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What do you think of people who are naturally slim?

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  • Posts: 200 Member
    I wish to gather every last one of them and deposit them some place far far away. Lucky *kitten*.
  • Posts: 13,575 Member
    synacious wrote: »

    Yep. When I was a kid in the '80s, I woke up every morning at 6 am to do Mousercise on The Disney Channel. I also did the Get in Shape, Girl tapes with my sister. Then from around 10 am until dinner when we were forced to come in, we were outside playing kickball, tag, Red Light, Green Light, double dutch, and a multitude of other games. Meanwhile, my mom would do workouts on TV with Richard Simmons, Susan Powter, Gilad's Bodies in Motion, and Tony Little. We also had a YMCA family membership for a while because it was cheap. Now in my area it's over $800 for a year at the Y, plus a joiner's fee since the cost of living has skyrocketed and gyms are all the rage now.

    I loved Bodies In Motion! It wasn't early 80's, so later than the timeframe in the post above, but still a fun workout. That Gilad dude was a hoot!

    I'm going to have to see if those are available on DVD. That might be my workout this winter when I don't get outside much.
  • Posts: 126 Member
    edited July 2016
    I used to think they were just genetically blessed whereas I would have to work at it for the rest of my life. What about you?

    Based solely on the people I've known throughout my life, I'm kind of glad that I have to work harder at it.

    I used to think those who didn't work as hard to maintain their physique was lucky. That changed 5 or 6 years ago. A former friend of mine is "slim" (actually looks anorexic, but that's genetics at play) can eat 4-5 times more in a sitting than I can and barely gains a pound. Because of that she used it as a license to eat junk all the time. A little while before our falling out she had to go through a medical exam for a job and ended up being turned down because in addition to malnutrition her blood pressure and cholesterol were out of control.

    Although I didn't take seriously the impact my weight has had on my joints until recently, I've always been cautious about my sugars and cholesterol because I knew being overweight (not to mention family history) elevated my risk of several diseases. So some days yeah, I wish my metabolism was faster so I could enjoy a full cup of ice cream instead of half, but most of the time I'm glad I don't have the extra excuse to enable bad habits (besides which I discovered I love running, so there's another good reason to keep at it!).
  • Posts: 136 Member
    What do I think of people who are naturally slim?... Lucky B*******s
  • Posts: 1,073 Member
    They are evil
  • Posts: 557 Member
    I can eat a lot and the scale barely move. Always been the same but I'm also very active...
  • Posts: 156 Member
    This thread has been really fascinating to me. I was called "naturally thin" for most of my life - when I was a little kid I practically had to run around in the shower to get wet. Except for two periods (one of which is ending now) I was always active but I didn't think about it because I wasn't "exercising," I was just moving a lot, walking and riding my bike everywhere. When things in my life interfered with my ability to be active, that's when I gained weight, and when those barriers were removed, it usually came off. This is an incredibly simplified view but I don't think anyone really wants to hear my life story here on the MFP forums so I'm keeping it short.
  • Posts: 27,167 Member
    synacious wrote: »

    Yep. When I was a kid in the '80s, I woke up every morning at 6 am to do Mousercise on The Disney Channel. I also did the Get in Shape, Girl tapes with my sister. Then from around 10 am until dinner when we were forced to come in, we were outside playing kickball, tag, Red Light, Green Light, double dutch, and a multitude of other games. Meanwhile, my mom would do workouts on TV with Richard Simmons, Susan Powter, Gilad's Bodies in Motion, and Tony Little. We also had a YMCA family membership for a while because it was cheap. Now in my area it's over $800 for a year at the Y, plus a joiner's fee since the cost of living has skyrocketed and gyms are all the rage now.

    Mousercise!
  • Posts: 138 Member
    trjjoy wrote: »
    No-one is "naturally slim". Some people eat less than others. Other people have a higher NEAT than others. It's a question of CI < CO

    I have a friend that really is naturally thin. When she eats she eats everything but when she wants to lose weight it's not hard for her to lose weight. At least not in my eyes.
  • Posts: 2,831 Member
    OhReally42 wrote: »

    I have a friend that really is naturally thin. When she eats she eats everything but when she wants to lose weight it's not hard for her to lose weight. At least not in my eyes.

    The studies on this seem to suggest that most of the variance is due to exercise and eating less. None of us spend 24/7 around our friends . . . okay, at least I hope you don't
  • Posts: 26,088 Member

    In the late 70's and early 80's, the only people that went to gyms were muscle heads. Running/jogging was not common. Bicycles were for kids.

    My assumption is the average 55-year-old does more exercise today than he or she did when they were 20. Been to a gym lately and see the older people?

    And they don't eat more at 55 than they ate at 20. Yet, if you ask most of them, they probably say they can't eat what they ate when they were 20.

    My parents cycled as children ... and continued to cycle as adults, through the 70s and 80s. When my brother and I came along, we cycled together as a family. We cycled longer distances on weekends and shorter distances during the week. And the bicycles came with us on vacations.

    In fact, both my parents are still cycling. As am I.

    I'm nearing 50 now, and do I exercise more than I did when I was 20? No ... probably about the same. :)
  • Posts: 854 Member
    Usually young with fast metabolism, doesn't eat much, eats healthily or has an eating disorder.
  • Posts: 27 Member
    Keep in mind natuarlly slim does not nesesarily equal "healthy" I know healthy fat people and unhealthy skinny people. We should focus LESS on looks and MORE in achieving fitness goals and supporting one another.
  • Posts: 26,088 Member

    In fact, the word "naturally" actually implies such person does NOT have an eating disorder, but rather settles at a slim weight eating what feels normal to them without deliberately restricting like anorexics.

    Absolutely!

  • Posts: 7,724 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »

    Absolutely!

    But why are you guys latching onto one out of four observations the person made? And are you sure that's not one possible reason an individual might not appear to have issues maintaining a low weight?
  • Posts: 26,088 Member
    JaneiR36 wrote: »

    But why are you guys latching onto one out of four observations the person made? And are you sure that's not one possible reason an individual might not appear to have issues maintaining a low weight?

    Because ... that one kind of rubs me the wrong way. :) Over the years, the minute I drop a few kg, someone takes me aside and quietly asks me if I'm having some sort of eating difficulty. Even if I'm just going from the middle of my BMI down to the low end of my BMI because I've upped the amount of exercise I'm doing. It's like losing weight = eating disorder.
  • Posts: 7,724 Member
    edited July 2016
    Machka9 wrote: »

    Because ... that one kind of rubs me the wrong way. :) Over the years, the minute I drop a few kg, someone takes me aside and quietly asks me if I'm having some sort of eating difficulty. Even if I'm just going from the middle of my BMI down to the low end of my BMI because I've upped the amount of exercise I'm doing. It's like losing weight = eating disorder.

    So it probably has more to do with you guys' own experiences, rather than the poster saying you had to have an eating disorder if you were thin. Which they didn't
  • Posts: 179 Member
    Catnipp_ wrote: »
    Keep in mind natuarlly slim does not nesesarily equal "healthy" I know healthy fat people and unhealthy skinny people. We should focus LESS on looks and MORE in achieving fitness goals and supporting one another.

    I think i know what you meant here. However given that overweighr 'fat' people are more prone to diabetes, various cancers, heart problems etc. Due to their excessive weight i'm not sure we should go round calling them healthy because they must be making plenty unhealthy choices to maintain a high weight.
    Obviously their are other factors to health but you cannot truly be healthy when you're fat.
  • Posts: 661 Member
    I loved Bodies In Motion! It wasn't early 80's, so later than the timeframe in the post above, but still a fun workout. That Gilad dude was a hoot!

    I'm going to have to see if those are available on DVD. That might be my workout this winter when I don't get outside much.

    collagevideo.com. Oodles of Gilad. ;)
  • Posts: 2,187 Member
    I'miss loving the nostalgia in this thread. I also remember riding my bicycle as a kid in the 80s with my parents. At least in my neck of the woods, bicycling wasn't "just for kids." My mother also had some of the Jane Fonda, Denise Austin, etc..videos's. We didn't have a gym open in town until much later, but I was from a smaller town.
    Both of my grandmothers, now in their 80s, have mostly always been "naturally slim" people. My mother would complain sometimes about the amount of "junk food" her mother ate without gaining weight. However, what I notice about that grandma is that, when she cuts a piece of cake, pie, etc...it's a fraction of the size of everyone else's. She may eat one small hamburger and be full. She also is a naturally anxious person, so she's on her feet and in motion a lot.
    My other grandma is petite and doesn't move around well, but she is also one who doesn't need to eat much to be satisfied.
    So is it really "natural"?
  • Posts: 13,575 Member

    I think i know what you meant here. However given that overweighr 'fat' people are more prone to diabetes, various cancers, heart problems etc. Due to their excessive weight i'm not sure we should go round calling them healthy because they must be making plenty unhealthy choices to maintain a high weight.
    Obviously their are other factors to health but you cannot truly be healthy when you're fat.

    Yes, to a point. Being slightly overweight doesn't raise risk of many diseases. Obesity however raises the risk of many diseases. It's quite possible to be and remain healthy and be slightly overweight if you are active.
  • Posts: 2,831 Member
    Catnipp_ wrote: »
    Keep in mind natuarlly slim does not nesesarily equal "healthy" I know healthy fat people and unhealthy skinny people. We should focus LESS on looks and MORE in achieving fitness goals and supporting one another.

    This completely ignores the fact that obesity is a major risk factor in a variety of health issues. No, being slim is no guaranty of being healthy, nor is any other healthy behavior. The statement above is simply a red herring. And no, I'm not here to support unhealthy habits or misinformation.
  • Posts: 7,724 Member

    Exactly.

    Of course there are really overweight people who do not get diseases and live a long and happy life, just like there are pack-a-day smokers who live to 95 (and who smoked a pack the day before they died). But the correlation between being overweight/obese to so many illnesses and conditions is undeniable.

    Not a fan of glorifying these "plus-size" models. Of course we need plus-size models because most people are plus-size. But the new message is, "you're overweight but you still are beautiful, so don't worry about being overweight.

    And the medical profession's solution? Take this pill, take that pill, inject this, inject that.

    And what would you have them do if the "lose the weight" instruction obviously wasn't carried out?
  • Posts: 325 Member
    JaneiR36 wrote: »

    And what would you have them do if the "lose the weight" instruction obviously wasn't carried out?

    The "lose the weight" instruction is typically stated in seconds. When I was overweight and on statins, my doctor would say, "remember, diet and exercise!" That is meaningless pablum, and many patients get this meaningless pablum as advise. And then they give you the prescription.
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