What do Thin People Eat?
 

I've been thinking...my friend Pam is in her 50's and she's been thin her whole life. We went to lunch the other day and I noticed that she only ate half her food. Which is pretty standard b/c that's what I do on a daily basis if I eat out. However, I can't help but wonder, what do thin people who have never had weight issues eat? What type of physical activity do they get? Does anyone else wonder that?

I'm only curious because I've been 250lbs before and I know if I got like that once, I can get like that again! I would LOVE to eat whatever I wanted, but my whole lifestyle change prevents me from doing that. Although lately I find myself wanting to eat poorly b/c the bad food is SOOO good. My fiance' can eat a 3,000 calorie dinner, and he remains the same weight! Some men are lucky!

But seriously, have you all ever studied the eating habits of a thin person and their physical activity?

I have a couple thin friends. Some of them are very athletic and others have never set foot in a gym. But for all of them, they eat everything in moderation. Others are blessed just to have an incredible metabolism. It sucks though! It's frustrating for them to not worry about anything, while I count every single calorie and have to constantly watch what I eat or I'll gain.

My husband is naturally thin, he's 6'3" and weighs about 168. He eats whatever he wants, when he's hungry. Sometimes he eats healthy, sometimes not. But that's what I'm noticing more and more as I try to lose weight. HE EATS ONLY WHEN HE'S HUNGRY, at least 90% of the time he eats. He doesn't eat when he's stressed out, he doesn't eat just because it looks yummy, he doesn't eat because other people are eating. Now, to be honest, he is also a smoker (which is a very unhealthy habit that needs it's own forum) so I think he does more of the smoking when stressed or bored.

But I've noticed other people at work who have been thin the whole time we've worked together. Some eat healthy, some do not. I wish I could figure it out. All that I've come up with so fat is that none of them seem to be OBSESSED with food the way I am. I also would love to figure out how naturally thin people do it.

My best friend is my same height and she weighs about 40 pounds less than me. She's got good genes going for her (her mom is 44ish and actually fit into her youngest daughter's prom dress...and looked hot!). But I agree with what others have said...they eat when they are hungry. My best friend does not work out, but she doesn't obsess about food like I do. If I get something on my mind, I have to have it. When we do go out (usually fast food because we are broke), she usually only gets one thing (ex. chicken sandwich)...not the whole combo like I used to get. And she drinks water, with a soda on occasion. Her mom walks a lot and LOVES carbs (cookies, bread, all that yummy stuff), but she doesn't eat that much of it. I guess the difference is I want it all, where they eat until they are satisfied. I know I can't eat that crap because I'm not satisfied until it's all gone! ;)
I'm trying to not feel bad when I leave food left on my plate. I used to be "leftover girl" and everyone knew it. I'd eat my dad's leftovers and my leftovers. Since meeting my BF, his family knows I like(d) to take leftovers for lunch, so I'd eat theirs, too. I've decided I'm no longer going to take leftovers home with me. Okay, random tangent there, but you see my point. I want it all. They are happy with "normal" amounts.
Another side note: I love that you guys are at or close to your goal weight, yet you are still active on these boards. It is such an inspiration to hear from you. It makes me realize that I CAN get there and when I do, I want to be around to help others like me. Thank you. I can't express how much I appreciate you being here!

That makes a lot of sense, I guess the disconnect with me from once being overweight, is that I still obsess with food, and I am a major stress eater. Sometimes carrots don't cut it, and I want the chips! Of course being pregnant with "cravings'' isn't any easier! haha, I was doing so well with food diversions, now I want this and that, but I've managed to do it in moderation.

ade903-You are too sweet! This forum helps me in so many ways, I still go look at the girl's picture that motivated me when I started, and I now I'm on that Goal section too! It keeps me going, and helps me maintain! Talking with all you wonderful, beautiful, ladies always makes my day! I know when I can't ask a question in my everyday life, I can come here. :) You rock ADE!

I had never thought about my relationship with food, I wasn't always like that, not until I was with my ex-husband. I'm glad he's my ex! lol Sometimes I think he kept me fat on purpose, but that's a whole other issue!

I just know when i comes to food, I can not eat something, do a quick calorie count, and either go for it, or pass. It's almost like all food comes with a big red flag that I need to weigh out. And having to choose what foods I'll eat, like I'll eat this slice of pizza for lunch, but I can't have that icecream cone for dessert after supper, makes it hard. I'm still a work in progress! Whew, feels good to let that out! Time for some carrots... :(

Chubbybun-Love your name, it's awesome, but I wanted to add that I had a girl tell me that "she thanks Jesus for staying thin" It's amazing how I don't think naturally thin people really understand how fortunate they are. I guess food is just our addiction or obsession to a certain extent maybe? But saying she had better genes was a tacky response! Portion control does make a lot of sense, ah to have that will power they have. I hadn't taken the stamina part into consideration. Less, weight, less to carry, the more and quicker you move! However, I'm still tired, and lazy when it's 104 degrees outside!

My sister who is 3 years younger has always been the thin one. We're pretty much the same height, same genes, and raised in the same environment but there is definitely something different about our approaches to food.

When we were kids and had seperate candy stashes such as Easter baskets or Halloween candy mine would be gone in less than a week. Hers would get stale she'd forget about it for so long. Then I'd steal the stale candy.

As adults, we'd eat at each other's house. When I cook I make sure there is enough so that people can have seconds, and like folks to linger at the dinner table. She cooks just enough for single serving for each person. Doesn't bother her at all if everyone is ready to leave the table 10 minutes after they sit down.

When her daughter was in Girl Scouts, she was "cookie mom" and so had many, many boxes of GS cookies. She can open the sleeve of thin mints, eat a few and put them back. For me one sleeve is one serving. And I'm thinking about that other sleeve I left in the box.

Interestingly, the only time she had food issues is when she joined Weight Watchers to take off a bit of middle age spread. She called me and apologized for ever wondering why I couldn't stick to diets. As soon as she was trying to restrict what she ate, all she could think about was food and she was hungry all the time.

On activity level, she does not exercise formally. Hates it, but will sometimes walk when she tries to get more active. However, she's physically busier around the house than I am. Nice day? She'll use it to get yard work done while I'll be heading out for a hike. So I'm fitter than she is and have healthier medical numbers, but by weight she'll likely always be the skinny sister.

Interesting thread. Thanks all. A lot to think about here.

I think genetics, childhood environment, and family traditions all play a role in our predisposition to being overweight.

Here's a good article: Why People Become Overweight

I always wondered that question. And then I moved in with my boyfriend's family. They have a really big, nice house with lots of kids. There's 2 fridges, and a huge freezer, 2 pantries, and LOADS of food. I used to have excellent control on my eating. I learned to eat in moderation, and it was very easy for me to say no. I still ate a lot of junk food, but it wasn't an every day thing, so it balanced out. I've been losing weight since Sep. 07, so it just became a habit.

Then I came here. I opened the freezer, and there was like 4 containers of Dryers in various flavors, Oreos in the pantry, a Costco pack of chocolate bars. Tortellini, cheeses in a million flavors, everything. You name it, these people had it. It was, and is, a NIGHTMARE. I have zero control over the food in this house, only what I buy and eat. It's hard.

But the weird thing is, nobody is really fat in this family. In fact, you'd expect mama bear to be chunky. Everyone I talk to does, 5 kids, loads of junk food. But no, she isn't. She's tiny. It's the strangest thing, because they don't eat healthy AT ALLLLLLL. In fact she makes fun of me for buying low fat. I've never seen so much junk food in my effing life, and no obese people to go with the food. So, they were an interesting case study for me.

These people just have the little indicator in them that stops eating when they're starting to get full. They don't eat when they're not hungry either. By boyfriend is like that, he doesn't eat unless he's hungry. He rarely snacks out of boredom. I think the discomfort of being too full is just that to him, discomfort. It's the same with everyone else. None of them have an obsession with food, they know if they want it, it's there. I think that's the biggest key, is only eating when they're hungry and stopping when they're satisfied.

Sadly, I don't think I'll ever be like that. I can train myself to be LIKE that, but I don't think I'll ever naturally be that way.

I think that some people never make the association eating=happiness. They remain thinner.

I agree. I grew up where food was the celebration after good grades, dance performance, band gig, etc. Any happy occasion was celebrated with food. Now it's "I lost five pounds! Celebration dinner! ...oh wait. that defeats the purpose." I'm trying to train myself to celebrate in different ways. Trying to eat for fuel, not based on emotions!

I totally agree, I need to remember to eat to be healthy, not to reward myself or because it's there. For example, yesterday we had a couple doctor visits for my pregnancy, received great news-->I'm having a girl!! Then I asked my loving honey to take me to the grocery store b/c I wanted to make banana nut bread. I also bought ice cream, and some candy. That was my sole purpose for going to the market, i wanted all three of those things! Luckily, the bananas weren't ripe enough, the candy wasn't calling me, and I was too full from supper to eat the icecream. But I know it's all there waiting for me, taunting me, callling me. I only bought a pint of icecream though, and some cones, so I'll only have a little. And I'll only eat it if I"m hungry. I just don't want to fall off the wagon again if I've come this far! Maybe I'll throw my candy out? And I won't make the banana nut bread, I will just eat the bananas as a snack? Time will tell. ;)

These people obviously didn't grow up Italian, or any other kind of Mediterranean European.

Ok, quoting myself here because I just realized something quite different about my sister and I who share the same genes and eating environment. As an infant, she had allergies to formulas and was a skinny, cranky baby who fussed during feedings. I was happy, roly poly with no formula issues so am told loved my bottle time and cuddled with Mom instead of fighting. I wonder if her baby brain associated eating with unpleasant feeling while mine found eating to be a wonderful experience?

Daner,

It was really interesting to read what you posted. I used to think that Marty just had good genes and that's why he can eat what he eats. But now that I take a step back and actually think about it he doesn't overeat his goodies. He eats crap: cupcakes, donuts, chips and salsa, etc. But what I never realized before was the way that he ate them. For example, he'll bring a bag of tortilla chips and some salsa downstairs while we watch a movie and he snack on them. But unlike me, he doesn't scarf the whole bag down in one sitting. He simply eats until he's satisfied and puts them down. I don't have the ability to really tell when I'm satisfied or maybe I do but I haven't learned how to get in touch with it. I'm still convince the fool has a high metabolism, but maybe that's the result of eating only when your hungry and not because of genes. Thanks for the thought provoking post! See you tonight at Weight Watchers. Love ya!

Interesting, when I was a baby, I had a lot of allergies too and my parents couldn't get me to eat or like anything. But junkfood found it's way to me and it got to get up to 250 lbs! That may be the case for your sister, but I know now that it was my comfort food that helped me expand around my waist. I have noticed that if I go weeks without exercise, but still watch what I eat, I do good. I don't gain anything, even during my current pregnancy I've gained about 4 lbs 20 weeks in. I eat when I'm hungry, and stop when I'm full, but there's still that void of comfort, and boredom eating.

I sometimes see families with very thin parents, but their kids are overweight, or I see overweight parents, but their kids are very thin. How does that happen? I think I'm focusing way too much on this. It just blows my mind, and I wish there was some easy, honest, answer. But there isn't, we are all different, built different, think different, eat different, etc.

I had a hard time gaining weight when I was a baby. They thought I had development problems. boy did I overcome that! ;) I figure I just have to un-train how I have been brought up. My goal is to teach my kids about eating healthy while they are growing up and hopefully they won't have to un-train the bad habits...and I don't blame my parents. We were very persuasive when we wanted something. They were young and times were tough. I just hope to be in a healthy place and my children learn those healthy habits...

guam - congrats! have any names picked out yet? I'm so excited for you!

Great idea for raising your little ones. I need to nip this in the butt now before she comes! It's an awful feeling turning to food for comfort! It really is. Thanks for your support! Love & I are very excited to. We are naming her Emma Evangeline. What's your take on that name? I dreamt it, so ever since, it just sorta stuck.

I LOVE it! A lot. I've always liked the nick-name "Em" but have known too many Emilys to use that name! I'll have to remember Emma (I used to keep a list of names I liked...lol) And Evangeline is beautiful! I'll say it again...I'm so excited for you!

Until recently, I had always been skinny. I would scarf down junk food like crazy and my friends would wonder how I remained skinny. They would tease me saying that I have tapeworms in my stomach and that is why I am so skinny. What they did not know was that I binge eat, ie go for days hardly eating anything and then binge. My bad eating habits have finally caught up with me and now my metabolism is almost 0.

Wow, great comment! Thanks for having the courage to post that! I worked with a girl once who would never eat during lunch, come to think of it, I can't remember ever seeing her eat, and she was very thin. She would go shopping during lunch and always pass on the snacks. How long ago did you realize your metabolism slowed down? Do you work out regularly?

I think my metabolism had been slowing down a long before I noticed it. I would gain a few lbs and then starve myself to till my tummy went away and hip bones stuck out (that was my way of gauging my "fatness"). I finally noticed my metabolism slowing down 4 years ago which was around then time I bought my very first car. Prior to the car, I was at least getting some exercise when I walked to the bus stop. But after that, I started packing on the lbs and could not lose more than 5-10 lbs no matter how much I reduced my calories. I was 154 lb at my heaviest and my weight loss plateaus at 140, at which point I give up and start eating, and gain all the weight quicker than it took me to lose it.

My friend (who weighs 110lb and is a sz 0) & I were talking about eating habits the other day. She admitted to me that she goes for days without eating and then binges. Most of the days, she would go home from work and go to bed straight away to avoid eating dinner. At work (we work together), she is known as the girl who can pig out on pizza & brownies and not gain an ounce.

Listening to her finally gave me the courage to admit that I used to do the exact same thing. Somehow it is just easier being known as the "skinny b!tch" rather than the "girl who binges".

So yeah, unless you live with a skinny person, you dont really know what the heck they do to their bodies behind closed doors.

I know for me, that genes (weight issues on both sides) and social conditioning played a part; when we were young kids, there wasn't enuff food in the house. We ate mostly kraft dinner or soup, esp for lunch & dinner. Puff cereal or oatmeal & toast for breakfast every day until we were older (Saturday brunch was eggs, bacon, HF & toast). When our Dad wasn't home, we only occasionally had any meat (usually fish my brother caught). It was an occasion when Dad came home (from work) becuz we'd get a big meal with something nice like a roast or turkey, etc.

Later, when my parents started working near/from home, that changed a lot; and we started eating meat daily (although we still ate a lot of pasta and potatoes, and not enuff veggies, etc).

We never had snacks becuz we couldn't afford that, so we ate more at meals to make up for that, I think. My doctor once complained to my mother that we didn't eat enuff fruit and veggies; he felt that contributed to weight gain as teens; plus the availability of junk foods once we had our own money.

Also, my mother was an emotional eater (until later in life) and would secretly eat junk food whenever she was upset; and she had a lot of stress to deal with in her life. I know that some of us were patterned on that.

My DH is thin (120 lbs with clothes on) -- but he is very active; rides his bike all over the place and is always doing something (hates to sit around). He eats whatever he wants, when he wants; but he too can eat just 1 or 2 or a few and leave the rest. I am trying to learn that with some things. He used to smoke, we both quit 7 years ago, but he is still the same.

I am an emotional, stress eater; he is not. I eat out of boredom, he eats only when he is hungry from what I can tell. He definitely eats small amounts more often; and I am learning to do this too.

We eat much healthier now; he never used to eat veggies until he met me, so he has grown in that way but he still hates salads, so I make them just for me; and that's OK. He eats goodies all the time, but I ask him to put them in his private cubby in his den (where he watches his movies).

That's so funny! I noticed, too! My ex also used to call it that...well I'm sure he still does, lol, but not to me!

Amen sister! For us any excuse is good enough.

I honestly think people get different feelings from eating. For some of us it's a real orgasmic pleasure. I know some people love to drink or take pills, for me I hate the feeling of either one, can't imagine doing it for pleasure.

For the decades that I was thin, I don't remember thinking about food except when it was time to eat a meal. I think the real downside of dieting is thinking about it all the time, what should I shop for, how should I cook it, when do I get to eat again, how many calories, how many calories burned, blah blah blah blah. For many (women especially) it's a fulltime occupation.

My daughter (age 24) is a naturally thin person and always has been. It is not what they eat; it is HOW/WHY they eat. She only eats when hungry and only until she is full. Even as a small child, if there was one bite of food on her plate, she didn't eat it. I notice that I will eat it just to clean my plate. When she and her brother were young and we would go out to eat, she would get something like a hamburger and just hand over the rest to her brother when she felt full. She does it subconsiously and she does not have an attitude about some foods being "good" and some "bad." Also, she has never thought of food as a reward. When she is sad, she doesn't think "ice cream." I don't know why she is wired that way. My son could put away 15 slices of pizza even though he was stuffed long before #15.

Interesting post. I know I eat sometimes just to have the taste in my mouth. I think that is why sugarfree gum is a great weight loss tool.

I think there's as much variation between thin folks as there are between overweight folks when it comes to food and exercise habits. Two people can have identical habits and still end up with different outcomes.

My father was slim all of his life, and he always smugly told my mother and I that we "just had to eat less," not realizing how difficult that was. He did have an active job, but even so his metabolism was insanely high. He ate constantly. His evening snack was about 2 to 3 cups of icecream or a sleeve of Oreo cookies with milk. His snacks often contained more calories than my mother or I would eat for the whole day. It bit him in the butt at retirement though, because he was less active. He gained like 40 lbs in just a few months (all in his middle - he looked about 8 months pregnant). He thought dieting was going to be a snap (after all, he told us all of our lives how easy it was), but soon he was griping about how little he was eating, and how little he was losing. He gave up his evening snack and he thought the weight would just fall off - it didn't.

He did lose most of his weight, but he's still amazed at how much he has to struggle to do it, and how he has to struggle to keep it off.

I had a friend in college with a hummingbird's metabolism. On the surface, she seemed like a couch potato (she didn't do any active exercise like sports, running, or even walking except to class), but if you watched carefully, she was always figiting, and I suspect that played a role in her metabolism.

I think there are some habits that help or hinder a healthy weight, but I don't think there's a "secret" to be found. I think it's always a case by case issue. You have to play the cards you were dealt.

I don't know about the first part, but the second part is easy. Some of us are overweight and do not want our kids to end up that way, so we teach them better habits than we were taught. I was obese not so long ago, and am now overweight, but as lazy as I've been with my own weight issues over the years, I know that I did not want my kids to have to deal with it, so I taught them better, and now we're a family of an overweight mom with two thin, strong, fit kids.

Good for you! I love that you have taught your kids habits that will better their lives in so many ways! :carrot:

Haha yeah, I couldn't help but notice. My ex lived in Canada for a while and picked it up and it never went away so I'd tease him about it :P.


I agree. Well said.



I think this is interesting too, and I have a similar problem.

I feel less inclined to overeat when I have a lot of food in the house because I come from a household where everyone eats everyone else's food and if you don't get there first, you don't get any or your special treat food is gone. I think alot of my overeating is a result of competition for food. It drives me crazy when I buy something special for myself or I'm rationing something, and someone eats it. If no one touched my food, and I knew it would be there when I'm ready to eat it, I don't think I'd feel this urgency to eat it before someone else does.

I am one of those persons that never had a problem with my weight until my middle 20's when I started to gain a few pounds every year. The key to the way I eat is to have breakfast every day, no matter what, and then I can easily pass all the snacks that are handed to me in the morning at work or at school before. The second key for me is to try not to skip any meal. I can easily pass all the tempting snacks I see around but when it comes to dinner time I eat and if you see me eating you can probably think that I eat a lot but I still follow the rules that I made to maintain my weight.

I live in a mediterranean country. My experience is that we enjoy eating at family gatherings on Sundays for lunch. This day we eat more than usual. It is a homemade meal that we spent the whole morning preparing. We also serve apart from the main dish salads, fresh fruits and red wine. We normally have a coffee after the meal with some cakes bought from the bakery. For dinner on Sunday we eat some salad and fruit and a yogurt.

During the weeks, we normally have lunch at home at around 2 or 3 in the afternoon which can be some kind of veggie stew (lentils, chickpeas, beans or gazpacho in summer), some pasta, rice... Lunch is our bigger meal of the day and to have an idea if you go to a restaurant at lunch to eat the menu of the day you get 2 dishes, first: soup, salad, or similar, second: some meat or fish with potatoes or veggies and the portions are ok for one person, we don't ask for a container to eat the rest at home as the portions aren't big.

For dinner we have some salad, fruit and a yogurt, we normally eat dinner late at 9 or 10 as you are still quite full from lunch.

I know there are different ways of eating. For me as a never really overweight person I had to cut my daily dessert in lunch in my middle 20's to get back to the 120's which is the weight I have maintained longer and I feel good in and I also had to get back to exercise that I stopped doing because of a lesion.

Carly! Thanks for your reply, it seems that naturally thin people all share the common fact that they eat in moderation! My fiance' is the same way, he can go all day without eating, and then he has a big dinner, and he only eats when he's hungry. It just blows my mind! I suppose the question I should be asking is, why, when, and where did my relationship with food become an obsession in a negative way?

carpediem - If you had to guess, how many calories do you eat a day?

ChubbyBun - I share the same "treat food" scenario. My ex used to eat all the food and of course never gain an ounce, but I felt I had to rush to eat it just so I can enjoy it.

Laureedee - Awesome response! I plan on raising my lil one the same way! I hope she never develops that unhealthy relationship with food! I've got to make sure I put her in extra curricular activities too! ;)

kaplods - Thank you for the response. I find it interesting how even those that seem "immune" to the weight gain bug can have it catch up to them eventually.

charmtime - See? That's the relationship I need to have, and want my kids to have with food. Too bad I'm not obsessed with vegetables. :P It sure would make things a lot easier!


**Ladies! Thanks for all the wonderful responses! One thing is for sure, we have recognized our problem, and we are doing something about it. I'm glad I got some insight on my question, and I'm even more glad I wasn't the only one who was curious about it! ( I still get a little nervous asking questions! ) Hopefully in time, I can completely change my perspective on how I see, and treat food. I mean, I've come SO FAR, and I don't want to go back. Thanks again!