I was slim for most of my life. For me the big reason seemed to be consistent weight training. I slacked off about 10 years ago and have been fighting the pounds ever since. Now I need to lose 20+ pounds.

I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted and exercise or not and still remain size 0. But after hitting 50, my metabolism changed and I can’t get away with that anymore. I have to watch what I eat and exercise every day or I will gain weight. So I’ve been on both sides (naturally thin, and naturally overweight). I have a desire and willpower to stay healthy and thin so I can lead an active life well into my 80’s. So I watch what I eat and exercise daily. It’s a choice and it’s work.

While there are overweight people because of medication, untreatable health conditions, poverty, overwork/underpaid, food desert, etc (and I’m not judging those people), there are plenty of MC or UMC people who are obese because they are too lazy to exercise or cook proper meals. I know someone who can’t even get off the couch to walk her own dog and others who constantly drink beers, cocktails, shots, and eat greasy or baked foods on the regular. They have no self-control.

So: In your 20s, 30s, and 40s by the grace of your genetics, you stayed thin. In your 50s when you didn't have the stress of young children and when your career (if you work outside the home) is well established, you found you needed to eat differently and exercise more. But people who in their 20s, 30s, and 40s make the EXACT SAME food and exercise choices as you but who are predisposed to weight gain -- they are lazy and lacking self control? Boy, logic is not your strong suit.

Anonymous wrote:So dear skinny women, if it is genetic, all genetic for you, how come being overweight is not genetic too? What hypocrisy! You tear down every overweight person posting here and tell them it is a choice, but now you are faking some genetic connection?
FYI, if you are skinny bcs it is genetic, overweight people are heavy bcs it is genetic.

I've been chubby, I've been underweight because of health issues and an eating disorder, I'm now thin and healthy, and I would never tell an overweight person why they're overweight or that they shouldn't be. You never know what anyone's deal is. What I will say is, if you do want to lose weight, you gotta track what you eat, because it's easy to underestimate. But for some people, being thin requires feeling like you're starving all the time, and I wouldn't put myself through that.

You can possibly know that two cousins are the same exact amount of calories! What an insane "scientific proof!"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dear skinny women, if it is genetic, all genetic for you, how come being overweight is not genetic too? What hypocrisy! You tear down every overweight person posting here and tell them it is a choice, but now you are faking some genetic connection?
FYI, if you are skinny bcs it is genetic, overweight people are heavy bcs it is genetic.

Genetics may make it harder to lose weight/easier to gain, but it is still your individual choices that lead you to be overweight and obese.

Nah. I have two cousins, ate the same things growing up. One was always plump from early childhood, the other was always rail thin. Bodies absorb food differently.

Pp here. Ok, so the one who was always plump may require fewer calories.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dear skinny women, if it is genetic, all genetic for you, how come being overweight is not genetic too? What hypocrisy! You tear down every overweight person posting here and tell them it is a choice, but now you are faking some genetic connection?
FYI, if you are skinny bcs it is genetic, overweight people are heavy bcs it is genetic.

Genetics may make it harder to lose weight/easier to gain, but it is still your individual choices that lead you to be overweight and obese.

+1
I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted and exercise or not and still remain size 0. But after hitting 50, my metabolism changed and I can’t get away with that anymore. I have to watch what I eat and exercise every day or I will gain weight. So I’ve been on both sides (naturally thin, and naturally overweight). I have a desire and willpower to stay healthy and thin so I can lead an active life well into my 80’s. So I watch what I eat and exercise daily. It’s a choice and it’s work.

While there are overweight people because of medication, untreatable health conditions, poverty, overwork/underpaid, food desert, etc (and I’m not judging those people), there are plenty of MC or UMC people who are obese because they are too lazy to exercise or cook proper meals. I know someone who can’t even get off the couch to walk her own dog and others who constantly drink beers, cocktails, shots, and eat greasy or baked foods on the regular. They have no self-control.

Anonymous wrote:So dear skinny women, if it is genetic, all genetic for you, how come being overweight is not genetic too? What hypocrisy! You tear down every overweight person posting here and tell them it is a choice, but now you are faking some genetic connection?
FYI, if you are skinny bcs it is genetic, overweight people are heavy bcs it is genetic.

I am genetically skinny and I never tear down anyone for what they way. I was made fun of as a child for my body and looks, and I would never inflict that on anyone else.

In my experience, the women most fixated on what people weigh and most critical of fat people are women who are either average size but wish they were very thin (and call themselves fat even though they are not), or very thin women who work really hard at it. Genetically thin women don’t criticize genetically fat women because we don’t have fear or self-loathing around around fat.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dear skinny women, if it is genetic, all genetic for you, how come being overweight is not genetic too? What hypocrisy! You tear down every overweight person posting here and tell them it is a choice, but now you are faking some genetic connection?
FYI, if you are skinny bcs it is genetic, overweight people are heavy bcs it is genetic.

Genetics may make it harder to lose weight/easier to gain, but it is still your individual choices that lead you to be overweight and obese.

Nah. I have two cousins, ate the same things growing up. One was always plump from early childhood, the other was always rail thin. Bodies absorb food differently.

Anonymous wrote:So dear skinny women, if it is genetic, all genetic for you, how come being overweight is not genetic too? What hypocrisy! You tear down every overweight person posting here and tell them it is a choice, but now you are faking some genetic connection?
FYI, if you are skinny bcs it is genetic, overweight people are heavy bcs it is genetic.

Genetics may make it harder to lose weight/easier to gain, but it is still your individual choices that lead you to be overweight and obese.

So dear skinny women, if it is genetic, all genetic for you, how come being overweight is not genetic too? What hypocrisy! You tear down every overweight person posting here and tell them it is a choice, but now you are faking some genetic connection?
FYI, if you are skinny bcs it is genetic, overweight people are heavy bcs it is genetic.

Anonymous wrote:So much blah on this thread! People that are skinny don't eat that much, or much at all. As clearly established by all pps claiming it is genetic and proceeded to describe their minimal eating habits.
I wonder why that is? In fact all this "it is genetic" bull sh*t makes overweight people feel justified that clearly, it is not a choice but an error of nature.
No, it is not. Skinny people simply put the fork down when they are not hungry.

No,-no-no, they don't eat because they are not hungry. I have been skinny - I lost my appetite when I got under 125 pounds.Not sure why this "losing appetite" can't happen now that I am 175 pound. I didn't start eating more or exercise less to deserve extra 50 pounds, I had 2 kids. I also didn't produce any milk, or you can say, "my kids chose to put the fork down".
Everything I ate in my pregnancy was collected for my body to start making milk, and it just never happened. First kids almost dies of hunger (has happened) because all told me that the baby eats when hungry and all bodies make milk. My mom alo had no milk and I was fed cow milk pretty early on or rice water. If this is not genetic, what is it?
Now I have to work extra hard to lose the 50 pounds in my 40s. It can be done, but I have to eat rabbit food (which I love ) and have an active job.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm 5'9 and 130, so not quite Kate Middleton size these days although I've been closer to 120 for much of my adult life (I'm 50 now).

I think when people say "genetics"- it's not just being able to eat whatever and be naturally thin, but also frame size. I have a VERY small frame. I've seen people of my height post that they look "emaciated" at 140, and that would NEVER be the case for me. At 140 I would look like a potato on stilts.

^^ Meant to add- if you have a medium/large frame, to be 120 at 5'9 would probably entail starving yourself to some extent. With a frame that is super small, it really isn't that much work. By small frame, I mean I can circle my wrist with my thumb and pinky finger with about an inch to spare. And my hands are 5'9 size (as are my size 9 feet)

Wow, I can't even circle my wrist with my thumb and middle finger.

So much blah on this thread! People that are skinny don't eat that much, or much at all. As clearly established by all pps claiming it is genetic and proceeded to describe their minimal eating habits.
I wonder why that is? In fact all this "it is genetic" bull sh*t makes overweight people feel justified that clearly, it is not a choice but an error of nature.
No, it is not. Skinny people simply put the fork down when they are not hungry.

Anonymous wrote:You don’t have to eat that much less to be skinny. My husband isn’t thin and he eats just a bit more than I do. If I have two slices of pizza, he eats four. When I go to dinner with not skinny friends, they usually eat a good bit more than I do, but not that much more. I’ll eat half a burger and fries. They eat the entire burger and all of the fries.

I weigh myself daily. I don’t allow myself to gain weight.

What you weigh is a choice

What a stupid comment. These people aren’t eating “just a bit more” than you, they’re eating TWICE what you do.

I am skinny (too skinny in my opinion although I don’t really care). I am only on my late 30s so I guess this may change but for my whole life I have always just eaten whatever I want whenever I want. I have been vegetarian (NOT vegan) since I was a child. I exercise but not hard and not that often. I sit all day at work. I do snack a lot, mostly crackers and cheese. I do sometimes avoid food that looks sort of good (pizza) because I know it will make me feel greasy and yucky a few hours later. A typical day these days:
Breakfast - whole wheat toast with either avocado if I have it or just butter. Fruit. Crackers.
Snack - cheese and crackers. I usually bring and eat at least one whole box of some kind of crackers to work every day.
Lunch - salad and crackers or pasta salad (pasta feta cheese and veggies) and flavored latte
Snack - fruit
Dinner - Mac and cheese or fried rice (w/ egg) with peas or other veggie
After kids are in bed snacks - raw baby spinach or steamed-in-the-bag green beans with ranch dressing as a dip, and/or ice cream and/or those chickpea based puffs
I’m not saying my diet is healthy (I am aware I basically don’t eat protein).
Typical exercise: 20 minutes on stationary bike 3x/week, light weights for about 20 min 2x/week.