Documentary- Why Are Thin People Not Fat?

Genetics loads the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger ...

Bumping to find later.

Thanks for posting this documentary, I loved it.

I watched this a couple of years ago and I thought it was interesting (although it did leave some questions unanswered).

I know people are saying it's simply that thinner people eat less and burn more, but that doesn't really answer the question .... why? I watched it from the point of view of somebody who spent the vast majority of their life at the "correct" weight without ever having to think about what I ate or how much exercise I got. What changed to make me fat? What was different when I wasn't fat? Why did my "instincts" have me eating exactly the right amount of calories to maintain for all those years, then suddenly eating too many?

One thing I found really interesting was how difficult it was for slim people to put on weight. If I remember, some of them just couldn't cope with eating the extra calories at all. And wasn't there one guy who put on muscle instead of fat when he ate more?

It does show that being slim, naturally slim, isn't about healthy eating and willpower.

Thank you for posting this! I literally was chatting with my husband today about this very subject.

Growing up, I was always very thin. I remember in Jr High and High School, I would stay at a friends house overnight and it would astonish me how much food other families eat. My mom was always super health conscious, and that rubbed off. So, I guess as a family, we ate pretty light. I'd hang with my friend overnight or maybe a weekend and I just couldn't stand it, I thought I was going to burst at very meal. They just ate so much food. It really freaked me out. I realized in high school that most people are just pigs. That's all there isto it. They have no idea how to just eat enough to be full. They just eat and eat and eat, where eating is the activity, rather than the activity is something else and food just nourishes you from or for that activity. Weird. I think if you followed one of you skinny friends around all day everyday for a week, you'd see why they are skinny and you aren't.

Oink.

I know a lot of people will post very smug comments on this thread. I just finished it, I found it really interesting. It gives a scientific background to things I've thought of only in passing. I really liked it. The different results in the participants were the most interesting part, and I wished it spent longer going through all of the people on an in-depth indivIdual basis. It also confirms that loosing weight slowly and managebly is the best way to do it- after being on MFP for 1.5 years and loosing "only" 25 pounds- even I feel a little smug.

On another note, I think it would be great to watch a whole documentary on people like the guy who's BMR raised itself to quite a high level, and the two people who physically couldn't get to the calorie target.

wow, that was really interesting!

I do remember seeing this a while back, and scoffing a little..thinking "oh it cant be that hard" because I always ate what I liked and wanted, though it was 80% healthy I still loved a bit of junk, so I honestly thought I ate soooo much already. but when I finally decided to try to gain weight myself after being naturally skinny my entire life, I couldn't believe what a mental and physical and emotional challenge it was...After about 12 weeks of eating between 2300-2500 I was done in with food, and way absolutely desperate to just maintain for a while. Learning to make slightly less healthy choices to fill calorie goals was so hard for me, it was in my nature to reach for the healthier (and often lower calorie option) and to have to over feed was just a gross feeling, I felt full and sluggish all the time, and was in a constant state of bloat...it worked though, I managed about 10 lbs in 12 weeks (97lbs to 106/7lbs but it wasn't enjoyable, food used to be food, and suddenly I'd formed this weird relationship with it.

Now back at maintenance for a while, 1900 calories a day is my perfect amount, I am happy again, eating well, eating what I enjoy, and only having to pay attention a little more closely to what I eat to be sure I meet my goals. I have had to change my eating habits slightly, remember to add more healthy fats etc...but I dread when I decide to do another bulk.

Looks interesting, I'll definitely watch that. Thanks!

Bump

Genetics loads the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger ...

Genetics load, environment triggers..

So, we need a documentary to figure this one out?
How about they intake the amount of calories their body metabolizes.
HOLD THE PRESSES!
:noway:

If you dont find it interesting you dont have to be a jerk, I think these documentaries about weight are fascinating and I'd thought I'd share it since this is a weight loss forum.

Never Mind. I dont even know why I let people who arnt being so nice bother me, there are plenty of people who are being nice.

You are correct.
Learn all you can. There is value in education.
Make it translate into results.
Good Luck
:drinker:

Burn more how, though. Like I mentioned in my comment, my cousin eats huge quantities of high calorie junk all day long, then sits on his rear and plays video games for most of the day. He's certainly not eating less, and if he's burning more, it's not because he's more active. The only option is that he has a faster metabolism, but why? And I think that's really what their looking at. What makes some people's metabolism burn more efficiently than others when diet and exercise do not play a factor?

^ This is not controlled. Chances are he eats less than you think and moves more than you think.

No, he doesn't. I lived with him for several months. He worked part time. On my days off, I'd get up around 8am in the morning, he was still sleeping and stayed that way until 10 or 11am. When he got up, he'd go straight to the kitchen and pour himself a HUGE glass of sweet tea and grab a bag of chips (he'd eat the whole bag) or some leftover pizza or whatever he could find. Then he'd head for the computer or the playstation and there he'd stay for the next four hours until it was time for him to go to work. He'd leave for work around 3 or 4pm (he worked at a pizza joint, and he told me himself he'd eat a whole pizza on his break and he drank sodas the whole time he was there), and he got off work around 10 or 11pm. When he got home he'd be back in the kitchen loading up on sweet tea and whatever I had cooked for dinner, which was usually homestyle, country cooking full of butter, cream, salt, etc... I once saw him eat two or three cups of mashed potatoes, three fried pork chops, and about a cup and a half of homemade mac and cheese...then he went back for seconds! This was not a once in a while thing. This was pretty much his daily routine. I know it was like this all the time because he and I had discussions about it. He even told me that, even if he did get fat, he'd probably never stop eating that way because he doesn't like healthy food. Yes, he actually said that. Sad, but true.

I watched this a couple of years ago and I thought it was interesting (although it did leave some questions unanswered).

I know people are saying it's simply that thinner people eat less and burn more, but that doesn't really answer the question .... why? I watched it from the point of view of somebody who spent the vast majority of their life at the "correct" weight without ever having to think about what I ate or how much exercise I got. What changed to make me fat? What was different when I wasn't fat? Why did my "instincts" have me eating exactly the right amount of calories to maintain for all those years, then suddenly eating too many?

My opinion of why people are thin for a long time and then gain weight is hormonal regulation. I was thin until the age of 25. So my hormonal regulation was perfect. My weight was so stable that I never gained or lost. In fact, I didn't even know how much I weighed. As people get older, their hormonal regulation can get out of whack, and simply not work properly. This happened for me, but in my case it's because I'm tired 99.9% of the time. Tiredness increases hunger. I can see this by having a nap, and not being hungry afterwards and not wanting to eat for a few hours.