Why Aren't Thin People Fat?

Just came across this:

Tip 5 - Sleep tight

Sleep loss may increase hunger and affect the body's metabolism, which may make it more difficult to lose weight, according to studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Lancet.

People who lose sleep may continue to feel hungry despite adequate food intake because sleep loss has been shown to affect the secretion of cortisol, a hormone that regulates appetite. Make sure you get in your eight hours or more of shut-eye every night.

The full article (with other tips on boosting metabolism):
http://www.tescodiets.com/b2b/msndiet/archive.cfm?article_id=1237&code=410600&GT1=62750

I don't follow Tip 2 (eating only 2-3 meals per day) but I do follow Tips 3, 5, 6 and 7.

Just came across this:

The full article (with other tips on boosting metabolism):
http://www.tescodiets.com/b2b/msndiet/archive.cfm?article_id=1237&code=410600&GT1=62750

I don't follow Tip 2 (eating only 2-3 meals per day) but I do follow Tips 3, 5, 6 and 7.

That's a great article. I have been trying to do all of those things, and so far I have lost some weight, but have faced a few minor setbacks lately. I keep working at it, even though I found myself scarfing a piece of chocolate cake last weekend, but hey, you gotta live a little, too!  I would love to eat more complex carbs, but DH hates anything to do with wheat, even the 50/50 stuff, so it's hard to incorporate it in without wasting a lot of food and spending a lot of extra money. I eat healthier cereals and snack on Ryvitas and sometimes buy whole wheat pitta bread, but when it comes to bread, pasta, and rice, I have to buy the white stuff.  Maybe I can find a way to incorporate more grains into my diet.

Very interesting.  I am sure genetics play a major role, as does bone size and body structure. I only weigh just over 6st. , but as i am only 5 ft.4 and have quite small bones, i am fairly certain it is the size i was meant to be. I think it is lovely that we r all different. Someone for everyone. Tho i do wonder about the effect video games and not enough real play will have on the chickletts. Did they evaluate any other factors or was it all about predisposition?

Oooh...something interesting about the "sleep" factor. I heard/read/saw somewhere that lack of sleep exacerbated hunger because the body needs the emergy to deal with the added stress that lack of sleep causes, or something to that effect.

Oooh...something interesting about the "sleep" factor. I heard/read/saw somewhere that lack of sleep exacerbated hunger because the body needs the emergy to deal with the added stress that lack of sleep causes, or something to that effect.

I eat like a horse when I'm tired (or hungover, which is essentially the same thing since you don't sleep as well when you are drunk.) So I would definitely believe this is true.

Very interesting.  I am sure genetics play a major role, as does bone size and body structure. I only weigh just over 6st. , but as i am only 5 ft.4 and have quite small bones, i am fairly certain it is the size i was meant to be. I think it is lovely that we r all different.

Yeah, what's normal weight for one person may not be the same for someone else of a similar height. I'm 2 inches shorter than you  (5' 2") and have always been a small person (someone referred to me as a 'tiny little thing' a few days ago ), but I'm almost 2 stone heavier. I'm generally happy with my weight (I'm currently a UK size 8-10) and I try to stay somewhere between 7st 10 and 8st if possible.

Yeah, what's normal weight for one person may not be the same for someone else of a similar height. I'm 2 inches shorter than you  (5' 2") and have always been a small person (someone referred to me as a 'tiny little thing' a few days ago ), but I'm almost 2 stone heavier. I'm generally happy with my weight (I'm currently a UK size 8-10) and I try to stay somewhere between 7st 10 and 8st if possible.

I'm 5 feet tall and about 125 lbs. I'm very curvy for a shortie.  I am pretty pleased with my shape, though, and it doesn't bother me anymore. I sometimes think I should be smaller because of my height, I wear a size 10-12 and have a curvy hourglass figure. There was a time when I weighed only 105 pounds, but that was when I was 20! I think I would have to constantly diet (well, basically, seriously watch what I eat and avoid chips and desserts at all cost) to be that small again. I basically am the exact same size as my mom, so I have to think this is just the way we were meant to be.  I was about 137 lbs at this time last year, though, so I do have to make sure I don't let it get out of control. I think my weight has stabilised here due to cooking at home instead of eating out all the time like I used to.

I'm also short and curvy.  I am between the 10-12, though.  Even at my thinnest (which I think was in the 1-teens, and back when I was a teenager), I never dropped much below a size 6-8 in the US, because of my hips and chest.  Oh well!  I really don't mind the hourglass, I just mind how hard it is to lose weight now, as opposed to say, 5 years ago. 

That said, I'm probably far healthier now doing the diet/exercise thing, than I ever was earlier on, where I think I dropped it doing whatever fad diets were popular at that point.

That said, I'm probably far healthier now doing the diet/exercise thing, than I ever was earlier on, where I think I dropped it doing whatever fad diets were popular at that point.

Yep, I lost the weight by just counting calories. Boring and a bit tedious, but it worked. I plan to just keep an eye on my weight and then do a calorie-counting diet again next time I see the needle on the scale creeping up (I use Spark People). I think I am a good size now. Initially I wanted to lose more weight, but I'm learning to love my curves and I have realised that a girl needs chocolate sometimes! I don't want to be obsessive about what I eat all the time. It's good to cut loose and not worry about how many calories you are consuming now and then. But having counted calories for several months, I did learn how to have a sensible breakfast and lunch and what sized portions I should be eating, which has helped me maintain my weight loss so far.

I follow WW to an extent, but I think it's the food tracking that helps me.  Writing every last little snack/glass of wine can be tedious, but it totally helps me monitor whats going in my body. 

Hourglass is lovely. Believe me, there r many times i wished i were hourglass (ballerina build) especially when vest shopping. (smile and a wink).    i have heard grazing helps speed up the metab.but i really think, overall, that people are the size they r meant to be. I guess i would have to look more closely at the study, tho.

I think the important thing is how you feel when you are at a certain weight. When I drop below a particular weight, I start to catch colds all the time. On the other hand, I know a couple of people who start experiencing joint pain and become much less lively and active when their weight creeps up too much.

I know people who've lost weight and looked fabulous afterwards, and people who've lost weight and just seemed unhealthy, tired and miserable.

So I would say go by how you feel, not by the number on the scale.

I think the important thing is how you feel when you are at a certain weight. When I drop below a particular weight, I start to catch colds all the time. On the other hand, I know a couple of people who start experiencing joint pain and become much less lively and active when their weight creeps up too much.

I know people who've lost weight and looked fabulous afterwards, and people who've lost weight and just seemed unhealthy, tired and miserable.

So I would say go by how you feel, not by the number on the scale.

That's good advice. For me, I think this is a good size because I don't gain or lose weight too easily at this size, if you know what I mean. I was trying to get smaller than this size, but the scale wouldn't move. I would've had to really step up the exercise a great deal in order to lose more weight. So I gave up the diet for a while, and have been baking goodies and eating some unhealthy things here and there and thought I would gain weight, but I haven't gained any at all yet. So I think this is a good size for me.