any one else the odd man out who's not as skinny as everyone else

Well then, maybe you should have what they're having.

masturbation burns a lot of calories.

Sorry, pal. I eat whatever I like and I'm very skinny, even when I don't train so much.

The thing is, I don't like sodas, ice-cream, fried food and all the American junk.

But I eat pasta, pizza, cheese, burgers, fries, etc. always well prepared (no crazy sauce or cheap toppings), and not every day. I eat fruit, veggies, yogurt and bread a lot. Water and OJ, but never a soda.

Try to teach yourself to like what's good for you.

You can see it that way: Would you put junk into your Ferrari? Take good care of your body. It's much more valuable than your car.

Yes, plenty of people have that problem. It's called your metabolism slowing down as you get older. It slows at different rates for different people. Mostly genetic, but you CAN put forth an effort that will make a difference.

what a tool bag

James Bondy wrote:

You can see it that way: Would you put junk into your Ferrari? Take good care of your body. It's much more valuable than your car.

[quote]James Bondy wrote:

The thing is, I don't like sodas, ice-cream, fried food and all the American junk.

But I eat pasta, pizza, cheese, burgers, fries, etc.

Dude make up your mind. Those 2 sentences completely contradict each other. Pizza, cheese, burgers and fries are the definition of american junk.

OP: I'm in a somewhat similar situation: skinny (but not very lean) when younger, and put on weight later.

I can't do high-intensity aerobic exercise--walking, and not too fast, is about it. If I do a *lot* of walking I find it maintains my weight, but doesn't seem to reduce it.

It's not the way they told us in exercise physiology class, but--at least for me--what helps in *losing* weight is weightlifting. Not a lot of sets, and medium reps--neither the 1-5 reps range (my hernias object) nor the 20+ range (can't reach any intensity with that many reps).

I don't know whether your routine permits 15-20 minutes of lifting a couple times a week, but it definitely worked for me. You may have a similar body type.

That, plus: once I'm done with dinner (which often includes dessert), I consume zero calories for the rest of the evening--no food or drink (including diet sodas, which technically have a calorie or two) except water.

These, plus a few miles of walking per day (I can't run), helped me lose 60 pounds.

James Bondy wrote:

The thing is, I don't like sodas, ice-cream, fried food and all the American junk. But I eat pasta, pizza, cheese, burgers, fries, etc. always well prepared (no crazy sauce or cheap toppings), and not every day.

Aren't fries "fried food"?

I'm in the same position as the OP. While I'm still skinny, in HS and my freshman year of college I ate constantly (4,500+ calories/day) and still looked like a typical skinny runner; not super-skinny, but 5'10", 140-145. Since then I've had a hard time staying below 150, despite training as much as or more than my teammates who've stayed skinny. Normal people still think I'm skinny, but I'm pretty much the fat kid on my XC team. It doesn't show so much when we have our shirts on, but when it's hot and we're running with our shirts off everyone else's abs and ribe are a lot more defined/visible than mine. I don't have any sort of a gut, it's just like there's an evenly-distributed thin layer of extra fat all over my chest, stomach, and back.

not an expert -

that is exactly my situation

to non-runners I am "very thin", but with my xc team I am the odd man out.

I do lift twice a week for an hour, but i started this lifting only a few weeks a go, so maybe it just takes some time.

anyone else have any tips/ideas?

I was always the "bigger" run on both my highschool and college teams. In college I averaged around 70 mpw throughout the year. I also did several high rep weight sessions per week. I weighed around 170 during those times. (I'm 6'1").

After doing a complete overhaul with my training and approach, I average right around 100 mpw all year, (up during base, slightly lower when racing/tapering). I also quite lifting, I only do abs now. My alcohol consumption is less as well ;)

The result I am slowly moving towards 155-160 as of now. I think this is close to my equilibrium. I am certainly not trying to cut calories or consumption.

Im also a larger runner but I have found that when Im the slimmest is when Im running and eating the most. Obviously running volume will burn more calories, but make sure your body is pulling the fuel from the right places. If you dont give your body enough calories to work with, it will start eating your muscle instead, which obviously will be harmful. Not eating enough will also make your metabolism freak out and grind pretty much to a halt; then every calorie you consume will go straight to your waist.

Also, try to keep up a better body image, c'mon you are a runner, you are healthy--don't forget to like yourself a little bit, you know?

Ok good luck and take care!