I think the secret is don't have any skinny friends.
Just kidding, my family is all overweight and they were thrilled when I became one of them. I'm only half serious, but they did say I finally fit in and looked like the rest of the family. I am looking forward to changing that back to be the odd one out by being slimmer again.
I have a great core group of friends who all say I still look great, but they are also very supportive in me losing the weight since it makes me so unhappy. Several of them have been losing and I'm really happy we are all on the same path although doing it all different ways.
I have loved reading this thread! Also had to google fupa. You would think they would make pants with reinforced thighs. I only discuss my weight loss on here. in my immediate family (mom brother sister) I have always been the biggest. I hopefully will change that.
Just read this thread and have laughed through most of it. Had to look up FUPA.........one site had pictures (kind of gross before breakfast!), but I learned that one can have a FUPA lift. Evidently this is surgery instead of going the weight loss route. They had before and after pictures although I don't think they're the kind we would want posted in the mini-goals forum!
FUPA, chicken wire and duct tape... ah the hilarious additions to my vocabulary!
It's hard to be surrounded by thinness that is providing a running commentary about our weight loss... but 100lbs is amazing, I know it's hard to see through the forest, but you've conquered something most people never will, I hope you feel great!
Because of my apple shape, I had a panni even when I was 160lbs, it was small, but it was there, so I won't be joining the bikini club ever!
I can't speak for your genes, but I've observed that most naturally thin adults (certainly women) eat a lot less than may appear to the casual onlooker. They may order huge menu items at a restaurant but eat only half, they often skip meals, they instinctively compensate for indulgences by eating "light" for the next few days, etc. I've seen this time and time again.
On a related note, I just finished a gig writing program materials for the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children's teen obesity management program. The kids in the program are morbidly obese, and as part of the intake they have to undergo indirect calorimetry tests to see if they have a metabolic abnormality. As it turns out, the overwhelming majority have normal metabolisms. They just eat more than most people. (Not criticizing -- I also eat more than most people.)
I guess I believe that obese or obesity-prone people have lost the ability to self-regulate the way naturally thin people do -- either because we lack robust satiety cues, because we've developed a reliance on food to self-soothe, or because we simply enjoy eating more than the average bear -- and that this lack of self-regulatory mechanisms, rather than a sluggish metabolism, explains the lion's share of the excess weight.
Freelance
This is so true! Most of my skinny friends say they eat all the time, but in reality, they order a bunch of food and only nibble at it. One of my best girlfriends will order say a full soup in a breadbowl, a salad and a dessert at panera and eat most the salad, some of the soup but none of the bowl and take a bit of dessert and say they're stuffed and throw it all away. She always talks about how much she eats but I have yet to see it. Then here I am, eating everything and eating some of her bread bowl and still hungry. haha But I've seen this too many times. They'll skip meals later and work out a ton. It really comes down to eating more than you should. It's amazing what counting calories does. When i started I immediately stopped eating chocolate because I didn't want to write it down. Who knows how much I was eating??
Why is that skinny people just love to give advice? Last night I had a meeting at church and after woulds they have coffee and cake. One of the skinny ladies said to me are you going to have cake? Mean while some of the ladies noticed my weight loss and told I looked good. My sister is skinny she sometimes has something say Mean while she smokes.
The unsolicited advice isn't the sole domain of the skinny. I've had plenty of people that could stand to lose 20 or 30 or 70 pounds go "are you going to eat that?" to me throughout my life
My sister in law that is 120 pounds and fits into her wedding dress like a dream thinks I'm being a crazy drama queen because I am dreading the fitting for my bridesmaid dress tomorrow. I don't think she has any idea what anxiety hearing "Right now you just barely fit into the biggest size we make" causes.
Why do skinny people always seem they need to give advice. They have no idea what there talking about. Last night I went to a meeting at church and they have coffee and cake after the meeting. One of the skinny ladies said are you going to have cake? Mean while everyone told me how good I looked. I did not have the cake. I felt like the skinny ladies were watching me.
