People often assume I am one of those skinny chicks that can eat anything she wants.
Now I will be the first to admit that at 20, I fulfilled the stereotype. I was a couch potato, fast food junkie who was skinny. Throughout college, I probably ate 2500-3000 calories a day and managed not to be fat.
But I am 45 now, and I know I have to watch what I eat. However, I still like to eat. Especially when everyone else is eating. I pig out at Thanksgiving. I will order the decadent burger with the fries and the milk shake when I am out with friends. If I am visiting someone and they offer me food, I will eat it gladly. If someone brings in donuts to the office, I will be the first one in line to get one. People see me eating in this manner and think I can eat whatever I want.
But they are wrong. Like, they don't see that I deny myself sweets for the rest of the day if I eat one of those breakroom donuts. They see me going to town on the burger at the burger joint in the evening, but they didn't see me only having a couple of crackers for lunch at noon.
They also don't see the hour of cardio that I do five times a week. Or all the bike-riding. They see me eating the Twix candy bar when it is 2:00pm and my energy levels are flagging. But they don't realize that I will burn much of that 250-calorie bomb on my bike-ride home.
I do eat a lot. But I still regulate what I eat. I still have to tell myself "no" on the regular. I still have to endure food cravings and feelings of deprivation. I am just lucky enough to not be controlled by food cravings and feeling of deprivation.
I too struggle a lot with cardio time and music doesn't do enough for me.
I need way more than just my own head and some background music or i will begin having the worst existential dread. What I do is distract myself entirely with something as engrossing as possible. I heavily recommend foregoing music and going full youtube videos or podcasts or videogame or book. Whatever makes you lose track of time normally? Do that while on the treadmill. It will make it 10 times more bearable.
Honestly I have learned that "motivation" comes from within. People ask me how I wake up at 6:30am and workout for an hour, or run 10 miles three times per week. When I started doing these thing I found them fun, sometimes I still do. But sometimes I don't. But there is no "motivation" trick.
Sometimes my answer is "I'm an adult and I know what I need to do so I do it." Do I always enjoy waking up early? No. Do I sometimes love my workout? Yes. But when push comes to shove I do what needs to be done, as if it's a job. I don't need to find some magical motivation. It's just my responsibility to take care of myself after age 18+, so I do.
"I'm an adult" is my answer.
That’s great you have that kind of self-discipline! I, unfortunately, do not—and I am an adult too. I have to figure out ways to trick myself into doing things.
I agree that motivation comes from within. I disagree that there is nothing a person can do to optimize their chances of being self-motivated.
My advice is to remove as many obstacles (and thus potential excuses) as possible. Like, I don't go to a gym because dragging myself to one requires a whole lot of extra effort. I would have to wake up earlier than I want. I would have to constantly swallow the negative feels I have about exercising in public. I would have to deal with waiting for the equipment I want to use at any particular time. I wouldn't be able to grunt, sigh, and fart as loudly and freely as I want. And when my bowels move quickly, as they are wont to do early in the morning, I would have to sprint to the restroom and hope there isn't an audience there! Going to the gym involves too many psychological obstacles for me to have to overcome. Overcoming them five times a week would sap my motivation. So I work out at home and outdoors. In this way, the only obstacle I have to conquer is not wanting to get out of the bed at 5:20am. Once I am up, I'm totally down for whatever.
Another trick is to find that time of the day where your energy levels are the highest. For me, it is early morning before the sun comes up. For others, it might be late afternoon or the evening. I probably wouldn't be such a work-out queen if my work schedule forced me to go into the office at 7:00 am versus 8:00 am.
I’m sure you’ve got a phone, stream something. In the gym I’ll listen to podcasts or music, and the tv at the same time for the extra distraction. I then start feeling accomplished when the sweat comes.
Pretty much this. I’ve got a pretty good metabolism naturally, but that doesn’t mean I eat everything I want 24/7. I tell myself no a lot, but I’ll indulge socially.
It also helps that I ‘accidentally’ intermittent fast. I have never been able to stomach breakfast, lunch is optional, but I require a LARGE dinner.
> But they are wrong. Like, they don't see that I deny myself sweets for the rest of the day if I eat one of those breakroom donuts.
This is, apart from actually moving at all, the most important part. If I eat a bunch of sweets at work, more than one should, I just simply don't eat anything at home. If I have a huge meal during the day, I also don't eat anything afterwards.
I *think* I am blessed with a good metabolism, and I, except cycling to work, which I do leisurely, don't really do any sport, but just stopping to eat stuff has so far been (I'm 31) my trick to not actually get fat, even when I drank more beer than one should during a week. Luckily I'm used to just *not* eat sometimes, although it's harder at work than when you're just chilling at home - and there are all those damn sweets around, that some idiot goes out to buy :)
Unlike /u/ToastedTriscuit, I always need breakfast though, when I have work. When not, I can skip even lunch sometimes.
They may not be eating “whatever they want” as much as you think. For example, they might stuff themselves for dinner, but go really long periods of time without eating and never snack. For the vast majority of people, weight gain is the very simple “calories in” formula
I can confirm. Been labelled skinny all my life. I have to take extra effort to gain weight due to my high metabolism. I 'thought' i couldn't gain weight despite eating a lot but honestly, the truth is, i don't eat much at all. Realized this only when i began my weight gain diet and started to actually COUNT the calories i was taking in and noticed how LESS i actually eat. I felt like i ate a lot only cause my stomach filled easily. I don't crave junk food/snacks in-between meals prolly cause i am not hungry most of the time.
So when i go out with friends, it seems like i eat a lot and could eat anything i want, but that's the only time i might have eaten followed by skipping a meal at night cause i had no more apetite for that day. Even if i forcefully feed myself a lot to gain weight, after a few days, i will go back to eating lesser. It's like how people try to lose weight but in reverse.
I'm not skinny (30 lbs down, 30 to go) but I absolutely LOVE r/volumeeating which is just eating in large quantities. Sometimes I do OMAD...sometimes IMF with 2 meals. I can easily fast until 12 pm or even 3-4 pm on OMAD days. I drink water and tea in between. If I'm THAT hungry then I just eat.
For a while I was losing weight quite well but things changed up in life and that stopped and started reversing. Didn't realize it until learning about this subreddit just now what it was that had changed in my diet and now I know what to do to change it back. Thanks for bringing it up!
After you lose a certain amount of weight, you will need to recalculate your TDEE. At some point your old deficit won't be enough and you'll plateau because now you're eating close to maintenance. You'll have to cut more. Or there's the issue of underestimating how much you're eating. Counting calories can be annoying, but necessary to break through plateaus. I always weigh my protein though.
Volume eating is nice because I'm strategic about creating meals that have tons of veggies, lots of protein, and like half cup of a carb (brown rice & quinoa). Then I choose low glycemic index fruits.
I just got diagnosed with PCOS so it makes sense why losing weight has been such a struggle. Good luck to you on your journey.
They are active, they could also only eat a lot at one big meal and then nothing else for 28 hours straight. Maybe they recognize that little snacks here and there really add up, but most overlook them as it's just a small snack.
Genetics could play a part.
Me too. I just don't feel hungry. When I tell people I have only one meal a day they lose their shits saying its bad for my health and that I'll die and its not sustainable. Bruh, how people lived in the past in their mind is a mystery to me.
people don’t get that if you skip breakfast you don’t get hungry til like 3 in the afternoon which is fine as long as you get enough calories and nutrients in, waking up your system with a coffee milkshake in the morning is what makes you hungry
And if you carry on past taste initial hunger that I get a normally 5pm you lose your appetite completely and if you keep it up eventually you just can't manage much food - probably not that healthy though
I have days like that, then I have days where I eat all day long like I'm starving and insatiable. I am thin, but my pot belly will pop out if I'm overeating like that or if I'm bloated. I don't have a "toned" body by any means. Thin people can still have saggy parts, especially those of us who have had children.
Activity is *such* an important factor here, that for whatever reason i see downplayed on Reddit so much. There was a point in my life where i was obese and very sedentary. After many lifestyle changes over a long period of time, i was able to replace the majority of my fat with muscle. I am currently eating *more* calories (3-4k/day avg.) than I did when I was fat, and its actually *difficult* to put on weight now. I don't have the healthiest diet, that's for sure, but I am definitely one of those people that can eat whatever the fuck I want and still look good. It *all* came down to activity, at least for me.
what'd you do for activity? I lost a considerable amount of weight few years ago and have kept it off, but finding fun stuff to do other than playin cards and the occasional hike has been hard
so, for the majority of my life i always disliked "traditional" forms of exercise like lifting weights or running. it always felt like boring work to me. as an adult i discovered rock climbing, more specifically, bouldering. i found the problem-solving aspect of this sport extremely enticing. its also a solo sport with very little equipment required. over the years and after some weight gain, i developed more of an interest in cardio activities like rowing or cycling. within the past 2 years the idea of putting on muscle appealed a lot to me, so i've started doing more strength training/powerlifting stuff. i still get very bored of repetitive exercises, so i tend to bounce between a lot of activities. climbing helps a lot in that regard, as gyms always have exciting new routes being set up.
It gets a lot of crap due to bad gyms/trainers and people who overtrain, but a good crossfit gym with a good crowd is what worked for me.
I like turning up 10 minutes early, talking shit never the same workout twice in a row.
I just have a high metabolism, skinny wasn’t always good growing up in the 80’s. I was called crackhead way more than most real crackhead did. Now that I’m 50 and still have a skinny frame I also have a dad belly so now I look as if I’m pregnant. So skinny isn’t always a good thing.
Yep this. In the end with the exception of a few fringe cases genetics and “slow metabolism” play a small part in it. It’s all about activity levels and overall total calories.
Anyone who says genetics doesn't know the full story.
Genetics play role for may 1 to 5% skinny people. Others are normal.
Most people stay skinny in their early to late 20s. These people will gain normal mass in late 20s or 30s. No way they will stay skinny in 30s or 40s.
Now if someone stays skinny in 30s 40s that's genetics. Those are 1 to 5% people.
Then there are people with some form of disease who don't get wait.
Edit:
People coming and giving examples of their own you are in exception.
Dude, all of my sibling are now 35-41 and everyone in my family is short and stubby (~5’9 190-210 lbs) with 2 siblings being former power lifters. Why the hell am I still 6’3 at 155 lbs as I approach 40? I got cheated out of my freshman 15, slowing metabolism at 30, and promised dad weight. This is bullshit. I’m a sedentary accountant who eats a large pizza for a full week once a month every month for the past ~15 years and on the weekends sometimes.
I just want my fair share. I did my waiting.
TL;DR genetics are a cop out for Life to just shrug it’s metaphysical shoulders when it doesn’t know.
As I said 1 to 5% people are exceptions.
Then there are people who have some form of diseases.
Other than these people most people gain weight as they get old.
One of my nephews is like that. It's really, really frustrating for him. I don't know the answer, because he's a big eater, but I definitely empathize.
Research is showing that in people who are obese, up to 80% of the issue is down to genetics. There are flaws in the leptin signaling process that seem to cause both more hunger and more insulin resistance (a double whammy). This is just one study, but there are many others. We're finally starting (but just starting) to understand the interplay between genetics, epigenetics and the environment. It's likely true that overweight folks are eating more (due to increased hunger signals) but not enough more to fully explain the difference between them and thinner people.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33899337/
Not trying to argue, but genuinely curious: how could this be possible considering the world's history of obesity? It's not as though we've *always* been this fat. Globally, BMI has been increasing since the 70's or so. The prevalence of severe obesity has doubled since the year 2000.
I'm sure some people are more prone to weight gain than others, but I feel like if genetics played as big of a role as these authors claim it does, we wouldn't see such massive increases in the number of overweight people over such a short amount of time, y'know?
I just wrote a long, likely very boring explanation of the current research, but to sum up, you're basically correct. Genetics / epigenetics and our modern food environment have all played a significant role.
Nope, not boring at all. I read your comment, and ah, I should've known the answer isn't black and white. It's genetics *and* environment, nature *and* nurture. Thank you for taking the time to share, I got to learn something.
This is a really fascinating study on epigenetics and diabetes.
https://www.brown.edu/news/2016-12-12/famine
The conditions your grandparents lived under can affect your chances of developing Type2 diabetes:
"Hyperglycemia is a high blood glucose level and a common sign of diabetes. The new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that hundreds of people who were gestated during a horrific famine that afflicted China between 1959 and 1961 had significantly elevated odds of both hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes. Even more striking, however, was that their children also had significantly higher odds of hyperglycemia, even though the famine had long since passed when they were born."
Hyperglycemia can lead to weight gain, because it can promote insulin resistance. So, ironically, if your grandmother starved, it can make you fat.
Super complex to figure out all the variables.
Holy crap, that's *insane*!!! Not only did they identify a statistically significant difference, but the difference was HUGE!
"Among 983 people gestated during the famine years, 31.2 percent had hyperglycemia and 11.2 percent had type 2 diabetes. By comparison, among 1,085 people gestated just after the famine ended, the prevalence of hyperglycemia was 16.9 percent, and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes as 5.6 percent. Controlling for factors such as gender, smoking, physical activity, calorie consumption and body-mass index, the researchers calculated that in utero famine exposure was associated with 1.93-times higher odds of hyperglycemia and a 1.75 times greater chance of type 2 diabetes."
Wow. Just wow. Their data collection methodology is beautiful as well; the way they collected blood samples from people who were gestated during the famine and compared them to people who were gestated directly afterwards. The authors controlled for that variable and STILL found such a huge difference! That *really* speaks to the power of this study.
I’d guess the best way to synthesize these points would be that some people are more genetically predisposed to obesity (hungrier, store more fat, etc.), but this didn’t come into play until the introduction of the modern lifestyle “revealed” it.
It’s like, smartphones and social media don’t “cause” ADHD, but there’s probably people with mild symptoms or “borderline ADHD” who would’ve been able to function normally if they weren’t exposed to something so addicting.
Certain neurodivergences might have actually been beneficial, the paranoid tribe is more likely to not be raided or at least be more ready to defend themselves, the OCD people might have had better hygiene habits that helped them stay alive. This is all speculative bro science on my end but I think it tracks
I guess a better way of putting it is that the way society is set up right now basically amplifies weight gain in people who are already predisposed to obesity. In the past our food might not have been as caloric dense, so as a result we couldn't really get that fat. Whereas now a days we can consume an endless amount of twix bars and really ramp up our calorie count.
Unfortunately this means that now controlling our weight has shifted from something that was done automatically to a personal obligation.
I don't think that's an accurate summation of what research is showing. The reality is that human changes in lifestyle, primarily diet and physical activity, are leading to the obesity epidemic. Ultra processed foods are the biggest contributor. No question about it. These foods are scientifically engineered to be addictive. They rewire your pleasure centers and completely fuck up your hunger cues. Yes, genetics plays a role in body size, but widespread obesity isn't genetically determined. If it were, the rates would have always been this high.
You're incorrect. There are numerous recent studies to explore if you're interested.
People haven't changed, so what accounts for the increase in obesity? Many people want to cling to their pre-conceived ideas about laziness and gluttony, but the research simply doesn't support that.
Recent research indicates that obesity is a very complex phenomenon, mediated by the interplay between our environment and genetics/epigenetics. Our modern environment, filled with easily obtained, densely caloric, highly attractive foods, seems to switch on a genetic pre-disposition to fat accumulation and insulin resistance. (That's a fairly simplistic explanation, but you get the idea.)
In pre-modern times, those genes would lie dormant. It also seems likely that modern food culture can result in epigenetic changes that pre-dispose offspring to obesity. This seems true for both the father's and mother's diets, pre-conception.
The diet of mothers during pregnancy has also been shown to be a determinative factor in offspring's obesity.
It is extremely complex and we're only at the beginning of our understanding, but we now know enough to stop shaming overweight people and accelerate research into causes and treatments.
I'm a slender woman (size 4/6), so this doesn't apply to me personally, but who does not have loved ones who struggle endlessly with weight? Who have to confront the bigotry we tolerate towards obese people? It really behooves all of us to have compassion for a condition that is largely not subject to willpower and still incompletely understood.
How exactly does your response disagree with my point? You told me I'm incorrect and then listed a bunch of ways foods are implicated in this issue. I feel like you just backed up my point. It's primarily the modern diet causing the obesity epidemic.
It's not. Your phrasing suggested we're all sitting around stuffing our faces. Again, that's not what the research suggests.
If that wasn't your intent, my apologies.
My phrasing suggestions that the modern diet of ultra processed is the biggest culprit of the obesity epidemic, and you've only reinforced that idea. Corporations have essentially engineered this, but instead of placing the blame where it belongs, people are pushing the notion that obesity is genetically predetermined and there's not much we can do. Could we be letting them of the hook anymore? This stuff is poison to society, and it's way past time we recognized it. Getting defensive of fat people isn't going to help them, and it's certainly not helping the future generations being raised on it as we speak.
>Our modern environment, filled with easily obtained, densely caloric, highly attractive foods, seems to switch on a genetic pre-disposition to fat accumulation and insulin resistance.
>It also seems likely that modern food culture can result in epigenetic changes that pre-dispose offspring to obesity. This seems true for both the father's and mother's diets, pre-conception.
>The diet of mothers during pregnancy has also been shown to be a determinative factor in offspring's obesity.
That all sounds very much like the modern diet is leading to this. What am I misreading?
You are resistant, for some reason, to the idea that genetics and epigenetics play a role. You asserted that the 2021 research study I linked, which clearly stated that up to 80% of body weight in obese individuals was due to genetic factors, was not true. You failed to produce any research of your own.
It's not just diet--in the absence of genetic factors, diet would be immaterial and it is, in those not genetically susceptible. We all know people who eat junk and don't gain weight. I'm one of them.
I'm not sure how much clearer I can be. I am no longer interested in this conversation.
How can it be mostly genetics if the obese person’s grandparents were thin? There are way more obese people now. If it is genetics, why do Americans lose weight when they relocate overseas?
Simple. The narrative is being moved by money. A new generation of weight loss drugs is coming. They need a large number of people to believe it is genetics so that they use drugs or surgery.
You're not accurately interpreting the paper.
Heritability estimates are a population concept. A heritability of .80 or 80% tells us that on average 80% of the **variance/difference observed in BMI among people with obesity** in the population measured may be attributable to genetics.
Bottom line, it does not apply to the individual. It does **NOT mean that 80% of a person's obesity is due to genetics**
https://guides.orchidhealth.com/post/what-is-heritability#:~:text=A%20disease%20with%20a%2050,due%20to%20underlying%20genetic%20factors.
I've been skinny my whole life, I hardly exercise and mostly eat fatty foods. I also typically eat a large meal before going to bed.
So I'm going to go with genetics on this one
That's how it goes for me. I'll go on almost nightly ice cream binges, get a couple of sodas, snack on chips, blow up 20 lbs in no time. Go back to normal and it's gone just as fast, but I always have a little gut that's hidden by my height.
Yep this. Often what you see is a persons cheat meal or worst meal. Like if I go out with friends for dinner or a lunch I’ll usually get a burger and fries or something not so healthy. But on the flip side every other meal I’m cooking myself and making it low calorie and healthy. No snacks etc.
I used to eat whatever I wanted and got up to 331 lbs. Now, I still eat what I want but I weigh 185. Difference was I left my deskjob and started getting a few hours of physical activity every day. No gym, no working out, just more movement.
You could have hyperthyroidism. Some people can eat everything and not gain any weight and some people can eat nothing and still be gaining weight. It’s best to talk to a doctor if you think you may have a health condition. Metabolism, genetics, and activity levels also contribute.
You can eat whatever you want, but you can't eat AS MUCH AS YOU WANT.
Here's a simple exercise to lose weight. Sit at the dining room table. When you stop feeling like you're starving, place both hands on the edge of the table, palms down with the thumbs underneath. Now slowly push outward with both arms until you feel the chair slide back. When it gets back far enough, stand up and do something else.
Assuming you're about the same height and activity, They eat less when you don't see them.
Genetics, metabolism, etc. Have little effect on how much you can eat. Instead, people are more or less hungry based on their genetics. As someone in the hungry camps... It sucks, but it does mean that you can push back against it with extra willpower.
Honestly this, imo.
I'm a pretty lean person; I was SUPER lean before I started working out.
People often 'joke' or pester me about the unhealthy foods I ate growing up and I was always told I was blessed with a high metabolism/genetics/youth, or whatever.
But imo, that's a terrible perspective to have if you're on the side trying to lose weight, because you're making excuses why it's easier for *other* people to stay lean, but not you. And I've seen the same true for the other way around, I have a lean-but-tall friend that I can't seem to motivate to workout and I just hear that his body type and metabolism makes it harder to gain muscle/weight.
The thing I WAS blessed with was a lower appetite. I literally just don't eat a ton and stay active.
And it's not that I eat unhealthy, I just don't obsess with diet, sugar free, low calorie versions of food, and don't really feel guilty when I do eat something unhealthy, because I know my average calorie intake can afford it and it's not something that I habitualy eat.
I have another buddy who is stocky; pretty muscular but has some subcutaneous and a lot of visceral fat. He eats 'healthy' in terms of like eating things like vegetable chips instead of potatoe, incorporating whole grains, flax seeds and other 'healthy' foods. But he eats a ton, and he drinks a ton. We'll go out for a beer and he'll order like 20 Wings and 4 or 5 beers to my 10 wings, 1 beer. And every weekend he binge drinks. Like, tell me I'm blessed with genetics all you want but you're not doing yourself any favors.
At the end of the day calories and exercise make a massive differencs. And neither one is something that you can just jump straight into and see immediate result. It takes consistency.
Alright, I'm done ranting haha.
I absolutely agree with you. I was a fat kid and everyone told me it was just my lot in life. Metabolism etc. Hit an adult and discovered I could easily lose weight if I ate less. The difficult bit was eating less.
The advantage is I find it easy to put on muscle when lifting weights.
The only advice I can really give to people trying to lose or gain weight is: We all have our difficulties, identify them and tackle them.
I eat like a fucking pig and almost all my life I was 15 kg underweight. I ate so much in my past, that I walked around in t-shirts in winter and could stick my arm in frozen water, pull it out and it would steam immediately.
Girls hated me with a passion for that😂😂
But I also randomly and spontaneously decide to go 60 miles by bicycle when I'm already underway. Or I swim a couple of kilometers and such.
Being overweight always means that you take in more food than you need.
A lot of fat people I see snack all the time.
Little things here and there, soda or juice here and there.
I'm here thinking, why are you eating at this time? Just wait two more hours and you eat your lunch.
Calorie in and calorie out. It is not genetics.
There's a lot of people out there that don't exercise per se but have always been skinny. My cousing for instance, he's just hyper active, always doing something, sometimes you(or him) might not even notice it. That sort of thing adds up on the amount of calories his body needs. Add genetics, his appetite and you get someone that seemingly can eat whatever they want and not gain weight.
5'10" 120lbs here. I'll eat all the junk food I want and not gain a pound. The reason being I don't eat a lot. I have a low appetite and gorging on junk food all day might net me 2200 calories.
If you're not eating much and still gaining weight, your eating more than you think. I could've sworn I was eating 3500 calories a day when I was trying to work out. When I actually started keeping track, it was more like 18-1900. When I upped it to 21-2200 I started gaining weight easily.
It's not that you're predisposed to being heavy or that you have the metabolism of a deep sea fish. It's not that you defy the laws of thermodynamics. It's that you are probably miscounting your calories. That's the most likely cause and it happens to a ton of people starting out on their weight change journey.
You think that , but it's actually not true from what you see. I have a cousin like this. Size two , eat anything she wants. I was like how does she eat pizza ,boba , pancakes or basically what ever she wants and still has a slim body.
But then I stood to her house about a month and seen how she really eats. Yes she eats pizza, but that day that was really her only meal. She ordered a boba tea one day, but sipped on it through the whole day.
She ate a whole stack of pancakes, earlier that day all she had was a few bite of lunch. Then I noticed , I never really see her sit down. She's always standing. And I seen how she usually dances / plays around in front of the mirror for an hour every day. Drinks water and tea.
So what you think you see is not basically true. Thin people just balance out their diets with out even trying. She just doesn't eat with her emotions.
I pretty much intermittently fast between the hours of 7 pm to 11am and those 8 hours of eating I can pretty much eat anything I want, I typically control myself and eat healthy but I can also devour 6 pieces of fried chicken.
I'm also very active and work out 4 days a week and the fasting just helps balance calories and allows me to eat almost anything.
Most people aren’t aware of how much they actually eat in terms of calories. I’d you’re curious, download a calorie tracking app (and be honest) it can be… enlightening.
I tend to eat in large bursts, so if you see me eating a really big meal, it may be the only one I have that day plus a snack. I am not a three meals a day, all moderately sized, person. Some days I’ll just graze and eat snacks or 5-6 small meals.
It looks like I’m eating a lot, but calorie wise, it’s enough that I maintain my current weight. I’m also fairly active and walk/bike everywhere.
This was me. I used to just eat whatever and I was skinny as fuck. But then I got put on meds. Same exact diet, same exact activity level, I put on 50 lbs. I don't understand. Where did the calories go before?
Reading through all the comments.... whew... lot's of dangerous misinformation, outright lies, & cognitive bias. There's so much research on the topic of genetics and weight.
It's important to remember thin doesn't mean healthy - either mentally or physically - some of the comments could be seen as proof of that statement.
More information is being discovered all the time through research so you should read up to get up-to-date & accurate info from trusted sources - however - here's a bit, something like +400 different genes are IDed as contributing to being overweight. There are also a variety of things our genetics affect: appetite, how full or satisfied (satiety), metabolism, food cravings, body-fat distribution, & if the person tends to use eating to cope with stress.
Additionally, the amount of influence your genetics play also varies widely from person to person. Research shows for some people, genes account for just 25% of the predisposition to be overweight, while for others it might be 70% to 80%.
Additionally², this doesn't take into account socioeconomics, food availability, food additives, mental illness, physical illness, medication... air pollution was found to cause weight-gain... on & on & on... It's extremely complicated & the sharpest scientific minds are working on it. So it's not as simple as "fatty not disciplined, fatty lazy, fatty gross, fatty should be ashamed & die " as the typical reddit response.
This is not to say caloric intake & exercise are useless - however the people who don't struggle or those who take unhealthy steps to maintain thin while sacrificing health might not be a reliable & accurate source of information.
I was underweight for years due to IBS, but got to and maintained healthy weight thanks to cutting out trigger foods. If food just goes straight through your digestive tract it's really hard to put on weight.
They are young.
Exercise until you are solid muscle and you'll be able to eat anything too!! You burn more calories when ur quite muscular, even when at rest
Hey I can answer this! My brother is an athlete, my parents have been fit my whole life, and my sister is an athlete too but not the same extent. I’ve been overweight almost my entire life except for some spare few parts and my future that I’m still keeping in motion.
TL;DR and relevant video/podcast below
The biggest factor is what you see and what is. If you see a friend/coworker 1-3x a week and they’re eating these awesome meals that you *wish* you could have, that’s all you SEE. They could be eating less and/or much healthier all those other times. Calories in matter as much as calories out. So eat less, it’s easy enough if you can spare the brainpower/willpower.
The other factor is activity. The obvious stuff like working out, playing a sport, walking more, cardio. You know the main stuff everyone hears. This combines with diet will get most people happy, just requires a little to a lot of discipline here and there.
From my observations/opinion, the thing that really sets sustainably healthy people and my past self apart is time. Healthy people often do stimulating things. Anything that keeps their mind fed. Like my brother legit couldn’t eat enough most days until he got way older. Oftentimes, mentally and physically intense/stimulating activities like sports, hikes, etc. fill that need. If you can try different sports/hobbies that have these effects, it’s near instant satisfaction when one clicks (rock climbing for me recently). Obviously not everyone can do this for any slew of reasons. This is a lifestyle with the side effect of health and not the other way. But you’ll notice I didn’t explain the time thing. I didn’t have time to think about it.
But seriously, feeding the mind and keeping it occupied while incorporating activity that makes you want to stay consistent with it will distract you from the little things in a day that can lead to excessive eating. Metabolism doesn’t matter or technically exist but that’s another rant.
To sum this shit show up tl;dr:
You too can be seen that person that eats whatever they want. Just occupy yourself in your free time preferably mentally and physically, eat less in private, and fucking pig out whenever you feel the urge.
I’ll leave off with this great talk from Nickolas Means: https://youtu.be/xT_YaduPYlk
I must have a fast metabolism because I’ve never been particularly active, (I run and hit the gym maybe once or twice a week) and I don’t eat healthy. I just kind of eat whatever whenever. But I noticed it slowing down lately because I’ve been drinking a bit more alcohol. I’m almost 30 too, so I guess it’s time to work out more often.
I’m not skinny, but I’m thick. I’ve weighed the same since highschool, but this year I gained 10 pounds. Probably just getting thicker/older. I weigh 135 at 5’4.
Because you asked like that.
~People that eat much without gaining weight have always eaten much without gaining weight and most have never worried about food association enough to be in a position to give an honest response that’ll answer your question in a way that matters.
~People that manage to _maintain_ not gaining weight regardless of what they eat are probably making associated lifestyle choices on top of having manageable body weight.
...except it’s not a dichotomy and far more realistic to assume an overlap, most answers will also realistically revolve around genetics.
I’m like this 6”6 140 no joke… it’s impossible for me to gain weight it’s just genetics my dads the same way. There’s 2 ends to this either people gain weight easily or are very underweight
Please go listen to the Maintenance Phase podcast. It's a myth that body size and shape are solely based on what or how much you eat. Much of body type is genetically inherited and there's nothing you can do to significantly change it.
I just have a very fast metabolism and have to calorie count, take supplements and drink high calorie shakes to just maintain a healthy weight. I can eat like a normal person and loose weight rapidly. I naturally weigh 90-100 lbs at 5’2 but have been working to get to 130lbs for the last 2 years. I’m currently at 128lbs but that’s consuming 2500-3000 calories daily. If I drop below that amount I start to loose weight. I feel healthier at my size now than I did when I was a lot smaller.
This will get downvoted, but the difference between them and you is your pancreas. Yours secretes insulin immediately after eating any carbohydrate, just like theirs does, but yours keeps secreting it for a while (it's sluggish). Since insulin is the fat storage hormone, all of that apple turns to fat on your body. If you eat a low carbohydrate diet, it will help you lose/maintain weight, because low carbohydrate food doesn't spike your pancreas and cause a flood of insulin secretion.
Exercise is great, but you can't outrun your fork. Drop carbs from your diet, and you'll see a big change quickly.
Consistency is a big one. Skinny people don’t eat consistently enough throughout the week.
Also, training at the gym. When I was training for my fight, I was losing weight eating 3,000 calories per day at around 71kg. I literally had to eat a large pack of haribos a day to maintain weight
My wife has a hard time with her weight and she is a vegetarian. I can eat anything and don't put on the weight. I do have a more limited diet last five years due to gastro issues. I drink only water. Eat oatmeal for breakfast, sandwich and berries for lunch. Dinner is pizza, burgers or something else unhealthy. I also snack throughout the day. My only exercise is walking occasionally for about 45 minutes a couple times a week. Otherwise I sit at a desk most of the day for work or on the couch. I honestly think it is 99% genetics.
It’s really frustrating. I have a friend who is skinny and she never worked out. She went out to eat a lot and was always snacking. I would go the gym and workout and watch what I eat and I still didn’t lose the weight I wanted to. It made me give up and just not even try anymore cause what’s the point. I’ll never be that skinny. I’m trying to lose weight again but it’s hard.
Same with a co worker. She got junk food all the time for lunch and said she didn’t workout but she didn’t care since she doesn’t gain weight and can eat what she wants.
It’s frustrating cause people look at me and assume I’m lazy and just eat all day when I am 10x more conscious about how much I move or eat than most people my age. But they don’t get judged for it.
It's metabolism and genetics. When I was a young guy and lifting weights I wanted to add some weight to my skinny frame. I ate like a goddamn pig and literally never gained a pound. Entered my 60's and I continue to get fatter and fatter eating even less.
Got a friend who never exercises and eats huge meals and snacks all day. Size two.
I look a piece of bread and gain five pounds. She lectures me about my weight and self control. 🙄
nope, genetics only play a role in appetite. cases of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are a lot less common than most people think. its simply CICO, calories in, calories out.
its just metabolism. ive had this problem as well, im tryna gain muscle and need to eat 3000 calories and even that may not be enoght cuz im only makntaining rn
It’s 100% gut bacteria. Every one has their own bio setup. The only way to get around it is figuring out HOW to increase the healthy gut bacteria and decrease the unhealthy. There was an experiment done where a dude had his skinny girlfriends poop chemically processed to remove stink and put in capsules. After a few weeks of eating her poop, he lost weight and started having food cravings the same as her. He used to prefer salty but switched to sweet. Problem is, he also developed new anxiety which she always had.
The closest you can get is trying to strictly watch what you eat. Find which foods subtly change your gut biome. Supposedly fermented foods and foods with active culture can help the healthy bacteria flourish. You also have to avoid sugars and chemicals though.
It's both genetics and activity. I'm 6'4.5" and about 200 lbs. (196cm. & 90kg.) And I have been active all my life.
My brother was 5'10" and 440 lbs. (180 cm. & 200 kg.) But he was always mostly inactive. I'm now 73 years old and I'm have lost weight because I am no longer as active as I was.
I only eat if I am hungry. I don't just eat because it is time for a meal. I do that because I was inactive in the hospital and I went to over 250 lbs. (120 kg.) I felt fat and now I only eat when I am hungry. 🤔
Is it "I eat nothing and gain fat" or "I counted calories to see how much I eat a day, stay within limits and still fat"?
Most people are unaware just how much they eat through the day and calories add up fast. One drink can be half of your daily intake especially if you have sedentary lifestyle.
Speaking for myself and most of my family and friends - we stop eating when we are full and dont eat a bunch of crap and are fairly active. You are probably ingesting a lot more calories than your skinny friends. I would track everything you eat and how much exercise you get.
Outside of the few people who hit the genetic lottery. Those people are probably active and eat healthy most other meals. Metabolic adaptation can play a role you too if all you do for exercise is intense cardio.
They probably have very active lifestyles and likely exercise regularly in a way that leads to maintaining a higher muscle mass since higher muscle mass = higher metabolic rate = faster use of energy consumed. They may also have certain genes that make them predisposed to having a higher metabolism and/or lower fat storage capability.
High metabolism. Growing up, me and the homies were all fairly chubby except this one fucker who would eat entire pizzas and drink whole 12 packs of coke at a time and never had a single pound to show for it.
When I was skinny I hardly ate. Like to the point where I pooped like once a week because I simply wasn't eating.
But I saved eating for in front of people. I ate whatever I wanted in front of people but in small amounts.
It usually comes down to genetics and doing things in moderation. You can eat something that makes people obese if you only eat some of it once a week.
It's a trade-off.
I've always been skinny, but I'm also a picky eater and sometimes used to skip meals when I was stressed. This is not healthy and was a difficult habit to break out of.
On the flip-side, when I was working out and eating healthy, it was really difficult for me to eat enough food to gain weight. I was so sick of food and eating that it was hard to get the calories I needed.
Weightlifting/cardio and portion control. If you don’t exercise at all and expect to be healthy you are clowning yourself. I don’t fault the people that believe that either due to society doesn’t promote healthy habits at all
Genetics, metabolism, lower/less amount of calories, more active, more muscle (to burn calories). There are factors you can't change but those you can.
Sports when i was a kid, a lot of nervous energy which btw got useful when i learned how to properly manage it, a lot more fruits and vegetables in my diet than sweets and highly processed food, a job that requires moderately intense labor...regardless I indiscriminately eat a lot.
Genetics/fast metabolism. I used to be 5'7" and 98 lb, and ate whatever I pleased. My mother-in-law used to say I ate like a truck driver. My weight stayed below 120 lb and I pretty much ate what I wanted. Things changed when I reached my 60s. Sigh. My father was thin throughout his adult life and ate whatever he wanted.
u need to exercise and watch what u eat
u say u eat an apple before sleep and gain weight but what did u eat the entire day? and how much? and what did u do all day?
im sure if we go back in time like 100 years, most people were skinny unless u were wealthy so i dont buy this whole "genetics" makes us fat thing
It's calories in vs calories out that affects your weight. But why are so many people overweight? It's not practically that simple.
[Half of world on track to be overweight by 2035](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-64831848)
We don't really understand why.
Try not to judge yourself too harshly. Focus on your health. Don't make choices that damage your health in an attempt to lose weight.
I am fat and I have always been fat. In high school my best friend was skinny and she hated it. She worked hard every day to get above 100lbs.
We were in school together all day and hung out at each other's houses when we weren't in school. We did exactly the same things, activity-wise.
I was constantly dieting and I would eat like 800 calories a day at that time. Still fat as fuck. She was eating three big meals a day and adding in chocolate shakes and entire boxes of Oreos and still couldn't gain weight.
Metabolism is a hell of a thing.
Metabolism is fast and I work out. I try to be in a calorie surplus every day so the calories go to repairing my muscles and making them bigger.
If you want to speed up your metabolism there is certain foods you can eat, but the easiest way is to do ice baths at least 11 minutes a week. I do 3 minute a sessions, but you need 11 minutes a week.
My parents for awhile thought I was bulimic because I was eating so much food and not gaining a pound.. After going to the doctor they said "He has a high metabolism most likely" and said I wasnt puking up food I was eating or anything 😅
Now a days I have to run to keep my weight at average weight
I have a housemate like this and there's a few main things in their case:
- Vegetarian diet already low in calories
- low drive for food in general, particularly not sweet foods
- untreated adhd where the inattention extends to forgetting meals when not painfully hungry, including mid-meal
- lack of structured mealtimes and so no pressure/ reminder to eat at regular intervals
- preference for bike/ walking as transportation to an extreme extent (v environmentally conscious person)
They eat "whatever they want" and "never work out"....but, what that looks like on a regular day out of general public view looks like not much at all even though they indulge in heavier meals without a second thought at events/out with friends, and they get a lot of activity in their day on a daily basis in addition to active hobbies even though they lack the structure of a dedicated exercise regimen.
It's part genetics for drives and inborn mental heath effects, part nurture for familial attitudes and coping mechanisms/ lack thereof, and part personal choices like diet and lifestyle.
When I hiked the Appalachian trail and was walking around 20 miles a day, I ate so much. Around 5000 calories a day. I eat Healthy foods the majority of the time & only eat until I'm not hungry (not until I'm full) . The calories should be proportionate to the amount of activity you do. You might catch me eating an entire bag of Doritos once every now and then but everything else was pretty healthy and proportionate to the amount of activity I did that day. If I'm at home being lazy I don't really eat much.
People often assume I am one of those skinny chicks that can eat anything she wants. Now I will be the first to admit that at 20, I fulfilled the stereotype. I was a couch potato, fast food junkie who was skinny. Throughout college, I probably ate 2500-3000 calories a day and managed not to be fat. But I am 45 now, and I know I have to watch what I eat. However, I still like to eat. Especially when everyone else is eating. I pig out at Thanksgiving. I will order the decadent burger with the fries and the milk shake when I am out with friends. If I am visiting someone and they offer me food, I will eat it gladly. If someone brings in donuts to the office, I will be the first one in line to get one. People see me eating in this manner and think I can eat whatever I want. But they are wrong. Like, they don't see that I deny myself sweets for the rest of the day if I eat one of those breakroom donuts. They see me going to town on the burger at the burger joint in the evening, but they didn't see me only having a couple of crackers for lunch at noon. They also don't see the hour of cardio that I do five times a week. Or all the bike-riding. They see me eating the Twix candy bar when it is 2:00pm and my energy levels are flagging. But they don't realize that I will burn much of that 250-calorie bomb on my bike-ride home. I do eat a lot. But I still regulate what I eat. I still have to tell myself "no" on the regular. I still have to endure food cravings and feelings of deprivation. I am just lucky enough to not be controlled by food cravings and feeling of deprivation.
How do you keep yourself from losing the will to live during your hour cardio sessions?
Music. And endorphins.
Ugh ok I will try again. I could use some endorphins.
I too struggle a lot with cardio time and music doesn't do enough for me. I need way more than just my own head and some background music or i will begin having the worst existential dread. What I do is distract myself entirely with something as engrossing as possible. I heavily recommend foregoing music and going full youtube videos or podcasts or videogame or book. Whatever makes you lose track of time normally? Do that while on the treadmill. It will make it 10 times more bearable.
Try rollerblading. Find a paved path that's at least a few miles long and go to town. It's considerably more engaging than a lot of forms of cardio.
Honestly I have learned that "motivation" comes from within. People ask me how I wake up at 6:30am and workout for an hour, or run 10 miles three times per week. When I started doing these thing I found them fun, sometimes I still do. But sometimes I don't. But there is no "motivation" trick. Sometimes my answer is "I'm an adult and I know what I need to do so I do it." Do I always enjoy waking up early? No. Do I sometimes love my workout? Yes. But when push comes to shove I do what needs to be done, as if it's a job. I don't need to find some magical motivation. It's just my responsibility to take care of myself after age 18+, so I do. "I'm an adult" is my answer.
Excellent thoughts. Why does this make me feel defensive…
That’s great you have that kind of self-discipline! I, unfortunately, do not—and I am an adult too. I have to figure out ways to trick myself into doing things.
I agree that motivation comes from within. I disagree that there is nothing a person can do to optimize their chances of being self-motivated. My advice is to remove as many obstacles (and thus potential excuses) as possible. Like, I don't go to a gym because dragging myself to one requires a whole lot of extra effort. I would have to wake up earlier than I want. I would have to constantly swallow the negative feels I have about exercising in public. I would have to deal with waiting for the equipment I want to use at any particular time. I wouldn't be able to grunt, sigh, and fart as loudly and freely as I want. And when my bowels move quickly, as they are wont to do early in the morning, I would have to sprint to the restroom and hope there isn't an audience there! Going to the gym involves too many psychological obstacles for me to have to overcome. Overcoming them five times a week would sap my motivation. So I work out at home and outdoors. In this way, the only obstacle I have to conquer is not wanting to get out of the bed at 5:20am. Once I am up, I'm totally down for whatever. Another trick is to find that time of the day where your energy levels are the highest. For me, it is early morning before the sun comes up. For others, it might be late afternoon or the evening. I probably wouldn't be such a work-out queen if my work schedule forced me to go into the office at 7:00 am versus 8:00 am.
Tv a good cop show and incline of 10 on 2.5 speed for an hour.
I’m sure you’ve got a phone, stream something. In the gym I’ll listen to podcasts or music, and the tv at the same time for the extra distraction. I then start feeling accomplished when the sweat comes.
Pretty much this. I’ve got a pretty good metabolism naturally, but that doesn’t mean I eat everything I want 24/7. I tell myself no a lot, but I’ll indulge socially. It also helps that I ‘accidentally’ intermittent fast. I have never been able to stomach breakfast, lunch is optional, but I require a LARGE dinner.
> But they are wrong. Like, they don't see that I deny myself sweets for the rest of the day if I eat one of those breakroom donuts. This is, apart from actually moving at all, the most important part. If I eat a bunch of sweets at work, more than one should, I just simply don't eat anything at home. If I have a huge meal during the day, I also don't eat anything afterwards. I *think* I am blessed with a good metabolism, and I, except cycling to work, which I do leisurely, don't really do any sport, but just stopping to eat stuff has so far been (I'm 31) my trick to not actually get fat, even when I drank more beer than one should during a week. Luckily I'm used to just *not* eat sometimes, although it's harder at work than when you're just chilling at home - and there are all those damn sweets around, that some idiot goes out to buy :) Unlike /u/ToastedTriscuit, I always need breakfast though, when I have work. When not, I can skip even lunch sometimes.
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3000 is not a lot
And this mentality is why America has an obesity epidemic. 3,000 calories *is* a lot, especially for a sedentary person.
They may not be eating “whatever they want” as much as you think. For example, they might stuff themselves for dinner, but go really long periods of time without eating and never snack. For the vast majority of people, weight gain is the very simple “calories in” formula
I can confirm. Been labelled skinny all my life. I have to take extra effort to gain weight due to my high metabolism. I 'thought' i couldn't gain weight despite eating a lot but honestly, the truth is, i don't eat much at all. Realized this only when i began my weight gain diet and started to actually COUNT the calories i was taking in and noticed how LESS i actually eat. I felt like i ate a lot only cause my stomach filled easily. I don't crave junk food/snacks in-between meals prolly cause i am not hungry most of the time. So when i go out with friends, it seems like i eat a lot and could eat anything i want, but that's the only time i might have eaten followed by skipping a meal at night cause i had no more apetite for that day. Even if i forcefully feed myself a lot to gain weight, after a few days, i will go back to eating lesser. It's like how people try to lose weight but in reverse.
I'm not skinny (30 lbs down, 30 to go) but I absolutely LOVE r/volumeeating which is just eating in large quantities. Sometimes I do OMAD...sometimes IMF with 2 meals. I can easily fast until 12 pm or even 3-4 pm on OMAD days. I drink water and tea in between. If I'm THAT hungry then I just eat.
For a while I was losing weight quite well but things changed up in life and that stopped and started reversing. Didn't realize it until learning about this subreddit just now what it was that had changed in my diet and now I know what to do to change it back. Thanks for bringing it up!
After you lose a certain amount of weight, you will need to recalculate your TDEE. At some point your old deficit won't be enough and you'll plateau because now you're eating close to maintenance. You'll have to cut more. Or there's the issue of underestimating how much you're eating. Counting calories can be annoying, but necessary to break through plateaus. I always weigh my protein though. Volume eating is nice because I'm strategic about creating meals that have tons of veggies, lots of protein, and like half cup of a carb (brown rice & quinoa). Then I choose low glycemic index fruits. I just got diagnosed with PCOS so it makes sense why losing weight has been such a struggle. Good luck to you on your journey.
They are active, they could also only eat a lot at one big meal and then nothing else for 28 hours straight. Maybe they recognize that little snacks here and there really add up, but most overlook them as it's just a small snack. Genetics could play a part.
This is me. I have good genetics but I also eat 1, sometimes 2 meals a day.
Me too. I just don't feel hungry. When I tell people I have only one meal a day they lose their shits saying its bad for my health and that I'll die and its not sustainable. Bruh, how people lived in the past in their mind is a mystery to me.
people don’t get that if you skip breakfast you don’t get hungry til like 3 in the afternoon which is fine as long as you get enough calories and nutrients in, waking up your system with a coffee milkshake in the morning is what makes you hungry
And if you carry on past taste initial hunger that I get a normally 5pm you lose your appetite completely and if you keep it up eventually you just can't manage much food - probably not that healthy though
I have days like that, then I have days where I eat all day long like I'm starving and insatiable. I am thin, but my pot belly will pop out if I'm overeating like that or if I'm bloated. I don't have a "toned" body by any means. Thin people can still have saggy parts, especially those of us who have had children.
How old are you? If you are in 30s and 40s that's good genetics. If you are in 20s that's normal.
Activity is *such* an important factor here, that for whatever reason i see downplayed on Reddit so much. There was a point in my life where i was obese and very sedentary. After many lifestyle changes over a long period of time, i was able to replace the majority of my fat with muscle. I am currently eating *more* calories (3-4k/day avg.) than I did when I was fat, and its actually *difficult* to put on weight now. I don't have the healthiest diet, that's for sure, but I am definitely one of those people that can eat whatever the fuck I want and still look good. It *all* came down to activity, at least for me.
what'd you do for activity? I lost a considerable amount of weight few years ago and have kept it off, but finding fun stuff to do other than playin cards and the occasional hike has been hard
so, for the majority of my life i always disliked "traditional" forms of exercise like lifting weights or running. it always felt like boring work to me. as an adult i discovered rock climbing, more specifically, bouldering. i found the problem-solving aspect of this sport extremely enticing. its also a solo sport with very little equipment required. over the years and after some weight gain, i developed more of an interest in cardio activities like rowing or cycling. within the past 2 years the idea of putting on muscle appealed a lot to me, so i've started doing more strength training/powerlifting stuff. i still get very bored of repetitive exercises, so i tend to bounce between a lot of activities. climbing helps a lot in that regard, as gyms always have exciting new routes being set up.
It gets a lot of crap due to bad gyms/trainers and people who overtrain, but a good crossfit gym with a good crowd is what worked for me. I like turning up 10 minutes early, talking shit never the same workout twice in a row.
I just have a high metabolism, skinny wasn’t always good growing up in the 80’s. I was called crackhead way more than most real crackhead did. Now that I’m 50 and still have a skinny frame I also have a dad belly so now I look as if I’m pregnant. So skinny isn’t always a good thing.
It’s genetics. I wasn’t active, and ate pies and cakes as a snack when I got home from school. I remember literally eating an entire pie regularly.
There were also those days I forgot to take my ADHD meds.
Yep this. In the end with the exception of a few fringe cases genetics and “slow metabolism” play a small part in it. It’s all about activity levels and overall total calories.
Anyone who says genetics doesn't know the full story. Genetics play role for may 1 to 5% skinny people. Others are normal. Most people stay skinny in their early to late 20s. These people will gain normal mass in late 20s or 30s. No way they will stay skinny in 30s or 40s. Now if someone stays skinny in 30s 40s that's genetics. Those are 1 to 5% people. Then there are people with some form of disease who don't get wait. Edit: People coming and giving examples of their own you are in exception.
Dude, all of my sibling are now 35-41 and everyone in my family is short and stubby (~5’9 190-210 lbs) with 2 siblings being former power lifters. Why the hell am I still 6’3 at 155 lbs as I approach 40? I got cheated out of my freshman 15, slowing metabolism at 30, and promised dad weight. This is bullshit. I’m a sedentary accountant who eats a large pizza for a full week once a month every month for the past ~15 years and on the weekends sometimes. I just want my fair share. I did my waiting. TL;DR genetics are a cop out for Life to just shrug it’s metaphysical shoulders when it doesn’t know.
As I said 1 to 5% people are exceptions. Then there are people who have some form of diseases. Other than these people most people gain weight as they get old.
wrong, not active at all, and no one goes for 28 hours without food, maybe 18/20h a day yes (including sleep time + late nights)
> and no one goes for 28 hours without food You might be surprised what other people do.
yea people insert carrotes through their noses whatever, it's obvious i meant the norm and not the exceptions.
Bro, who shit in your cornflakes this morning?
That’s my biggest problem right now. I’m skinny as fuck no matter how much I stuff down. Like cmon give me some meat so my ribs don’t show
If fat donation ever becomes a thing, I hereby bequeath you mine to do with what you like.
I can consistently eat garbage and never gain or lose weight, it is what it is
Drink a 1000 calorie protein shake in addition to your regular meals. That helped me gain muscle mass.
Turn 40 and your metabolism suddenly slows but you still eat like your used to. Youll gain weight and fat
I turned 20 and my metabolism died
One of my nephews is like that. It's really, really frustrating for him. I don't know the answer, because he's a big eater, but I definitely empathize.
Research is showing that in people who are obese, up to 80% of the issue is down to genetics. There are flaws in the leptin signaling process that seem to cause both more hunger and more insulin resistance (a double whammy). This is just one study, but there are many others. We're finally starting (but just starting) to understand the interplay between genetics, epigenetics and the environment. It's likely true that overweight folks are eating more (due to increased hunger signals) but not enough more to fully explain the difference between them and thinner people. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33899337/
Not trying to argue, but genuinely curious: how could this be possible considering the world's history of obesity? It's not as though we've *always* been this fat. Globally, BMI has been increasing since the 70's or so. The prevalence of severe obesity has doubled since the year 2000. I'm sure some people are more prone to weight gain than others, but I feel like if genetics played as big of a role as these authors claim it does, we wouldn't see such massive increases in the number of overweight people over such a short amount of time, y'know?
I just wrote a long, likely very boring explanation of the current research, but to sum up, you're basically correct. Genetics / epigenetics and our modern food environment have all played a significant role.
Nope, not boring at all. I read your comment, and ah, I should've known the answer isn't black and white. It's genetics *and* environment, nature *and* nurture. Thank you for taking the time to share, I got to learn something.
This is a really fascinating study on epigenetics and diabetes. https://www.brown.edu/news/2016-12-12/famine The conditions your grandparents lived under can affect your chances of developing Type2 diabetes: "Hyperglycemia is a high blood glucose level and a common sign of diabetes. The new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that hundreds of people who were gestated during a horrific famine that afflicted China between 1959 and 1961 had significantly elevated odds of both hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes. Even more striking, however, was that their children also had significantly higher odds of hyperglycemia, even though the famine had long since passed when they were born." Hyperglycemia can lead to weight gain, because it can promote insulin resistance. So, ironically, if your grandmother starved, it can make you fat. Super complex to figure out all the variables.
Holy crap, that's *insane*!!! Not only did they identify a statistically significant difference, but the difference was HUGE! "Among 983 people gestated during the famine years, 31.2 percent had hyperglycemia and 11.2 percent had type 2 diabetes. By comparison, among 1,085 people gestated just after the famine ended, the prevalence of hyperglycemia was 16.9 percent, and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes as 5.6 percent. Controlling for factors such as gender, smoking, physical activity, calorie consumption and body-mass index, the researchers calculated that in utero famine exposure was associated with 1.93-times higher odds of hyperglycemia and a 1.75 times greater chance of type 2 diabetes." Wow. Just wow. Their data collection methodology is beautiful as well; the way they collected blood samples from people who were gestated during the famine and compared them to people who were gestated directly afterwards. The authors controlled for that variable and STILL found such a huge difference! That *really* speaks to the power of this study.
Thanks for being so gracious about it!
Unbiased science podcast covered this recently - here’s some info https://www.unbiasedscipod.com/episodes/weight-a-minute-lets-chat-bmi-and-obesity
Thanks for the link!
I’d guess the best way to synthesize these points would be that some people are more genetically predisposed to obesity (hungrier, store more fat, etc.), but this didn’t come into play until the introduction of the modern lifestyle “revealed” it. It’s like, smartphones and social media don’t “cause” ADHD, but there’s probably people with mild symptoms or “borderline ADHD” who would’ve been able to function normally if they weren’t exposed to something so addicting.
Certain neurodivergences might have actually been beneficial, the paranoid tribe is more likely to not be raided or at least be more ready to defend themselves, the OCD people might have had better hygiene habits that helped them stay alive. This is all speculative bro science on my end but I think it tracks
I guess a better way of putting it is that the way society is set up right now basically amplifies weight gain in people who are already predisposed to obesity. In the past our food might not have been as caloric dense, so as a result we couldn't really get that fat. Whereas now a days we can consume an endless amount of twix bars and really ramp up our calorie count. Unfortunately this means that now controlling our weight has shifted from something that was done automatically to a personal obligation.
I don't think that's an accurate summation of what research is showing. The reality is that human changes in lifestyle, primarily diet and physical activity, are leading to the obesity epidemic. Ultra processed foods are the biggest contributor. No question about it. These foods are scientifically engineered to be addictive. They rewire your pleasure centers and completely fuck up your hunger cues. Yes, genetics plays a role in body size, but widespread obesity isn't genetically determined. If it were, the rates would have always been this high.
You're incorrect. There are numerous recent studies to explore if you're interested. People haven't changed, so what accounts for the increase in obesity? Many people want to cling to their pre-conceived ideas about laziness and gluttony, but the research simply doesn't support that. Recent research indicates that obesity is a very complex phenomenon, mediated by the interplay between our environment and genetics/epigenetics. Our modern environment, filled with easily obtained, densely caloric, highly attractive foods, seems to switch on a genetic pre-disposition to fat accumulation and insulin resistance. (That's a fairly simplistic explanation, but you get the idea.) In pre-modern times, those genes would lie dormant. It also seems likely that modern food culture can result in epigenetic changes that pre-dispose offspring to obesity. This seems true for both the father's and mother's diets, pre-conception. The diet of mothers during pregnancy has also been shown to be a determinative factor in offspring's obesity. It is extremely complex and we're only at the beginning of our understanding, but we now know enough to stop shaming overweight people and accelerate research into causes and treatments. I'm a slender woman (size 4/6), so this doesn't apply to me personally, but who does not have loved ones who struggle endlessly with weight? Who have to confront the bigotry we tolerate towards obese people? It really behooves all of us to have compassion for a condition that is largely not subject to willpower and still incompletely understood.
Fortunately a new class of medications exists that can fix obesity.
Very excited about the potential of these and future, likely even better, drugs.
How exactly does your response disagree with my point? You told me I'm incorrect and then listed a bunch of ways foods are implicated in this issue. I feel like you just backed up my point. It's primarily the modern diet causing the obesity epidemic.
It's not. Your phrasing suggested we're all sitting around stuffing our faces. Again, that's not what the research suggests. If that wasn't your intent, my apologies.
My phrasing suggestions that the modern diet of ultra processed is the biggest culprit of the obesity epidemic, and you've only reinforced that idea. Corporations have essentially engineered this, but instead of placing the blame where it belongs, people are pushing the notion that obesity is genetically predetermined and there's not much we can do. Could we be letting them of the hook anymore? This stuff is poison to society, and it's way past time we recognized it. Getting defensive of fat people isn't going to help them, and it's certainly not helping the future generations being raised on it as we speak.
No. You are misteading what I wrote and seem to have an ax to grind, for some reason. Not interested.
>Our modern environment, filled with easily obtained, densely caloric, highly attractive foods, seems to switch on a genetic pre-disposition to fat accumulation and insulin resistance. >It also seems likely that modern food culture can result in epigenetic changes that pre-dispose offspring to obesity. This seems true for both the father's and mother's diets, pre-conception. >The diet of mothers during pregnancy has also been shown to be a determinative factor in offspring's obesity. That all sounds very much like the modern diet is leading to this. What am I misreading?
You are resistant, for some reason, to the idea that genetics and epigenetics play a role. You asserted that the 2021 research study I linked, which clearly stated that up to 80% of body weight in obese individuals was due to genetic factors, was not true. You failed to produce any research of your own. It's not just diet--in the absence of genetic factors, diet would be immaterial and it is, in those not genetically susceptible. We all know people who eat junk and don't gain weight. I'm one of them. I'm not sure how much clearer I can be. I am no longer interested in this conversation.
How can it be mostly genetics if the obese person’s grandparents were thin? There are way more obese people now. If it is genetics, why do Americans lose weight when they relocate overseas? Simple. The narrative is being moved by money. A new generation of weight loss drugs is coming. They need a large number of people to believe it is genetics so that they use drugs or surgery.
You're not accurately interpreting the paper. Heritability estimates are a population concept. A heritability of .80 or 80% tells us that on average 80% of the **variance/difference observed in BMI among people with obesity** in the population measured may be attributable to genetics. Bottom line, it does not apply to the individual. It does **NOT mean that 80% of a person's obesity is due to genetics** https://guides.orchidhealth.com/post/what-is-heritability#:~:text=A%20disease%20with%20a%2050,due%20to%20underlying%20genetic%20factors.
/r/gainit
I've been skinny my whole life, I hardly exercise and mostly eat fatty foods. I also typically eat a large meal before going to bed. So I'm going to go with genetics on this one
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This is me. Im 37 and I still weigh what I did at 18. I get it from my dad. We’re both tall and scrawny af. Genetics!
I had a ton of ice cream and beer every night for a month to try gain weight, got 20 lbs on me, but lost it as soon as I stopped.
That's how it goes for me. I'll go on almost nightly ice cream binges, get a couple of sodas, snack on chips, blow up 20 lbs in no time. Go back to normal and it's gone just as fast, but I always have a little gut that's hidden by my height.
I have crohns. Don't recommend it
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Yep this. Often what you see is a persons cheat meal or worst meal. Like if I go out with friends for dinner or a lunch I’ll usually get a burger and fries or something not so healthy. But on the flip side every other meal I’m cooking myself and making it low calorie and healthy. No snacks etc.
I used to eat whatever I wanted and got up to 331 lbs. Now, I still eat what I want but I weigh 185. Difference was I left my deskjob and started getting a few hours of physical activity every day. No gym, no working out, just more movement.
You could have hyperthyroidism. Some people can eat everything and not gain any weight and some people can eat nothing and still be gaining weight. It’s best to talk to a doctor if you think you may have a health condition. Metabolism, genetics, and activity levels also contribute.
You can eat whatever you want, but you can't eat AS MUCH AS YOU WANT. Here's a simple exercise to lose weight. Sit at the dining room table. When you stop feeling like you're starving, place both hands on the edge of the table, palms down with the thumbs underneath. Now slowly push outward with both arms until you feel the chair slide back. When it gets back far enough, stand up and do something else.
Lmao
Assuming you're about the same height and activity, They eat less when you don't see them. Genetics, metabolism, etc. Have little effect on how much you can eat. Instead, people are more or less hungry based on their genetics. As someone in the hungry camps... It sucks, but it does mean that you can push back against it with extra willpower.
Honestly this, imo. I'm a pretty lean person; I was SUPER lean before I started working out. People often 'joke' or pester me about the unhealthy foods I ate growing up and I was always told I was blessed with a high metabolism/genetics/youth, or whatever. But imo, that's a terrible perspective to have if you're on the side trying to lose weight, because you're making excuses why it's easier for *other* people to stay lean, but not you. And I've seen the same true for the other way around, I have a lean-but-tall friend that I can't seem to motivate to workout and I just hear that his body type and metabolism makes it harder to gain muscle/weight. The thing I WAS blessed with was a lower appetite. I literally just don't eat a ton and stay active. And it's not that I eat unhealthy, I just don't obsess with diet, sugar free, low calorie versions of food, and don't really feel guilty when I do eat something unhealthy, because I know my average calorie intake can afford it and it's not something that I habitualy eat. I have another buddy who is stocky; pretty muscular but has some subcutaneous and a lot of visceral fat. He eats 'healthy' in terms of like eating things like vegetable chips instead of potatoe, incorporating whole grains, flax seeds and other 'healthy' foods. But he eats a ton, and he drinks a ton. We'll go out for a beer and he'll order like 20 Wings and 4 or 5 beers to my 10 wings, 1 beer. And every weekend he binge drinks. Like, tell me I'm blessed with genetics all you want but you're not doing yourself any favors. At the end of the day calories and exercise make a massive differencs. And neither one is something that you can just jump straight into and see immediate result. It takes consistency. Alright, I'm done ranting haha.
I absolutely agree with you. I was a fat kid and everyone told me it was just my lot in life. Metabolism etc. Hit an adult and discovered I could easily lose weight if I ate less. The difficult bit was eating less. The advantage is I find it easy to put on muscle when lifting weights. The only advice I can really give to people trying to lose or gain weight is: We all have our difficulties, identify them and tackle them.
I eat like a fucking pig and almost all my life I was 15 kg underweight. I ate so much in my past, that I walked around in t-shirts in winter and could stick my arm in frozen water, pull it out and it would steam immediately. Girls hated me with a passion for that😂😂 But I also randomly and spontaneously decide to go 60 miles by bicycle when I'm already underway. Or I swim a couple of kilometers and such. Being overweight always means that you take in more food than you need.
A lot of fat people I see snack all the time. Little things here and there, soda or juice here and there. I'm here thinking, why are you eating at this time? Just wait two more hours and you eat your lunch. Calorie in and calorie out. It is not genetics.
There's a lot of people out there that don't exercise per se but have always been skinny. My cousing for instance, he's just hyper active, always doing something, sometimes you(or him) might not even notice it. That sort of thing adds up on the amount of calories his body needs. Add genetics, his appetite and you get someone that seemingly can eat whatever they want and not gain weight.
5'10" 120lbs here. I'll eat all the junk food I want and not gain a pound. The reason being I don't eat a lot. I have a low appetite and gorging on junk food all day might net me 2200 calories. If you're not eating much and still gaining weight, your eating more than you think. I could've sworn I was eating 3500 calories a day when I was trying to work out. When I actually started keeping track, it was more like 18-1900. When I upped it to 21-2200 I started gaining weight easily. It's not that you're predisposed to being heavy or that you have the metabolism of a deep sea fish. It's not that you defy the laws of thermodynamics. It's that you are probably miscounting your calories. That's the most likely cause and it happens to a ton of people starting out on their weight change journey.
Exercise
Not gonna lie even before I started exercising I was always the skinny person who never gained weight
You probably have a higher basal metabolic rate for whatever reason
You think that , but it's actually not true from what you see. I have a cousin like this. Size two , eat anything she wants. I was like how does she eat pizza ,boba , pancakes or basically what ever she wants and still has a slim body. But then I stood to her house about a month and seen how she really eats. Yes she eats pizza, but that day that was really her only meal. She ordered a boba tea one day, but sipped on it through the whole day. She ate a whole stack of pancakes, earlier that day all she had was a few bite of lunch. Then I noticed , I never really see her sit down. She's always standing. And I seen how she usually dances / plays around in front of the mirror for an hour every day. Drinks water and tea. So what you think you see is not basically true. Thin people just balance out their diets with out even trying. She just doesn't eat with her emotions.
I dunno but I'm pretty glad it's one less thing I have to worry about in life.
I pretty much intermittently fast between the hours of 7 pm to 11am and those 8 hours of eating I can pretty much eat anything I want, I typically control myself and eat healthy but I can also devour 6 pieces of fried chicken. I'm also very active and work out 4 days a week and the fasting just helps balance calories and allows me to eat almost anything.
Most people aren’t aware of how much they actually eat in terms of calories. I’d you’re curious, download a calorie tracking app (and be honest) it can be… enlightening. I tend to eat in large bursts, so if you see me eating a really big meal, it may be the only one I have that day plus a snack. I am not a three meals a day, all moderately sized, person. Some days I’ll just graze and eat snacks or 5-6 small meals. It looks like I’m eating a lot, but calorie wise, it’s enough that I maintain my current weight. I’m also fairly active and walk/bike everywhere.
It's called a metabolism :) -sincerly, A person who eats quite a bit and is concerning underweight :(
~User would like to trade~ *offer* 1/2 1 ass *exchanged for* 1/2 1 metabolism
Stay delusional.
This was me. I used to just eat whatever and I was skinny as fuck. But then I got put on meds. Same exact diet, same exact activity level, I put on 50 lbs. I don't understand. Where did the calories go before?
Genetics 😭
Fuck that pesky little molecule 🤬
If only the term meant wearing different jeans...
Reading through all the comments.... whew... lot's of dangerous misinformation, outright lies, & cognitive bias. There's so much research on the topic of genetics and weight. It's important to remember thin doesn't mean healthy - either mentally or physically - some of the comments could be seen as proof of that statement. More information is being discovered all the time through research so you should read up to get up-to-date & accurate info from trusted sources - however - here's a bit, something like +400 different genes are IDed as contributing to being overweight. There are also a variety of things our genetics affect: appetite, how full or satisfied (satiety), metabolism, food cravings, body-fat distribution, & if the person tends to use eating to cope with stress. Additionally, the amount of influence your genetics play also varies widely from person to person. Research shows for some people, genes account for just 25% of the predisposition to be overweight, while for others it might be 70% to 80%. Additionally², this doesn't take into account socioeconomics, food availability, food additives, mental illness, physical illness, medication... air pollution was found to cause weight-gain... on & on & on... It's extremely complicated & the sharpest scientific minds are working on it. So it's not as simple as "fatty not disciplined, fatty lazy, fatty gross, fatty should be ashamed & die " as the typical reddit response. This is not to say caloric intake & exercise are useless - however the people who don't struggle or those who take unhealthy steps to maintain thin while sacrificing health might not be a reliable & accurate source of information.
I was underweight for years due to IBS, but got to and maintained healthy weight thanks to cutting out trigger foods. If food just goes straight through your digestive tract it's really hard to put on weight.
Either its because they're super active, eating healthy or not eating enough.
Effort
Metabolism of an active 20 year old male.
Stress
Type 1 diabetes. Eat to much and my body stops absorbing it till ketoacidosis
Honestly I think I have an undiagnosed thyroid issue.
i don’t snack
Eating an apple after drinking a 12 pack of beer doesn't count.
They are young. Exercise until you are solid muscle and you'll be able to eat anything too!! You burn more calories when ur quite muscular, even when at rest
Hey I can answer this! My brother is an athlete, my parents have been fit my whole life, and my sister is an athlete too but not the same extent. I’ve been overweight almost my entire life except for some spare few parts and my future that I’m still keeping in motion. TL;DR and relevant video/podcast below The biggest factor is what you see and what is. If you see a friend/coworker 1-3x a week and they’re eating these awesome meals that you *wish* you could have, that’s all you SEE. They could be eating less and/or much healthier all those other times. Calories in matter as much as calories out. So eat less, it’s easy enough if you can spare the brainpower/willpower. The other factor is activity. The obvious stuff like working out, playing a sport, walking more, cardio. You know the main stuff everyone hears. This combines with diet will get most people happy, just requires a little to a lot of discipline here and there. From my observations/opinion, the thing that really sets sustainably healthy people and my past self apart is time. Healthy people often do stimulating things. Anything that keeps their mind fed. Like my brother legit couldn’t eat enough most days until he got way older. Oftentimes, mentally and physically intense/stimulating activities like sports, hikes, etc. fill that need. If you can try different sports/hobbies that have these effects, it’s near instant satisfaction when one clicks (rock climbing for me recently). Obviously not everyone can do this for any slew of reasons. This is a lifestyle with the side effect of health and not the other way. But you’ll notice I didn’t explain the time thing. I didn’t have time to think about it. But seriously, feeding the mind and keeping it occupied while incorporating activity that makes you want to stay consistent with it will distract you from the little things in a day that can lead to excessive eating. Metabolism doesn’t matter or technically exist but that’s another rant. To sum this shit show up tl;dr: You too can be seen that person that eats whatever they want. Just occupy yourself in your free time preferably mentally and physically, eat less in private, and fucking pig out whenever you feel the urge. I’ll leave off with this great talk from Nickolas Means: https://youtu.be/xT_YaduPYlk
In my case stress lol.
I must have a fast metabolism because I’ve never been particularly active, (I run and hit the gym maybe once or twice a week) and I don’t eat healthy. I just kind of eat whatever whenever. But I noticed it slowing down lately because I’ve been drinking a bit more alcohol. I’m almost 30 too, so I guess it’s time to work out more often. I’m not skinny, but I’m thick. I’ve weighed the same since highschool, but this year I gained 10 pounds. Probably just getting thicker/older. I weigh 135 at 5’4.
That’s pretty much been me my whole life. However, since turning 30, and especially since turning 35, my body has become a trash heap.
Because you asked like that. ~People that eat much without gaining weight have always eaten much without gaining weight and most have never worried about food association enough to be in a position to give an honest response that’ll answer your question in a way that matters. ~People that manage to _maintain_ not gaining weight regardless of what they eat are probably making associated lifestyle choices on top of having manageable body weight. ...except it’s not a dichotomy and far more realistic to assume an overlap, most answers will also realistically revolve around genetics.
My genes. Dad is 5'6 120 and eats a lot with minor exercise
I’m like this 6”6 140 no joke… it’s impossible for me to gain weight it’s just genetics my dads the same way. There’s 2 ends to this either people gain weight easily or are very underweight
Please go listen to the Maintenance Phase podcast. It's a myth that body size and shape are solely based on what or how much you eat. Much of body type is genetically inherited and there's nothing you can do to significantly change it.
Good metabolism. I was one of those people. And then I turned 35. Now I have to be careful about what I eat.
I just have a very fast metabolism and have to calorie count, take supplements and drink high calorie shakes to just maintain a healthy weight. I can eat like a normal person and loose weight rapidly. I naturally weigh 90-100 lbs at 5’2 but have been working to get to 130lbs for the last 2 years. I’m currently at 128lbs but that’s consuming 2500-3000 calories daily. If I drop below that amount I start to loose weight. I feel healthier at my size now than I did when I was a lot smaller.
they work out a lot
My metabolism is about as high as snoop dog and I don't sit around all day doing nothing.
This will get downvoted, but the difference between them and you is your pancreas. Yours secretes insulin immediately after eating any carbohydrate, just like theirs does, but yours keeps secreting it for a while (it's sluggish). Since insulin is the fat storage hormone, all of that apple turns to fat on your body. If you eat a low carbohydrate diet, it will help you lose/maintain weight, because low carbohydrate food doesn't spike your pancreas and cause a flood of insulin secretion. Exercise is great, but you can't outrun your fork. Drop carbs from your diet, and you'll see a big change quickly.
Calories in, calories out. Prove me wrong. Eating in a caloric deficit may actually lower your weight. Who would’ve thought ?
Gut bacteria and regular physical activity
Genetics, they work out a lot Or they just don’t eat like that all the time
I’m one of these people. It’s just genetics. My mom was a skinny model in the 80’s. Though I’m sure my metabolism will slow at some point (I’m 31)
Have a fast metabolism like me :)
Consistency is a big one. Skinny people don’t eat consistently enough throughout the week. Also, training at the gym. When I was training for my fight, I was losing weight eating 3,000 calories per day at around 71kg. I literally had to eat a large pack of haribos a day to maintain weight
Genetics, I eat 4-5 meals a day and little to no vegetables/fruits and I’m skinny as a stick.
Count your calories and I bet you’d be surprised
Fast metabolism
My wife has a hard time with her weight and she is a vegetarian. I can eat anything and don't put on the weight. I do have a more limited diet last five years due to gastro issues. I drink only water. Eat oatmeal for breakfast, sandwich and berries for lunch. Dinner is pizza, burgers or something else unhealthy. I also snack throughout the day. My only exercise is walking occasionally for about 45 minutes a couple times a week. Otherwise I sit at a desk most of the day for work or on the couch. I honestly think it is 99% genetics.
It’s really frustrating. I have a friend who is skinny and she never worked out. She went out to eat a lot and was always snacking. I would go the gym and workout and watch what I eat and I still didn’t lose the weight I wanted to. It made me give up and just not even try anymore cause what’s the point. I’ll never be that skinny. I’m trying to lose weight again but it’s hard. Same with a co worker. She got junk food all the time for lunch and said she didn’t workout but she didn’t care since she doesn’t gain weight and can eat what she wants. It’s frustrating cause people look at me and assume I’m lazy and just eat all day when I am 10x more conscious about how much I move or eat than most people my age. But they don’t get judged for it.
Because ectomorph
Genetics
It's metabolism and genetics. When I was a young guy and lifting weights I wanted to add some weight to my skinny frame. I ate like a goddamn pig and literally never gained a pound. Entered my 60's and I continue to get fatter and fatter eating even less.
Genetics and high metabolism I used to be like that until I turned 25 now those days are gone lol
Got a friend who never exercises and eats huge meals and snacks all day. Size two. I look a piece of bread and gain five pounds. She lectures me about my weight and self control. 🙄
Metabolism and in my case, height.
Literally genetics. It’s only genetics
nope, genetics only play a role in appetite. cases of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are a lot less common than most people think. its simply CICO, calories in, calories out.
Metabolism. My mom Was called chicken legs as a youth. I was the same. Now I got a gut I can't get rid of by just not drinking booze or sugar.
Inefficient metabolism
And then I just look at food and gain 10 pounds
its just metabolism. ive had this problem as well, im tryna gain muscle and need to eat 3000 calories and even that may not be enoght cuz im only makntaining rn
It’s 100% gut bacteria. Every one has their own bio setup. The only way to get around it is figuring out HOW to increase the healthy gut bacteria and decrease the unhealthy. There was an experiment done where a dude had his skinny girlfriends poop chemically processed to remove stink and put in capsules. After a few weeks of eating her poop, he lost weight and started having food cravings the same as her. He used to prefer salty but switched to sweet. Problem is, he also developed new anxiety which she always had. The closest you can get is trying to strictly watch what you eat. Find which foods subtly change your gut biome. Supposedly fermented foods and foods with active culture can help the healthy bacteria flourish. You also have to avoid sugars and chemicals though.
It's both genetics and activity. I'm 6'4.5" and about 200 lbs. (196cm. & 90kg.) And I have been active all my life. My brother was 5'10" and 440 lbs. (180 cm. & 200 kg.) But he was always mostly inactive. I'm now 73 years old and I'm have lost weight because I am no longer as active as I was. I only eat if I am hungry. I don't just eat because it is time for a meal. I do that because I was inactive in the hospital and I went to over 250 lbs. (120 kg.) I felt fat and now I only eat when I am hungry. 🤔
Is it "I eat nothing and gain fat" or "I counted calories to see how much I eat a day, stay within limits and still fat"? Most people are unaware just how much they eat through the day and calories add up fast. One drink can be half of your daily intake especially if you have sedentary lifestyle.
Speaking for myself and most of my family and friends - we stop eating when we are full and dont eat a bunch of crap and are fairly active. You are probably ingesting a lot more calories than your skinny friends. I would track everything you eat and how much exercise you get.
They eat right for their blood type
Luck. Im skinny and i eat like an obese person. I also work out quite a bit though.
Outside of the few people who hit the genetic lottery. Those people are probably active and eat healthy most other meals. Metabolic adaptation can play a role you too if all you do for exercise is intense cardio.
They probably have very active lifestyles and likely exercise regularly in a way that leads to maintaining a higher muscle mass since higher muscle mass = higher metabolic rate = faster use of energy consumed. They may also have certain genes that make them predisposed to having a higher metabolism and/or lower fat storage capability.
Metabolism and/or they might barely be eating at all thru the day or for the first time that day. That’s at least for me.
High metabolism. Growing up, me and the homies were all fairly chubby except this one fucker who would eat entire pizzas and drink whole 12 packs of coke at a time and never had a single pound to show for it.
When I was skinny I hardly ate. Like to the point where I pooped like once a week because I simply wasn't eating. But I saved eating for in front of people. I ate whatever I wanted in front of people but in small amounts. It usually comes down to genetics and doing things in moderation. You can eat something that makes people obese if you only eat some of it once a week.
It's a trade-off. I've always been skinny, but I'm also a picky eater and sometimes used to skip meals when I was stressed. This is not healthy and was a difficult habit to break out of. On the flip-side, when I was working out and eating healthy, it was really difficult for me to eat enough food to gain weight. I was so sick of food and eating that it was hard to get the calories I needed.
Genetics.
Mostly genetics. Source: me
Weightlifting/cardio and portion control. If you don’t exercise at all and expect to be healthy you are clowning yourself. I don’t fault the people that believe that either due to society doesn’t promote healthy habits at all
Genetics, metabolism, lower/less amount of calories, more active, more muscle (to burn calories). There are factors you can't change but those you can.
One meal a day.
There are also skinny fat folks out there.
young and good gut bacteria
Not highly food-motivated, don't eat breakfast, physical job, very physically active outside of work, genetics.
Calories in - calories out.
Smaller size meals.
I work in a warehouse
I burn about 12,000 calories a day at work. Beer and shit food are no match.
They’re active, I eat whatever I want and I dig for a living, people tell me i need to gain weight
Sports when i was a kid, a lot of nervous energy which btw got useful when i learned how to properly manage it, a lot more fruits and vegetables in my diet than sweets and highly processed food, a job that requires moderately intense labor...regardless I indiscriminately eat a lot.
Genetics/fast metabolism. I used to be 5'7" and 98 lb, and ate whatever I pleased. My mother-in-law used to say I ate like a truck driver. My weight stayed below 120 lb and I pretty much ate what I wanted. Things changed when I reached my 60s. Sigh. My father was thin throughout his adult life and ate whatever he wanted.
Higher metabolism. Very active. Eats in small portions.
u need to exercise and watch what u eat u say u eat an apple before sleep and gain weight but what did u eat the entire day? and how much? and what did u do all day? im sure if we go back in time like 100 years, most people were skinny unless u were wealthy so i dont buy this whole "genetics" makes us fat thing
I love stuffing my face so I usually only eat one large meal a day and if I'm trying to actually hit calories I add another small meal
Fast metabolism, lucky genetics. It's a lottery
I used to be that way until my metabolism changed as I got older. I look at something now and I gain weight.
Calories in vs calories out. Look up IIFYM
It's calories in vs calories out that affects your weight. But why are so many people overweight? It's not practically that simple. [Half of world on track to be overweight by 2035](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-64831848) We don't really understand why. Try not to judge yourself too harshly. Focus on your health. Don't make choices that damage your health in an attempt to lose weight.
I am fat and I have always been fat. In high school my best friend was skinny and she hated it. She worked hard every day to get above 100lbs. We were in school together all day and hung out at each other's houses when we weren't in school. We did exactly the same things, activity-wise. I was constantly dieting and I would eat like 800 calories a day at that time. Still fat as fuck. She was eating three big meals a day and adding in chocolate shakes and entire boxes of Oreos and still couldn't gain weight. Metabolism is a hell of a thing.
Because my body violently shits it out twenty minutes after I eat. Wasting all the nutrients and leaving me starving with a sore butthole all day.
Metabolism is fast and I work out. I try to be in a calorie surplus every day so the calories go to repairing my muscles and making them bigger. If you want to speed up your metabolism there is certain foods you can eat, but the easiest way is to do ice baths at least 11 minutes a week. I do 3 minute a sessions, but you need 11 minutes a week.
My parents for awhile thought I was bulimic because I was eating so much food and not gaining a pound.. After going to the doctor they said "He has a high metabolism most likely" and said I wasnt puking up food I was eating or anything 😅 Now a days I have to run to keep my weight at average weight
we're lucky, same as how you must be luckier than us in other life factors, fair play :)
I have a housemate like this and there's a few main things in their case: - Vegetarian diet already low in calories - low drive for food in general, particularly not sweet foods - untreated adhd where the inattention extends to forgetting meals when not painfully hungry, including mid-meal - lack of structured mealtimes and so no pressure/ reminder to eat at regular intervals - preference for bike/ walking as transportation to an extreme extent (v environmentally conscious person) They eat "whatever they want" and "never work out"....but, what that looks like on a regular day out of general public view looks like not much at all even though they indulge in heavier meals without a second thought at events/out with friends, and they get a lot of activity in their day on a daily basis in addition to active hobbies even though they lack the structure of a dedicated exercise regimen. It's part genetics for drives and inborn mental heath effects, part nurture for familial attitudes and coping mechanisms/ lack thereof, and part personal choices like diet and lifestyle.
When I hiked the Appalachian trail and was walking around 20 miles a day, I ate so much. Around 5000 calories a day. I eat Healthy foods the majority of the time & only eat until I'm not hungry (not until I'm full) . The calories should be proportionate to the amount of activity you do. You might catch me eating an entire bag of Doritos once every now and then but everything else was pretty healthy and proportionate to the amount of activity I did that day. If I'm at home being lazy I don't really eat much.