I actually kind of don’t believe this at all. I read an entire article in either Elle or Vogue last year that was all about “skinny-fat women.” This described women who are naturally thin (TNTs, as you would call them) who for the most part because they are so skinny DO NOT take care of themselves in the way that someone watching their weight might do. They eat whatever the hell they want all the time (“I never put on weight, so whatever”), and they never work out (“I don’t want to bulk up, and besides, I don’t have to work out, I’m thin”). And as a result, these women become what’s known as “skinny-fat.” They look thin, and they have a low body weight, but in fact, they actually have a high body fat percentage, because they have no muscle. So ultimately, while they look thin and great for most of their lives, they’re the ones that end up getting early osteoporosis and diabetes because the majority of their body is fat. (Even though it looks skinny.) It’s much healthier in the long-term, the article concluded, for women to have a higher body weight but a higher percentage of muscle from regular exercise. The BMI is nonsense. A 5’3″ woman who weighs 155 pounds but does an hour of weight training every day is SO much healthier than a 5’3″ 110-pound woman who does nothing.
With that in mind, I no longer automatically assume that every thin person I see is a) healthy and b) that way because they’re just so conscientious about their eating.

those were some really interesting points! I had a lightbulb moment with my TNT neighbor. We were out to have lunch, which we never do. I had finished off the cheese covered potato appetizer and polished off my hamburger. We were talking and i didnt notice till the end that she had not eaten any of the appetizer and she only ate half of her hamburger and asked for a box for the rest. When i commented on that, she said she guessed she had a small stomach. What i realized is that i mindlessly polished off all the food. I would have been satisfied with alot less if i would be present when eating. Losing weight and keeping it off is a journey, and i still make wrong turns, but i am learning.

In response to red_verge, I think that TNT and “skinny-fat” people have very different mind-sets. TNT’s actually DO watch their intake and exercise and are conscious of what they put in their mouths, while “skinny-fat” people are more ‘lazy’ in attitude – “I don’t have to exercise, I’m thin.” Not all thin people are the same, and anorexics / bulemics need just as much help as the rest of us.

I once shared a table with an airline stewardess who was model thin. She had to maintain her low weight to keep her job. I watched her eat, and her behavior was completely different from my behavior. She spent a lot of time talking to people. Food was secondary. She took a few bites, then mashed it all up, and stopped eating. She saved her calories for dessert, and even then only ate half the dessert. The food was very expensive and delicious, but still she watched her calories. I gave in, and ate it all, dessert too. So that’s why I am chubby, and she’s thin! I’m now starting to think before I mindlessly eat, and I think I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel finally. Thank you, Janice!!

“I gave in, and ate it all, dessert too. So that’s why I am chubby, and she’s thin! ”
Oh COME ON. Now that I read this blog entry again, I’m actually really offended that it’s even posted. It’s great to be mindful about eating. It’s great not to just stuff your face because food’s in front of you. It’s healthy to know your limits. What’s NOT healthy is to put yourself down because you’re comparing yourself to someone who’s a “TNT.” There are a lot of people who are mindful about their eating and eat just like that stewardess WITHOUT being model-thin.
If you’re going to be healthy, try to be healthy ALL AROUND, including mentally, so that you’re not looking at thin women while you’re dieting and thinking, “Wow, I wish I looked like that, I won’t be healthy until I do” and basing all your self-esteem on some other random person’s body and not what feels healthy and right in your own body. Some people are just not going to be thin, no matter how many times they chew half of whatever they’re eating.
And before anyone yells, I’m not saying be fat. I’m saying don’t use someone else’s body as an endpoint for your own weight loss process.