The skinny on skinny people. (drink, meat, gain, burn)

[WyattE]

Why are there many people who are skinny who never exercised a day in their life and they can maintain their weight and eat five times as much as me, yet one look at a piece of food whether it's junk or healthy and I would gain the weight and have to work my butt off each day exercising and have to watch what I eat. What's up with that? Can someone explain this to me?

[terrence81]

It's all about metabolism. Some people just burn fat faster than others. I'm thin and have always wanted to gain a little weight but found it to be such hard work to force myself to eat and lift weights so out of laziness I stop trying. Ironically enough I gained 10 pounds as soon as I stopped trying.

[Mercury Cougar]

Originally Posted by WyattE

Why are there many people who are skinny who never exercised a day in their life and they can maintain their weight and eat five times as much as me, yet one look at a piece of food whether it's junk or healthy and I would gain the weight and have to work my butt off each day exercising and have to watch what I eat. What's up with that? Can someone explain this to me?

We skinny people are just special.

[formercalifornian]

It's metabolism. I was always skinny as a rail until I hit peri-menopause. Now, I have the same problem you do. One oreo cookie and I'm a goner.

[WyattE]

So, diet and exercise will only get an individual so far but should one focus on how to increase metabolism instead or is it all based on genetics?

[Rcm58]

I have a friend, and he's a nice guy but he's way over weight and strange shaped, only 32 years old but the typical southerner that's small on top and big on the bottom, this guy can't get out of his own way, if he has more than one task at a time to work on he starts vibrating from stress. I've talked to him but like most over weight people he feels like he's going a mile a minute when he's just standing still.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by WyattE

So, diet and exercise will only get an individual so far but should one focus on how to increase metabolism instead or is it all based on genetics?

It's not ALL genetics, but genetics clearly play a role.

I have a friend who started going to overeaters anonymous. She is 5 feet tall and lost 50 pounds in 8 months (150 down to 100) by rigorously doing the program. She does not drink soda or eat sweets or processed food of any kind. She measures her food on a scale (a certain weight in vegetables, a certain weight of lean meat--usually turkey, etc.). She is never hungry. She told me that she never thought of herself as an overeater. I think overeating has become so normal these days, we don't even recognize it. And processed food encourages overating because processed foods have no fiber in them, which means you can eat a lot without feeling full.

She does not really work out or exercise any more than she did previously, so almost all of the weight loss has come from eating the right foods (whole foods, not processed, and a small amount of lean meat) in the right proportions (as in....less than she used to).

I have another coworker who doesn't go to overeaters anonymous but she is pretty much doing the same thing and has lost 30 pounds so far.

I have yet another coworker who works out for several hours each morning before work and wears a pedometer on her arm, making sure she walks 10,000 steps per day and she has lost a lot of weight and kept it off.

So losing weight is really about a permanent lifestyle change. I think 80% of it comes from eating the right foods (no processed food, keep meat and poultry to a minimum) in the right proportions. The rest comes from exercise.

I also think there's something to be said for some kind of daily spiritual practice, like meditation or prayer (or both). The studies are showing more and more that the body has a positive physiological response to meditation, esp. in regard to lowering blood pressure. But I'm willing to bet that there are other positive effects from daily meditation as well.

[Jdawg8181]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

It's not ALL genetics, but genetics clearly play a role.

I have a friend who started going to overeaters anonymous. She is 5 feet tall and lost 50 pounds in 8 months (150 down to 100) by rigorously doing the program. She does not drink soda or eat sweets or processed food of any kind. She measures her food on a scale (a certain weight in vegetables, a certain weight of lean meat--usually turkey, etc.). She is never hungry. She told me that she never thought of herself as an overeater. I think overeating has become so normal these days, we don't even recognize it. And processed food encourages overating because processed foods have no fiber in them, which means you can eat a lot without feeling full.

She does not really work out or exercise any more than she did previously, so almost all of the weight loss has come from eating the right foods (whole foods, not processed, and a small amount of lean meat) in the right proportions (as in....less than she used to).

I have another coworker who doesn't go to overeaters anonymous but she is pretty much doing the same thing and has lost 30 pounds so far.

I have yet another coworker who works out for several hours each morning before work and wears a pedometer on her arm, making sure she walks 10,000 steps per day and she has lost a lot of weight and kept it off.

So losing weight is really about a permanent lifestyle change. I think 80% of it comes from eating the right foods (no processed food, keep meat and poultry to a minimum) in the right proportions. The rest comes from exercise.

I also think there's something to be said for some kind of daily spiritual practice, like meditation or prayer (or both). The studies are showing more and more that the body has a positive physiological response to meditation, esp. in regard to lowering blood pressure. But I'm willing to bet that there are other positive effects from daily meditation as well.

Sorry I don't think this has anything to do with it. The south is the bible belt of the country and it is also home to America's fattest people. I don't believe in god at all, I am completely anti-religion. I lost my weight by changing my diet and exercise. Spirituality (or lack of) played no part whatsoever.

[janelle144]

I think if you follow those skinny people around you will find they don't eat much. My son is skinny and when we go out to eat he leaves half his plate uneaten. He also works hard so you do still need to compare incoming to outgoing consumption.

I would be fine if I could work harder and not care when I feel hungry but the older I get the more I can't stand to feel hunger pangs.

[Mercury Cougar]

Originally Posted by janelle144

I think if you follow those skinny people around you will find they don't eat much. My son is skinny and when we go out to eat he leaves half his plate uneaten. He also works hard so you do still need to compare incoming to outgoing consumption.

I would be fine if I could work harder and not care when I feel hungry but the older I get the more I can't stand to feel hunger pangs.

Some of them don't eat much. Others, like me, consume a good deal of calories. When I am not exercising, I eat about 1800-2000 calories per day. When I am exercising, up that by about 800 calories. This amount is more than the charts say I need as "maintenance" calories.

I think a lot of fat people eat more than they realize. If the OP were to carry around a notebook, and write down every single thing that goes into his mouth during the course of a week, I'm betting he'd be surprised just how much he eats.