What do you think of people who are naturally slim?

Options
1111214161725

Replies

  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    Options
    Some people are naturally slim. My friend is just a little over 5 feet, 110 lbs soaking wet, near 40 years old with a kid. And I've seen what she eats. She's Italian and Sicilian so lots of pasta and she drinks regular soda. She also has great skin and looks 10 years younger then she is!

    Yes, another naturally slim person.

    But here come the comments - "she's really not eating as much as you think she is eating," or, "she's secretly running five miles a day and not telling you," or, "you don't know how much running around she has to do with that kid."

    Denial, denial, denial that there are naturally slim people because they have fast metabolisms.

    Metabolisms do vary, but not greatly given same size and body composition. Often people who eat a lot without gaining as much as expected simply aren't absorbing as much of what they eat as others. While metabolic rates don't vary greatly, guts do.

    Right, plus, as already been established, "lots of" pasta means different things to different people. I've lost weight eating while still eating lots of pasta. My definition of lots of pasta has also changed over the years. Pasta in and of itself doesn't make overweight unless you consume too many calories.
    Additionally, we can't glean from the original comment how this person eats the rest of the time when not with company, how active they are, etc... if she follows something like the Mediterranean diet, the basis for being able to eat that way is also to be as active as possible.

    The bolded section is important. I used to get the "you're so lucky to be naturally slim" remarks all the time because my BMI was low but when with friends I'd eat a lot. But I didn't eat like all the time. Most of the time I ate reasonable portions.

    Yeah. My dad had a coworker he exchanged rides to work with years ago. The coworker, a guy, was slim as a rail, and if someone was around only him at dinnertime, they could make the assessment that he must be naturally thin because all he eats is Taco Bell. However, dad was around him for the entire 12 hour shifts at work, and the two Taco Bell tacos was all this coworker ate the entire shift. Their jobs were fairly active, too.

    2 tacos? That's sounds like the guy was starving himself. Who would think a man was naturally slim because he ate 2 measly tacos? Even if he ate that for 3 meals a day he'd likely still be eating at a deficit.

    I think because people automatically assume fast food = high calories.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    Options
    Some people are naturally slim. My friend is just a little over 5 feet, 110 lbs soaking wet, near 40 years old with a kid. And I've seen what she eats. She's Italian and Sicilian so lots of pasta and she drinks regular soda. She also has great skin and looks 10 years younger then she is!

    Yes, another naturally slim person.

    But here come the comments - "she's really not eating as much as you think she is eating," or, "she's secretly running five miles a day and not telling you," or, "you don't know how much running around she has to do with that kid."

    Denial, denial, denial that there are naturally slim people because they have fast metabolisms.

    Metabolisms do vary, but not greatly given same size and body composition. Often people who eat a lot without gaining as much as expected simply aren't absorbing as much of what they eat as others. While metabolic rates don't vary greatly, guts do.

    Right, plus, as already been established, "lots of" pasta means different things to different people. I've lost weight eating while still eating lots of pasta. My definition of lots of pasta has also changed over the years. Pasta in and of itself doesn't make overweight unless you consume too many calories.
    Additionally, we can't glean from the original comment how this person eats the rest of the time when not with company, how active they are, etc... if she follows something like the Mediterranean diet, the basis for being able to eat that way is also to be as active as possible.

    The bolded section is important. I used to get the "you're so lucky to be naturally slim" remarks all the time because my BMI was low but when with friends I'd eat a lot. But I didn't eat like all the time. Most of the time I ate reasonable portions.

    Yeah. My dad had a coworker he exchanged rides to work with years ago. The coworker, a guy, was slim as a rail, and if someone was around only him at dinnertime, they could make the assessment that he must be naturally thin because all he eats is Taco Bell. However, dad was around him for the entire 12 hour shifts at work, and the two Taco Bell tacos was all this coworker ate the entire shift. Their jobs were fairly active, too.

    2 tacos? That's sounds like the guy was starving himself. Who would think a man was naturally slim because he ate 2 measly tacos? Even if he ate that for 3 meals a day he'd likely still be eating at a deficit.

    I think because people automatically assume fast food = high calories.

    Well certainly tacos can be made at home for less calories than Taco Bell but seriously, 2 tacos for a grown man? He must have had a large sugary soda with it. ;)
  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
    Options
    Some people are naturally slim. My friend is just a little over 5 feet, 110 lbs soaking wet, near 40 years old with a kid. And I've seen what she eats. She's Italian and Sicilian so lots of pasta and she drinks regular soda. She also has great skin and looks 10 years younger then she is!

    Yes, another naturally slim person.

    But here come the comments - "she's really not eating as much as you think she is eating," or, "she's secretly running five miles a day and not telling you," or, "you don't know how much running around she has to do with that kid."

    Denial, denial, denial that there are naturally slim people because they have fast metabolisms.

    Metabolisms do vary, but not greatly given same size and body composition. Often people who eat a lot without gaining as much as expected simply aren't absorbing as much of what they eat as others. While metabolic rates don't vary greatly, guts do.

    Right, plus, as already been established, "lots of" pasta means different things to different people. I've lost weight eating while still eating lots of pasta. My definition of lots of pasta has also changed over the years. Pasta in and of itself doesn't make overweight unless you consume too many calories.
    Additionally, we can't glean from the original comment how this person eats the rest of the time when not with company, how active they are, etc... if she follows something like the Mediterranean diet, the basis for being able to eat that way is also to be as active as possible.

    The bolded section is important. I used to get the "you're so lucky to be naturally slim" remarks all the time because my BMI was low but when with friends I'd eat a lot. But I didn't eat like all the time. Most of the time I ate reasonable portions.

    Yeah. My dad had a coworker he exchanged rides to work with years ago. The coworker, a guy, was slim as a rail, and if someone was around only him at dinnertime, they could make the assessment that he must be naturally thin because all he eats is Taco Bell. However, dad was around him for the entire 12 hour shifts at work, and the two Taco Bell tacos was all this coworker ate the entire shift. Their jobs were fairly active, too.

    2 tacos? That's sounds like the guy was starving himself. Who would think a man was naturally slim because he ate 2 measly tacos? Even if he ate that for 3 meals a day he'd likely still be eating at a deficit.

    I think because people automatically assume fast food = high calories.

    Well certainly tacos can be made at home for less calories than Taco Bell but seriously, 2 tacos for a grown man? He must have had a large sugary soda with it. ;)
    I agree that does sound like a small amount, but depending on his height it could be that his TDEE is just that low.

  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    Options
    Some people are naturally slim. My friend is just a little over 5 feet, 110 lbs soaking wet, near 40 years old with a kid. And I've seen what she eats. She's Italian and Sicilian so lots of pasta and she drinks regular soda. She also has great skin and looks 10 years younger then she is!

    Yes, another naturally slim person.

    But here come the comments - "she's really not eating as much as you think she is eating," or, "she's secretly running five miles a day and not telling you," or, "you don't know how much running around she has to do with that kid."

    Denial, denial, denial that there are naturally slim people because they have fast metabolisms.

    Metabolisms do vary, but not greatly given same size and body composition. Often people who eat a lot without gaining as much as expected simply aren't absorbing as much of what they eat as others. While metabolic rates don't vary greatly, guts do.

    Right, plus, as already been established, "lots of" pasta means different things to different people. I've lost weight eating while still eating lots of pasta. My definition of lots of pasta has also changed over the years. Pasta in and of itself doesn't make overweight unless you consume too many calories.
    Additionally, we can't glean from the original comment how this person eats the rest of the time when not with company, how active they are, etc... if she follows something like the Mediterranean diet, the basis for being able to eat that way is also to be as active as possible.

    The bolded section is important. I used to get the "you're so lucky to be naturally slim" remarks all the time because my BMI was low but when with friends I'd eat a lot. But I didn't eat like all the time. Most of the time I ate reasonable portions.

    Yeah. My dad had a coworker he exchanged rides to work with years ago. The coworker, a guy, was slim as a rail, and if someone was around only him at dinnertime, they could make the assessment that he must be naturally thin because all he eats is Taco Bell. However, dad was around him for the entire 12 hour shifts at work, and the two Taco Bell tacos was all this coworker ate the entire shift. Their jobs were fairly active, too.

    2 tacos? That's sounds like the guy was starving himself. Who would think a man was naturally slim because he ate 2 measly tacos? Even if he ate that for 3 meals a day he'd likely still be eating at a deficit.

    I think because people automatically assume fast food = high calories.

    Well certainly tacos can be made at home for less calories than Taco Bell but seriously, 2 tacos for a grown man? He must have had a large sugary soda with it. ;)
    I agree that does sound like a small amount, but depending on his height it could be that his TDEE is just that low.

    He also probably ate *something* at home
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited July 2016
    Options
    Some people are naturally slim. My friend is just a little over 5 feet, 110 lbs soaking wet, near 40 years old with a kid. And I've seen what she eats. She's Italian and Sicilian so lots of pasta and she drinks regular soda. She also has great skin and looks 10 years younger then she is!

    Yes, another naturally slim person.

    But here come the comments - "she's really not eating as much as you think she is eating," or, "she's secretly running five miles a day and not telling you," or, "you don't know how much running around she has to do with that kid."

    Denial, denial, denial that there are naturally slim people because they have fast metabolisms.

    Metabolisms do vary, but not greatly given same size and body composition. Often people who eat a lot without gaining as much as expected simply aren't absorbing as much of what they eat as others. While metabolic rates don't vary greatly, guts do.

    Right, plus, as already been established, "lots of" pasta means different things to different people. I've lost weight eating while still eating lots of pasta. My definition of lots of pasta has also changed over the years. Pasta in and of itself doesn't make overweight unless you consume too many calories.
    Additionally, we can't glean from the original comment how this person eats the rest of the time when not with company, how active they are, etc... if she follows something like the Mediterranean diet, the basis for being able to eat that way is also to be as active as possible.

    The bolded section is important. I used to get the "you're so lucky to be naturally slim" remarks all the time because my BMI was low but when with friends I'd eat a lot. But I didn't eat like all the time. Most of the time I ate reasonable portions.

    Yeah. My dad had a coworker he exchanged rides to work with years ago. The coworker, a guy, was slim as a rail, and if someone was around only him at dinnertime, they could make the assessment that he must be naturally thin because all he eats is Taco Bell. However, dad was around him for the entire 12 hour shifts at work, and the two Taco Bell tacos was all this coworker ate the entire shift. Their jobs were fairly active, too.

    2 tacos? That's sounds like the guy was starving himself. Who would think a man was naturally slim because he ate 2 measly tacos? Even if he ate that for 3 meals a day he'd likely still be eating at a deficit.

    I think because people automatically assume fast food = high calories.

    Well certainly tacos can be made at home for less calories than Taco Bell but seriously, 2 tacos for a grown man? He must have had a large sugary soda with it. ;)
    I agree that does sound like a small amount, but depending on his height it could be that his TDEE is just that low.

    He also probably ate *something* at home

    Yeah, after he got home, it's hard to say what he ate, but I do know he was quite fond of drinking lots of beer..
    I couldn't see how a grown man could survive on it otherwise, either. I'd be ready to eat the desk if that's all I ate for 12 hours.
  • jimshine
    jimshine Posts: 199 Member
    Options
    My stepfather struggled with being underweight. He ate a lot, but he was very active. You rarely ever saw him sitting except for the first hour he was waking up. He was out doing yard work, splitting wood, biking, etc. he burned off every calorie he ate without trying.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    Options
    Some people are naturally slim. My friend is just a little over 5 feet, 110 lbs soaking wet, near 40 years old with a kid. And I've seen what she eats. She's Italian and Sicilian so lots of pasta and she drinks regular soda. She also has great skin and looks 10 years younger then she is!

    Yes, another naturally slim person.

    But here come the comments - "she's really not eating as much as you think she is eating," or, "she's secretly running five miles a day and not telling you," or, "you don't know how much running around she has to do with that kid."

    Denial, denial, denial that there are naturally slim people because they have fast metabolisms.

    Metabolisms do vary, but not greatly given same size and body composition. Often people who eat a lot without gaining as much as expected simply aren't absorbing as much of what they eat as others. While metabolic rates don't vary greatly, guts do.

    Right, plus, as already been established, "lots of" pasta means different things to different people. I've lost weight eating while still eating lots of pasta. My definition of lots of pasta has also changed over the years. Pasta in and of itself doesn't make overweight unless you consume too many calories.
    Additionally, we can't glean from the original comment how this person eats the rest of the time when not with company, how active they are, etc... if she follows something like the Mediterranean diet, the basis for being able to eat that way is also to be as active as possible.

    The bolded section is important. I used to get the "you're so lucky to be naturally slim" remarks all the time because my BMI was low but when with friends I'd eat a lot. But I didn't eat like all the time. Most of the time I ate reasonable portions.

    Yeah. My dad had a coworker he exchanged rides to work with years ago. The coworker, a guy, was slim as a rail, and if someone was around only him at dinnertime, they could make the assessment that he must be naturally thin because all he eats is Taco Bell. However, dad was around him for the entire 12 hour shifts at work, and the two Taco Bell tacos was all this coworker ate the entire shift. Their jobs were fairly active, too.

    2 tacos? That's sounds like the guy was starving himself. Who would think a man was naturally slim because he ate 2 measly tacos? Even if he ate that for 3 meals a day he'd likely still be eating at a deficit.

    I think because people automatically assume fast food = high calories.

    Well certainly tacos can be made at home for less calories than Taco Bell but seriously, 2 tacos for a grown man? He must have had a large sugary soda with it. ;)
    I agree that does sound like a small amount, but depending on his height it could be that his TDEE is just that low.

    He also probably ate *something* at home

    Yeah, after he got home, it's hard to say what he ate, but I do know he was quite fond of drinking lots of beer..
    I couldn't see how a grown man could survive on it otherwise, either. I'd be ready to eat the desk if that's all I ate for 12 hours.

    Oh, did I misunderstand your previous post? Weren't you saying people thought he was 'naturally slim' because of the Taco Bell meal?
  • Mentali
    Mentali Posts: 352 Member
    Options
    Some people are naturally slim. My friend is just a little over 5 feet, 110 lbs soaking wet, near 40 years old with a kid. And I've seen what she eats. She's Italian and Sicilian so lots of pasta and she drinks regular soda. She also has great skin and looks 10 years younger then she is!

    Yes, another naturally slim person.

    But here come the comments - "she's really not eating as much as you think she is eating," or, "she's secretly running five miles a day and not telling you," or, "you don't know how much running around she has to do with that kid."

    Denial, denial, denial that there are naturally slim people because they have fast metabolisms.

    Metabolisms do vary, but not greatly given same size and body composition. Often people who eat a lot without gaining as much as expected simply aren't absorbing as much of what they eat as others. While metabolic rates don't vary greatly, guts do.

    Right, plus, as already been established, "lots of" pasta means different things to different people. I've lost weight eating while still eating lots of pasta. My definition of lots of pasta has also changed over the years. Pasta in and of itself doesn't make overweight unless you consume too many calories.
    Additionally, we can't glean from the original comment how this person eats the rest of the time when not with company, how active they are, etc... if she follows something like the Mediterranean diet, the basis for being able to eat that way is also to be as active as possible.

    The bolded section is important. I used to get the "you're so lucky to be naturally slim" remarks all the time because my BMI was low but when with friends I'd eat a lot. But I didn't eat like all the time. Most of the time I ate reasonable portions.

    Yeah. My dad had a coworker he exchanged rides to work with years ago. The coworker, a guy, was slim as a rail, and if someone was around only him at dinnertime, they could make the assessment that he must be naturally thin because all he eats is Taco Bell. However, dad was around him for the entire 12 hour shifts at work, and the two Taco Bell tacos was all this coworker ate the entire shift. Their jobs were fairly active, too.

    2 tacos? That's sounds like the guy was starving himself. Who would think a man was naturally slim because he ate 2 measly tacos? Even if he ate that for 3 meals a day he'd likely still be eating at a deficit.

    I think because people automatically assume fast food = high calories.

    Well certainly tacos can be made at home for less calories than Taco Bell but seriously, 2 tacos for a grown man? He must have had a large sugary soda with it. ;)
    I agree that does sound like a small amount, but depending on his height it could be that his TDEE is just that low.

    He also probably ate *something* at home

    Yeah, after he got home, it's hard to say what he ate, but I do know he was quite fond of drinking lots of beer..
    I couldn't see how a grown man could survive on it otherwise, either. I'd be ready to eat the desk if that's all I ate for 12 hours.

    Oh, did I misunderstand your previous post? Weren't you saying people thought he was 'naturally slim' because of the Taco Bell meal?

    It sounds like he ate Taco Bell twice a day - two tacos during his shift, then a "bad" meal for dinner that would look incredibly unhealthy because it was his TDEE minus two tacos.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    Options
    Again, just because it's behavior doesn't mean it's natural or unnatural.

    I literally forget to eat if I am not hungry, and if I drink too much coffee in the morning, or the aforementioned big breakfast, I will feel full until supper-time. I am kind of anxious naturally and feel much better and calmer if I exercise to exhaustion at least once a day, preferably twice. I have trouble sitting still. I sleep 7.5 hours every night and 9 if I can on weekends, and don't feel good if I don't.

    These things are part of my nature. They aren't learned responses, or don't feel like learned responses, they are the healthy behaviors of my normal body and mind if I am feeling good and not stressed. The things I do because they feel good, they keep me feeling good.

    And again - skinny grandma, slim mom, slender daughters. There is no way that some of this isn't genetic.

    Say you put everyone on the planet into their optimum shape and size. Those shapes and sizes would vary, right?
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
    Options
    robininfl wrote: »
    Again, just because it's behavior doesn't mean it's natural or unnatural.

    I literally forget to eat if I am not hungry, and if I drink too much coffee in the morning, or the aforementioned big breakfast, I will feel full until supper-time. I am kind of anxious naturally and feel much better and calmer if I exercise to exhaustion at least once a day, preferably twice. I have trouble sitting still. I sleep 7.5 hours every night and 9 if I can on weekends, and don't feel good if I don't.

    These things are part of my nature. They aren't learned responses, or don't feel like learned responses, they are the healthy behaviors of my normal body and mind if I am feeling good and not stressed. The things I do because they feel good, they keep me feeling good.

    And again - skinny grandma, slim mom, slender daughters. There is no way that some of this isn't genetic.

    Say you put everyone on the planet into their optimum shape and size. Those shapes and sizes would vary, right?

    I don't think anyone's really disputing this level of detail. We're saying, lots of people probably don't have 113 lb 5'9" friends who eat 3000 calories everyday, sit on their heine all day and never gain a pound. Yeah I definitely know people who will take you to their favorite restaurant in the world, then not eat a thing because they just aren't hungry. Or you bought the same yummy food early in the day, I'm already on my fourth meal by nightfall and they still haven't eaten it or anything else. I'd have hunger burning a hole in my stomach by then and certainly couldn't do it
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,610 Member
    Options
    Some people are naturally slim. My friend is just a little over 5 feet, 110 lbs soaking wet, near 40 years old with a kid. And I've seen what she eats. She's Italian and Sicilian so lots of pasta and she drinks regular soda. She also has great skin and looks 10 years younger then she is!
    But HOW MUCH she eats matters. Unless you're with her 24 hours a day, you can't say she's slim just because when you see her she eats that way.

    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

    9285851.png

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,610 Member
    Options
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    synacious wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    When asked why her son was so skinny, the mother responded, "I don't understand. He's eating me out of house and home, and he can't put on a pound." The other mother said, "He eats like a horse. I've never seen anything like it. Can't figure it out."

    It is beyond my comprehension that most of the posters here cannot acknowledge the obvious - there are naturally skinny people, particularly those under the age of 25. The word metabolism is in the dictionary for a reason. And for most of us, our metabolism slows as we get older.

    You just can't consume the same number of calories at 50 that you consumed at 21 (assuming similar amounts of exercise) without the consequence of weight gain. This is sky is blue and grass is green stuff.

    It's beyond my comprehension as well that people can't acknowledge that young adults are often much more active than adults even if they aren't doing intentional exercise.

    And as mentioned many times in this thread, yes, metabolism slows as you age, but not to the degree that people here seem to think. The far bigger factor is becoming less active as you age.

    Yep. Also, if they are growing, they will have higher metabolisms. Nothing surprising. And there's some degree of muscle loss on average -- that's why the calculators that estimate TDEE without BF% ask age, and the one that uses BF% doesn't need age.

    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.

    This was not my experience in the 70's and 80's. Free standing gyms were not nearly as common as now, but almost every rec center had one and aerobic classes were all the rage. Dancercize, Jazzercize, or just basic aerobics. Jogging was also very popular. Jane Fonda began releasing workout videos in 1982.

    But maybe I'm just from bizzaro land because I'm 53 and since I learned out how ride a bike as a child, there has never been a time in my life when I didn't own and ride one.

    Yeah, I just said I disagreed and remembered the time period, but since you spelled it out I'll agree -- I definitely remember aerobics being a big thing, my mom did Jazzercize and my parents went square dancing (LOL), the first jogging boom was in the '70s (Royko used to make fun of it in columns, but people did it), my parents had bikes, as well as my sister and I, weights were more for boys than girls until later in the '80s IME, but they were hardly uncommon, people would of course do things like play tennis, so on. Plus, Richard Simmons.

    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.

    A few years ago when I first started trying to exercise after joining MFP I stumbled on some Gilad reruns( Total Body Sculpt) aired on Discovery Fit and Health channel. I recorded them, and have about 20 on my DVR. At first I thought they were cheesy, and didn't think they would be effective but I've been doing them 3 x a week with increasing dumbbell weights for the last 3 years and really enjoy them.
    Lol, Gilad used to crack me up because he wore women's spandex. Dude was in great shape though. I watched it more for the Hawaiian chick who was hot and always on his show.

    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

    9285851.png

  • zamphir66
    zamphir66 Posts: 582 Member
    Options
    Yes, another naturally slim person.

    But here come the comments - "she's really not eating as much as you think she is eating," or, "she's secretly running five miles a day and not telling you," or, "you don't know how much running around she has to do with that kid."

    Denial, denial, denial that there are naturally slim people because they have fast metabolisms.

    I've followed this thread with interest, and still can't grok what the actual argument is.

    Do you agree with the statement that a person can maintain normal weight easier than someone else by:

    a) eating less
    b) moving more
    c) having a faster metabolism
    d) a combination of the above

    Or are you asserting that some people can eat above their TDEE and still not gain weight (and vice versa)?

    The reason people take issue with c) is that 2 standard deviations in metabolism is not that much. Given a TDEE of 2000, 2 SDs covers 1680 -- 2320 a day. 96% of people fall in that range. I can pretty easily cover that spread with a tablespoon, a jar of peanut butter, and a couple of spare mindless minutes.

    And yet, the extreme examples that get tossed around are often things like: I'm eating 5000 cals a day and not gaining, HALP! Or, my daily cals are 500 and I'm not losing!

    Also, the cases that are always brought up are always anecdotal. I can offer myself as an anecdote on the other side of the discussion. I eat out with friends every Friday. One is obese, probably mordidly so, and the other is obese too. I'm closing in on the top end of normal weight. At one time or another, they've both remarked how amazing it is that I eat 'just as much as them,' yet am somehow losing weight. The reason: that's the only time I eat out all week, and that dinner is sometimes the only 'substantial' food I have all day (Bdubs = calorie apocalypse).

    Finally, and I think this is most important -- So what? So what if their are people who can eat a bunch more calories than you can? Does that make you feel wronged somehow? Is it "unfair"? I think going down that path is a path to defeatist thinking. I can only take care of me.



  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited July 2016
    Options
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Some people are naturally slim. My friend is just a little over 5 feet, 110 lbs soaking wet, near 40 years old with a kid. And I've seen what she eats. She's Italian and Sicilian so lots of pasta and she drinks regular soda. She also has great skin and looks 10 years younger then she is!
    But HOW MUCH she eats matters. Unless you're with her 24 hours a day, you can't say she's slim just because when you see her she eats that way.

    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

    9285851.png


    @ninerbuff I am with you on this one.

    I used to be one of those "naturally skinny" people, NOT. I was underweight for many years not because I had good genes. I constantly under ate daily. If you really want to know what a "skinny" person eats, stay with them not 1 day for 24 hours, stay with them for at least 3 to 4 days, you will see how many calories are consumed in those days and also see how much they are active and can stay that skinny.

    Case in point, my two daughters are skinny minis. They just do not eat very much period. Albeit too busy with work, boyfriends, and one is actually a registered dietician and has two jobs (yep a dietician.. LOL).. She has an account here on MFP to do her best to log food so she does not eat too little being too busy with work, etc.
  • hmltwin
    hmltwin Posts: 116 Member
    Options
    zamphir66 wrote: »
    Yes, another naturally slim person.

    But here come the comments - "she's really not eating as much as you think she is eating," or, "she's secretly running five miles a day and not telling you," or, "you don't know how much running around she has to do with that kid."

    Denial, denial, denial that there are naturally slim people because they have fast metabolisms.

    I've followed this thread with interest, and still can't grok what the actual argument is.

    Do you agree with the statement that a person can maintain normal weight easier than someone else by:

    a) eating less
    b) moving more
    c) having a faster metabolism
    d) a combination of the above

    Or are you asserting that some people can eat above their TDEE and still not gain weight (and vice versa)?

    The reason people take issue with c) is that 2 standard deviations in metabolism is not that much. Given a TDEE of 2000, 2 SDs covers 1680 -- 2320 a day. 96% of people fall in that range. I can pretty easily cover that spread with a tablespoon, a jar of peanut butter, and a couple of spare mindless minutes.

    And yet, the extreme examples that get tossed around are often things like: I'm eating 5000 cals a day and not gaining, HALP! Or, my daily cals are 500 and I'm not losing!

    Also, the cases that are always brought up are always anecdotal. I can offer myself as an anecdote on the other side of the discussion. I eat out with friends every Friday. One is obese, probably mordidly so, and the other is obese too. I'm closing in on the top end of normal weight. At one time or another, they've both remarked how amazing it is that I eat 'just as much as them,' yet am somehow losing weight. The reason: that's the only time I eat out all week, and that dinner is sometimes the only 'substantial' food I have all day (Bdubs = calorie apocalypse).

    Finally, and I think this is most important -- So what? So what if their are people who can eat a bunch more calories than you can? Does that make you feel wronged somehow? Is it "unfair"? I think going down that path is a path to defeatist thinking. I can only take care of me.



    I've found it interesting too, mostly because I went from being one of those "naturally slim" people to being overweight. I always blamed it on just being older. I'd been told for years, that it would "catch up to me" someday and that the time would come when I couldn't "eat like a kid". Well, that time came and it's very easy for me to blame it on being older and having a slower metabolism.

    Hearing people go back and forth on this subject has been very eye opening to me. I'm starting to realize a few things. The first being this: back when I was underweight/normal weight, I was also extremely active. I was eating pretty much the same as I do now, but I was so active that I just burned all the calories away. The reason I never thought of it as being active is because I didn't play sports or do gymnastics or any of the things I typically hear as being "athletic." What did I do? I walked! I walked over a mile to and from school. I also road my bike all over the neighborhood. I ran around outside with my sister and brother. I basically never stopped going until I hit my bed at night. Of course, I was "naturally slim" and of course, once I stopped moving around like that, it all caught up to me.