4 ms·

Of course it's no surprise that people who eat less weigh less. The surprise, I think, is that people who are underweight are relatively sedentary. Maybe this

Of course it's no surprise that people who eat less weigh less. The surprise, I think, is that people who are underweight are relatively sedentary. Maybe this is not that much of a surprise either though? I wonder how much of this has to do with muscle. BMI infamously ignores muscle mass. An interesting followup would be whether people with low body fat % are sedentary. My guess is that they aren't. Side note: maybe there is a disparate importance of "Calories In" vs "Calories Out" for people who are under/over weight. Maybe underweight people should focus on exercise more, and overweight people should focus on eating less?

rpmisms 4y ago
I am mostly sedentary, and maintain body fat below 10%. It's mainly genetics, and probably 20% diet.
- sovnade 4y ago
  and on top of that, it looks like there's other factors of diet than just choosing what to eat - it sounds like some people are just less hungry for indefinite reasons. genetics, gut biome, etc all probably play a part.
- gamblor956 4y ago
  Sub-10% body fat is underwear model territory. At that low level of fat, every muscle is well-defined, no matter how small. A lot of guys severely underestimate their body fat %. Sub 10% generally isn't possible without heavy dieting unless you're still going through puberty; genetics has nothing to do with it.
  - rpmisms 4y ago
    I'm aware of what it looks like, and I've been up at 12-15% before. It's absolutely genetic, most of my family runs very skinny. I have generally decent muscle definition, although the fat I have tends to sit in my hips and shoulders. My doctor suggested I might have less interstitial fat than most people, which explains a few other health effects. I'm not bragging, there are serious downsides, but it's absolutely possible to sit at 10% year-round, just not while maintaining any serious level of elevated muscle mass.

rpmisms 4y ago

I am mostly sedentary, and maintain body fat below 10%. It's mainly genetics, and probably 20% diet.

sovnade 4y ago
and on top of that, it looks like there's other factors of diet than just choosing what to eat - it sounds like some people are just less hungry for indefinite reasons. genetics, gut biome, etc all probably play a part.
gamblor956 4y ago
Sub-10% body fat is underwear model territory. At that low level of fat, every muscle is well-defined, no matter how small. A lot of guys severely underestimate their body fat %. Sub 10% generally isn't possible without heavy dieting unless you're still going through puberty; genetics has nothing to do with it.
- rpmisms 4y ago
  I'm aware of what it looks like, and I've been up at 12-15% before. It's absolutely genetic, most of my family runs very skinny. I have generally decent muscle definition, although the fat I have tends to sit in my hips and shoulders. My doctor suggested I might have less interstitial fat than most people, which explains a few other health effects. I'm not bragging, there are serious downsides, but it's absolutely possible to sit at 10% year-round, just not while maintaining any serious level of elevated muscle mass.