Here's to the underappreciated, UNnaturally thin

I am never satisfied. I am a sucker for chocolate, ice cream, cookies, you name it. I hate excercise. I love fast food and pizza buffets. Simple carbs give me orgasms. I eat them slowly, like those Barbie women on food commercials, closing my eyes and shuddering as it goes down. That food porn you guys post to supposedly motivate us? I'd eat that and call it heaven on earth. McDonald's? Sure. A purple snail from some strange island in Indonesia? Yes, please. If it's exotic, I'll eat it. If's it's cheesy, if it's greasy, if it's dripping with cholesterol and heart disease... oh gods. I am a bottomless pit. My blood glucose levels skydive after three hours, no matter what I eat, and I feel irritable, dizzy, weak. I've verged on BED for years, and I'm just now "recovering" (ahem, exercising so much self-control that I regularly feel like banging my head on walls). If I had my way, I'd eat 1000 calories over maintenance everyday, but if I did that I'd be obese.

I am 5'4", 123 lbs. I have never been overweight in my life. I'm the queen of buffet lines, the hog at birthday parties, and my friends call me "naturally thin." What they don't know is that when I'm home alone on a regular day, every meal is a struggle.

Yes, I know I'm a self-pitying brat. Yes, I know people like me don't have to deal with health problems or whispers behind backs. Yes, I know there are overweight people who would love to slap me right now, and I know that I know nothing about being obese, and I'm truly sorry and I try not to judge. But here's the other side of the story. I can't be the only one out there. Please give me your thoughts, as I don't get offended easily. But the point of my rant is - think carefully the next time you toss "naturally thin" around.

Thank you for posting this.  It's quite an eye opener. 

Yes, yes, yes!! I always get this, "you're lucky you can get away with wearing that" or "why wont you eat that second cookie, you can afford to eat ten more you're so slim". I worked my ass off and declined the cookies for years to get to this weight and its just as hard work to maintain it!! No luck about it!!

Thank you for your post. Yes I am one of those people who people call "naturaly thin" but what people don't realise is if I would listen to myself, they would not call me naturaly thin, I would probably be obese. It is very frustrating when I hear people saying " you are so tiny, it's not fair, you can eat whatever you want and you don't gain a pound" Excuse me! Do you see me eat wathever I want??? Do you really think I prefer my apple over your delicious looking cookies and chips? I am working really hard to maintain my weight and there is nothing natural about it!

pizzaranch: My heart goes out to your friend. I've always felt terrible for people on antidepressants or any medication that makes them gain weight, as that kind of weight gain really can't be controlled. On the other hand, those who don't work to be thin (genetic condition, forget to eat and then pig out on occasion, etc.) have a mixed blessing. They may be thin, but many of them certainly aren't healthy!

skookum: I hear ya. I don't even mention weight around my friends because it's such a sticky topic. And wow... treadmill everyday, at the end of a 12 hour shift? I'd be smug if I managed every week! The only exercise I regularly manage is walking, which doesn't feel like exercise now that the weather's nice. I hear ya on the heath bars, too. Have you tried Klondike? Stay away. It's evil.

dolphinclick: Thank you. I'm flattered :)

carolally and jgoguen: It's a relief to realize that we're in on this together. Congrats on staying healthy!

Does anyone else honestly engage in food porn? You'd probably get a laugh out of watching me bond with Danish butter cookies. Drool. Inhale.

I hear ya. I worked so hard to get down to this weight and now I have to deal with people practically forcing junk down my throat because they think I can afford to just because I'm not overweight. Seriously, once one of my friends actually smeared chocolate all over my mouth because they were trying to force it down me.

Sure, I'd love that extra cookie. I'd like that packet of crisps. I'd love to stuff my face with everything under the sun but I won't because all my hard work would go to waste. I know what it's like to be the heavy one shooting mental arrows straight through skinny girl's hearts but now I know that it's not easy. I have to endure my friends aiming the odd spiteful comment at me but I understand that too, having been there.

As for food porn, god where do I start?! I remember when I should have been studying for my exams but actually spent 2 hours looking at pictures of food on the internet. Makes me feel so naughty! Lmao.

Oh my gosh I love.love.LOVE this thread.

I'm constantly worried about my weight.  People (especially those heavier than me) give me daggered eyes if they catch hint that I'm thinking about what I eat.  It is SUCH a struggle.  I constantly think about food and I am such a binger. It's 1 am right now and I'm on here to keep from eating some pretzels downstairs. 

It's rough and I had no idea that it was rough for other people who are also average weight.  Overweight people who learn this don't understand people like us.  Whether we have more willpower or the urge isn't as strong (how it could get any stronger I don't know because now my thoughts have moved over to leftover pizza) I'll never know. But it is still a struggle.

Oh and I have a friend who is naturally skinny. I know it for a fact. And I secretly hate her for it. Haha

As for food porn. The local hibachi restaurants. Haha

Original Post by kadmarco:

It's rough and I had no idea that it was rough for other people who are also average weight.  Overweight people who learn this don't understand people like us.  Whether we have more willpower or the urge isn't as strong (how it could get any stronger I don't know because now my thoughts have moved over to leftover pizza) I'll never know. But it is still a struggle.

 Was pleasantly surprised to see this thread bumped, as I enjoyed it (and may have inadvertently helped inspire it)

However, and I mean this in the nicest way, please refrain from stating the assumption that overweight people may have less willpower. It's grossly inaccurate (based on research). Many fat people are jealous of thinner people, and do try and 'feed' them junk, or automatically assume that thinner people can eat however they want. BUT, many fat people are working just as hard as you, and are simply still on their journey to being a healthy weight.

Wow...I really appreciate this thread.  It's making me see both my sisters in a different light about how they are thin and always have been.  I feel this twinge of guilt now...Last weekend I poked fun of my sister for being able to eat a large plate of spaghetti and stay thin while I measured mine out to be able to lose just a measly lb or 2 a week.

if i didnt reconize my "all i can eat ..stuff my face everyday" habit, i would be severely obese today. I love food, and lets not forget to mention LARGE PORTIONS of food. Im sorry, but one cookie does not cut it.

Just got down to a healthy weight, and the effort and time and will power it has taken me, i dont think any of my friends would understand.

but one thing CC has done, is opened my eyes to eating patterns and why the people who are thin are thin. Their habits are different. Its rather they work really hard, or they have always been thin because of their good habits from the start that allow them to maintain.
For example, my one very thin friend.. I was always so jealous that she could eat whatever she wanted and continue to stay thin ..that was until i lived with her ..and realized she only ate one meal a day pretty much. stopped when she was full.. ate only ONE cookie. etc etc.

I love CC, it has changed my body and my life. And has allowed me to open my eyes to a healthy lifestyle and habits

Does anybody know the "perfect couple"?  You know, the beautiful wife, the successful husband, the great children?  The ones that everyone envies until the nasty divorce?  Nobody really knows what is going on in someone else's life.

Obesity is obvious, but nobody knows what caused it for that individual.  Slenderness is also obvious, but nobody knows how it was acheived/maintained.  And no judgements should be made.  And no unsolicited advice should be offered.  It is not polite to comment on someone's food choice whether they are fat and eating cake, thin and not eating cake,  fat and not eating cake, or thin and eating cake.  It is none of your business, and not really very interesting as a topic of conversation.  Even the weather is more interesting -- and no chance of causing any harm!

ETA:  If, like me, you are not interested in others' opinions about your food choices, please don't invite them with comments like "Oh, I really shouldn't, but it looks so good" or "Oh, I am so fat, but I just can't stop myself from eating this".  Don't ask for permission to eat something you don't want/need, and don't ask forgiveness if you ate it anyway.  Make your choice, enjoy it, and move on.

cynicalkit: Yeesh, I know. I try to eat well whenever we visit relatives, and always end up with comments like, "Are you on a diet? Are you afraid of getting fat?" Where did that come from?! Just because I'm not eating white bread and sausages? Nowadays people seem to be programmed to think, "GASP! That girl is eating Cheerios! She must be on a diet!"

kadmarco: You are not alone. I'm a binger too. It's terrible. Try this... tell yourself you can eat the pretzels tomorrow in moderation if you really really want them. Chances are you'll have more willpower then, and the craving will be gone anyway. I applaud your willpower!

minda: I do think that fat people have it harder as far as health issues and daily inconveniences. The threads you've opened, as well as the one thread on the little struggles of being overweight, have really opened my eyes. That said, I'm grateful as heck for my healthy weight, even though it's not easy or natural.

lbh: It's difficult to tell if someone's "naturally" or "unnaturally" thin. I do know naturally thin people who eat 1000 cals a day and are perfectly fine with it. Occasionally they pig out and get teased for their so-called fast metabolisms. Your sisters may be thin, but I certainly bet you're healthier and should be applauded for it :D

loseweight: You're at a healthy weight? Congrats! Really incredible... especially considering your binging history and uni stress. I haven't forgotten how you helped me through my own food issues. Keep up the awesomeness!

dkenworthy: Hear, hear.

yes. thank you for this post.

funny/odd story: on saturday i saw a friend of mine whom i hadn't seen since february (well, i saw her at convocation at the end of may, but we were both wearing robes).  we went to grad school together; i've known her for a little less than two years.  she's much younger than me: i'm 41, she's not quite 27.  she moved to this city in feb and i followed at the beginning of june.

anyway, she's gained a few pounds since we last saw each other, and i've lost a few.  she started talking about food and weight the minute i walked in the door and it was a recurring theme for the entire afternoon.  at one point i told her that i'd been almost 170 pounds before we met, and she gave me the classic, "I assumed you never struggled."

well--damn--i assumed the same of her.  she's 5'11" and maybe 150 pounds right now.  before the move she was probably 140.  she's an athlete.  and it turns out she's completely neurotic about weight and food, and is a chronic dieter.  who'da guessed?

**WARNING**

THe link below is very very serious food porn. All the food blogs of the internet combined into one website. I love it. I got the link off someone on CC and so I think it is fair to post it again for more CC food porn lovers. I love to drool over the photos and then ... go pretend my celery sticks are ... s'more cupcakes for example.

DROOL.

This is an awesome thread. :) I am sick and tired of people insisting that I should shove down an entire pizza just because 'you`re so active anyway, what are you worried about?'.

I think there is not one single person in the world who is doing hard, honest work maintaining the healthy way, who wouldn`t find it easier to go back to the old carelessness that brought on the weight issues in the first place. People are naturally lazy and suckers for instant pleasure like the one eating brings on. It is darn well difficult to educate and discipline yourself against these natural instincts, but one of my life principles is that nothing worth having comes easy.

I am also aware that some people have their solid reasons for not wanting to get within the healthy weight range. Heck, if I end up married to a gourmet chef, I don`t know how long I`ll be able to swim against the tide.

Original Post by helionix:

I've seen a lot of posters throw "naturally thin" around. For instance, "All my friends are naturally thin and can eat whatever they want!" I'm simply begging them to reconsider how they view their "naturally thin" friends. Someone who is "naturally thin" in public may actually struggle for it on a day-to-day basis. A person with a healthy weight is not necessarily without his/her struggles.

Why am I here? Because I love the community. You guys comfort me about my binges and weight struggles. I'm forced to count cals to keep my weight at check, and CC has been a big support.

 I'm totally with you! I am 5'4" and 123 pounds. but most people have no idea how hard it is for me to stay this thin. I work hard to do it. I exercise. I eat small portions. And yet when I go to the super market and put all this healthy food in the cart. People glare at me. They tell me "Oh you don't need to eat healthy. You are thin you can have whatever you want." People are actually annoyed with me when I check the food labels.

HELLO! how do you think I got to looking like this? How do you think I stay looking like this?

Society as a whole is purely ignorant. It's sad there are actually many people out there that are overweight because they scarf down everything in sight and then they don't exercise at all. They sit there and actually wonder why they look the way they do.(And I'm not meaning to scold overweight people by any means I myself was overweight just 5 months ago, but really how can you not know why you have gained weight if you do nothing to live a healthy lifestyle?)

How can you not know? It's because society in general would have us believe that gigantic portion sizes at every meal are NORMAL. They have you believe that you can have whatever you want as long as you are thin. Then one day you wake up and you are fat and you wonder why.

I know because that happened to me. And now I am struggling with all my might to make sure I never look that way again. Think twice before you spit at that  so called "naturally thin" person. Especially if they are a stranger because you never know what they have been through to look that way.

PS- I'm also getting sick of some people saying I don't need to be here anymore because I'm at a healthy weight. Stop with that please. I need the support from these forums or I'll gain all the weight I lost back. So please make room for the skinny people.

not meaning to sound rude. just needed a rant.

Original Post by jef9up:

**WARNING**

THe link below is very very serious food porn. All the food blogs of the internet combined into one website. I love it. I got the link off someone on CC and so I think it is fair to post it again for more CC food porn lovers. I love to drool over the photos and then ... go pretend my celery sticks are ... s'more cupcakes for example.

DROOL.

hehe, I got a food porn site link from a thread that tried to use the site to gross people out. My hub and I were drooling all over the keyboard!

Original Post by qmwillcand:

Original Post by jef9up:

**WARNING**

THe link below is very very serious food porn. 

DROOL.

^^The Martha Stewart version of food porn.

hehe, I got a food porn site link from a thread that tried to use the site to gross people out. My hub and I were drooling all over the keyboard!

^^The Larry Flint version of food porn...

still drooling...