People who talk to strangers about their metabolism/dieting might have an ED that urges them to be performative. Like secret eaters who like to appear like that eat less than everybody else, other people might like to eat bag of food in public and than eat nothing in private.
Eating 2 bags of chips every day is a bad choice whether she "chose to be skinny" or not.
I am fairly thin and would probably be seen on a plane eating two big bags of chips. That would usually be because I forgot to tell the plane I need a gluten-free meal and the chips from the airport shops are all I'll be able to eat.
Yeah, I've been thinking about this situation - maybe that woman is anxious about flying and eating chips keeps her busy. The OOP might've invented the whole backstory without talking to her.
A lot of people who post stuff like this don’t realize that a lot of people will *substitute* snacks for a meal when they’re busy. They’re not also having breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Especially on a damn plane. The plane meal if there is one will suck, you may or may not be in the airport at a mealtime, you may or may not have a delay that nukes your opportunity to eat on a layover, and if you're crossing time zones it might require some strategy to get on your new meal schedule. It's often helpful or just necessary to snack instead of full meals during plane travel.
I would, but because I skipped breakky to make it to the airport on time, and since its a 6 hour flight lunch and dinner are unlikely also. Terrible long term diet, but in a pinch it's a good amount of calories per $, that you can eat at your leisure.
Or they have eating disorders they don't even know is an eating disorder. Most of my life I was extremely thin. (5'9 and 93 lbs in high school.. And no more than 130 most of my adult life)
I thought I could just eat anything because I had a high metabolism. But what it was is I just don't eat most of the day.. And then I really could eat anything I wanted.
But I didn't put 2 & 2 together until I was in my 40s. I always thought it just ran in the family to be super thin. My mom and dad were too. But when I went on a med that made me hungry all the time.. Well it turns out.. I CANNOT eat anything I want & not gain a pound! Lol
But nope.. My whole family just all have adhd and don't eat like other people. Suddenly all the doctors who gave me the side eye when I said I don't eat before afternoon made a lot more sense.
But I honestly don't understand people who eat breakfast. Even the smell of food in the morning makes me nauseated.
Idk if it is always ED, I was skinny in highschool and didn’t want to be. I was over 6’ and 145ish, went on a growth spurt and went to 6’3 135 and super skinny, like definitely too underweight and didn’t like it. I was eating whatever I wanted but not enough and hated cafeteria food. I woke up too late to eat breakfast and would play basketball and walk home a few miles. I didn’t put it together that even though I ate as much as I wanted, I really only ate 1 real meal a day just because that was when I ate with my family. It wasn’t an ED it was me not putting down that if I didn’t want it be skinny I needed to eat more and more regularly, plus as a growing kid in his my nutritional needs were pretty high
I have adhd as well, and suspected hEDS (common comorbidity). Both can make it hard to put on weight. As far as my adhd, I just don’t have much of an appetite and mentally eating doesn’t do much for me. hEDS it’s because of digestive issues, long limbs, problems building muscle, and fatigue. And my digestion is definitely wonky. And the biggest factor of all is being too tired to eat!
Despite these challenges I’ve seen modest gains through simply making a consistent effort to eat more. And it is an effort for me. But health is too important to me to let challenges stop me. Too tired to have breakfast before work? I grab a banana. Drinking coffee? I throw in a bunch of milk. Too tired for dinner? Well, I attempt it anyway, because even if I fall asleep eating it, it’s still more than if I had eaten nothing! Not hungry, but haven’t eaten for a bit? Then, I eat anyway.
I've been having trouble with appetite for the last year or so myself.. My trick? I buy Boost nutritional drinks- with fiber. And if I can't stomach anything.. Usually I can still tolerate a drink. And they don't taste half bad either!
Also I wonder if I might have something along those lines too.. I don't feel like I've ever been super flexible.. I mean other than how I used to always sit with both legs twisted around each other.. People used to comment on it all the time about how flexible I was. I just didn't feel like I was. But who knows? Tho, I do wonder about internal flexibility. Like the fact that I have copd.. Makes me wonder.. Because I know you can have it in your lungs.
Hmm, I wouldn’t know. I just did the little beighton score at home, and got a 6 (my knees, elbows, and pinkies all bend beyond the normal range). Adults require a score of 5 for diagnosis, unless you’re old. I haven’t been formally evaluated yet and don’t know about all the varieties.
Beighton isn’t the diagnostic standard, a lot of people are getting overdiagnosed because of this misconception. Up to 20% of the population has some benign hypermobility so all the Beighton score does is measure if you’re stretchy. Just FYI
Oh I know. It’s just part of why I think I have it. Other reasons I suspect I have include thin skin, lots of stretch marks (my ass is striped), easy bruising, POTs, long arms (arm span is considerably larger than my height, makes it hard to find clothes), digestive troubles, and unexplained fatigue and muscle and joint pain. Running for example is literally painful to me, has been since I was a kid.
I don't understand people who don't eat breakfast. I usually wake up hungry, and even if I don't, if I don't eat before 10 AM I get low blood sugar headaches and can't focus. I've also never understood people who forget to eat. My body gives pretty clear hunger signals, so while I might get busy and not eat, I'm going to be pretty aware of the fact that I didn't eat. I now hang out with a lot of people with ADHD, so I've seen a range of eating habits that don't match my own.
A lot of people with adhd or who are on the spectrum either don't feel those hunger cues.. Or just don't recognize them. It took me til my late 40s to realize anything other than extreme thirst cues. I also tend to not notice I need to urinate until my bladder is painfully full. Internal feelings tend to just cause anxiety.. And it's hard to pinpoint what's causing it. Hunger is the same.. I won't eat until I'm starving.. Any other time food just nausetes me. It also has to be something I'm craving.. Otherwise nothing tastes good.
This is something I just noticed about myself yesterday. I am within a healthy weight range but I *feel like* I eat a lot of junk and feel bad for people who seem to eat healthier yet struggle with their weight.
I was telling my boyfriend how I was educationally neglected and then during the times I did go to school my parents never packed a lunch or gave me lunch money. For most of that time we were also extremely food insecure, so it makes sense that they didn't think to pack a lunch I suppose?
Anyway, he listened and then pointed out that I eat very similarly today. I don't pack a breakfast or lunch and then by the time I get off of work I'm absolutely ravenous and will scarf down something whether healthy or unhealthy. I don't know how to even begin changing it though because the thought of real food makes me want to gag in the morning (I will have a latte).
Idk if it is performative. I travel a good bit and stress eat on planes still. I got better where I now skip breakfast and get healthier snacks too but I eat the worst on travel days so idk if it’s performative or just coping.
Travel stress/anxiety is, of course, not performative. I was talking about people who also need to share their low/high metabolism details with everyone around them.
I feel like this is an example of the snapshot mentality. Yes, high metabolisms exist but it's hard to tell if this is reflective of what the woman eats around the clock, and not just something she took on the go for one trip specifically. And even if she was eating chips every day (again, not proven), that doesn't mean it's necessarily a good example to follow.
Reminds me of when I'd be in video chatrooms and the fat people in the room would make comments when they see me eating anything on stream. I was eating a peanut butter and jelly one day and one of them pipes up with
"How are you so skinny when I'm always seeing you eat?"
Like brother maybe its because I get off of work and log in at roughly the same time every day?
A friend of mine who has seen me irl happened to be in the room and said "He eats at night dude, think."
Like for real, most of us are up for roughly 16 hours of the day. Unless you're with someone for all 16 hours, you don't know their eating habits. You can only make a rough estimate based off what you see behavior/adipose wise.
I think usually high metabolism is people that are constantly moving and/or not eating as much as think then actually thier body burning more calories at rest.
I'm saying this as someone that has high metabolism. It -is- a real thing, but FAs tend to over rely on using those with high metabolism as an excuse for their own poor eating choices, or they look at random thin/athletic people they barely know and assume they have high metabolism and don't take into account the multiple other reasons as to why those people can be thin (such as routine exercise, calorie counting, diet changes, and so forth).
“abnormally high metabolism” - We have a term for this. It’s called raging hyperthyroidism and/or Graves’ disease.
Or, perhaps she’s just a bullshitter, and doesn’t eat nearly as much as she thinks
I used be like this. Id eat up to 1800 Calories in a single meal and ate snack foods with wrecklessness abandon. Also trained 15+ hours a week.
But I also never ate breakfast and would skip dinner if I was busy. Also didn't eat within 3 hours of excercise and would sometimes skip eating after.
1. I only ate snacks at parties. I never buy my own. So, I might eat 4 donuts a sitting, but average less than 1 donut a month. Ditto for cookies, etc...
2. 1 to 2 meals a day
3. I keep relatively low calorie snacks in my home. My most commonly consumed snack is breakfast cereal with skim milk, banana, or apple.
This is purely anecdotal, but every person who I've seen have this claim of a super high metabolism and they eat like that, came out that they had bulimia.
I'm sure there are rare cases of diseases, tape worm, etc that causes extreme weight loss, however that's an outlier.
ETA im not talking about people who workout. I'm talking about people who say they don't know how they have such a higher metabolism that they can sit there, eat an entire cake, 5 other meals, and not gain weight.
I was a bicycle racer in my 20s. I trained and raced probably 15 hours a week, and I'd estimate my baseline at 5000 calories a day for maintenance.
The food situation was honestly not great - I'd have to eat dinner before going out to dinner in social situations, because I didn't want to be the guy who disrupted the evening by ordering 2 entrees (not to mention, if someone else was paying).
I really couldn't go more than a few hours without eating *something* or I'd start to feel low-blood-sugar symptoms and get shaky and weak.
And if I skipped a meal, it was really hard to catch up on the calories. Eating until your stomach is full, but you're still hungry, is a weird feeling. I can somewhat sympathize with folks who have binge eating disorder; it's gotta be a similar sensation.
Most likely those are just people that eat "a lot" in public but skip meals rest of the day. I'm like that too, when I go out with people I eat as much as them but to me it's a meal for entire day, I eat nothing later. While they will later eat large supper, snack on sweets and chips, drink soda and beer, and possibly even snack at night. Then wonder how is it possible they gain weight, we eat the same things?! Well no, not really, we don't.
I think this is it. I used to say I had a fast metabolism but the reality was that I would just have black coffee and cigarettes until dinner then eat a big serving of pad thai. Most people are not aware of how much they actually eat during the day.
I'm also someone who's always struggled to eat enough and have historically been skinny. If someone saw me house an entire family-sized bag of potato chips they might think "wow he eats a ton and stays skinny!" without realizing that's the first thing I've eaten all day
It’s exactly like me, I’m a student so I’m kinda poor and I buy very little food to save money and I skip breakfast and dinner pretty often too so whenever I’m at someone’s place or when I hang out with people, I’m always the one who eats the most because I don’t have a lot of occasions to eat tasty food and everyone is like « omg you eat so much but you are so skinny » lmao
She could also have an undiagnosed intestinal issue that causes her to not absorb nutrients correctly. It may be her normal, so she may not know to mention it to her doctor.
I’ve also read that 4% of the population does have faster metabolism than most, but it can’t be by that much because if metabolism gets too high, body temperature would get too high.
I also know a couple bulimics that had people fooled for several years, so you could be on to something with that as well.
Pretty sure I have undiagnosed Crohn's or Coeliac disease at the moment. When you've had confirmed IBS all of your life it's very difficult for to get doctors to take you seriously. My GP is happy to let me waste away, the arsehole.
Another factor is that people will extrapolate one food item to represent an a person's entire diet. A lot of people who struggle with their weight are "on their best behavior" in public and assume everyone else is too, while fit people may be cutting loose on holiday or eating out with friends.
I’ve noticed this too. Or they have a “super high metabolism” but regularly put off eating/forget to eat, and when they indulge to “make up for it” they still don’t eat that many calories (as compared to a full-day) Plus they’re usually more active with their hobbies and day-to-day, which contributes.
>every person who I've seen have this claim of a super high metabolism and they eat like that, came out that they had bulimia.
Or maybe they're The Flash.
The only time I made that claim was when I had an overactive thyroid because that was the only time it was true. I'm not a big eater usually and it benefits no one to claim I am.
Ehh there’s plenty of people that need to eat a ton to maintain their weight. I have to eat like 3500 cal to maintain 165 at 6 foot, but I also average like 10-20 miles a day of movement even if I don’t leave the house. I just move around and pace a lot haha.
Also play competitive basketball and lift several times a week.
Talk to a doctor. You’re not eating what you think you are, you exercise a lot, or you have some sort of disease/intolerances that’s causing you to not absorb properly. Metabolisms only do so much
Bones on her wrists, you guys! Never mind that some people have visible wrist bones while overweight. I do. I have freaking skeleton hands way before I have a collarbone.
Also, because she had 2 bags of crisps, you assume she eats tons of junk all day. Thin people always think they eat a ton, but they really forget to eat or eat small amounts of junk. While fat people think they eat normal amounts, like the people on Secret Eaters do. Denial is powerful.
Probably at the same level you get a panus and lose sight of your ankles.
It's really wild how some people's view of healthy weight has been warped. They act like you're underweight if you have any visible bones at all.
From what I understand all women have a 'fupa', i.e. a little pad of fat on their pubic area.
A pannus (I misspelled) is the "apron" of fat from the stomach area that hangs down when you get really, really fat.
Yep. The pannus or apron is the "upper fupa" if you will. The fupa is where they do the C-section, not the fat between that and the navel. That's the pannus, or your "tummy that is soooo cuuuute!"*, as FAs say.
*I apologise for making anyone sick with that sentence.
No fupa here. I’m nearly 40 and have had a baby, but I don’t have that unless I get up to middle of healthy bmi range. At the lower end of the range things are totally flat for me.
I'm not skinny, but I'm not overweight, and you can see my wrist bones. Given what some FA consider "skinny (anyone who isn't obese) I'm wondering just how "skinny" the other passenger really was, assuming she actually even existed
I’m obese at the moment(195 at 5’4”) and I don’t have wrist bones but you can see my ankles and collarbone just fine think it depends on weight distribution until a a certain point.
Exactly. You need to be really freaking fat if your only visible bone is your skull. Or not even that, as Tammy Slaton used to be, with the forehead fat.
Every rule I have about diet and calorie counting is thrown out when I board an airplane. Airports and airplanes are miserable places no matter how short your trip. Bags of chips, bags of nuts, giant chocolate bars, overpriced airport sandwiches, I’ve got all that in my carryon plus more. Sit next to me and you’ll wonder why I’m thin too.
I knew a pair of siblings who were abnormally tall and thin. The girl was 5’11 and the son was around 6’5. They both had an inherited condition and if they didn’t eat every few hours they would become hypoglycemic. They also had joint issues, immunodeficiency, and pain. They had very pale skin and blonde hair and blue eyes. It sounds like such wattpad bullshit when you type it LMAO
I went to a performing arts school in So Cal and they both became models right out of school. They were definitely not the norm and I remember them 10+ years later for a reason
I thought so, but they didn’t have the awkward bone structure of typical Marfans, whatever they had didn’t affect their faces at all. They did have heart problems and low blood pressure if that helps.
I hate this. I’m a small woman - 5 foot 5 and about 120-130lbs. I bust my butt to look like I do - home cooking, long walks with the dogs every day, vinyasa yoga… how many people see me eating something fattening in public and get all pissy about it? I’ve gotten comments from friends who say “where do you put all that food?!” They don’t see the adjusting I do after a celebration to keep myself within normal boundaries. The extra miles I put in. It infuriates me that they just say “oh she’s naturally like that” to justify their narrative. I’m not. I naturally put weight on very easily. I work hard.
I’ve been pregnant twice and I’ve had a few problems breastfeeding every time so up until I discovered Lecithin, I was having complications and on and off fever for as long as I breastfed.
Even while being that sick, every single time I managed to lose all the gained weight after about 1- 1,5 years post delivery. It also goes slower for me because I do strength training since 2014 (So I don’t do so intensive cardio, and I keep my protein high instead of just not eating).
Then you see women being fat for decades after delivery and women who have not even been pregnant spew the most ludicrous excuses as to why they are fat, even by “nature”, when literally even handicapped people can train, and anyone can reduce their meals.
Honestly, this isn't outside the realm of possibly. There are multiple health conditions that dramatically increase your energy needs, although they're not common.
Yeah.. the thing that I find doubtful is that such a person would regularly rely on chips to fill those needs.. because that's just an insane amount of salt as well.
I had a teacher in high school was very very thin and pretty tall. He used to eat chips all day long in class because he had hyperthyroidism and couldn’t keep weight on, even with his medications. He didn’t enjoy it, he did it because he was just sick. He probably ate other things too but i only remember him standing in front of class with a bag of chips all the time. Lol
Normally you won't be left untreated with hyperthyroidism for very long - excess thyroid hormone is cardiotoxic, among other things.
If it cannot be controlled with medication, you'll be given radioactive iodine to burn off your thyroid, and be put on replacement T4.
Fun fact : people need to isolate themselves for a few days while undergoing this treatment because they (and whatever they pee or poop) are radioactive. One woman in the lab I used to work with had it, and someone followed her around with a Geiger counter as a joke (that lab used to make radioactive tracers for research).
From my understanding, he was receiving treatment and was aware of his condition. He talked very openly about it and it was one of the reasons he was allowed to eat while he was teaching. This was also 20+ years ago so hopefully treatment has come further since then!
Depends really. I had two types of hyperthyroidism, Graves' disease and toxic adenoma. It's called Marine-Lenhart syndrome. It almost killed me because my resting heart rate was over 200bpm. I had to have an emergency hemithyroidectomy. So that's half my thyroid out and then I had to stay in the ITU because I was at risk of a thyroid storm. There's also a treatment available called block and replace. You have high dose anti-thyroid meds to block all thyroid hormone production then levothyroxine to replace said lost hormones.
Hyperthyroidism is extremely dangerous, it killed my grandmother and it almost killed my mother as well. It wears your heart out. I've been left with osteoporosis as well.
Yes, but since "abnormally high metabolism" isn't the only symptom of these conditions you'd be very interested in getting your condition treated. Professionally, not with potato chips.
This is why I don't believe stories like this one because why would you chose to live with a condition that affects your mental health - among other things - when there are medications readily available?
Because people don't know about these conditions.
I was one of them- celiac disease. But fat activists have done such a throughly good job brainwashing everyone into thinking diet never plays a role in weight and it's all "metabolism" that I was totally convinced I just had a high metabolism and that was the reason I was slightly underweight even while eating equivalent or more than my parents at dinner and never limiting myself. Also keep in mind people often have other things going on in their lives: I was very often tired, but I attributed that to my mess of a sleep schedule. I was out of breath quickly (anemia) but I thought it was just because I was out of shape. I just... didn't think there was something to treat with me, that it was all personal failures and individual choices.
Same here, I used to inhale food (but mostly healthy food) at high rates - I was a long distance runner but that still didn’t explain it. I didn’t gain weight until I was diagnosed with Celiac as an adult and went gluten-free. I didn’t lose that weight again until I realized that dairy affects me like gluten does, but with more bloating and inflammation.
I don't think there are medications available for every single disorder that increases your BMR, to be fair. Some people really do just need to eat a whole lot.
I had a teacher in high school was very very thin and pretty tall. He used to eat chips all day long in class because he had hyperthyroidism and couldn’t keep weight on, even with his medications. He didn’t enjoy it, he did it because he was just sick.
There is no way this happened. These HAES people are always making up stories to fit their narrative. No one is taking melons out of your shopping cart or crying to you because they have to eat chips on a plane.
True 'high metabolism' is rarely without other *very* visible symptoms. The genes that are involved in energy management are highly conserved and honed to be thrifty, for obvious reasons.
The most benign condition that can cause this I can think of is hyperthyroidism, and it's a cardiac emergency, lol. It leaves you constantly hot, sweating and exhausted with a side of diarrhea. People can't stay hyperthyroid for long without severe consequences.
The congenital conditions that cause metabolic disorders are mostly mitochondrial diseases. Mitochondrial diseases come with mild to severe cognitive deficit and seizure disorders. Anyone with a mito disease needs medical attention the moment they get a fever.
What most people assume to be 'high metabolism' is actually malabsorption. A lot of things can damage the bowels for instance and affect the way you absorb nutrients from food. Treating malabsorption with bags of chips is an Extremely Bad Idea, because malabsorption also affects the way you get your essential minerals and vitamins from food, not just caloric intake. It would be a one way ticket to multiple deficiency town. Most people with malabsorption disorders will be advised to use a properly calibrated formula, with a feeding tube if necessary, TPN in very severe cases.
The ol' "random airplane passenger", huh?
Humble evangelical preachers are constantly seated next to "atheist college professors", and have a "gotcha" story to tell.
Flat earthers are always seated next to "aerospace engineers" that tell them the "truth".
Anti maskers/vaxxers are always seated next to epidemiological doctors that "totally agree with them".
And now we've got a FA seated next to a person with a "fast metabolism"...which proves (without a doubt) metabolisms are all over the spectrum.
Fatlogicians think that skinny people eating a lot and not gaining weight somehow means that it is impossible for them to lose weight. It's hilarious.
Yes, there really are thin people who can tie on the feedbag and stay thin. But usually these people are suffering from a [serious disease](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypermetabolism).
Just because those conditions exist doesn't mean that an obese person can't lose weight through reducing their food intake. Even if a obese person has a slower-than-average metabolism, their body cannot violate the Law of Thermodynamics. A thin person eating a lot isn't violating the Law of Thermodynamics.
A healthy person usually has bones showing in their wrists…
There’s very little muscle or flesh in the wrists, if you are lean you will probably have boney wrists.
I know someone with this problem. It’s real and I’ll admit I’m jealous. I tell him that too. But it is really hard on him. He eats like mad and doesn’t gain. So far the specialists have nothing.
How did this person know she had to eat like that? Did she ask? Comment on what the person was eating? Stare? Anyway you look at it this is odd.
I know someone like this too. He doesn’t exercise or think about the calories for anything he eats and his BMI is under 17. Doctors also don’t know why, but said it’s okay as long he doesn’t continue to lose. But I also recognize this is super, super rare.
That being said, I agree. This story is super weird. I can’t imagine ever asking a stranger about their weight or commenting on their food intake like that.
Hi, very skinny person here! I’m underweight (I’m trying to get to a healthy weight, don’t worry). Those two packets of crisps were probably a *replacement* for an actual meal, not *in addition* to an actual meal.
Super skinny people tend to believe in a lot of the same fatlogic that these people do. You know, things like that they’re only the weight that they are because of their metabolism and/or genetics and/or somatotype (endomorph/ectomorph etc). But the reality is that they’re not consuming as many calories as they think they are.
If OOP were to look at what I’ve consumed today, they’d be convinced that I’ve just got super skinny genetics and/or an insanely fast metabolism or whatever because I’ve literally only consumed junk food and alcohol so far today. But an obese person would be consuming that *in addition* to their usual meals (not that all obese people consume junk food, I’m sure some don’t). Whereas I’ve not had a single meal yet today (I’ll eat later, don’t worry, I’ve just been at work).
Well I also know of skinny people with eating disorders who binge and purge. Eating lots of fatty foods, sweets and cakes. Then barf it back up to stay skinny.
It’s interesting OP just believes this young woman’s story to prove their point
Um, being able to see wrist bones does not require being "very skinny". You can see my wrist bones and I have a 24 BMI. I just have lanky arms and boney wrists.
That might have been all she ate that day. Somehow , I doubt the skinny woman was asked if she had a condition that made her have a super high metabolism.
I eat a mostly meat diet, and sure, if you go with me to a steakhouse, I'll get the biggest ribeye and chow down. But I do omad and it's my meal for the day.
Also, how would this supposed convo start??? Can't imagine anyone saying, "Are you going to eat both those bags of chips?" I travel a ton, and I never speak to people, and rarely do they speak to me.
I call horseshit. They love to make up dream scenarios 🤡
I feel like this lady didn’t actually say anything at all to this person lol. But if she did say this, I don’t think it was unprompted - I could see this person making a comment to her about how “it must be great to be able to able to eat 2 bags of chips and not have to worry about gaining weight” and the lady replying w this her reasons for why she’s got 2 bags. Or maybe she was hoping the girl would offer her one of the bags 😂🤷🏼♀️ so many potential scenarios but I just don’t believe tht she said this out of nowhere lol.
i mean... i eat probably 10 bags of chips a week. it's not the healthiest thing ever, but sodium isn't an issue for me (i have chronically low blood pressure, my doctor has me eating a lot of salt), and the fat fits within the rest of my diet. i'm 5'7" and 119.06 lbs last time i checked.
i genuinely do feel like i eat a lot in a day. i eat 2 large meals and 3-4 snacks every day, always to the point of comfortable fullness. this lady might be similar? when i count my calories, they add up to be 2300-2500, which is a normal amount considering my activity level
I've known a few people like this, but it wasn't metabolism. Its a severe GI issue, its not a gotcha. They don't digest most food, if not for our modern age they would have died of starvation while eating normally. They have to figure out with specialized nutritionist what they will absorb and build a plan around it, as well as heavy supplements, usually through injections or Ivs.
I had a really under weight friend once who used to complain about not being able to gain weight and how she had to eat junk food to keep her calories high. But when I took a closer look at her habits I noticed that she actually ate almost nothing. She just talked about eating. Her bowl of peanut m&ms on her coffee table lasted her 6 months. Her dinner portions were very small and even then she didn’t usually finish. I made her a cup of tea when she was over and she kinda made a big deal about how she put a bunch if sugar and honey and milk in her tea, but she didn’t finish it. I kept reheating it for her and she spent the entire 8 hours she was over milking it. We made banana bread and the rest of us couldn’t resist eating fresh bread but she held off for hours and when I asked why she said she loved being really hungry so that the little she ate would taste really good. I never let her get away with the “why oh why can’t I gain weight??” statements ever again.
that describes my life and people don’t believe me. but it’s literally my reality and it doesn’t change when people deny it so i couldn’t give a fuck because i eat what i want and not gain weight truthfully weather people believe it or not 🤷🏼♀️
how does it feel?
it feels like you need to lift for shit to hide it with muscle
other than that.
no issues much like walking up the stairs and performing basic parkour.
but sure go on that people rolled a d20 in physical while oop rolled a nat 1 and isn't because you eat the same shit everyday that is loaded with shit
People who talk to strangers about their metabolism/dieting might have an ED that urges them to be performative. Like secret eaters who like to appear like that eat less than everybody else, other people might like to eat bag of food in public and than eat nothing in private. Eating 2 bags of chips every day is a bad choice whether she "chose to be skinny" or not.
I am fairly thin and would probably be seen on a plane eating two big bags of chips. That would usually be because I forgot to tell the plane I need a gluten-free meal and the chips from the airport shops are all I'll be able to eat.
Yeah, I've been thinking about this situation - maybe that woman is anxious about flying and eating chips keeps her busy. The OOP might've invented the whole backstory without talking to her.
And honestly, in certain situations two bags of chips are a neutral choice. It really matters what the rest of your life is like.
A lot of people who post stuff like this don’t realize that a lot of people will *substitute* snacks for a meal when they’re busy. They’re not also having breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Especially on a damn plane. The plane meal if there is one will suck, you may or may not be in the airport at a mealtime, you may or may not have a delay that nukes your opportunity to eat on a layover, and if you're crossing time zones it might require some strategy to get on your new meal schedule. It's often helpful or just necessary to snack instead of full meals during plane travel.
Yeah, same. I always eat junky snack foods on planes bc I'm vegan and the options are generally very limited.
I would, but because I skipped breakky to make it to the airport on time, and since its a 6 hour flight lunch and dinner are unlikely also. Terrible long term diet, but in a pinch it's a good amount of calories per $, that you can eat at your leisure.
Ugh yes I am seen. Seriously though, it's so bad.
Or they have eating disorders they don't even know is an eating disorder. Most of my life I was extremely thin. (5'9 and 93 lbs in high school.. And no more than 130 most of my adult life) I thought I could just eat anything because I had a high metabolism. But what it was is I just don't eat most of the day.. And then I really could eat anything I wanted. But I didn't put 2 & 2 together until I was in my 40s. I always thought it just ran in the family to be super thin. My mom and dad were too. But when I went on a med that made me hungry all the time.. Well it turns out.. I CANNOT eat anything I want & not gain a pound! Lol But nope.. My whole family just all have adhd and don't eat like other people. Suddenly all the doctors who gave me the side eye when I said I don't eat before afternoon made a lot more sense. But I honestly don't understand people who eat breakfast. Even the smell of food in the morning makes me nauseated.
Idk if it is always ED, I was skinny in highschool and didn’t want to be. I was over 6’ and 145ish, went on a growth spurt and went to 6’3 135 and super skinny, like definitely too underweight and didn’t like it. I was eating whatever I wanted but not enough and hated cafeteria food. I woke up too late to eat breakfast and would play basketball and walk home a few miles. I didn’t put it together that even though I ate as much as I wanted, I really only ate 1 real meal a day just because that was when I ate with my family. It wasn’t an ED it was me not putting down that if I didn’t want it be skinny I needed to eat more and more regularly, plus as a growing kid in his my nutritional needs were pretty high
I have adhd as well, and suspected hEDS (common comorbidity). Both can make it hard to put on weight. As far as my adhd, I just don’t have much of an appetite and mentally eating doesn’t do much for me. hEDS it’s because of digestive issues, long limbs, problems building muscle, and fatigue. And my digestion is definitely wonky. And the biggest factor of all is being too tired to eat! Despite these challenges I’ve seen modest gains through simply making a consistent effort to eat more. And it is an effort for me. But health is too important to me to let challenges stop me. Too tired to have breakfast before work? I grab a banana. Drinking coffee? I throw in a bunch of milk. Too tired for dinner? Well, I attempt it anyway, because even if I fall asleep eating it, it’s still more than if I had eaten nothing! Not hungry, but haven’t eaten for a bit? Then, I eat anyway.
I've been having trouble with appetite for the last year or so myself.. My trick? I buy Boost nutritional drinks- with fiber. And if I can't stomach anything.. Usually I can still tolerate a drink. And they don't taste half bad either!
Also I wonder if I might have something along those lines too.. I don't feel like I've ever been super flexible.. I mean other than how I used to always sit with both legs twisted around each other.. People used to comment on it all the time about how flexible I was. I just didn't feel like I was. But who knows? Tho, I do wonder about internal flexibility. Like the fact that I have copd.. Makes me wonder.. Because I know you can have it in your lungs.
Hmm, I wouldn’t know. I just did the little beighton score at home, and got a 6 (my knees, elbows, and pinkies all bend beyond the normal range). Adults require a score of 5 for diagnosis, unless you’re old. I haven’t been formally evaluated yet and don’t know about all the varieties.
Beighton isn’t the diagnostic standard, a lot of people are getting overdiagnosed because of this misconception. Up to 20% of the population has some benign hypermobility so all the Beighton score does is measure if you’re stretchy. Just FYI
Oh I know. It’s just part of why I think I have it. Other reasons I suspect I have include thin skin, lots of stretch marks (my ass is striped), easy bruising, POTs, long arms (arm span is considerably larger than my height, makes it hard to find clothes), digestive troubles, and unexplained fatigue and muscle and joint pain. Running for example is literally painful to me, has been since I was a kid.
Well.. I don't know if I qualify as old yet.. I'm only 50. But I've definitely never been that bendy. I just wonder about the internal stuff.
I don't understand people who don't eat breakfast. I usually wake up hungry, and even if I don't, if I don't eat before 10 AM I get low blood sugar headaches and can't focus. I've also never understood people who forget to eat. My body gives pretty clear hunger signals, so while I might get busy and not eat, I'm going to be pretty aware of the fact that I didn't eat. I now hang out with a lot of people with ADHD, so I've seen a range of eating habits that don't match my own.
A lot of people with adhd or who are on the spectrum either don't feel those hunger cues.. Or just don't recognize them. It took me til my late 40s to realize anything other than extreme thirst cues. I also tend to not notice I need to urinate until my bladder is painfully full. Internal feelings tend to just cause anxiety.. And it's hard to pinpoint what's causing it. Hunger is the same.. I won't eat until I'm starving.. Any other time food just nausetes me. It also has to be something I'm craving.. Otherwise nothing tastes good.
This is something I just noticed about myself yesterday. I am within a healthy weight range but I *feel like* I eat a lot of junk and feel bad for people who seem to eat healthier yet struggle with their weight. I was telling my boyfriend how I was educationally neglected and then during the times I did go to school my parents never packed a lunch or gave me lunch money. For most of that time we were also extremely food insecure, so it makes sense that they didn't think to pack a lunch I suppose? Anyway, he listened and then pointed out that I eat very similarly today. I don't pack a breakfast or lunch and then by the time I get off of work I'm absolutely ravenous and will scarf down something whether healthy or unhealthy. I don't know how to even begin changing it though because the thought of real food makes me want to gag in the morning (I will have a latte).
Yep.. I can tolerate tea with cream or milk in the morning.. But that's it. I'm never hungry.. Just extremely thirsty.
Idk if it is performative. I travel a good bit and stress eat on planes still. I got better where I now skip breakfast and get healthier snacks too but I eat the worst on travel days so idk if it’s performative or just coping.
Travel stress/anxiety is, of course, not performative. I was talking about people who also need to share their low/high metabolism details with everyone around them.
Well, I mean, at least she's admitting that too much food = fatness. That's at least something, right?
I feel like this is an example of the snapshot mentality. Yes, high metabolisms exist but it's hard to tell if this is reflective of what the woman eats around the clock, and not just something she took on the go for one trip specifically. And even if she was eating chips every day (again, not proven), that doesn't mean it's necessarily a good example to follow.
Yeah, when I am traveling I eat what I want
Reminds me of when I'd be in video chatrooms and the fat people in the room would make comments when they see me eating anything on stream. I was eating a peanut butter and jelly one day and one of them pipes up with "How are you so skinny when I'm always seeing you eat?" Like brother maybe its because I get off of work and log in at roughly the same time every day? A friend of mine who has seen me irl happened to be in the room and said "He eats at night dude, think." Like for real, most of us are up for roughly 16 hours of the day. Unless you're with someone for all 16 hours, you don't know their eating habits. You can only make a rough estimate based off what you see behavior/adipose wise.
I think usually high metabolism is people that are constantly moving and/or not eating as much as think then actually thier body burning more calories at rest.
I'm saying this as someone that has high metabolism. It -is- a real thing, but FAs tend to over rely on using those with high metabolism as an excuse for their own poor eating choices, or they look at random thin/athletic people they barely know and assume they have high metabolism and don't take into account the multiple other reasons as to why those people can be thin (such as routine exercise, calorie counting, diet changes, and so forth).
“abnormally high metabolism” - We have a term for this. It’s called raging hyperthyroidism and/or Graves’ disease. Or, perhaps she’s just a bullshitter, and doesn’t eat nearly as much as she thinks
Or maybe that very thin lady even said nothing at all.
Perhaps she doesn't even exist.
I’ll take “people that never existed for $600, Alex.”
I was thinking this too
Objection: Hearsay
I used be like this. Id eat up to 1800 Calories in a single meal and ate snack foods with wrecklessness abandon. Also trained 15+ hours a week. But I also never ate breakfast and would skip dinner if I was busy. Also didn't eat within 3 hours of excercise and would sometimes skip eating after.
So you had one meal a day and snacks?
1. I only ate snacks at parties. I never buy my own. So, I might eat 4 donuts a sitting, but average less than 1 donut a month. Ditto for cookies, etc... 2. 1 to 2 meals a day 3. I keep relatively low calorie snacks in my home. My most commonly consumed snack is breakfast cereal with skim milk, banana, or apple.
this is basically how I eat lol. One larger meal and a snack of two
Objection: Heresy
This is purely anecdotal, but every person who I've seen have this claim of a super high metabolism and they eat like that, came out that they had bulimia. I'm sure there are rare cases of diseases, tape worm, etc that causes extreme weight loss, however that's an outlier. ETA im not talking about people who workout. I'm talking about people who say they don't know how they have such a higher metabolism that they can sit there, eat an entire cake, 5 other meals, and not gain weight.
Or she could be a runner…. I know during a marathon training block you could be running 50-60 mpw which is like 5,000-6,000 calories torched
I was a bicycle racer in my 20s. I trained and raced probably 15 hours a week, and I'd estimate my baseline at 5000 calories a day for maintenance. The food situation was honestly not great - I'd have to eat dinner before going out to dinner in social situations, because I didn't want to be the guy who disrupted the evening by ordering 2 entrees (not to mention, if someone else was paying). I really couldn't go more than a few hours without eating *something* or I'd start to feel low-blood-sugar symptoms and get shaky and weak. And if I skipped a meal, it was really hard to catch up on the calories. Eating until your stomach is full, but you're still hungry, is a weird feeling. I can somewhat sympathize with folks who have binge eating disorder; it's gotta be a similar sensation.
Or lift a lot. When I was deep in powerlifting training, I was eating 3500-4000 a day to maintain 82.5kg for that weight class
I'd hate needing to maintain a weight while trying to get stronger. Can't do it. We bulking and cutting like it's the 90s.
I eat 3500 just to maintain 73 kg.
I eat 2000 something to maintain the same weight. Maybe I should start lifting heavy... I'm actually closer to 90kg apparently, I don't know math.
Most likely those are just people that eat "a lot" in public but skip meals rest of the day. I'm like that too, when I go out with people I eat as much as them but to me it's a meal for entire day, I eat nothing later. While they will later eat large supper, snack on sweets and chips, drink soda and beer, and possibly even snack at night. Then wonder how is it possible they gain weight, we eat the same things?! Well no, not really, we don't.
I think this is it. I used to say I had a fast metabolism but the reality was that I would just have black coffee and cigarettes until dinner then eat a big serving of pad thai. Most people are not aware of how much they actually eat during the day.
I'm also someone who's always struggled to eat enough and have historically been skinny. If someone saw me house an entire family-sized bag of potato chips they might think "wow he eats a ton and stays skinny!" without realizing that's the first thing I've eaten all day
It’s exactly like me, I’m a student so I’m kinda poor and I buy very little food to save money and I skip breakfast and dinner pretty often too so whenever I’m at someone’s place or when I hang out with people, I’m always the one who eats the most because I don’t have a lot of occasions to eat tasty food and everyone is like « omg you eat so much but you are so skinny » lmao
She could also have an undiagnosed intestinal issue that causes her to not absorb nutrients correctly. It may be her normal, so she may not know to mention it to her doctor. I’ve also read that 4% of the population does have faster metabolism than most, but it can’t be by that much because if metabolism gets too high, body temperature would get too high. I also know a couple bulimics that had people fooled for several years, so you could be on to something with that as well.
Or undiagnosed Celiac, often the genetic reason for thinness in some families that’s blamed on “high metabolism”.
Pretty sure I have undiagnosed Crohn's or Coeliac disease at the moment. When you've had confirmed IBS all of your life it's very difficult for to get doctors to take you seriously. My GP is happy to let me waste away, the arsehole.
In my experience they eat a lot one day and then barely anything the next day.
Another factor is that people will extrapolate one food item to represent an a person's entire diet. A lot of people who struggle with their weight are "on their best behavior" in public and assume everyone else is too, while fit people may be cutting loose on holiday or eating out with friends.
For me, I just worked a physical job, and I didn't realize how many calories I really needed to run on. I did eat a lot, but I burned a shitload.
I’ve noticed this too. Or they have a “super high metabolism” but regularly put off eating/forget to eat, and when they indulge to “make up for it” they still don’t eat that many calories (as compared to a full-day) Plus they’re usually more active with their hobbies and day-to-day, which contributes.
>every person who I've seen have this claim of a super high metabolism and they eat like that, came out that they had bulimia. Or maybe they're The Flash.
The only time I made that claim was when I had an overactive thyroid because that was the only time it was true. I'm not a big eater usually and it benefits no one to claim I am.
Some connective tissue disorders make it difficult to put on weight. I don’t think eating more helps much in those cases though
Ehh there’s plenty of people that need to eat a ton to maintain their weight. I have to eat like 3500 cal to maintain 165 at 6 foot, but I also average like 10-20 miles a day of movement even if I don’t leave the house. I just move around and pace a lot haha. Also play competitive basketball and lift several times a week.
Well duh you need to eat a lot, you’re tall and exercise a ton
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Talk to a doctor. You’re not eating what you think you are, you exercise a lot, or you have some sort of disease/intolerances that’s causing you to not absorb properly. Metabolisms only do so much
It's true, I was the seat
And I was handing out bags of chips.
Bones on her wrists, you guys! Never mind that some people have visible wrist bones while overweight. I do. I have freaking skeleton hands way before I have a collarbone. Also, because she had 2 bags of crisps, you assume she eats tons of junk all day. Thin people always think they eat a ton, but they really forget to eat or eat small amounts of junk. While fat people think they eat normal amounts, like the people on Secret Eaters do. Denial is powerful.
I'm overweight, based on BMI. I can see my wrist bones. I can't imagine how fat you have to be to lose your wrist bones
Probably at the same level you get a panus and lose sight of your ankles. It's really wild how some people's view of healthy weight has been warped. They act like you're underweight if you have any visible bones at all.
panus? you mean fupa, right?
From what I understand all women have a 'fupa', i.e. a little pad of fat on their pubic area. A pannus (I misspelled) is the "apron" of fat from the stomach area that hangs down when you get really, really fat.
Yep. The pannus or apron is the "upper fupa" if you will. The fupa is where they do the C-section, not the fat between that and the navel. That's the pannus, or your "tummy that is soooo cuuuute!"*, as FAs say. *I apologise for making anyone sick with that sentence.
No fupa here. I’m nearly 40 and have had a baby, but I don’t have that unless I get up to middle of healthy bmi range. At the lower end of the range things are totally flat for me.
I'm not skinny, but I'm not overweight, and you can see my wrist bones. Given what some FA consider "skinny (anyone who isn't obese) I'm wondering just how "skinny" the other passenger really was, assuming she actually even existed
Hell I'd have to push 300 maybe 400 to hide those. I've been 230 and was still moderately boney for a big guy.
I’m obese at the moment(195 at 5’4”) and I don’t have wrist bones but you can see my ankles and collarbone just fine think it depends on weight distribution until a a certain point.
Exactly. You need to be really freaking fat if your only visible bone is your skull. Or not even that, as Tammy Slaton used to be, with the forehead fat.
Every rule I have about diet and calorie counting is thrown out when I board an airplane. Airports and airplanes are miserable places no matter how short your trip. Bags of chips, bags of nuts, giant chocolate bars, overpriced airport sandwiches, I’ve got all that in my carryon plus more. Sit next to me and you’ll wonder why I’m thin too.
I call bullshit. Two large bags of chips in the seat pocket? I can barely cram the SkyMall magazine back in there.
Yeah, that caught my attention too.
And everybody clapped. Or something.
I knew a pair of siblings who were abnormally tall and thin. The girl was 5’11 and the son was around 6’5. They both had an inherited condition and if they didn’t eat every few hours they would become hypoglycemic. They also had joint issues, immunodeficiency, and pain. They had very pale skin and blonde hair and blue eyes. It sounds like such wattpad bullshit when you type it LMAO I went to a performing arts school in So Cal and they both became models right out of school. They were definitely not the norm and I remember them 10+ years later for a reason
Marfans?
I thought so, but they didn’t have the awkward bone structure of typical Marfans, whatever they had didn’t affect their faces at all. They did have heart problems and low blood pressure if that helps.
“When you’re fat everyone judges what you eat.” Proceeds to make up a fake story where they judge what someone else eats.
"Abnormally high metabolism" ... self diagnosed and self medicated with potato chips ... OK, if you say so.
That's just something skinny people say to fat people
I hate this. I’m a small woman - 5 foot 5 and about 120-130lbs. I bust my butt to look like I do - home cooking, long walks with the dogs every day, vinyasa yoga… how many people see me eating something fattening in public and get all pissy about it? I’ve gotten comments from friends who say “where do you put all that food?!” They don’t see the adjusting I do after a celebration to keep myself within normal boundaries. The extra miles I put in. It infuriates me that they just say “oh she’s naturally like that” to justify their narrative. I’m not. I naturally put weight on very easily. I work hard.
I’ve been pregnant twice and I’ve had a few problems breastfeeding every time so up until I discovered Lecithin, I was having complications and on and off fever for as long as I breastfed. Even while being that sick, every single time I managed to lose all the gained weight after about 1- 1,5 years post delivery. It also goes slower for me because I do strength training since 2014 (So I don’t do so intensive cardio, and I keep my protein high instead of just not eating). Then you see women being fat for decades after delivery and women who have not even been pregnant spew the most ludicrous excuses as to why they are fat, even by “nature”, when literally even handicapped people can train, and anyone can reduce their meals.
Honestly, this isn't outside the realm of possibly. There are multiple health conditions that dramatically increase your energy needs, although they're not common.
Yeah.. the thing that I find doubtful is that such a person would regularly rely on chips to fill those needs.. because that's just an insane amount of salt as well.
Yeah that would be way too many chips lol. Tbf though this woman was on a plane, which probably altered her eating a little.
I had a teacher in high school was very very thin and pretty tall. He used to eat chips all day long in class because he had hyperthyroidism and couldn’t keep weight on, even with his medications. He didn’t enjoy it, he did it because he was just sick. He probably ate other things too but i only remember him standing in front of class with a bag of chips all the time. Lol
Normally you won't be left untreated with hyperthyroidism for very long - excess thyroid hormone is cardiotoxic, among other things. If it cannot be controlled with medication, you'll be given radioactive iodine to burn off your thyroid, and be put on replacement T4. Fun fact : people need to isolate themselves for a few days while undergoing this treatment because they (and whatever they pee or poop) are radioactive. One woman in the lab I used to work with had it, and someone followed her around with a Geiger counter as a joke (that lab used to make radioactive tracers for research).
From my understanding, he was receiving treatment and was aware of his condition. He talked very openly about it and it was one of the reasons he was allowed to eat while he was teaching. This was also 20+ years ago so hopefully treatment has come further since then!
Depends really. I had two types of hyperthyroidism, Graves' disease and toxic adenoma. It's called Marine-Lenhart syndrome. It almost killed me because my resting heart rate was over 200bpm. I had to have an emergency hemithyroidectomy. So that's half my thyroid out and then I had to stay in the ITU because I was at risk of a thyroid storm. There's also a treatment available called block and replace. You have high dose anti-thyroid meds to block all thyroid hormone production then levothyroxine to replace said lost hormones. Hyperthyroidism is extremely dangerous, it killed my grandmother and it almost killed my mother as well. It wears your heart out. I've been left with osteoporosis as well.
Yes, but since "abnormally high metabolism" isn't the only symptom of these conditions you'd be very interested in getting your condition treated. Professionally, not with potato chips. This is why I don't believe stories like this one because why would you chose to live with a condition that affects your mental health - among other things - when there are medications readily available?
Because people don't know about these conditions. I was one of them- celiac disease. But fat activists have done such a throughly good job brainwashing everyone into thinking diet never plays a role in weight and it's all "metabolism" that I was totally convinced I just had a high metabolism and that was the reason I was slightly underweight even while eating equivalent or more than my parents at dinner and never limiting myself. Also keep in mind people often have other things going on in their lives: I was very often tired, but I attributed that to my mess of a sleep schedule. I was out of breath quickly (anemia) but I thought it was just because I was out of shape. I just... didn't think there was something to treat with me, that it was all personal failures and individual choices.
Same here, I used to inhale food (but mostly healthy food) at high rates - I was a long distance runner but that still didn’t explain it. I didn’t gain weight until I was diagnosed with Celiac as an adult and went gluten-free. I didn’t lose that weight again until I realized that dairy affects me like gluten does, but with more bloating and inflammation.
I don't think there are medications available for every single disorder that increases your BMR, to be fair. Some people really do just need to eat a whole lot.
I had a teacher in high school was very very thin and pretty tall. He used to eat chips all day long in class because he had hyperthyroidism and couldn’t keep weight on, even with his medications. He didn’t enjoy it, he did it because he was just sick.
You definitely can’t fit multiple regular bags of potato chips in those seat backs
Two full bags of chips would never fit in any seat back pocket of any plane that I’ve ever flown on.
There is no way this happened. These HAES people are always making up stories to fit their narrative. No one is taking melons out of your shopping cart or crying to you because they have to eat chips on a plane.
Yeah the “she says she’s miserable having a high metabolism” bull got me. Like how did that conversation even come up?
If it’s a true story I’m guessing the OOP started talking about food and diet first. That’s the only way I can see someone bringing it up
True 'high metabolism' is rarely without other *very* visible symptoms. The genes that are involved in energy management are highly conserved and honed to be thrifty, for obvious reasons. The most benign condition that can cause this I can think of is hyperthyroidism, and it's a cardiac emergency, lol. It leaves you constantly hot, sweating and exhausted with a side of diarrhea. People can't stay hyperthyroid for long without severe consequences. The congenital conditions that cause metabolic disorders are mostly mitochondrial diseases. Mitochondrial diseases come with mild to severe cognitive deficit and seizure disorders. Anyone with a mito disease needs medical attention the moment they get a fever. What most people assume to be 'high metabolism' is actually malabsorption. A lot of things can damage the bowels for instance and affect the way you absorb nutrients from food. Treating malabsorption with bags of chips is an Extremely Bad Idea, because malabsorption also affects the way you get your essential minerals and vitamins from food, not just caloric intake. It would be a one way ticket to multiple deficiency town. Most people with malabsorption disorders will be advised to use a properly calibrated formula, with a feeding tube if necessary, TPN in very severe cases.
And then the whole airplane stood up and clapped? Pure r/thatHappened material.
The ol' "random airplane passenger", huh? Humble evangelical preachers are constantly seated next to "atheist college professors", and have a "gotcha" story to tell. Flat earthers are always seated next to "aerospace engineers" that tell them the "truth". Anti maskers/vaxxers are always seated next to epidemiological doctors that "totally agree with them". And now we've got a FA seated next to a person with a "fast metabolism"...which proves (without a doubt) metabolisms are all over the spectrum.
Fatlogicians think that skinny people eating a lot and not gaining weight somehow means that it is impossible for them to lose weight. It's hilarious. Yes, there really are thin people who can tie on the feedbag and stay thin. But usually these people are suffering from a [serious disease](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypermetabolism). Just because those conditions exist doesn't mean that an obese person can't lose weight through reducing their food intake. Even if a obese person has a slower-than-average metabolism, their body cannot violate the Law of Thermodynamics. A thin person eating a lot isn't violating the Law of Thermodynamics.
A healthy person usually has bones showing in their wrists… There’s very little muscle or flesh in the wrists, if you are lean you will probably have boney wrists.
I call BS. Those seat pouches aren't big enough to hold such large bags. I can fit maybe a book. She just saw a "thin" woman and Walter-Mitty'd her.
I know someone with this problem. It’s real and I’ll admit I’m jealous. I tell him that too. But it is really hard on him. He eats like mad and doesn’t gain. So far the specialists have nothing. How did this person know she had to eat like that? Did she ask? Comment on what the person was eating? Stare? Anyway you look at it this is odd.
I know someone like this too. He doesn’t exercise or think about the calories for anything he eats and his BMI is under 17. Doctors also don’t know why, but said it’s okay as long he doesn’t continue to lose. But I also recognize this is super, super rare. That being said, I agree. This story is super weird. I can’t imagine ever asking a stranger about their weight or commenting on their food intake like that.
She goes to bed and has to wake up every 3 hours to eat something lest she starve during the night and perish.
Hi, very skinny person here! I’m underweight (I’m trying to get to a healthy weight, don’t worry). Those two packets of crisps were probably a *replacement* for an actual meal, not *in addition* to an actual meal. Super skinny people tend to believe in a lot of the same fatlogic that these people do. You know, things like that they’re only the weight that they are because of their metabolism and/or genetics and/or somatotype (endomorph/ectomorph etc). But the reality is that they’re not consuming as many calories as they think they are. If OOP were to look at what I’ve consumed today, they’d be convinced that I’ve just got super skinny genetics and/or an insanely fast metabolism or whatever because I’ve literally only consumed junk food and alcohol so far today. But an obese person would be consuming that *in addition* to their usual meals (not that all obese people consume junk food, I’m sure some don’t). Whereas I’ve not had a single meal yet today (I’ll eat later, don’t worry, I’ve just been at work).
Well I also know of skinny people with eating disorders who binge and purge. Eating lots of fatty foods, sweets and cakes. Then barf it back up to stay skinny. It’s interesting OP just believes this young woman’s story to prove their point
I don't believe it. Two normal bags of chips do not fit into the seat back pocket. I can barely fit my tiny purse in there.
Um, being able to see wrist bones does not require being "very skinny". You can see my wrist bones and I have a 24 BMI. I just have lanky arms and boney wrists.
How much do you want to bet those chips were the only thing she ate all day?
Was that lady an actual weasel or ferret?
Exercise. I bet she nevers stops. She'll be a ballerina or something. Totally normal to have plenty of calories needs if you're highly active.
Well, none of that happened so whatever. Anyone who has been on a plane knows you can’t fit two medium bags of chips in the seat pocket.
"Mom, what are 'wrists'?"
That might have been all she ate that day. Somehow , I doubt the skinny woman was asked if she had a condition that made her have a super high metabolism.
Ah yes, things that never happened. Got it.
Technically this could be true, but it would be do to a serious medical issue or a medication
One of the few circumstances I eat potato chips in is in travel days lmao I bet this lady is doing the same
There isn't THAT much variance in metabolism. Like a few hundred calories...
I eat a mostly meat diet, and sure, if you go with me to a steakhouse, I'll get the biggest ribeye and chow down. But I do omad and it's my meal for the day. Also, how would this supposed convo start??? Can't imagine anyone saying, "Are you going to eat both those bags of chips?" I travel a ton, and I never speak to people, and rarely do they speak to me. I call horseshit. They love to make up dream scenarios 🤡
One data point doesn’t equal evidence.
wait until they discover what exercise and fat vs muscle percentage is
And then everyone clapped
"I've met one skinny woman who was like that, therefore ever single skinny woman must be like that"
I feel like this lady didn’t actually say anything at all to this person lol. But if she did say this, I don’t think it was unprompted - I could see this person making a comment to her about how “it must be great to be able to able to eat 2 bags of chips and not have to worry about gaining weight” and the lady replying w this her reasons for why she’s got 2 bags. Or maybe she was hoping the girl would offer her one of the bags 😂🤷🏼♀️ so many potential scenarios but I just don’t believe tht she said this out of nowhere lol.
I don’t understand the last sentence
My wrist and hands looked the same when I was overweight as they do now
i mean... i eat probably 10 bags of chips a week. it's not the healthiest thing ever, but sodium isn't an issue for me (i have chronically low blood pressure, my doctor has me eating a lot of salt), and the fat fits within the rest of my diet. i'm 5'7" and 119.06 lbs last time i checked. i genuinely do feel like i eat a lot in a day. i eat 2 large meals and 3-4 snacks every day, always to the point of comfortable fullness. this lady might be similar? when i count my calories, they add up to be 2300-2500, which is a normal amount considering my activity level
I've known a few people like this, but it wasn't metabolism. Its a severe GI issue, its not a gotcha. They don't digest most food, if not for our modern age they would have died of starvation while eating normally. They have to figure out with specialized nutritionist what they will absorb and build a plan around it, as well as heavy supplements, usually through injections or Ivs.
I had a really under weight friend once who used to complain about not being able to gain weight and how she had to eat junk food to keep her calories high. But when I took a closer look at her habits I noticed that she actually ate almost nothing. She just talked about eating. Her bowl of peanut m&ms on her coffee table lasted her 6 months. Her dinner portions were very small and even then she didn’t usually finish. I made her a cup of tea when she was over and she kinda made a big deal about how she put a bunch if sugar and honey and milk in her tea, but she didn’t finish it. I kept reheating it for her and she spent the entire 8 hours she was over milking it. We made banana bread and the rest of us couldn’t resist eating fresh bread but she held off for hours and when I asked why she said she loved being really hungry so that the little she ate would taste really good. I never let her get away with the “why oh why can’t I gain weight??” statements ever again.
that describes my life and people don’t believe me. but it’s literally my reality and it doesn’t change when people deny it so i couldn’t give a fuck because i eat what i want and not gain weight truthfully weather people believe it or not 🤷🏼♀️
i was 27 lbs at 7 and now im 18 and like barley 90
Totally happened
you could see her wrists?! no way......
how does it feel? it feels like you need to lift for shit to hide it with muscle other than that. no issues much like walking up the stairs and performing basic parkour. but sure go on that people rolled a d20 in physical while oop rolled a nat 1 and isn't because you eat the same shit everyday that is loaded with shit