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7 Secrets of Naturally Thin People

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

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By eDiets Staff

You hate them.

You know the type... The ones who never bat an eyelash when it comes time to order lunch or dinner. Ask them how much they weigh, and they probably can't even tell you -- they don't know. Question them about calorie count and you're likely to be answered with a blank stare.

They are the men and women who don't give weight-watching a second thought. And that's the very reason they're at a happy, healthy weight. They are naturally thin people -- the enemy to anyone who's ever battled extra pounds.

But please don't hate them. You too can be one of them, says Dr. Dorie McCubbrey, author of How Much Does Your Soul Weigh?: Diet-Free Solutions to Your Food, Weight and Body Worries. The weight issues specialist and licensed professional counselor has spent the last 15 years helping people explore their weight woes. McCubbrey, the "Don't Diet" doctor, has made it her mission to take the focus off the scale and put it on what she calls intuitive self-care. It's that kind of treatment that the Colorado counselor encourages. She tries to steer her clients away from regimented and overly restrictive diets.

The idea, according to McCubbrey, is to emulate the way a naturally thin person thinks. For starters, the world doesn't revolve around the number on the scale.

"Sometimes we think, 'When I'm thin enough, I'll be happy,'" McCubbrey says, who describes herself as someone who was the wrong kind of dieter for 15 years. "A naturally thin person knows how to be happy first, beyond weight success. It's freedom to enjoy your life. It's about healthier relationships and being able to achieve the goals you want for yourself professionally. It's finding the time to enjoy some pleasures in life, like the vacations you always wanted to take or the personal goals you always wanted to achieve. It's having the energy and desire and ability to follow through on these things. It's a fuller, richer life."

What it isn't is obsessing over every pound shed, minute spent exercising, calorie eaten, etc. Somewhere there has to be a happy medium between the apathy and the obsession. That's where the seven secrets of naturally thin people come in. According to McCubbrey, we're all born naturally thin. However, it's the way we think that takes away this mentality. It all begins when we go on our first diet, she says.

McCubbrey is quick to point out there's a big difference between being thin and being a naturally thin person. There are those who struggle with anorexia or rely on starvation to avoid weight gain. These people are engaging in unhealthy physical and mental behaviors. When it comes to weight loss, one size does not fit all, she says.

"There's no one diet or meal plan or exercise plan that's right for everybody. That's what is great about eDiets -- it customizes thin. My approach supports that. You have to find a customized approach unique to your own needs."

Before you can even get started on a healthy approach to dealing with your weight, it's important to get in the right state of mind. McCubbrey has the seven healthy secrets of naturally thin people that can help you get one step closer.

Secret #1: Practice Intuitive Weight Maintenance
Naturally thin people have a stable weight and don't worry what it is. Naturally thin people don't weigh, measure or otherwise keep track of their bodies' dimensions. You won't even find a bathroom scale at the naturally thin person's house. They don't need to weigh themselves, because they trust their bodies to regulate their own weight. Sure, it is easy for people not to worry about their weight when it never changes. But does their weight not change because they don't worry about it? What if constant worries make your weight fluctuate? What if you tried to think like naturally thin people instead, with an inner knowledge that your weight would stay stable?

Secret #2: Apply an Intuitive Attitude
Naturally thin people have a positive view of themselves and their lives. People who have never had a weight problem know that the key to happiness is in how they perceive themselves and their lives. They have a wonderful self-image, because they have not allowed society's pressure to influence them. Besides appearance, some people criticize themselves for their thoughts, feelings, behaviors -- everything. How they see their bodies is a reflection of how they tend to see their entire lives. Have you been putting thinness before happiness? What kind of criticism have you been carrying with you in your "bag of manure?" What positive thought can you carry with you instead?

Secret #3: Know Intuitively Why to Eat
Naturally thin people eat when they are hungry, but for other reasons as well. They eat because their bodies need fuel, but they also eat sometimes even if they are nut hungry. People eat to fulfill physical need (75 to 100 percent of the time), physical desire (0 to 25 percent of the time) and emotional desire (0 to 10 percent of the time). The key is proportion -- to be attuned to the body's signals of what it needs, but also to eat once in a while out of desire.

Secret #4: Know Intuitively What to Eat
Naturally thin people eat exactly what they are hungry for. They seem to have an inherent sense of what they really need. They'll go out of their way to get what they are hungry for, even if it means making a shopping trip. If that's not feasible, then they substitute another similar food.

Secret #5: Know Intuitively How Much to Eat
Naturally thin people stop eating before they get too full. They often leave food on their plates when dining out, because the typical restaurant portion is more than a body needs. When dining at home, they often finished what is on their plates if they served themselves, because they are in tune with how much food their bodies will need and only put that much on their plates. Eat slowly, pay attention to how you feel as you get full and learn hot to recognize fullness cues.

Secret #6: Exercise With Intuition
Naturally thin people enjoy a variety of fitness activities in reasonable amounts. They exercise on a regular basis without going overboard. There is consistency without compulsivity. They use exercise guidelines, but in a way that honors their bodies' needs. Some exercise for longer durations than others, and some work out at more advanced levels than others.

Secret #7: Live an Intuitive Life
Naturally thin people have truly fulfilling lives (and it's not because they are thin). Thinness is part of their experience, but it is not the source of their fulfillment. They have meaningful relationships with others. They enjoy significant experiences in both their professional and personal lives. They focus far beyond the number on the scale. Their focus is on enjoying life, exactly as it is, and making the best of things, exactly as they are. With this attitude of gratitude, they seem to attract more good into their lives automatically, without having to chase after it.

121 Comments - Diet & Fitness Blog: 7 Secrets of Naturally Thin People

Comment by Anonymous said... - Wednesday, January 23, 2008 5:38:00 PM

The gist of this crap is that naturally thin people are happy and positive. They have magical lives where everything is meaningful and perfect. They prance around with leprechauns, unicorns, and occasionally, a care bear or two. It wasn't until I read this article that I realized how sad fat people must be. I mean, according to Dr. McChub, us thin folks know how to be happy first, have meaningful relationships, know intuitively how much to eat (for me it's until I feel it coming out my butt), exercise on a regular basis, and focus on ourselves professionally. This doesn't say a lot for the fatties. I guess that's why all successful people are one under worked muscle group away from becoming Greek Gods. I mean, I'm not... I'm perfect. I don't work out at all and eat everything I want to. I'm obviously super-naturally thin. I think I have magical powers too! Anyway, this article has really shed some light on how awesome my life is because I've never worried about maintaining my perfect 120 lbs (5'4 of all womanly hotness). I just eat all the cake and cookies I want - full fat of course - and live my naturally successful, happy, and meaningful life. You would think that the suicide rate among the fatties to be higher. I mean, it's tough to compete with us. I love Dr. McChub... thank you so much for these valuable secrets - I never knew how fortunate I am and how much it sucks to be fat. Let's face it, perfect naturally thin people are born that way not made.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 1:58:00 PM

Yeah, ummmm...because a person is thin doesnt mean they are better than people who arent. Apparently it also doesn't insure a decent personality, as illistrated by the author of the previous comment. I've known women that can eat whatever they want and do absolutely no excercise and stay thin. However, that first child or 40th birthday rolls around and out come the thunder thighs. Enjoy your body while youre young, sweetheart, because that seems to be the only thing you have going for you.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 2:15:00 PM

Well, I think the first author was being sarcastic and the second one didn't get that - but I could be wrong.

I think the article is not accurate - especially the last paragraph. It makes it sound as if naturally think people have these perfect lives and everything naturally falls into place and comes easy for them, which I think is not the case.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 2:28:00 PM

Perhaps the 7 secrets of naturally fat people should be included here. Born, made, or otherwise it is really pretentious to suggest that we can think our way into better bodies or that people who work hard to lose weight are wasting their time and unhappy. Suggestions such as "eat when you are hungry" are dangerous and misleading and can actually lead to weight gain. Knowing what you want to eat all the time must be some sort of jedi mind trick because some of the thinnest people I know take hours to read the menu at a restaurant. Again, I read the article to try and shed some light on my weight gain in recent years and I found only darkness here.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 2:32:00 PM

I have to say your list of secrets was a bit narrow minded. I know many people who are not naturally thin who live happy fullfilled lives. It is not the "thinness" that makes you happy. Happiness, fullfillment,peace, joy, love, all come from within not from the size of your jeans.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 2:44:00 PM

This article is truly the biggest pile of bull#$#% that I have ever heard.
I have excersised every day of my life and have watched what I eat always, I do not drink, smoke or eat any sweets, and I could easily loose 25 pounds and still not be thin. So what is wrong with me????

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 2:46:00 PM

You must be a fat ass. Old and with kids...

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 2:50:00 PM

It was not right to say thin people have it together more then heavier. There are a lot of thin people with eating disorders. Self image is important no matter what size you are. I also know a lot of people who work extremely hard to stay thinit does not come naturl for them either. The hate keeping to a diet. Some yo yo and get off track. Vainity usually brings them back in line more the health. Lets face staying healthy and in shape is a task for most.

Comment by disgruntled said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 2:51:00 PM

i get the impression that the first person commenting is being sarcastic and not boasting about being thin. i agree, this article is complete bull and i'd like to see what the author looks like. probably the only thing going for her is that she is thin!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 2:52:00 PM

My sincere thanks to the first commenter for those delightfully sarcastic remarks. Whatever merit there may be in McCubbrey's method is lost for me in her idolization of the "naturally thin" people, who do indeed sound a lot like skinny CareBears, whose magical tummy powers allow them to blithely avoid every possible problem that the rest of us deal with here in Reality.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 2:53:00 PM

I MY GOSH - that is the funniest thing I have ever read!!! LOVE the comment section. Can I second that???
hehehehehe

Comment by debchev said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:07:00 PM

A lot of factors enter in to it concerning weight,genes are a deciding factor,age,physical condition,illness,diseases,but we all should listen to our bodies,proper rest,proper diet,proper activity,not eating when we really are not hungry,these are all things we already know.But none of us need to crash diet,we need to find what works for each of us.If you are more sedentary you will have to decrease calories,and increase activity,if you are active ,then you may be able to control your weight better,what ever,balance is necessary.It is common sense.Everyone out there has got some new diet or gimmick to make you lose weight.It all has to start with you,it is your willpower,and your desire to lose,or be healthier,what ever you want to call it,Unless you are ready to do something about it,it will not happen ,no matter how much money you spend.Good luck everyone.Remember Rome was not built in a day.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:10:00 PM

As the mother of 2 children, both adopted at birth, one whose birth mother is slender, one whose entire birthfamily is obese, I will say that the biggest secret about being thin is GENETICS. I have one daughter who is extremely slender, one who is extremely overweight. They both live and eat in the same house. Guess which one is which?

If you want to be "naturally thin," try to have thin biological parents.

shheeesshhh.

Comment by Stacy said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:10:00 PM

I'm thin and I'm happy, I've been heavy and happy, I've been skinny and depressed. Happiness is a state of mind, there is no true weight relationship to your emotions unless you are an obsessive or depressed person, in which case you'll never be happy with your body and seldom with yourself (or anyone else for that matter).

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:11:00 PM

I cannot beleive that eDiets would support or showcase such an idiotic load of Care Bear pooh!!!!!! Does this suthor seriously believe that all people are born thin? Has she ever left her house? Turned on the news? Read anything aside from fairy tales or fiction nooks!?! There are so many holes in her theory that I can only hope her book has been manufactured onto thin slices of swiss chesse!!!! What about those of us who were literally born into obesity? My pictures from when I was a 3-month-old baby show a super chubby, albeit beautiful (yes, sorry, I had to go there!) girl...was I not focusing my Vulcan mind powers intuitively enough on being a happy thin person? Was I falling behind as a 6-month old because I was even chubbier and spent the rest of my young years growing and growing, so much so that now, as a young woman, I have to work out 2 HOURS A DAY AND EAT BARLEY GRASS FOR SNACKS just to stay ahead of the game!!!!!! Please spread your particularly amusing brand of crap to some brainwashed bimbos who can ego trip on their superior thinness....the rest of us will be in the gym getting our workout on and living real lives in the real land. Hope you never have to come out of fairy tale land - I don't think you could survive it!!!!!!!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:14:00 PM

And who really thinks that Paris Hilton Ms. Skin & bones is full of love & sucess????
Queens Latifah big bold & beautiful, did i mention highly successful.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:16:00 PM

I agree that this article is a bunch of bunk. But then so is much of what has been said in the comments. Not all women over 40 who have had children suddenly become fat. I worked hard to lose 80lbs in a year and am now blessed with a metabolism that allows me to eat whatever I want, and not exercise. I would, if able, but a severe car accident will not allow it. And as for the vanity comment, I lost the weight because I was told that if I did not change how I ate, I would die...that will motivate someone REALLY FAST! I went from wearing a size 22, to now wearing between a 0 and 4, depending on the cut of the clothes. Is my life perfect? Heck no!! The things I have to deal with after the accident are far worse than anything I dealt with when I was fat. I completely agree with the poster who said that we choose to make our own happiness. It comes from within, not from the size of the jeans in our closets. As for the person who said they eat right and exercise, and could lose 25 lbs and still not be thin, you must not be eating the correct amount of calories for your daily expenditure. If you are, then have a work up with your doctor because they were, are and always will be right, exercise and eating right WILL take the weight off. There are no quick fixes, miracle pills, or magic to it ladies and gentlemen. Move and burn more calories than we take in, supply and demand. As for your happiness, love yourself NOW, as you are, and your quest to become healthier will be for the right person and reason ♥

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:19:00 PM

I think its pretty hard to read this article without getting the message that thin people lead perfect lives. What about the thin people who smoke, or drink or take drugs or gamble or shop too much? Being overweight is not the only problem a person can have!

There are some "lessons" that we can learn from "naturally thin people," but the author lost me by assuming that "naturally thin people" have "a wonderful self-image" and "truly fulfilling lives." Give me a break!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:29:00 PM

Thank you Jesus!!!

I read the article felt like complete crap and then felt ten times better when I read the comments.

I hate to say it, but this article completely misses the point and helps to perpetuate the myth that has kept so many people FAT for the longest time -- that is, that something is wrong with the way they are thinking, living, eating -- that something is WRONG with them.

What "fat" people need to do is love and accept themselves the way they are, and when they have that true love for themselves, they will start to live healthy, fulfilling lives and bingo, presto the fat will melt off but sometimes not into a 'thin' body -- sometimes it melts off into the size that the person is SUPPOSED to be, which might NOT be super thin.

Our obessession with being thin is a product of a mass media campaign of impossible standards -- it's all in the genetics and not everyone was meant to be every size.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:31:00 PM

For the second writer, you are a very vain and smug individual.

I myself grew up very thin, and did not excersice and ate whatever I wanted, and the when your late 40's and 50's roll around, boy do things.

You may be one of the very fortunate one girfriend, so I wound not be so smug if I were you.

You may get lucky like most of the beautiful women I know, and gain a few pounds.

Oh by the way, I do excersice and eat healthy, but the weight come off very slow. I am 53 years young, and weight 160.00

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:32:00 PM

eating intuitively, yes, I agree with. But it took me YEARS to get this way. My craving were out of control, untill I started being more intuitive (which is a process). Today I'm down 15lbs.

But one point I STRONGLY disagree with, is that thin people are happy. They have issues with thier bodies JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. Don't believe me? ask a few.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:33:00 PM

Like many who commented, I didn't agree with a lot of this either and it sure wasn't helpful for me...someone who lost 30 pounds, got in great shape for my age, am pround of all that I learned to to it and am now learning to maintain. Of the hundred or so articles I've read from e-diets this was the least helpful.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:34:00 PM

I'm new to this site and am very disappointed. I cannot believe that such an article as the one I just read was even allowed to be printed. Exactly what was the purpose of the article? Is this site meant to encourage?

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:39:00 PM

I totally agree with the article and here's why: I've never had a weight problem and my favorite foods are donuts and pasta. I was once told that when I turned 40 all them donuts would show up on my hips, and soon I will be 50 and so far only a few have shown up. I've never been concerned about what people think about my clothes, my hair nor my weight. I only care about what I think about me. I spend every day trying to make other people happy and I that gives me great satisfaction. It's true too that I will go out of my way to eat something I am craving whether it's crab legs or a Spam sandwich. Last week I made a run to 7-11 just to pick up bologna! It seems I can eat alot at times. The only really concious thing is that I listen to my body. It says eat more vegetables sometimes and then I crave a salad. It's sometimes says I need some cookies and milk and I enjoy those too. It really depends because I really listen to my body. Sometimes it says walk around the block, get on your bike, do some heavy cleaning....but it really does tell me what I need to do. I love pasta, so it also tells me you're full...enough lasagna....I don't drink soda and not because it may make me fat, but because I got cavities! I'm a very busy person and always working on some project or another. Not necessarily physically, but mentally and emotionally. Too much bad stress causes me to eat less as I lose my appetite. Good stress can cause me to eat more, especially goodies. Here's the catch though, I am a heart patient with a stent. The reasoning...one day I actually relaxed and my body found time to get sick! I'll be 50 soon, and yes I'm an optimist! Only recently since having a hysterectomy have I begun to put on weight and be more aware of it. I hurt my knee and boy that changed some patterns. Anyway so much for all that....bottom line...your body does speak to you! SO LISTEN TO IT!

Comment by Martha said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:40:00 PM

Obviously we are missing the point here people...this article is keeping a positive mind.

Comment by Lovely said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:40:00 PM

When are we going to stop judging people's character on the basis of their body size? I thought eDiets was focused on fostering healthy attitudes. Mentally and physically healthy people come in all shapes and sizes. To correlate a person's mental health to a person's weight is absurd. Shame on you, eDiets for perpetuating these unhealthy attitudes!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:41:00 PM

I get the gist of the article.... however, I think it was taken a little too far. I think constantly thinking about your weight makes you depressed and miserable. I have to say,... one of the secrets I am in on! I threw away my scale about 2 years ago. I am much more content with my body. I'm not heavy, I work out, I have 2 legs that work, a mind that thinks, 2 arms to get hugs from the kids and I stopped obsessing about my weight. Yes, genetics can only get you so thin, then BE HAPPY with who you are!

I work out with alot of women that excercise, but don't really break a sweat, they get on the treadmill and walk, and walk, and talk, and talk... not enough ladies! You need to sweat! And they do the same thing over and over. Just keep mixing it up. Lay off the crap food and things will fall into place.

By the way, I also prayed for peace with myself image. It worked, imagine that!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:44:00 PM

Obviously thin doesn't make you happy and fat doesn't make you sad. Calories in and calories out is what usually works. However, I have to say that age and harmones along with genes really does have something to do with it all. I was a size 0-4 all my life. Gained 55 pounds with my pregancy and lost it all with very little difficulty. Could pretty much eat what I wanted. When I hit 40 I realized I had to start exercising to maintain that size and then dieting too. Now that I am in my 50's and fully menapausal, I know that harmones have something to do with it. I run 4 miles, 4 days a week and work out with weights and streching for 30 minutes 4 days a week. If I count my calories and stay within 1100-1225 calories a day I can stop gaining but I do not lose. I have pretty much given up trying to be a size 6 again. I don't think I can lose the 35 pounds that I have put on between the ages of 25 and 54 - most of them between 45 and 54.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:49:00 PM

I don't typically enter comments, but this article and the comments are a hoot! For a moment, I thought I was in a comedy zone!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:50:00 PM

Yea - I was naturally thin ~ in HS... give me a break... I've been to both ends of that world and back. The older you get - the more children you have - there is no such thing as "naturally thin"! No scale ~ give me a break ~ have you ever been into those homes of "naturally skinny" people? Whatever!!

Comment by shannon said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:50:00 PM

I am naturally thin and I think this whole article is bull

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:55:00 PM

I've never been thin a day in my life but I learned over time its not about fat or thin its about health. If I concentrate on having good health, I'll be beautiful and have a rich life at any weight.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:56:00 PM

Who the hell wrote this? What an idiot. They should be fired

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:56:00 PM

First let me state that I am a thin person so I must assume it comes naturally despite several of my siblings having weight problems & I consider this article to be of an inflammatory tone from the very beginning "You hate them." In the past I've enjoyed & applied many of your articles but this one should be have been filed in the "round" filing cabinet...

Whether Dr McCubbery blogged this crap or your staff isn't really clear but your staff needs to review what goes out before hitting send. I also take exception to placing the title of doctor on someone who is a weight issues specialist & licensed counselor... I could just as easily make such claims & get the licensure but you could rest assured if an article came from me it would certainly not be dribble like this...

Patty

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:57:00 PM

I can't believe ediets actually posted an article like this...it is crap!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:58:00 PM

Being a naturally thin person does not make you happy. Being happy is not dependent on the size of your body but on the state of your mind (which of course can be influence by the way you look ... if you let it).
I've always been thin or skinny and if I lose a couple pounds due to illness or such it takes forever (I mean years sometimes) to regain those lost pounds. When you don't have excess padding you feel everything when you sit or lie on a hard surface.
Once your healthy and not uncomfortable in your own skin then you should be happy. If your not STOP complaining and start acting by doing something about it.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:02:00 PM

what a crock, Dr. Mcchubby is a real quacko... Iam naturally chubby and just fine with it and seem to be doing ok...

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:05:00 PM

the article is saying only thin thinking folks will be happy. i know several naturally thin people, who are sad and depressed and do harmful things to themselves, like smoke and drink heavily. and they are naturally thin. myself, i was 20lbs overweight and now am at my "correct" weight-according to doctors and whatnot, and i am not any happier-yeah clothes fit better, but if i am having a "fat day" it ruins my freakin day. so as hard as i try to be "intuitive" regarding all aspects of health, i am going to have many unhappy depressed days-whether im heavier or lighter. hopefully all of us using this ediets, can see beyond close mindedness such as this and keep on keeping on....

Comment by jazzercizer said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:05:00 PM

Wow - this article elicited quite a response! I have always had to work at keeping a healthy weight. Sometimes were harder than others. I had two close friends who were always thin. I used to be fascinated by their lack of concern with weight and we had many conversations about this. One friend was a nervous type and always stressed. This caused her to lose her appetite. The other friend actually didn't enjoy eating. He said he ate only when he had to for fuel. Does either of these people sound self-actualized?

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:10:00 PM

I am fascinated by both the article and the vituperative comments, wow !

Its taken me 51 years to discover, and I have faced three life-altering health issues, but I finally figured it out:

1. You are going to be precisely as happy in this life as you decide to be.
2. Life is 90 percent circumstance (over which you have no control) and 10 percent attitude(which no one nor thing can take away from you)
3.Each of us has a health that is unique to us, such that one thing you enjoy might kill the person sitting across from you.
4.The good die young, but pricks live forever (thank you, Lewis Black)
5)You are going to be as happy in this life as you decide to be.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:11:00 PM

I agree with all of the most of the others that this article was crap. I, too, cannot believe that ediets would print this. I have recently lost a few pounds due to my new golden retriever puppy. Walking her has enabled me for the first time in my life, even after joining gyms and exercising obsessively and dieting strenuously, to eat whatever I want and not gain weight. The difference is that I seldom have time to sit down. Maybe my puppy and I should write an article for ediets.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:15:00 PM

To the poster who is approaching 50, has never had a weight problem, and who's favourite food is donuts and pasta, I say "give it time, baby, give it time!" I too never had a weight problem - was around 100 lbs from age 14 to 40-something. Ate what I wanted, when I wanted. Never exercised if I could help it. I always thought the "secret" (apart from thin genes) was that I never ate when I wasn't hungry. After a hysterectomy in mid-forties, I put on a few pounds, but still nothing to worry about. At 50 I was still slim, albeit somewhat more rounded. I have never changed the way I eat - yet now, at age 58 I find myself with about 18 extra pounds that came out of nowhere and need to be dealt with. I thought the article was hogwash.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:16:00 PM

THIS ONE STRUCK A NERVE! I couldn't get through all of the comments. What I did notice is how many of you failed to get the big picture...

Don't worry about the numbers as much as how you're feeling. BE HAPPY AND HEALTHLY in life! The "size 0-4 depending on the cut"; sounds like bragging to me. Queen Latifa is beautiful. I'm not sure why that one even came up. We should find balance and moderation in all things, happiness (rather than disappointment) will help us exercise some will-power over the things that make us unhappy. That's my take. Hope you find it useful. xoxo

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:17:00 PM

This article is just plain HORRIBLE! ediets should write a HUGE apology article explaining WHY they are wrong and what they are going to do to change their views.
wow! The credibility of ediets just got lower... I thought that would be impossible!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:18:00 PM

This article is real crap like everyone else said. I don't obsess about dieting at all, nor do I obsess about my weight - do I like that I'm obese?? Nope.. but no matter what I do nothing changes.. so.. maybe thin people are born with something in their make up that those of us with weight issues were not.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:18:00 PM

Thur. Jan. 24 10pm comment summed it up..
Happiness is a state of mind. Thin folks are not the happiest nor are the fattest the most depressed. I've been thin and no one treated me any different than carrying my heaviest weight. I'm secure with myself and happy with myself thick or thin.
I could not believe what i was reading..LMAO!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:21:00 PM

I've trained a lot of people that were naturally thin until they had a baby, or hit 40. Things change in your life and body as we get older. Our habits need to change if we want to stay thin. The "naturally" thin people that I train, that have kids and are in their 30's, 40's and 50's, have these three things going for them:
1) They are positive about their own self image and know they are in good shape.
2) They work their ass off in the gym or on the road (biking, running or walking).
3) They eat healthy: Lean protein, fruits and vegetables with little process foods.

In my opinion you don't need 7 secrets, you only need 3.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:25:00 PM

What is this list about? Like "Naturally Thin" people are all the same Barbie-type doll? I dislike the overuse of the word intuitive too, give me a break. Like they are just intrinsically blessed with the ability to be thin? For real? And the comment at the beginning about hating naturally thin people. I am not thin, never have been. As if their lives are somehow more important or valid than mine? I wouldn't trade my stretchmarks for the experience of giving birth to my daughter for all the money or "thinness" in the world. Maybe I am not the one who needs to be told to think intuitively, maybe they need to stop focusing on outward appearance. Self esteem should not be ruled by your appearance, we are all different and that is great!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:26:00 PM

I was thinking about using eDiets to lose some weight, but after reading the text, I'm disturbed and offended. What narrow-minded, self-aggrandizing crap. Seriously, defensive much, writer? Hurrah for you that you're so marvelously happy -- and that in itself is so extremely rare, regardless of your size -- but please accept my own experience. I've met lots of chubby happy people, I've many naturally slender happy people, but I have never encountered a more miserable, self-loathing herd of biyatches than unnaturally skinny people. Like I told the anorexic 7th grader at the school where I work: there are worse things than being fat; for example, you could be an A-hole.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:27:00 PM

I have recently lost 35 pounds and it was just excercise and eating smaller portions. I do not believe being fat is all geneticsbecause I come from a rather large family on both sides. Growing up, we rarely ate out and never had fast food. My child hood was spent skinny. I moved away and started eating out because it was easier than cooking and gained about 50 pounds in a hurry. After I noticed I stopped the fast food and cold drinks and went back to healthy eating and portion control. "SURPRISE" I lost weight!!! All of you who say they dont eat sweets, it is not all about that, I eat what ever I want I just dont eat like a pig. I wanted to lose it I didnt just say it. You have to burn more than you consume in a day to get it off. Get active and push away from the table more often.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:28:00 PM

Naturally thin people don't have to worry about their weight because they are naturally thin! AND they are lucky to be the shape that this society worships! If I ate like a naturally thin person, I would gain weight because I am naturally fat and have been so all my life. In order to lose weight I have to suffer. Get real!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:29:00 PM

Miracle diet / guide to a healthier life :

Eat natural (unprocessed) foods.

Eat smaller portions.

Eat mostly plants.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:30:00 PM

I usually don't post comments on articles, but this one got to me, as did most everyone else who read it. As I read through the article, I couldn't help but think that good metabolism is what helps most "naturally" thin people stay that way. Anyone can be happy and have good self-esteem, no matter what their body type. I maintained my weight by exercising and watching what I ate, but over the past few years, I have gained about 15 pounds and like myself just as much, if not even more, because everyone around me accepts me for who I am and doesn't pressure me to get back to a size 10. Kudos to those who have been amazed by this supposed professional article, no matter what your size!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:32:00 PM

I never respond to articles...but this one is such crap that I had to put my two cents in. Its crap.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:33:00 PM

I read the 7 secret of a naturally thin person. I found it to be really insulting. I think with a article like this; this is why there are a lot of people with eating disorders. Trying to be thin so they can have a life of false happiness like the entertainers that they see on TV. But how happy can they be if they committing suicide and self destructing their lives. Have you did any observation about your statement? Have you talk with a naturally thin person and a person that is overweight to determining their life happiness, their everyday life habits. But, before you can write such a asinine article, first you need to due thorough research and first realize how this my affect readers.

Comment by Amanda said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:42:00 PM

While I do agree that is is VERY important to be "intuative" with your body. It's not going to make you become a "naturally" skinny person and happy. This article is bullshit. I have been skinny and happy and I've been heavy and happy. Intuative with my body on both degrees - Like right now. I'm more intuative and in a better place in my life than I have been before...even eating BETTER than when I was skinny....but I'm not losing weight very fast at all - if ANY at all.

I think this article is misleading people and is making heavier people think there is something wrong themselves. This article is NO help to anyone, skinny or heavy. This author seems like a flake to me. What's next....psychic connections???

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:53:00 PM

Although this article does maybe put too much of a pretty bow around thin people, I have to say that I agree with the gist of what the author is saying (and I'm not a naturally thin person, either). She's basically saying that you need to not think so much about food. Our society has become extremely food crazed - a heck of a lot more so than other countries. That said, we are constantly focused on the scale. Instead we need to just eat when we are hungry (not when we have an appetite but when we are physically hungry). That's tough to do, but there is a very small percentage of people who I think can do that. They also do listen to their bodies and what their bodies need. I have always struggled with my weight, but during the times that I am thinner, I become good at listening to my body. I have learned to recognize that craving a certain food means that you are craving the nutrients in that food - whether it is more protein or fat, or certain vitamins that are found in foods. I totally agree that emotions and genetics also play a role in eating. It makes things that much tougher to make "listening to your body" harder. Anyways, just my two cents.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:53:00 PM

if they're naturally then, that is their secret! they have nothing to do with it; it's innate.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:56:00 PM

Naturally thin people are thin because...they're naturally thin. And guess what? Anorexics are thin...how happy do you think they are??

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:57:00 PM

Comment by Art from LA said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:59:00 PM

I just finished reading your article on "thinness through intuitive living". I must say, I understood and agreed with all of it. I am such a person.

Unfortunately, I doubt that too many others will agree with what's written here.

It takes things to a different level, a level that's not easy to understand let alone accept for the average person - I don't mean that as a putdown. Can the average person understand quantum physics?

Just watch I get ripped and ridiculed for that comparison.

I think the point is that more slender people generally lead healthier lives (emotionally, mentally and physically) and more obese people generally do not - on average. And I'll allow a few extra pounds here and there for age and motherhood - that's not obese.

So, I'd say that on average this article is basically correct. But from what I can see from these comments, it's pissed a lot of people off.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:00:00 PM

hehehehehe

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:01:00 PM

what i believe is that continously stressing over anything whether weight or anything about life gets you nowhere but makes a situation worse. This is not limited to weight, your outlook does have a major impact as it is said you are what you think. However alot of this is still crap about naturally thin people. It has to do with the individual on a whole not whether you are naturally thin.Many naturally thing peopole wish they could gain weight and suffer the reverse.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:03:00 PM

Looking at these comments I feel bad for the ones writing it and for the writer for attempting to bring about something positive...that went wrong. What he was attempting to get across is that if you love and respect yourself...you can honestly think yourself thin. Worrying about it and weighing yourself everyday will lead to depression and weight gain...and give yourself permission to give up.

If you've never read the book "The Secret", that would be a good step to your own success. They talk about the law of attraction. If you think of yourself as a "fatty" you are a fatty. If you think of yourself as a wonderful person with many qualities in yourself and life...you will be that!

You are what you think you are. Spend some time today thinking of what is so awesome about yourself rather than what's wrong with everyone else!

Comment by Sherry said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:08:00 PM

I am surprised that ediets would tout this kind of misleading information. People drive themselves nuts trying to follow the "guidance" of each new weight loss guru that comes down the pike-making lotsa bucks off the books they sell. It is not intuition or intuitive eating that makes naturally thin people thin; it's their thin genes that keep them in their thin jeans. Most of us have to work VERY hard to get thin, and even harder to stay that way. That advice is baaaaaad.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:09:00 PM

I did not get "heavy" until my mid 40`s & i quit smoking. I could eat anything i wanted, NEVER exercised..just wait your day will come no matter how thin you "THINK."

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:10:00 PM

I'm just annoyed at the amount of spelling errors in all these comments. How about learn how to type?

Comment by Michelle said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:10:00 PM

I think what this article so clumsily attempts to say is that people who are naturally thin (read..at a individually ideal weight) have a non-neurotic approach to food and eating that involves portion control, healthy food choices, etc. Of course, the reason that such practices, which should be intuitive, are not, is that the mentality of over-consumption, marketing and unbound capitalism have perverted food and the act of eating. There is not a genetic or biological reason for the obesity epidemic in the US...only a behavioral/cultural one. We also need to move away from the idea of "thiness" to one of healthy weight.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:13:00 PM

OMG who worte this crap. Genetics are why naturally thin people are thin. You aren't thin because you're happy and positive. All fat people are sad and all skinny people are happy? Jeez what's Oprah's problem? If I made 8 milliom a year I'd be so happy and thin that a slight breeze would blow me a way.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:14:00 PM

Actually I agree with a lot of what the author said. When I think of "naturally thin" people I think of people like my sister. I think she is described in the 7 steps. She is very active and works on a farm. She loves being busy and her house is immaculate. Yes, I've hated her for most of my life - ha. She will eat ONE burrito from Taco Bell. I will buy 7. She will eat one Hersey's kiss. I'll munch on the rest of the bag. She is a very confident person even though her life is not perfect. I think she tends to be the nervous type but not about food and that's where she and I differ. I use foot as a comforter, she does not. Will she eat Christmas cookies? Yes, at Christmas and maybe 3 but she'll spread them out during the day. I think she values her ability to get around and be very physical. I truly think she is the type the author is talking about and, since I was about 14 years old, I have been the opposite and in various forms of "fat mode." I really think it's because we each have a different attitude about food and what we each want from food.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:15:00 PM

I'm naturally thin.. and this IS a bunch of CRAP!!!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:16:00 PM

WOW I know thin people who are miserable and fat people who are very happy. Did the author research anything they wrote?? Or was it all made up. God made us all different. Many factors affect weight and just because your thin does not mean you are happy or perfect and no not all "FATTIES" are sad!! Get a grip and give us an article we can actually use!!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:16:00 PM

The biggest secret of naturally thin people is they have "thin" DNA. It's their nature to be thin.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:18:00 PM

This article is completely retarded! McCubbrey is obviously not as intelligent as she thinks she is...otherwise she wouldn't have put her name on this crap! lol You want some real advice? Ok, here it is... This is what I did to manage my weight and be thin. I went on The Master Cleanser for 10 days, and then I slowly started eating again...like vegetable soup for the first day or two.. Now I'm pretty much on a raw food diet. I eat organic fruits and vegetables, sometimes I eat steamed vegetables and I use my George Foreman grill for lean chicken and fish. I eat 5-6 small portions a day, I do 30 min of yoga in the morning, and I kickbox twice a week. Am I happier? Yes, I am...but I firmly believe that being thin has nothing to do with it...eating healthy and exercising however has everything to do with it. So my advice.. Detox your body and get rid of all this crap you have in your system, and then start a healthy diet. At first it isn't easy, but if you make sure you always have healthy snacks at hand, like grapes, baby carrots, almonds, little tomatoes etc, then it's easier to control because you can just eat that whenever you feel hungry. It's hard at first, but you will get used to it and then it will be easy and you won't crave all these crappy foods anymore. Good luck everybody!

Comment by haley said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:20:00 PM

I think that for most women this article was kind of depressing. If you were not satisfied with your weight, and you never have been, reading this article just made the fantasy of thin people having perfect lives seem real. Yes there are many thin women who love their bodies and have good lives, but i promise you they have their part in problems and trials too. I hate the fact that the media today has put it out to women that they have to look a certain way to be beautiful! Believe me, as a teen, (yea im only 15), it totally sucks! I cant imagine what the standards are for the "older" women! (i mean older than me) I think that the women of this generation need to stand up for who they are! and announce to the world, "I am beautiful for who I am! And NOBODY can change that!" If the pressure of being beautiful 24/7 is lifted off the shoulders of the women of the world, it would make life a whole lot easier. I think we all just need to put on our sweat pants and t-shirts, put our hair in a ponytail and just make the best of our lives now! Not worry about the weight we want to lose. Dont get me wrong ladies, i know its hard just to not care about your outside appearance anymore, but lets try to do it in a more logical and realistic way.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:20:00 PM

You're kidding, right? As someone who has lost over 100 pounds, and who was happy with her appearance, before, during and after the weight loss, also happy with my life and had more stamina than most people I know, let me tell you: the secret to keeping your weight down when you tend to pack it on big time is to count calories, count exercise, weigh and measure yourself, and read the labels. Sometimes I am actually hungry. But I am now healthy and I'm still not at what CDC considers the ideal weight, but it's ok. I am no longer obese. And none of it was "natural." It was hard work, attention, planning, and self denial. Period.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:20:00 PM

To address "Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:03:00 PM" -- I THINK I'M RICH! THINK I'M RICH! THINK I'M RICH! THINK I'M RICH! THINK I'M RICH! THINK I'M RICH! THINK I'M RICH! THINK I'M RICH! THINK I'M RICH! THINK I'M RICH!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:25:00 PM

You notice changes when you hit 40? You just wait till you hit 70! And it gets much harder to get out of the chair, let alone exercise without doing your knees in.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:27:00 PM

I have been an ediet member for a little over a month now and have not felt the need to open any of the other emails I receive, but this email subject line was surprising to me because it did seem out of character so I opened it and read it and wanted to gag when I read the 7 secrets because it was not the first time I had heard this philosophical approach to body size and eating habits. I was surprised to see it on ediets. I have been equally thin and overweight and I can say it did not have to do with being more intuitive because I intuitively knew I was eating too much and decided that I was not ready to eat differently. Weight size and gain or loss is very individual for thin or overweight people. I will be very curious and watch very closely how and if ediets responds to the overwhelming response to this article.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:36:00 PM

who gives a blink? I am a new grandmother today. that's where my happiness is.

Comment by Reena said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:54:00 PM

I am surprised by the amount of negativity on this thread, as I find much of what is written here to be absolutely correct. The authors differentiate between being 'thin' and being 'naturally thin'. Yes, some people are thin and very unhappy. But those who are really satisfied and happy with their lives naturally tend to be thinner-- not because they are focusing on their weight, but rather because they have more exciting things to do with their lives rather than sit and overeat. They are more active. This has been the truth in my own life, as whenever I have gotten excited about things or people in my own life (such as falling in love, going back to school, getting a new career)I have automatically started losing weight because I became busy and wasn't overeating so much. I think there is a lot of truth here, if people look honestly at it.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:56:00 PM

I almost never post responses, but I found this article so meaningless, pretentious, and negative regarding weight and body image that I am angry. Thanks to all who have posted very direct and/or creative responses to this high-handed tripe. People who wish to lose weight are not inferior spiritually, mentally, intuitively, etc., to those who do not wish to lose weight. Thin people are not necessarily magic beings whose perfect alignment with the cosmos is to be envied and emulated. What a big load of nonsense.

Comment by DebisusanneiscurrentlyBMIyellow said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:58:00 PM

lol.. i cant read anymore.. Do you all know that 60% of the population is OBESE???Its the fast food diet of america .. :)).. Seriously.. if i smoke 2 packs of cigarettes and do a lil crack.. id be thin>> :)).. and i think that diet plan would work better than "intuition".. :))

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:59:00 PM

I've been living this way for the past six months, and I've ballooned from 178lbs to 182, and the scales keep going up. I've given it it's chance. yes, I feel happy about myself, and I have a happy life. I eat intuitively, and I know what I want. But apparently it's just not good enough for my body. I didn't even realize I was gaining this weight! I stepped on a scale today, and said, "this has to stop." it's not healthy. So while it may work for some people (who knows, naturally thin people may just have the Luck), it doesn't for me.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 6:13:00 PM

ha ha...this is pretty funny. I think the point of the article that the author sort of veered off from is that while those of us with weight to lose may envy "naturally thin" people, most "naturally thin" people have to work to stay thin. They have just incorporated healthy habits into their lifestyle so it's "natural." I have noticed that "naturally thin" people tend to take the stairs, maintain regular workout schedules, enjoy physical activities more than seentary ones, and tend not to snack, or choose to snack on things like nuts and apples in small amounts.

There are certainly people we all know who can eat entire pizzas, never get off the couch, and never gain a pound. And there are those who watch everything they eat, exercise religiously, and can't drop an ounce.

For most of us, though, we don't realize how much we are eating, and we don't exercise as much as we think we do.

I agree the article is a bit bizarre. I think the key point is that "naturally thin" people are the ones who train for marathons for the challenge, who go on cross country bike tours for the experience, etc. and engage in weight loss behavior without constantly thinking about it like that. Their fun is our DIET.

Unfortunately, I think some people are geared to like whole grains, egg whites, and running and others really prefer snuggling up to a movie with a bucket of popcorn.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 6:14:00 PM

This is the worst article I have read!!!!!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 6:29:00 PM

I am 52 years old,5'5", 128 pounds. I was very fat as a child and I try to keep my weight down. I eat what I want within reason, including dessert. I exercise a little, most days. I find that psychologically, I am still a fat person. I was called every insult there is for overweight people as I was growing up, and those thoughts are always in the back of my mind. Some people are hostile because I am not overweight like most people. I was asking a woman to hold an elevator for me at the hospital yesterday and asked if there was room for me. She replied, "You're skinny, I hate you for that, but there's room." She wasn't joking! It was said in a hostile manner and there were other people with her. Talk about an embarassing ride on that elevator. Overweight people are not bad people and thinner people are not superior. We just need to treat everyone with respect regardless of how much or little they weigh.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 6:30:00 PM

I am shocked that the author could make such sweeping statements about the psyche and emotional health of naturally thin people! It is a gross misstatement to state that naturally thin people don't think about their weight, or that they are any happier in their sense of "self" or in their everyday lives. What if a naturally thin person actually thinks they are too thin? What if they worry constantly about trying to gain weight in order to attain more "curves" instead of being stick thin? Or in order to actually be at a more healthy weight for their height and body type? To assume, and state!, that a naturally thin person is actually at the ideal weight is unconscionable for any health practitioner, especially in a public forum like this where some one may actually take what the author has to say seriously! And that same person may actually think that the author's other statements are true as well. I think that it was terribly inappropriate that this author is actually touting themselves as being an expert in this field!

Comment by Scylla said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 6:39:00 PM

I read the article and I really appreciate all the comments. I thought I might be the only one who didn't appreciate the advice. I'm a bit overweight, but I don't focus a lot on it. When I subscribed to ediets, I thought I'd get some interesting advice that I could use. This article was useless to me. Didn't someone read it before it was sent out to us?

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 6:41:00 PM

I find this article not only quite offensive but extremely inaccurate.

Where might I ask did this doctor receive her medical degree??

Being thin, being medium, being on the more portly side. It is often not only a matter of how you view yourself, but what is relative.

I wear 144 pounds, and gained 20 in the last several months due to some depression (losing 3 our of 4 parents) as well as quitting smoking.

I work out in our gym at our office. First time I have done yoga in a gym, however I am enjoying it.

I am only 5'2' and I believe myself to be very heavy. My partner who rides a stationery bike while I do my floor routine, is a full sized lady. Very pretty and confident. She said to me, hey what size do you wear...??? a 12 or maybe 14??? Then she said people that are my weight are trying to get to your weight, and it is our dream....

So there ya go. It's all relative. It's our perceptions of ourselves that is far more accurate in assessing our weight, than an inaccuracy of saying that thin people intuitively know what when how etc.

I have know some pretty nasty people in my life time who have been both heavier and thinner and I do not believe for a minute that naturally thin people are somehow as the doc suggested better.

Working everyday to become a better person, I believe is far more important than the triviality of worrying about one's weight.

Being happy, healthy and fit, achieving a balanced lifestyle between home and work, liking yourself, even if you don't love yourself. These are goals that I believe are noble for all of us to achieve.

Not 110 pounds and 5'6"

Regards,

Rustybite
Calgary, Alberta
Canada

Comment by givenflower said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 6:57:00 PM

Hi everyone, I would just like to say if we keep a positive mind and do some of the things we want to do we will be happier. I myself have had a horrible weight problem, I gave up a few years ago trying to lose weight. Since, I have lost 50 lbs. I know that being thinner will help my health and I dream of having good health, so if I can think of positive ways to approach that goal it is alot more likely to come. Brenda T.

Comment by Stephanie Anne said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 7:05:00 PM

Genetics play a large, a very large part in all of this... I have a low cholesterol of a teenager and low blood pressure, and it's the way my mother was. But, I am over 50 and certainly not a thin person by any means...

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 7:06:00 PM

I think the appropriate thing eDiets can do at this point is APPOLOGIZE for publishing this article, to TAKE IT DOWN OFF THE WEB, and to instead author a responsible article that doesn't leave the majority of eDiets clients feeling that a the owner of an online community that is supposed to understand and support them, instead further perpetuates all sorts of horrible stereotypes and leaves the reader feeling hopeless and further alienated from those without weight problems.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 7:18:00 PM

This is the wrost article I've ver read. Many people who are not thin have fulfilling, successfull lives. Your size is not by any means the only or biggest influence on how you perceive you life. Its how ythink abou it. And whats this about "thin people can have meaningful relationships", Oh because theres noooo way anyone would be in love with a bigger person. My god this whole thing just made me sick.

Comment by Andrea said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 7:21:00 PM

I do realize the intentions of ediets in posting this article, as I've read similar in the past. HOWEVER, in my work as a pharmacist and diabetes educator (and as a person who fights a daily battle to stay healthy via maintaining a healthy diet and daily exercise) I can tell you that most naturally thin "happy" people are blessed with good genes. Often, as they age, they do have to make some dietary or exercise adjustments to keep up their metabolic rate, however not as much as they "rest" of us.

The one consolation I have found is that the "rest" of us already know how to exercise and eat properly and are not suddenly faced with making lifestyle changes later in life. We have the proper tools and often have better metabolic parameters than most "thin" people due to our perpensity to healthy diet and exercise.

ROCK ON WITH YOUR HEALTHY LIFESTYLE!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 7:25:00 PM

It really has to do with appetite. If your body's appetite is "normal," or the amount of food you crave naturally will maintain an ideal weight (whatever that is to you), then by all means "listen to your body." But most people's appetites "ask for" a level of food much greater than that which maintains an ideal weight. In fact, our appetites generally "grow" with our weight. So, for most people "listening to your body" is like giving into a spoiled child: you will eat more than your really need and you will gain weight. I'm waiting for therapies that *effectively* target appetite, because if that is turned off or down, weight loss could then be easier. (And I believe most "appetite suppressants" are useless.) In the long run, it is what you eat vs. what you burn, regardless of your "attitude."

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 7:31:00 PM

This article is a big B.S. and crap. There are just very few really good and meaningful articles in these days. Some people are thin and others are full boddied. The GOD made us all different and that is good. You can't change your genes but you can get happy from within. Nobody's happines comes from the size of jeans. I am not promoting an extreme obesity. I just know a lot of fat happy and healthy people and I also know some very unhappy and ill "naturally" thin people. We all should be looking to achieve a healthy body rather than "thin" body. Each of us has a different "ideal" weight. Please give me a brake with "naturally thin thinking".

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 7:40:00 PM

For the 70 yr. old with questionable knees - as well as all those who are overweight and a tad angry about the "naturally thin" BS! I am 70 yrs. old, 5'1", 112 lbs., live alone, work full time, garden like crazy, work out 3-5 days a week (weight training and cardio.) I watch my diet very closely and I know that if I didn't adhere to these rigid livestyle choices I would be OLD and Flobby! I would also have difficulty getting out of a chair, however my lifestyle does not allow me to get into the chair in the first place. I'm going on 71 and I actually do not feel more than 40; strangers think I'm in my 50s. I truly believe that our overall health is so much more important than being "thin". If we take care of our physical & mental upkeep, we could all keep our figures, physical stamina, youthful appearance and most important our health way longer than you can immagine! It does take some effort but, try it, you'll like it - I promise!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 7:49:00 PM

Ugh!!!!!
I read the article with great interest thinking it would be informative and relevant. It was not.

I, as many above, just am so very tired of "therapists", Phd's in some easy program, in some rinky dink school running around calling themselves "Dr." I am New England born but moved here to CA in 1983 for law school and never managed to get back.

I truly am so weary of this kind of CRAP in articles like this, which eventually morph into books, which morph into seminars, which morph into these people being held up as "specialists" shown on TV who tell America how they should be living.

But more importantly, these people and their truckloads of crap are truly dangerous: Most of us are trying desperately to just live our all-too-complicated lives. Some of us do it somehow, and I'm afraid all too imperfectedly, but we manage and WE JUST DO IT! But some of us fall under the wheels of the grinding everyday drudge and grasp for ANY help we can find. That is when some of us turn to this kind of crap for guidance or gospel, depending on how desperately we have fallen. And what is out there to help? This totally unsupported tripe. Some of us swallow this kind of crap whole and find ourselves more lacking,not thin, not rich, not fullfilled, sleep-deprived, and just plain bone-exhausted: In all ways possible.

This kind of crap creates its own gutter.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 8:02:00 PM

Well I am a woman and i stand 5'8" and weigh 135 lbs. i was not born thin, there was a point in my life when i reached 170 lbs. and worked my BUTT off to loose it.I do agree with the article it offers alot of tips on how to maintain a certain weight and shed some pounds also. Matter of fact all the guidelines on there I follow myself. Society influences women so much on how to look and whats acceptable and not. But overall we all just want happiness in our lives. All women are beautiful and we all come in different shapes, color, and sizes...Ladies dont forget the volomptous MARILYN MONROE (R.I.P.) was a size 12 and she had guys bowing down and kissing her feet any time of the day!!!

~CIAO~
~MZ.EXXXQUISITE~

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 8:05:00 PM

You know, the simplifications this author makes of genuine medical problems completely spits in the face of the medical community. This is not someone I would want counseling me in anything, and reads as if written but yet another self-absorbed, clueless, quasi-intellectual. Genetics do matter. Addiction is real. If we believe this author, we should also believe that we should just tell those addicted to drugs and alcohol to just "think positive" and you can will yourself into recovery. Food is a serious addiction for many people, just as alcohol and drugs are to others. While there IS power in "think to win," how dare this author reduce what for many is a genuine illness to simply a matter of bad mindset.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 8:09:00 PM

Ya I agree this author is full of s--t. Must be so bored had to say some thing stupid..

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 8:20:00 PM

I dated someone for several years who was 6-4, 190, muscular and never worked out---just ate pizza and pasta and fast food---in his late 40s---and never gained an ounce. I work out 5x a week and follow basically the "Clean eating" 30/30/40 type eating plan, see a nutritionist, and a trainer, and struggle to maintain my weight every day. Pizza is poison as far as my body is concerened, but I could no more think myself thin than I could srout wings and fly to the moon. And yes, I tried hypnotherapy and the Secret and all of that. I'm seper successful and mostly thrilled about everything but my butt. Individual humans are as different as different dog breeds, you're a cocker spaniel, I'm a sheltie, he's a weiner dog, dr. McChubby is a jack russell. I've been fat, lost 80 lbs with Herculean effort and a highly compensated team of experts, and have kept most of it off for 5 years. But I'll never be thin or naturally thin or even slender. Every day is a fight. Yeah, my thyroid doesn't go, yeah I'm on medication for it, but it's neither a magic bullet nor an excuse to fill my face with cheesey gooey comfort food. For me, I can find some peace in realizing I'm never going to be a Greyhound, and I can't eat what they do, never exercise, and be a size 6. I'm just different. I have to work like a dog to stay just this side of chubby. But after 6 years with a trainer, I can kick any skinny chick's ass!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 8:30:00 PM

Im 38 yrs old and a mother of three...5ft6inches and weigh in at 123pds...so yes I'm physically fit. I'ma fitness trainer so I guess my job keeps me in shape and I pretty well eat what I want, when I want.....but ask me if I'm happy....answers NO....just because your thin doesn't mean that you don't have problems or weight issues. I have problems and weight issues, eventhough I'm thin, so the article is a bunch a crap!!!!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 8:30:00 PM

..thin is work and does not give you the key to happiness..in the age of sit and work, sit and drive, sit and surf the internet, ...yada yada - sit sit sit -- and no time - although enjoying the workout and food choices can become a habit - thin is work - and due to the standard of living we created for ourselves - unnatural. we do not physically 'work' for much - only mentally - moving and appropriately eating become reduced to another daily chore unless the mindset is there to enjoy it...

sincerely - been fat, been anorexic, been bulimic, been a bodybuilding workout freak - been old and tired and just don't care anymore, been diseased and sick - been recovering - over it - being myslef now, look at pics where I still was not happy ans wonder now - why - but wish I was in better shape and don't have the time.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 8:31:00 PM

LOL, okay this is bullshit. I am a college student and i can tell you that most of the people that i hear complaining about being overweight are the skinny people. I am somewhat skinny and very unhappy about my weight. I think about my weight 24/7. I know people that are bigger than me and they are happier with their body that i have EVER been with mine. So no, skinny people are not happier, they just know how to vomit more and abuse laxatives. Man this was a waste of time.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 8:33:00 PM

This article wasn't worth the time it took to read it. I expected better from ediets.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 8:48:00 PM

you are an idiot.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 8:49:00 PM

I have just read all the negative opinions. I think the article is right.
I was diagnosed as Type 2 Diabetes in March. I went to the first class which emphasized the Canada Food Rules, low fat, low sugar foods. I did this and did some walking and lo and behold lost 20 lbs in 3 months. I could not continue the walking but have not gained any weight back. I have learned what foods my body needs and that it wants. I can eat anything I desire and have learned how much will satisfy me without over doing it.
"I have no Restrictions only Limititations"

My body knows how much it needs and so do I. I have not been healthier and happier in the last year. I have a more positive attitude towards life and feel great all the time. I get over the cold, yes I still get them, very quickly and am not as sick as all the other people in my workplace.

I will continue to let my body tell me what it wants and do it.

Keep up the good work.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 9:48:00 PM

We are all so different. Why should we all be one shape? Love what you are, love what you eat, love what you do. I have always been a thin person around 100 lbs and 5 feet 3. I have had two kids, worked 12 hour days and ate lots and lots of whatever I wanted. (Love bags of candy) I quit my job, get to stay at home with my kids, and am now chub chub chubby. I gained 30 lbs the first 3 months after I quit. I am 35 and okay with my weight. I was not a postive happy person when I was little. I am now. Oh, the only thing I dislike about my body...my size 9 feet!!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 9:54:00 PM

Yeah - the first commentor was clearly being sarcastic, and was funny and insightful. One thing people are alluding to in their comments is age as a factor. I know that I gained weight when I became menopausal and then post-menopausal.

Another factor can be medications; some induce weight gain and it is hard to get it off, takes a lot of work, including keeping track of what you eat, not blissfully" being able to ignore that.

While I _did_ find some value in some of the points in the piece, the implication that "naturally thin" people have it altogether and the rest of us don't is more "blaming the victim." Not helpful at all! Send us better articles that are sensitive to the needs of those of us who need to lose weight for health reasons. I basically didn't care about the fact that I was "fat" - I don't like the term "overweight" - overwhat?! It was only when I realized that it was going to increase my chances of diabetes, heart attack, etc. that I really started doing something about it. BTW, yeah, I've lost 12 pounds in 5 months - which I think is sensible and great - I eat a the Mayo Clinic heart friendly diet and watch my salt intake - and I never "waited" for my life to be good, or my clothes to be great, til I "got thin"!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 10:08:00 PM

Hi everyone -
There is a book out there called "Intuitive Eating" which proposes some of the things this article is writing about. After reading it, I agreed in principle that diets don't work and thinking like a thin person was the secret, so tried it. I thought positively about myself, didn't worry about dieting or counting calories, didn't step on a scale for 4 weeks and ate what I thought my body wanted and tried to stop when I was full. Guess what...I gained 10 pounds. Maybe this could work for some people, but it is too dangerous for those of us who have struggled with weight all our lives... back to the gym and keeping a food journal for me!

Comment by Liza said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 10:29:00 PM

This article takes a group of people and stereotypes them to all be one way! And it doing so idolizes them. That is crap. You can't say all naturally thin people are happy or that they don't think about it. If extensive research were done on this, I guarantee you would find just as many happy fat people as you do happy thin. There are so many kind of naturally thin people I know of some worry, so don't some workout some don't, some can eat whatever they want because they have great genes, some just don't care about food. And stressig over calories isn't always bad. For some people counting calories and worrying about weight is the very thing that makes them very happy. That is what is great we are all so DIFFERENT!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 10:31:00 PM

Oh please, get over yourselves! To all of the people who are trying to blame their weight on DNA or genetics, then where were all the obese people 30-40 years ago when I was growing up? When the world had less take out, and more exercise from mandatory PE in our school systems. Then being overweight was the exception, not the rule. Now we live in a society of supersized meals, in the car, with kids parked in front of video games for hours on end. With the elimination of recess and gym class, and more sedentary lifestyles, we have an ever expanding waistline to show for it. How exactly is that DNA or genetics? While I do understand that there are medical conditions and that SOME people do have a predisposition to carry extra weight, it is not such that 75% (yes, check the current statistics people) would be overweight to obese in this country. This generation is the first that is actually on tract to have a shorter life expectance than the previous one, due to the health problems, most caused by being over weight. How sad.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 10:35:00 PM

This very sad..If the key to being happy is just believing you it, I should be a toothpick. I have 60 pounds to loose, but I am not going to just "think Happy thoughts" and the eat that extra twinkie. This is not secret to being thin...its just nonsense and someone lucky enough to have a good metabolism.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 10:50:00 PM

I think that many of you bloggers are overreacting. First of all, have any of you offered an accurate description of what it means to be "thin"? NO. And neither did the author of this article. You know why??? Because "thin" is a matter of perspective. The impression I'm getting is that many of you believe that thin = supermodel skinny. Anyway, the point of this article is to get you thinking. Why else would it be so vague? I don't think anyone should be jumping to any conclusions unless they have done research on the author's research. The article is mainly about feeling positive about your self image (as some of you have mentioned). If you're not thin and you've done everything you can to get to where you want to be... just get over it. I'm not thin and I've accepted the fact that I never will be. I'm not fat either but I can still sympathize with those wishing they were skinny. Be happy with what God gave you and you'll be better off in the long run.

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 10:54:00 PM

Same here, If don't watch the scale. I gain. Bummer

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 10:57:00 PM

of couse you can think thin......its all in the mind....i get sick in the stomach when i see HUGE OVER WEIGHT people at fast food places....they should be banned.....obbesiety is a worldwide eppidimic....and a huge huge strain on our medical systems.....most fat people play the victom card.....prehaps if you faced your problems in life rather than raiding the fridge or finishing that whole paket of crisps the world would be a better place.....we have the power to change that in life which makes us unhappy.....its called a gym membership, a personal trainer and some good nutrition.....

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 11:00:00 PM

btw ive lost 40 pounds and ppl call me thin & skinney im worrying constenly of my wieght all the time let me tell u something i think i was more happyier and more carefree wheni was over wieght so if ur ur on a diet take it easy but think twice if thartt piece of chocalat is realy worth itand good luck

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 11:02:00 PM

Soooo, let me see if I have this straight: If thin people can self-actualize themselves thin, does that mean heavier or fat or obese (pick one) people are actually "thinking themselves fat"? I read all 7 of the "secrets" and am hard-pressed to glean even 1 action item out of them that I can "emulate". It sounds like you have to be intuitive in everything ... can you learn to be intuitive? Is Dr. McChubby teaching "intuitive techniques"? Most of the "secrets" are statements that show how much we should all revere the skinny ones. Fatties unite ... I'm big, I'm beautiful, I'm loved, I'm popular, I'm involved in my community, I'm successful professionally, I'm healthy and I'm happy, I'm a grandma, I have dozens and dozens of friends ... I must be doing something wrong. Maybe Dr. McChubby can help me to intuitively figure out what is wrong with me ... I should be a lot more unhappy, depressed, friendless, unsuccessful, etc. who knew how bad off I should be?? Hey Dr. McChub, can you take each "Secret" and turn it into an action item? A how-to, so to speak, for all of us fatties that should be so unhappy in our skin? What a crock! Shame on you E-Diets!

Comment by Anonymous said... - Thursday, January 24, 2008 11:20:00 PM

Yes, the first blogger was being sarcastic! and funny and insightful.

Although there were a few points in the article that might be helpful to first time "change the way I eat" people, any good the article contained was overshadowed by the implication that "naturally thin" people have it all together and the "rest of us" are clearly dysfunctional.

The article doesn't mention anything about age/issues of being menopausal and post-menopausal, side effects of medications, etc.

This is more "blame the victim" stuff, and very offensive, as several bloggers have stated. I, for one, have not waited for the rest of my life to begin before I "get thin"; I do not put off wearing beautiful clothes, etc. And I only went on a diet when I realized the health ramifications, such as increased risk of diabetes, heart attack, etc. I now eat the Mayo Clinic heart-friendly diet and watch my sodium intake ferociously - I have kidney dysfunction. I've lost 12 pounds in 5 months, which, I believe, is sensible - and yes, I weigh myself, make sure drink enough water every day, eat slowly, etc.

Please bring us better articles written by people with a more sensitive understanding and knowledge of people who need (or want) to lose weight.

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