Are there many people who can eat what they want and not gain weight?

[Anonymous]

There was a whole thread about this last week.

[Anonymous]

My wife.

I always attribute it to her being an athlete her whole life.

She grew up playing soccer and softball. She played D1 soccer in college. She plays on an adult softball league now.

She has to maintain a certain level of fitness for her job as a federal agent, but honestly hates working out in a traditional way. She'll kick and chase a ball with our son for hours on end but will complain the entire time if I can somehow convince her to run even a half mile with me.

She eats just like our teenage sons and as much as them sometimes. I thought it would catch up to her once she hit 40 but nope. She's 45 and the person who will randomally bring a birthday cake home from the grocery store just because she was craving cake.

[Anonymous]

I’m 5’7. I could probably eat like this if I was ok being 130-140 lbs.

But I want to be 120 so I watch what I eat and eat in moderation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m 5’7. I could probably eat like this if I was ok being 130-140 lbs.

But I want to be 120 so I watch what I eat and eat in moderation.

Same.

[Anonymous]

My late father, my sister and two friends are the opposite. They all have to eat more than they are comfortable with or they LOSE weight. My father's age related problems were exacerbated when he started drinking more, because it suppressed his appetite more and he started losing weight causing more problems. We had to get him to stop drinking entirely (which he hated) so that he could force himself to eat enough to keep a stable weight. My sister's problems got worse after she gave birth to my niece.

[Anonymous]

I can eat what I want and not gain weight. However, I am very into fitness and choose to eat clean because that makes me feel my best. I rarely eat junk food because I don’t like it.
(Woman..5’9” 123-125lbs..same weight as in college. Now early 50’s. Ate mostly clean in college also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My wife.

I always attribute it to her being an athlete her whole life.

She grew up playing soccer and softball. She played D1 soccer in college. She plays on an adult softball league now.

She has to maintain a certain level of fitness for her job as a federal agent, but honestly hates working out in a traditional way. She'll kick and chase a ball with our son for hours on end but will complain the entire time if I can somehow convince her to run even a half mile with me.

She eats just like our teenage sons and as much as them sometimes. I thought it would catch up to her once she hit 40 but nope. She's 45 and the person who will randomally bring a birthday cake home from the grocery store just because she was craving cake.

I will catch up with her..maybe not necessarily in weight gain but in other areas of health.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Me until 50. Even after 2 kids, lost pregnancy weight immediately, ate whatever I wanted. Junk food, ice cream, fried everything, carbs, alcohol. I ran marathons though. So very active. After 50, I need to watch what I eat or I gain.

You can’t out train a bad diet. At least you noticed you needed to make changes.

[Anonymous]

My husband eats SO much and never gains weight, and laments when he loses weight. He eats probably double the calories that I do, and works out some, but not a lot by any means. I am the opposite. My kids each take after one of us. They eat almost the same things each day and one kid is Heavier than should be and the other one is slim.

Life isn’t fair!

[Anonymous]

Walking 5-6 miles day is working out. It might not get you a perfectly toned body but it will help you maintain height-frame-weight proportionality.

For most skinny-fat people, it catches up with them in middle age. It hits them really hard. Their metabolisms naturally slow down. They also don't have years of good diet/exercise practice. And for most skinny-fat women, the metabolic slowdown usually begins with pregnancy.

I know people who have naturally small frame, on the thinner side, ectomorphic body shape, etc which continues into their 40s/50s+. That's not the same thing as saying these people can eat whatever they want without being concerned about weight gain.

[Anonymous]

I’m 52. 5’5 and 115. I can and do eat whatever I want. I don’t gain. I would love to add about ten pounds, but it’s just not going to happen. I’m athletic and very active. I’m one of those people who just cannot sit still. It’s math. I burn more calories than I take in.

[Anonymous]

My husband in his 50s was like this for most of his life. Very hard for me, who is definitely not!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Me until 50. Even after 2 kids, lost pregnancy weight immediately, ate whatever I wanted. Junk food, ice cream, fried everything, carbs, alcohol. I ran marathons though. So very active. After 50, I need to watch what I eat or I gain.

You can’t out train a bad diet. At least you noticed you needed to make changes.

Yes, I now eat lots of vegetables, fruits, good fats and proteins, cut out alcohol, and only eat sweets or chips occasionally.

[Anonymous]

OP was talking about skinny-fat people who could eat whatever they want, not exercise, and not gain weight in their 40s/50s. Most of the pps who responded that they ate whatever they wanted also ran marathons and are physically active one way or another.

If you're trying to lose weight, diet is probably more important. However, if your goal is to simply not gain weight, then diet is less important as long as your caloric intake matches your caloric expenditure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I TOTALLY believe pregnancy messes up most women’s metabolisms in a bad way!

I mean, for one thing, look at all the women who never lose their baby weight and gain 5-10 lbs. each pregnancy.

Of course this isn’t much studied because men don’t get pregnant so don’t care to know or fund research studies on it.

That’s me.