Training & Nutrition - Too thin

Im right on the bottom of the Body Mass Index, and about the skiniest person I know. Its great for riding, esp hill climbing , but hell when it comes to shopping for clothes.
Latest research shows that UK males are catching up with their US counterparts in the Easy-Fit department. The average UK male has a waist size 12" larger than mine. Its hard enough finding decent trousers with a 30" waist, it can only get more difficult. Ive given up finding shirts that fit me. If the arms are long enough, its shaped for a large gorilla.

Before all you guys and girls shed your inches, just consider the downside of being slim.

I don't know Michael, 4 years ago I weighed 285 pounds and had a 46" waist, I had a real problem finding clothes. Now and for the past three years I've weighed in at 175 pounds and have a 32' waist and can walk into a store and but any kind of clothes in any color I want. I find that to be the easy part. The hard part is trying to explain to everyone that I'm not dieing, I just ride a bike, and ride it a lot, just about everywhere. I owe my life to the bike.

MichaelW,

I totally agree with you.
Prior to putting on 15 lbs I had a hard time finding
clothes that fit. Not sure about UK but in the US
size small is hard to find. Small waist sizes were
also difficult.
I wish I still had this problem :lol:

Marty

30" waist. Wow. I had a friend with a waist that small and he never had problems (was actually a 29). Personally I have huge thighs from years of football, basketball and bodybuilding and have to buy pants 1 size too big because they are always made for tall skinny people instead of someone 6'5 250 with a 27" thigh. I do feel your pain.

I have a 30" waste too and skinny legs. A big problem for me is shorts. When you are as thin as I am, the shorts they make these days that come down to your knees look really dumb. I am a firm believer that shorts should come to mid thigh but they are nearly impossible to find. North Face Standup shorts are my friend.

Same here. Only I'm not so much concerned about how I look as I am about getting tired of eating ALL the time! Which usually it's great, but ya know, when you've had dinner at a normal time, say 6, and you stay up a little late, say 10:30...^%&^@*(#^ you have to stay up another extra hour to fix a whole friggin' meal! I have a race with my stomach every night to see if I can get to sleep before the growling starts. Not to mention I have to carry snacks with me just about everywhere I go. Not surprisingly, hyperthyroidism runs in my family but I supposedly don't have it. I hit 100lbs at 12 years old, and it took me about 10 more years to gain 15lbs. And if I let up on the eating at all, I'll lose it! And holy cow...the grocery bills...
Oh well...I just had to jump on the chance to complain about this! You know the nasty looks you get when you say these things in front of most other people, as if because you're skinny your complaints aren't valid. Thanks!
Nat

I've got the answer! I saw on Good Morning America this morning that someone has started a class action lawsuit against, Burger King, Mc Donalds, Wendy's and KFC. It appears that when this "gentleman" ate at these restaurants he became fat!!! Now he had one heart attack and his doctor said that he should cut out eating at fast food restaurants. However, he couldn't stop because he said he was addicted. He is now recovering from his second heart attack and he and his attorney are taking on the fast food industry.
So, to make a long story even longer......
You might try incorporating some fast food into your diet. I know it helps me keep the weight on ! :roflmao:
Yvonne

Something like this?
http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2002/05/24/fastfoodlaw/index.html

Hey yeah! Then I can claim it wasn't my fault when I get fat and I can get in on this class action suit! Wicked...
Nat

I have no trouble finding 30" W / 30" L trousers, but I do notice that 30" is the smallest waist size available in a typical Men's department. I find that European-cut 38" regular sport coats and tapered shirts fit me pretty decently, but again, 38" is usually the smallest size in the Men's department.

The beauty of a healthful lifestyle is that, absent a glandular problem, each body will find and maintain its own ideal weight and composition. The upside of all this is that I replace clothes only when they wear out, rather than whenever I outgrow them.

Originally posted by KnightWhoSaysNi
Something like this?
http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2002/05/24/fastfoodlaw/index.html

Argh. It makes me want to move to a different country, or maybe a different planet, and claim no knowledge of these people.

"Your honor, the burger didn't have a warning label! How could my client know?"

What next?

If I have a bad day can I sue the makers of my alarm clock? After all, if I had slept all day I wouldn't have had that bad day.

Doesn't anyone take responsibility for their own stupidity anymore?

Speaking of astronomical food bills...

I don't consider myself to be a skinny or overweight person: I'm 6' 2", and 175 lbs, yet my food bills are consistently humongous. :( Between weight lifting, biking, and other activities, I have an insatiable appetite. I can't afford to do groceries, cuz if I have food at home, I eat it. It's all gone within days. So...I resign myself to eating out most of the time, and spending so much I'm nearly broke :(

What do I do? I've tried cutting back eating to shrink my stomach, but my body just craves more food. I get weak :(

Dax

Originally posted by Guillermo
I can't afford to do groceries, cuz if I have food at home, I eat it. It's all gone within days. So...I resign myself to eating out most of the time, and spending so much I'm nearly broke :(


I don't quite understand this. I generally just go grocery shopping every few days anyway, and yes, I am one of those skinny people who eat heaps of food (my friends have nick-named me 'human garbage disposal'). In fact, I look like this:

that's a bit confusing. I'm broke either way, but if I eat out, I usually am forced to eat a bit less. If I eat out, and there's food at home, I will just eat it all when I get home.

Originally posted by Chris L
In fact, I look like this...
Dang, Chris L, and all along I thought you looked like some primate.

Originally posted by Andy Dreisch

Dang, Chris L, and all along I thought you looked like some primate.

That's only under a full moon...

:eek:

I ride early. 0530 to about 0800 then eat breakfast about 1000

I usually fry 10 to 12 oz ground beef round, pour off the fat, put on a pat of (real) butter for taste, then put on 3 or 4 oz mild cheddar. After eating I drink a cup of heat tea with honey, butter and ground cayenne.

I am seldom hungry before 1700 when I eat a similar meal.
Once in a while at the evening meal I also slice a medium potato and fry it in oil.

In the evening I enjoy a shake of 2 oz sunflower oil, unsweetened cooking chocolate, ground cayenne and milk.

I drink black coffee now and then.

I avoid coca-cola, GatorAid and all other sugar drinks. Refined sugar kills people. I read labels. I am amazed at the glop people put into their bodies.

PS once in a while I make

Chili Vlad

4 lb ground beef round
one large onion
one 15 oz can Ranch Style Beans

-fry meat and chopped onion until done.
-add 15 oz Ranch Style Beans

season to taste with garlic powder, sage, ground cayenne, chili powder and stir well

add boiling water only if you like it soupy

approx nutritional content
352 protein grams
60 carbohydrate grams


PS protein is the stuff with which the body builds and repairs itself. if you do not eat enough protein you will go to pot. I have never heard of anyone eating too much protein.

MichaelW,

well, i can relate a little to your comments...

but my first question is (and not meaning it negative or anything), but how old are you? are you less than 25? if so then my guess is your metabolism will eventually change a little and you won't be SOOO skinny. there are very few REALLY skinny people over 25 - except for those who don't eat healthy or have some medical problem. most male's metabolisms start to slow in the mid-to-late teens, but for us skinny guys it can be as late as 24-25 (my case)... before 25 it was REALLY hard for me to gain weight (also b/c i didn't know what i really needed to do and when i tried something i didn't stick with it long and diligently enough)

at 18 i was 5'11" and 130lbs - waist something like 28" i can't remember... the kind where i would take off my shirt, and all my ribs stuck out and everyone would ask me if i ever ate (of course i ate ALL the time) i used to take gainer, tried lifting weights on and off and even did stuff like eating a mixer of 4-5 raw egs before bed every night b/c i had read some body builde did it (not really so healthy b/c of the uncooked part)

then i slowly gained a little wieght: 6'1" and 135lbs at 21... then 155lbs until age 27. at age 27 i started a 1 1/2 year program where i lifted weights 5-6 days a week, ate massive amounts of food especially chicken, took gainer and creatine - and gained 15 lbs in 1 1/2 years to get to 6'1" and 170lbs - i wasn't huge, but i had about 4-5% body fat and i was strong, could wear normal clothes and compared to how skinny i had been - looked like a ripped body builder (comparitively) -- now in the last 2 years or so (i'm 31) i only lift about 1-2 times per week and am back down to about 160-165lbs... but still a very "normal" size as far as social perception and clothing and all...

anyway, if you're young, try and eat well and lift weights, but just remeber that you'll be trim and fit for the 50 odd years after age 25 when all the guys will be fighting the gut...

if it's really a problem, you CAN put on weight/muscle if you are totally committed to lifting weights seriously for 4-6 days per week and making eating right a mission - on the down side it isn't cheap b/c of all the food. if you're interested, i can tell you all the stuff i tried and what i found to work or not work...

as to the costs... there's not much to do about it - skinny guys with high metabolisms eat a lot of $$$ of food ---- my first few years of college my parents gave me and my sister a small amount of "living expense" money and we got the same amount -- mine didn't even cover my food and she got the same amount but b/c she ate so much less had lots left over for other stuff - i tried to get my parents to give me more, but not success, so i got a part-time job to pay for my food and have a little extra...

I sometimes think that stores display sizes based on the "look" they would like to see shopping in their store.

At 46W 29L, there were plenty of choices in Xmart but virtually nothing in UpScale Department Store.

Now that I'm shopping for 36W 29L it seems that UpScale has the larger selection. Curious I think. But also just my impression.

Carl

There is definitely a difference. The cheaper stores don't have the really small sizes either, but the more expensive ones do. AND, for women's clothing anyway, they'll size everything down. So where I might wear a 6 at Target, I might wear a 2 or smaller at Express. Silly, all these numbers.

Originally posted by MichaelW
Its hard enough finding decent trousers with a 30" waist, it can only get more difficult.

Nip up north and buy a kilt Michael. :D

Originally posted by Natophelia
they'll size everything down. So where I might wear a 6 at Target, I might wear a 2 or smaller at Express. Silly, all these numbers. [/B]

I think sometimes the cheaper stores are actually using less material to save money. That makes their sizes seem higher.

Carl

Is anything worn beneath the kilt ?