How come it is that I have 2 friends who are both a size 1 and 2 (I wish!) and they are both the worst eaters I have ever seen in my life (avid Fast food eaters or worse!). They eat enormous piles of food, numerous times throughout the day...they definately NEVER excersize and they never seem to gain a pound???? What is that?!?! Not that I am wishing weight on anyone but why do they have it so easy?!?! I bust my butt to look good and I am double if not triple the size of these 2! Does anyone else have any friends or family like this? Whats the deal?

my mom and my best friend are both like that, along with my nieces and some cousins! let me tell you about feeling like i received the short end of the genetic stick! i wish i could eat like they do and have bodies like they do, but it's just not me. i'm going to have to continue my wl journey with their support (because they do all support me greatly!) and become the fittest, healthiest me i can become. but do i ever get what you are saying!

Fascinating, no?

Not so long ago I saw a BBC documentary about metabolism and weightloss. It featured two women who were best friends - one was very slim, one was quite overweight. At the beginning of the programme both were interviewed, the bigger one saying *I don't eat a lot and I'm fat, she eats LOADS and stays skinny, I think she has a faster metabolism*.

Wrong...the LARGER woman had the faster metabolism according to lab tests. And, the larger woman (again, lab tests involving urine/faeces to determine how much she'd eaten, etc) ate more. Simply ate more, when all the calories were taken into account.

No, the skinny one didn't *work out* either..but they clipped a pedometer or something onto her and she did a lot of what I believe is called NEAT - Non Exercise something or other...just moved about more in day to day life.

I mean, it COULD be genetics etc that account for an increased vulnerability to gain weight easily, but from everything I've seen/read etc, it really does all come down to cals in and out. Honestly. Its just that some people live in way that burns more.

I saw that same program, Emily. I thought it was pretty amazing. Sometimes we just assume things from things we see, but there are things we don't know to the fullest, like lifestyle and other habits... I know though, it always SEEMS like the skinniest of the skinny are blessed with some sort of magic something that prevents them from gaining weight...sigh. It turned out to be as simple as input vs output. =/ I would have liked for that show to do test on more than just one pair though to be more scientific.

When I was in grad school, I ate fast food twice per day and skipped breakfast. From the outside looking in, it didn't compute, and I recall my friend who had been following Weight Watchers not understanding how I could stay thin. But the bottom line was that even if each fast food meal was 600 calories, I was only consuming 1200 calories per day! These days, my eating habits are much improved, as I eat healthier foods and eat more frequently throughout the day, but at the end of the day, there are many factors to be considered that aren't always obvious to the onlooker.

Life has never claimed to be fair. But, as others have said, there's always more going on than what we see.

I've got these two friends. One who is larger, my size, but 5'2". The other who is maybe 135 at 5'8". The skinnier friend said to the larger (during a discussion, so it wasn't rude or anything) "I don't know why you'd be larger than me, you eat the same that I do!"

But that wasn't true... in front of the skinnier friend, my larger friend ate the same, then when the larger friend came home to eat a meal alone she ate A LOT more. Or she had snacks or things. With the skinnier friend, she didn't go home and do that. I'm not saying it's the same way with you or everyone, just that often our perceptions deceive us because we aren't getting the whole story.

I used to be SO self-conscious of what I ate in front of skinnier people. ("Oh gosh, are they thinking about what I'm eating... I better eat less than them.") But, on my own (yes... secret binge eater here) I'd watch TV and become a bottomless pit. Heck, they may have been surprised at how I could gain this weight, but I wasn't.

As a side note, I've gotten much better about just enjoying what I want to eat in front of others. I don't feel bad about eating until I'm satisfied in front of those who are (at the moment ) skinnier than I am. Working on this has kept me from secretly eating later. In fact, I haven't secretly eaten in a long time, thanks to all the healthier changes I've been making...

Oops, anyway </side note>.

I would tend to think they have different metabolism .... who knows, every person is unique. I have a friend myself who is quite skinny, but she DOES eat like a bird. It has become a joke (when a few of us get together) that she will have most of her meal doggie-bagged to take home with her. Once, we both ordered a grilled cheese sandwich (in a better than average resto) and I would have eaten three of them. She ate a half and took the other half with her. She simply said that she is not hungry and in her case, it is true. I wish my stomach would get satisfied with so little.

I understand the input vs. output situation totally and it definately makes sense. However in this case, I have never really had an issue with food. My issue was the lack of activitiy surrounding me at the time when I gained all the weight. These girls I am referring may eat smaller portions but eat constantly and I mean never excersize...plus they binge drink all the time! I just keep working at my goal but I have to say it really does burn my attitude about some things. I used to be thin just like that where I could eat whatever I wanted, I definately got an eye opening experience on this one! Thanks for the different views on this matter, I am glad to see that there is some different reasons for it besides just down right unfairness~

I read an article once... It talked about how just because someone is skinny on the outside, doesn't mean they are skinny on the INSIDE! It is just as important for skinny people to eat healthy and exercise, too. Fat not only builds up underneath the skin, but it also can collect around our internal organs. Just b/c your friends appear skinny, does not mean they are healthy = they could have fat deposits around their hearts, etc. It is important to exercise and eat healthy to not only stay slender, but to also keep these deposits away from our organs. If I remember correctly, the article talked about how a heavier person who exercises regularly and does not have fat store around their organs is healthier than a thin person who does have fat on the inside.

Here is some info I found:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...1/ai_n19117697
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18594089/

Nobody gets it easy!

SCraver Thank you for those articles!~ I shouldn't let things like this bug me but sometimes it really does! I just wish I had stuck with my healthy lifestyle from before and I wouldn't be in this mess~ But progress shows I am on the right track to changing my life!

I don't know the answer, but it isn't fair. LOL I know life isn't fair, but, still...it feels good to say it! hehehe

You took the words right out of my mouth!! I work with a girl who could eat till the cows come home (pun intended) and yet she is a STICK!! Not that I want to be as skinny as her but mother of God!! How does she eat (and smoke) the way she does?? Plus there is the added enjoyment when these tiny little things say things like "my butt is too big" or " I am not putting on my bikini untill I lose 5 pounds" It all make me want to puke!!

Eat a burger and shut up already...

I have a friend like this too, she eats whatever she wants and in restaurants orders the least healthy thing on the menu and yet stays as thin as a rake! But I noticed the other day that she never ever finishes a meal, she'll often take a few bites then happily sit back full up. Could this not be the case for all natural skinnies?

I don't know how old you are, but I also wanted to mention that metabolism does slow down as you get older... I'm now in my late 20's and I can't eat nearly as much as I did when I was younger. I would start packing on the pounds pretty darn quick if I ate like I used to. Blessed are the young since their bodies are so forgiving. All these things do catch up with you in the end, so just think that you are setting yourself up for a very healthy future, while they may get a slap in the face later...

I am actually 23 and so is one of my friends I was reffering to. However the other is in her late 20's and skinnier than even the younger of the two. Its just plain annoying in my eyes. I am setting myself up for a healthy future...I just felt the need to express me frustrations and see if anyone else had those "life isnt fair thoughts". Its fun to release the tension...and actually quite hilarious to hear people describe these individuals who seem to have hit the genetic lottery! LOL