Why Some People Eat a Lot and Stay Skinny

For most people, losing weight is a struggle. Some have to go to the gym 5 times per week just to maintain their physique. Others go on ridiculous fad diets to maintain their goal weight. But there are a lucky few who can afford to eat more without gaining weight.

We all have that one friend who devours everything but remains rail-thin. Is it luck that keeps this person incredibly thin? Is there a weight maintenance secret that we should all learn from?

Reasons Why Some Individuals Stay Stick-Thin

Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis or NEAT

Science has one explanation: it’s NEAT. Research shows that people who do not gain weight are the most active. They burn off more calories. This does not mean they spend more time in the gym. The idea behind NEAT is simple: all physical activities counts.  Even sleeping or eating burns calories.

The bodies of skinny individuals are just more efficient in burning off calories no matter what activities they do. According to the American Council of Exercise, people who are engaged in NEAT can burn 50% more calories than others. Even if they have a sedentary lifestyle! This means some naturally thin people could burn up to 3,000 calories per day.

If you want to engage your body to NEAT, start squeezing little workouts throughout the day. The key is to keep moving without actually exercising. Any movement counts so doing your chores or tapping your heels burns a lot of calories.

Lean Muscles

Skinny individuals do not just have faster metabolic rate, they also have higher percentage of lean muscles. Muscles require more calories to maintain than fat. If you have more muscles, the body work harder to maintain it. You can burn off more calories even when you sleep! And it’s all because of your muscles.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, it’s possible to boost a person’s metabolic rate by up to 15% by increasing muscle mass. Of course, building muscles could take months. But it’ll be worth the effort. You will lose weight faster, you gain strength and you burn off more calories. Building muscles also cuts the risk of arthritis, osteoporosis and back pain. You don’t even need to go to the gym to increase muscle mass. Performing calisthenics exercises followed up by squats and pushups are a great way to start. Work out twice or thrice per week to speed up results.

Genetics

Unfortunately, some people are just born thin. Young individuals tend to have faster metabolic rate. As we age, our metabolic rate changes. But some lucky few remains a calorie burning machine even later in life. Their biological makeup just makes them efficient at burning off fats. In fact, there are some skinny people who are unable to gain weight at all. And there are some who are on a diet all their lives and still gain weight easily. Just like how some are born to be skinny, there are others who are genetically predisposed to obesity.