Anonymous wrote:Seems like people on this board assume all skinny people have disordered eating habits. However I feel like I can usually tell, even if two people are the same size, which one comes about it naturally and which one starves, does coke, over exercises, etc. The hair, musculature, skin, and around the eyes gives it away for me.

I think human beings are designed to be able to see even very subtle signs of health or disease since in the past this skill would mean so much for our survival.

It's pretty easy for me to tell healthy fit body from starved body.

Anonymous wrote:sallow complexion vs. rosy complexion

thin, dry hair vs. shiny thicker hair

low muscle tone vs. tighter muscles.

dark circles that are not hereditary

Poor posture while standing and sitting. someone who has a strong core will sit up straight and walk with shoulders back and lots of confidence. Someone with a weak core will shuffle when they walk, hunched over a bit.

Sounds more like a lack of vitamins as opposed to a rich and varied diet. Overweight but malnourished people can have these traits, too.

In in doubt, go to the facts:

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmi-chart.php

I used to dance semi-seriously and the dead give-away for a girl who had moved from "skinny, but at least eating in a restricted manner" and "anorexic" was a weird slackness in the muscles. It was particularly apparent around the underarm/triceps and where it meet the armpit, and to put it somewhat indelicately, the upper thigh where it met the groin.

And of course the traditional markers - breaking hair, sunken eyes, peach fuzz.

i have the super thin gene and make sure to eat a ton in front of people just to shut them up.

Good question. I know someone who everyone automatically assumes is anorexic. She is sooo thin and bird-like. Her friends insist that she is not and I didn't believe them until I saw her brother. He (a man in his 40s) is just as thin! So, now I realize it's their genetics. I don't love the thighs I inherited but not sure I'd want that super-thin gene either.

Of course! Single-sex education taught me a lot!

The skin on the face tells the story. Peach fuzz, dryness, a bit of pinch. There's also the temperament issue. Being on edge is a sign. Sometimes it's forced energy that I see. Naturally thin women move differently.

I have a friend, a dear friend, who's done Botox since she was 26, when 5lbs would have solved the problem. She won't budge and it's not my place to say a word. She's naturally slim, but works to stay at the lowest possible ratio.

Yes, but it's by behavior, not by what they look like. Sometimes it takes awhile for the looks to catch up with the behavior. And sometimes the looks can be for another reason, like illness or stress.

You look at certain bones, like the ones around the wrist. You watch behaviors, especially around food. As a recovered anorexic, I can watch some people and know exactly what they're doing.

While I think most movie stars have disordered relationships to food simply by the nature of their business and the requirements they face, not all have illnesses.

Unnaturally thin people seem to be cold all the time, don't move a lot, don't seem to have much energy, and generally seem pretty lethargic.

The one thing that I think can sometimes help you determine natural/unnatural is the size of other family members. I once thought a Co worker most likely had some sort of eating issue as she was prob 5 ft 7 inches and maybe 105 pounds but overtime I met her mom and her sister and they also looked very very thin.

Two of the most naturally thin women I know both have the start of hunchbacks.

Anonymous wrote:sallow complexion vs. rosy complexion

thin, dry hair vs. shiny thicker hair

low muscle tone vs. tighter muscles.

dark circles that are not hereditary

Poor posture while standing and sitting. someone who has a strong core will sit up straight and walk with shoulders back and lots of confidence. Someone with a weak core will shuffle when they walk, hunched over a bit.

This is really silly. My DD has low muscle tone, and believe me, she is naturally thin. Dry hair has nothing to do with whether you are naturally thin. I had dry hair when I was overweight. Ditto complexion and dark circles, which are often caused by allergies.

I don't think there is any way to tell. You can assess eating habits, but even there, people who eat and espouse "healthy" foods are often the most disordered and naturally thin people often eat a lot of crap.

sallow complexion vs. rosy complexion

thin, dry hair vs. shiny thicker hair

low muscle tone vs. tighter muscles.

dark circles that are not hereditary

Poor posture while standing and sitting. someone who has a strong core will sit up straight and walk with shoulders back and lots of confidence. Someone with a weak core will shuffle when they walk, hunched over a bit.

Seems like people on this board assume all skinny people have disordered eating habits. However I feel like I can usually tell, even if two people are the same size, which one comes about it naturally and which one starves, does coke, over exercises, etc. The hair, musculature, skin, and around the eyes gives it away for me.