I've never been thin so I wouldn't know. My BMI is just over 20 which is ok. I have a couple of friends who are thin and they seem very normal. I think if you have to work very hard to be thin you could bore people with what you have to do to be thin.

Anonymous wrote:Most of the thin people I know who are 45+ do extreme things to stay that way.

Indeed. I've gone as far as moving my body for *several hours* per day. It's pretty extreme.

You know what isn’t natural? Driving everywhere and sitting behind a desk all day.

Anonymous wrote:Most of the thin people I know who are 45+ do extreme things to stay that way.

Nah. It’s not extreme to not eat an American diet. Most fat people I know eat 3 big meals a day and also snack. That’s extreme. One of my meals is usually light, one medium, one heavy. I walk a lot.

Anonymous wrote:I'm a genetically fit 40-something woman. I consider myself to have won a genetic lottery, not to be better than anyone else.

I'm 38 and still naturally thin. Not looking down on anyone for being chubby. There are so many much more important topics for me to think about (mostly day-to day in this uncertain world, nothing too profound. But enough that no time for sitting on a high horse about naturally weighing less than someone else).

I started dating an extremely in-shape man (former athlete, still works out several hours a day, never touches food he hasn’t cooked himself). It’s rubbed off on me and now I’m getting in pretty good shape, too.

Having been both an overweight woman with an overweight man, and now a fit woman with a fit man, I’ll pick the latter every single time. It’s great. I love wearing whatever I want, I love that other women check him out whenever we go out, I love the energy and how I feel more confident, and sex is SO much better.

I don’t think I’m better than anyone and I don’t judge. But I would never date a man who isn’t in shape ever again.

Anonymous wrote:Most of the thin people I know who are 45+ do extreme things to stay that way.

I know. It's crazy how they run and exercise. Bunch of lunatics.

Anonymous wrote:Most of the thin people I know who are 45+ do extreme things to stay that way.

Hence the righteousness, I think?

I know what you're talking about OP, and it's wild to me that some people don't realize that people are built differently.

No one looks good after a certain age, OP. My family tends to become too thin. The bag of bones look is terrible!

But before getting to that point, yes, I think there's a certain smugness that comes with attaining an ideal, whether it's beauty/looks, or finances, or profession, or athletics, or kids, etc. It's only human nature.

I certainly free pretty great about my slimness now. But I have bag of bones potential down the road...

I'm taking low-dose Ozempic and currently holding at a 19 BMI. I now feel much more confident in my skin.

Only on airplanes

I wouldn’t say I’m a naturally lean person. I come from a family who all put on weight as they age. When I was working and in grad school in my late 20’s I literally put on 50 lbs! I was just having to rush from work to class, pick up any kind of crappy food I could and I would study nights and weekends when I wasn’t in class.

That said, I’ve made it a point to stay fit for a number of reasons:

1. Heart disease and diabetes are ubiquitous in my family. When I gained all of that weight my blood pressure also went way up and I had to go on meds which triggered a bunch of side effects (weird, incessant cough, joint pain, lethargy). I’m in my 50’s now, have a relationship with my doctor and don’t have to take any meds.

2. Growing up, I had two sides of my family, the side that stayed fit and the side who didn’t really know how to take care of themselves. As a young kid that played out as one set of grandparents who did everything WITH you - swimming, hide & seek, bicycles, you name it. And the other side who enjoyed sitting and watching you play. I want a functional life where I’m the grandparent who plays too.

3. Professional optics. I work in a pretty high stress environment. People need to be able to put their faith in me. Looking like I have myself together makes it a little easier for people to put their confidence in me.

4. I want to set a good example for my son of what staying healthy over the long term looks like. I want him to know what good habits look like, how to practice moderation (even with healthy habits) and be set up to make informed decisions over the best path for himself.

5. My relationship with my wife. When, my wife sees me without a shirt, I want her to think, “damn, he looks good” and actually WANT to have sex with me. We’ve been together 24 years now and so far it’s working. We still treat each other like a gf/bf.

As far as doing extreme things - I lift weights 2-3x per week and ride my bike 2-3x per week, which are both things I enjoy. Really the most important thing though, is that periodically I’ll track calories and lean off any weight I’ve put on before it becomes a problem like it did in grad school. One of the things I did a while back just for an education was to wear a glucose monitor for two weeks. It was eye opening seeing which foods and what combination of foods caused spikes.

I don’t think I’m better than any fat person. Other people’s bodies aren’t any of my business - I just do the right things for me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I won the genetic lottery in everything but weight. I don't deal with depression or anxiety or loneliness. No dementia or hearing loss in my family. When I was younger, I would have traded anything to be naturally thin, but not now. I count my blessings!

and I, a naturally thin 54 yo, would trade that to have good mental health.

I'm sorry. I watch my friends suffer, and it is so hard on them.

Anonymous wrote:I won the genetic lottery in everything but weight. I don't deal with depression or anxiety or loneliness. No dementia or hearing loss in my family. When I was younger, I would have traded anything to be naturally thin, but not now. I count my blessings!

and I, a naturally thin 54 yo, would trade that to have good mental health.

I won the genetic lottery in everything but weight. I don't deal with depression or anxiety or loneliness. No dementia or hearing loss in my family. When I was younger, I would have traded anything to be naturally thin, but not now. I count my blessings!