fairly long distance, or hiked somewhere, or spent 8 hours on my feet waitressing, or some other activity ... and/or I hadn't eaten in a long time.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    dmt4641 wrote: »
    Conclusion: "naturally thin people" just less or exactly what their body needs, so they don't gain weight. Agreed!

    But now, I have a question to add: why do so many of those people SAY that they do otherwise?

    I ask because I was an overweight teenager in a world full of "naturally thin people" who would say things like: "Oh man, I could eat a horse! Let's gorge ourselves on pizza and cake" (ok, not verbatim, but you get the idea). We would then proceed to buy massive amounts of food. I, being the chubster I was/am totally took them at their word and would then eat way above my calorie needs. I guess I never really noticed whether they were actually doing what they claimed to do or not, but I was overweight and they weren't, so I guess not.

    I'm not blaming anyone for my weight issues. I'm just pointing out that if people said they ate all the time, massive amounts of junk food, etc., I believed them, and then assumed that my weight gain was due to genetics and hypothyridism.

    I always said I could "eat whatever I want" and would eat what to ME was a huge portion of pizza, Oreos, etc. I would be stuffed and feel horrible. However, if I eat donuts, I eat one and maybe a bite of another until I feel full and the sweetness is sickening. If I eat pizza with all the toppings, I feel stuffed after 3 pieces. If I go to a restaurant and order pasta with cream sauce on it, I never finish it. However, to me, I just ate pizza, donuts, pasta with cream sauce, felt stuffed, and didn't gain weight.

    Yeah, this was me as a teenager and into my early 20s. I thought I ate a ton, but looking back I really didn't. I did eat as much as I wanted without thinking about it, and I maintained my reasonably thin weight, because what I wanted lined up with what I needed to do that at my level of activity (inconsistent when it comes to intentional exercise, but I walked a lot because that was a necessary part of my daily life running around a campus or, later, a city).

    Unfortunately for me, over time I found that although I still don't really like eating huge portions at a meal (although I can eat more than I did), and although I still find many things too sweet to eat much of, I have learned to eat more and also my life changed so that food was more consistently available. Can't eat more than 3 pieces of pizza, but I can eat that many calories if spread over an afternoon. Once I realized that and while I was gaining weight, I changed my habits, but I'm no longer "naturally thin" in that I never have to think about it (and haven't been for a long time), I do have to be mindful.

    From observing and talking to people I know who have always been thin (including my sister), some are naturally thin in that they never have to think about it (most of the ones I know are either extremely active or not interested in food much), but most do think about it some or have intentionally cultivated helpful habits. They just realized the need to do this before getting fat.
  • dmt4641
    dmt4641 Posts: 409 Member
    This discussion reminds me of something I have read about people with anorexia...one tactic to avoid detection is to never eat alone, so that other people don't realize how little food is actually being consumed. This is the antithesis to most of us who are overweight or obese. Many of us eat alone, and then we eat with other people, too, which may seem to others as if we eat a normal amount of food. (Or we overeat in both circumstances.)

    I don't think it is fair to compare "naturally thin" people with people suffering from an eating disorder. I would think "naturally thin" people generally have normalized eating habits and don't purposefully eat in front of others to hide anything. If I eat a big meal at a restaurant, I am naturally not as hungry for the next meal. If I didn't eat as much as usual during the day because I was busy, I am naturally famished at dinner and will eat more. That doesn't mean that I am skipping meals in order to put on a show for others at dinner. Or that I am restricting myself after a large dinner as punishment. I am just following my hungry cues.
  • bethannien
    bethannien Posts: 556 Member
    I think they eat as much as they burn. Sometimes a little more sometimes a little less.

    For example, my younger sister has never had to consciously diet. She's always been thin. But she never eats a whole serving at a restaurant. She never goes back for seconds when she's visiting our parents. She intuitively knows how much is enough and so she's never had to worry about the weight loss roller coaster.

    She isn't "naturally" slim any more than I'm "naturally" heavy. She just makes better choices.
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,412 Member
    dmt4641 wrote: »
    This discussion reminds me of something I have read about people with anorexia...one tactic to avoid detection is to never eat alone, so that other people don't realize how little food is actually being consumed. This is the antithesis to most of us who are overweight or obese. Many of us eat alone, and then we eat with other people, too, which may seem to others as if we eat a normal amount of food. (Or we overeat in both circumstances.)

    I don't think it is fair to compare "naturally thin" people with people suffering from an eating disorder. I would think "naturally thin" people generally have normalized eating habits and don't purposefully eat in front of others to hide anything. If I eat a big meal at a restaurant, I am naturally not as hungry for the next meal. If I didn't eat as much as usual during the day because I was busy, I am naturally famished at dinner and will eat more. That doesn't mean that I am skipping meals in order to put on a show for others at dinner. Or that I am restricting myself after a large dinner as punishment. I am just following my hungry cues.

    No, No you misunderstand!!...I am not intending to compare thin people to anorexics!! (Sorry if that's how it reads.) I was saying overweight people (that would be me) are the "opposite" if you will, of anorexics in that we often eat alone and with people, so it may seem that we aren't overeating if we are eating a normal amount when we are with other people. No comment at all on the thin folks, who we all want to emulate (at least I do!)

  • dmt4641
    dmt4641 Posts: 409 Member
    dmt4641 wrote: »
    This discussion reminds me of something I have read about people with anorexia...one tactic to avoid detection is to never eat alone, so that other people don't realize how little food is actually being consumed. This is the antithesis to most of us who are overweight or obese. Many of us eat alone, and then we eat with other people, too, which may seem to others as if we eat a normal amount of food. (Or we overeat in both circumstances.)

    I don't think it is fair to compare "naturally thin" people with people suffering from an eating disorder. I would think "naturally thin" people generally have normalized eating habits and don't purposefully eat in front of others to hide anything. If I eat a big meal at a restaurant, I am naturally not as hungry for the next meal. If I didn't eat as much as usual during the day because I was busy, I am naturally famished at dinner and will eat more. That doesn't mean that I am skipping meals in order to put on a show for others at dinner. Or that I am restricting myself after a large dinner as punishment. I am just following my hungry cues.

    No, No you misunderstand!!...I am not intending to compare thin people to anorexics!! (Sorry if that's how it reads.) I was saying overweight people (that would be me) are the "opposite" if you will, of anorexics in that we often eat alone and with people, so it may seem that we aren't overeating if we are eating a normal amount when we are with other people. No comment at all on the thin folks, who we all want to emulate (at least I do!)

    Ok got it. I thought you were saying the comments regarding naturally thin people reminded you of anorexics. Binge eating in secret is just another form of disordered eating, but to the outside world they appear to be eating normally.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Hornsby wrote: »
    There is no such thing as naturally thin people.

    Well I was one until I was 25.

    No, you weren't.


  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
    For those of us who are or were thin during our 20s, another thing that should be considered is the role of anabolic hormones in metabolism. Even after most physical growth is complete, growth hormone remains high for some time and then declines during this decade in life. In general, that is irrespective of activity level and eating habits.
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,412 Member
    dmt4641 wrote: »
    dmt4641 wrote: »
    This discussion reminds me of something I have read about people with anorexia...one tactic to avoid detection is to never eat alone, so that other people don't realize how little food is actually being consumed. This is the antithesis to most of us who are overweight or obese. Many of us eat alone, and then we eat with other people, too, which may seem to others as if we eat a normal amount of food. (Or we overeat in both circumstances.)

    I don't think it is fair to compare "naturally thin" people with people suffering from an eating disorder. I would think "naturally thin" people generally have normalized eating habits and don't purposefully eat in front of others to hide anything. If I eat a big meal at a restaurant, I am naturally not as hungry for the next meal. If I didn't eat as much as usual during the day because I was busy, I am naturally famished at dinner and will eat more. That doesn't mean that I am skipping meals in order to put on a show for others at dinner. Or that I am restricting myself after a large dinner as punishment. I am just following my hungry cues.

    No, No you misunderstand!!...I am not intending to compare thin people to anorexics!! (Sorry if that's how it reads.) I was saying overweight people (that would be me) are the "opposite" if you will, of anorexics in that we often eat alone and with people, so it may seem that we aren't overeating if we are eating a normal amount when we are with other people. No comment at all on the thin folks, who we all want to emulate (at least I do!)

    Ok got it. I thought you were saying the comments regarding naturally thin people reminded you of anorexics. Binge eating in secret is just another form of disordered eating, but to the outside world they appear to be eating normally.

    This. :)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    DebSozo wrote: »
    Zipp237 wrote: »
    Depends. People who struggle to keep weight on have a struggle, too. Different, but not easy. It's especially hard for small men who have trouble getting buff when that's what they really want.

    That is how one of my sons feels. He can eat a lot and not gain weight and wants to except he is tall and lean.

    Does your son know his TDEE and how many calories he is eating per day?
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  • gertmeister
    gertmeister Posts: 13 Member
    That's them, you're you. I've swum at an Olympic pool at my university and had more gorgeous swimmers look at my muscular body than at "skinny" girls with no tone. Be happy. Eat healthy. Cook for yourself mostly.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I make up my mind about a person after having a good long talk with them. I wouldn't want to think one thing or another about their supposed discipline or eating habits just as I hope people don't judge me based solely on how I look.
  • hmltwin
    hmltwin Posts: 116 Member
    For those of us who are or were thin during our 20s, another thing that should be considered is the role of anabolic hormones in metabolism. Even after most physical growth is complete, growth hormone remains high for some time and then declines during this decade in life. In general, that is irrespective of activity level and eating habits.

    ^ This was me.

    I was always underweight when I was growing up, because when I was that young my metabolism was out of control. I can remember one day when I was at a college campus when I was in ninth grade. Lunch consisted of eating a snack sized bag of chips, cookies and a sandwich, as well as having a soda. I walked across the campus and was hungry enough to eat an apple that I'd saved because I was full. If I ate that now... well, I wouldn't, because the chips and the cookies would be too much, along with the sandwich and the soda.

    I would have two big plates of pasta at dinner, etc. I ate just as much as anyone else in my family and I didn't gain weight. Was I super active? Maybe, but I wasn't involved in any sports. I'm not an athletic person.

    When I got older, my metabolism slowed down for exactly the reason ForecastJason states. At that point, eating the way I always had, I began gaining weight. Between the age of 18 and 38, I gained over 70 pounds. It's only now that I'm paying attention to my calories and activity (something I didn't have to do when I was young) that I'm getting down to a healthy weight again.
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
    brower47 wrote: »
    This discussion reminds me of something I have read about people with anorexia...one tactic to avoid detection is to never eat alone, so that other people don't realize how little food is actually being consumed. This is the antithesis to most of us who are overweight or obese. Many of us eat alone, and then we eat with other people, too, which may seem to others as if we eat a normal amount of food. (Or we overeat in both circumstances.)

    This is an excellent point. You see this a lot in other threads when people complain about not losing weight when they see their more slender friends eating as much or *gasp* more than them. The key is that we never see those people 24 hours a day and cannot make assumptions on their overall habits based on the small sample size of what we do see.

    Excellent point. My overweight sister insistently argues with me that her husband has a very "high" metabolism, much higher than hers, as he eats the same meals with her but stays skinny. Despite the fact that the meals they share are in the minority and the fact that my brother in law clearly says that when they don't see each other during weekdays he doesn't even bother to eat, which is majority of the week. I have clearly seen this pattern from him (tuning out eating) when the family gets together on weekend. He's "lazy" at getting to the table. On contrary my sister and other overweight people just couldn't wait to start the meals. They even snack on appetizers through out the time.

    This is consistently true in my observation of skinny vs overweight people. Overweight people simply eat too much AND too frequently. Skinny people, either forcibly follow a diet discipline which they are conscious of, or they are not much into eating. They tune out. Eating doesn't excite them that much.


  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Zipp237 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Things like hyperthyroid and other medical conditions aside, "naturally slim" is largely a matter of perception.
    If you don't count all the people who are naturally slim, then they don't exist. If you do count them, though, they exist.

    I'm not sure what your point is...
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,026 Member
    fitgirldc wrote: »
    Idk. My cousin has an ectomorph build. According to her, she tries to gain weight but has not been successful so far even after 4 children she still doesn't have any curves. Genetically blessed? If you like that shape I guess. BTW her Mom was that way too, now in her 50's she's fat. Not even curvy fat, just shapeless fat.

    People think I'm genetically thin just because I've never been overweight. (I used to weigh 118 before my twins in my 20's) What they don't know, is I've always been active and for most of my life and I've never just eaten whatever I want. Although last winter was an exception. I tried that for the first time and gained nearly 14lbs in a month. The good thing is, with dedication, I lost that weight. I don't mind eating right and exercising. I feel better and look better. So I think I pulled the long straw!

    Bottom line is, I don't envy anyone! You don't know what they deal with behind closed doors.
    Somatotypes have been shown to be a myth. While people have different frames and builds, designating them to a somatotype just confuses them on how they should eat, when the truth is is that it's just basic math.

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

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