Some of us are fat. Some of us are not. However, society mainly focuses on the former and what they can do to make themselves skinnier. Most studies on obesity focus on people that are already large, but recently I came across a BBC documentary that decided to go in the opposite direction.
They decided to take people that were effortlessly skinny and make them both eat a lot more and decrease their daily activity to see if they would gain weight. All kinds of measurements were taken on a near-daily basis in the hope that they could pinpoint what triggers weight gain or causes them to remain thin. To this skinny person who has trouble gaining weight, the results were not surprising. Here are just a few of the findings:
- People have a base weight that their bodies try to maintain no matter if they are trying to gain or lose weight.
- Your mother’s age, weight, and diet during pregnancy has some effect on your weight.
- Some naturally thin people simply can’t eat as many calories as it would take for them to gain weight. Their bodies stop them after a certain threshold.
- Some people’s base metabolic rate automatically increases as calorie intake increases, regardless of actual physical activity.
The question remains, what do skinny people eat when they aren’t being force fed? Why, Nacho Figueras (polo player and model) has the answer! An example of his diet for a day consists of toast and mate tea for breakfast, a sandwich from Prêt à Manger for lunch, and grilled chicken and vegetables for dinner. He also tends to consume a lot of Veuve Clicquot, but that’s probably because he co-hosts the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic (which happens to be this weekend). Now, I realize that doesn’t seem like much food, but based on my own diet I’ve realized that even when I think I’ve eaten a ton of food, it doesn’t seem like much when I write it down (and yes, even counting snacks).
If you aren’t naturally skinny, don’t be discouraged. I know a lot of what goes on with your weight seems to be determined by factors beyond your control. However, eating healthier and getting exercise are never bad things. Also, realize that according to the documentary, some skinny people aren’t naturally skinny and are probably always hungry if their base weight is above their current weight, so take solace in that.
