Is it greed or is it genetics? Why are you fat?

rosieknowsme

I've just watched the programme 'Half Ton Man' and the bloke insists that it wasn't greed that drove him to eat it was genetics. For those science geeks I know all about the hormone Leptin and it's effects of the body but I just wanted to know everyone else's opinion - why do you think you became overweight?

I am not looking to insult or pick a fight with anyone, let's have nice clean conversation.

Me personally? I want to say genetics, my mother's family have struggled with their weight. However, I largely believe it is my emotions that drive my eating, so much so that sometimes I feel I resort to eating whatever mood I am in, like I have conditioned myself to want food in times of happiness, sadness...in fact all emotions apart from anger when in fact I actually just want to clean! I need to be angry more often lol. Could however this still be genetics or am I trying to blame something?

rosemary98

I can't speak to everyone's situation, but my weight gain was related to over-eating and poor food choices.

I think there are those who are predisposed to weight gain--but it isn't necessarily a life sentence to obesity.

There are also medications and medical conditions that cause significant weight gain that may be hard to control/prevent.

Mokey41

99% greed if you want to put it that way. Your family are overweight because that's the way they live and you've learned their lifestyle. Unless you can show me that you live on lettuce leaves and still gain weight then it's not genetic.

jwdieter

It's eating too much. Call it greed or whatever you like.

rosieknowsme

99% greed if you want to put it that way. Your family are overweight because that's the way they live and you've learned their lifestyle. Unless you can show me that you live on lettuce leaves and still gain weight then it's not genetic.

I mean a genetic trait that makes me want to eat. I know that eating more than you use causes weight gain, but what if my genes make me WANT to eat? I'm not looking for an answer, I'm looking for opinion.

Mokey41

No I don't think your genes make you want to eat. You've been taught that food fixes things. My daughter in law is obese as is her whole family on both sides. She's always blamed in on her genes but standing back and watching how they interact and how they use food it's so obvious that food is how they handle everything. It isn't wanting food it's that food is what you do when you're celebrating, what makes you feel better when you're sad, what you do when you're angry, how you reward children, show love to your spouse, etc.

We have 3 granddaughters that I didn't want to be raised to be obese and unhealthy so we talked about her food issues when the first child was born and that the cycle had to stop there. She's been really good about not using food for rewards, having healthy choices available for snacks, and teaching the kids not to have that bad relationship with food. I have 3 thin healthy granddaughters who don't seem to have gotten the "genetic" predisposition to being obese that her family all claim as an excuse.

Zylahe

I think its not that simple.
Partly it comes down to genetics, ( slow metabolism, difficulty putting on lean muscle etc)
Partly lack of knowledge about nutrition, fitness , cooking....
Often it ivolves limited food options ( geographical constrains, not enough money to buy nutritious food, etc)
Brainwashing, ( advertising, mis information about nutrition i.e eat low fat/ sugar / carbs etc)
And then there are the physolocical issues i.e relationship with food, taste preference....
Not to mention gut bacteria, sugar , ghrehlin, insulin levels.
And physical constraints i.e injuries preventing exercise,
Then theres lack of will power and greed.



Thats my 2c. ¥

cwolfman13

I do not believe there is an "overeating" gene. Overeating is a learned function. The reason the children of obese parents usually become obese themselves is because they are immersed from birth in a lifestyle of over indulgence of food and usually little to no exercise activity.

I became overweight because my activity level changed drastically when I went into my 30s but I continued to eat at my previous levels of intake. I come from parents who were both obese when I was growing up...I just happened to be a pretty good athlete and very involved with sports and athletics so I burned everything off. My mom is no longer obese...she's 60 and does triathlons...my dad is still obese and suffers all of the ill effects of full on metabolic syndrome and also has heart issues because he never determined to change the way he was living.

TheFairyJester

looking at my family i very well may have a bit of genetic predispositon, but carelessness made it happen

jw_lefebvre

I've just watched the programme 'Half Ton Man' and the bloke insists that it wasn't greed that drove him to eat it was genetics. For those science geeks I know all about the hormone Leptin and it's effects of the body but I just wanted to know everyone else's opinion - why do you think you became overweight?

I am not looking to insult or pick a fight with anyone, let's have nice clean conversation.

Me personally? I want to say genetics, my mother's family have struggled with their weight. However, I largely believe it is my emotions that drive my eating, so much so that sometimes I feel I resort to eating whatever mood I am in, like I have conditioned myself to want food in times of happiness, sadness...in fact all emotions apart from anger when in fact I actually just want to clean! I need to be angry more often lol. Could however this still be genetics or am I trying to blame something?

Of course there are individual differences in the hormones that create a desire to eat...so it is impossible for anyone to know how bad anothers cravings for food are. So yes genetics play a role in how much you crave food for sure. BUT despite this it is still possible to not give in to these cravings. As for genetics actually being directly responsible for someones obesity-->BULL**** (except in a very small portion of people with some sort of disease (VERY RARE))

You have some who say obesity is all genetics, some who say it is all due to gluttony. Truth is it is somewhere in the middle probably closer to the gluttony side. It is possible for any normal person to be a normal healthy weight. It will be harder for some due to hormone, metabolic, etc differences but it is still possible. 99% of the people who say "I can't be skinny, my genetics wont let me" are eating above their maintenance caloric rates and would lose weight if they ate below these levels.

Edit: I'd like to add a large component as well: Socioeconomic status- Those who have low SES have trouble eating healthy for the following reasons: They are uneducated on how they should be eating, they do not have enough money to eat healthy, they face more stress than other classes which is sometimes met with overeating as a coping method, they do not have time to cook healthy foods (working long hours in low paying jobs/usually have many kids/exhausted from physical jobs)

GingerLolita

The biggest factor was that I was uneducated about nutrition and, because I was a very picky eater, this led me to make poor food choices. I was also not very active because I'm not good at sports.

lainie644

It is "physiological". Our body's need 3 major things to function properly: 1. Air, 2. Water, 3. Food.

Since we as babies do not come with instruction manuals on proper nutrition, it is easy for us to be placed on a path to obesity.

rb16fitness

I'm an emotional eater and comfort eat when depressed. Now on new meds and therapy. Hoping once they kick in to break the cycle. Definitely not genetics in my case.

Mokey41

Partly it comes down to genetics, ( slow metabolism, difficulty putting on lean muscle etc)

It's been proven that the vast majority of humans have metabolisms very close to the same. Only the odd person with some disease factor has an appreciable difference. Even the dreaded starvation mode is for the most part bunk. Saying you have a slow metabolism is another excuse for poor behaviour.

riquid

My parents were responsible for me being overweight throughout my entire childhood (my mother was always very active and worked hard all day so she never put on any weight despite her awful eating habits. That didn't work out so well for me. We'd eat burgers and fries almost daily, absurd amounts of bread, soda as much as I wanted etc. I was left alone at home for most of the day too so I'd eat whenever and whatever I felt like.)

Then, in my teens, I lacked the will and discipline to stick to a diet and to be honest, I was deluding myself. For some reason, I always looked "just a bit chubby" when I looked in the mirror but then I'd see myself on photographs and think to myself that it must be an especially unfortunate angle or something, no way do I look like THAT. Plus I developed hypothyroidism so that was another handy excuse despite being on medication.

Now that I'm 24 and the fattest I've ever been it finally clicked and I'm done with looking and living like this. It wasn't my fault I got fat when I was a little kid but it sure as hell is my fault that I'm fat NOW! The "fat gene" in our family is simply not giving a damn about nutrition and spoiling the kids into obesity. Thankfully my cousin, while still being obese herself, managed to break out of the cycle and has three healthy, active and well-edcated kids.

mazamarie

Well my weight took about 8 years to add on including two operations involving abdominal incisions.. I was slim till I was about 37 around 50 kg now 45 and was 82 kg at the start of my fitness campaign - beginning of April and now 69 Kg.. So I wanna loose around 18 kg..

I've been greedy when gaining eating Doritos by the family pack 1 night a wek and drinking 1 and 1/2 bottles of wine 2 times a week - also portion sizes and rich foods and more deserts without a thought..

What started me piling on more on more weight - passing my driving test in 2007, thyroid in 2005-2007, fibroids and then sub total hysterectomy in 2009, having a hernia and then having that repaired in 2010... And generally getting into a rut...

Yes I think sometimes people can put on weight due to genetics - often like me perhaps it can be a combination of many factors...

Getting into a rut seems to be a big one??

STC1188

I think the people who blame genetics are honestly copping out of responsibility. Yes, people are predisposed to things, but that does not make a given outcome inevitable. For instance, I bet many people dream of committing crimes as heinous as murder, but they don't go out and start offing people.

Sure, I will acknowledge that there are pressures to do things in society (much influenced by where you are and what you are surrounded with), but I do not think that means that any conclusion is foregone.

My own story is I drank Pepsi from a bottle since I was two, played video games from the same age, and was fed a steady diet of fast food. I never bothered thinking I was unhealthy--I simply enjoyed what I was doing. But now I am happier and healthier and educated enough to make competent food choices. I am not the slave of genetics; rather, I like to think I am my own master.

mazamarie

I mean beginning of August -.when I started to concentrate on getting fit and loosing weight - whoops

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I'm not fat. Most of my family (immediate and extended) are. I think it's culturally driven. Our culture revolves around food and we are much less active than people used to be.

Mouse_Potato

I think part of the problem is that people don't realize how calories add up. They don't realize that eating even a bit over maintenance can result in big weight gains. If I ate at maintenance and then decided to reward myself with one candy bar a day, I would put on ~26 pounds in one year! In 2-3 years I would be morbidly obese and saying "it must be my metabolism. I really don't eat that much!"

cenafan

greed. And growing up in a house with no focus on health or nutrition where food was used to soothe and reward. It's a hard pattern to break.

magerum

Overeating.

I_Will_End_You

Overeating. I don't think it has anything to do with genetics. When there are families that are all overweight, it's due to lifestyle, not genetics.

Kittiegirl06

I believe I gained weight due to lifestyle changes.
I use to be thin. Then when I was room and boarding with someone, I couldn't keep food in the house. I was also stressed. My living situation made me decide to stop buying most food. I started eating only once a day. I became severely anemic during that time (iron and b12 deficiency).

Then I finally moved out. I started eating normally again, and the weight piled on. Then I also had surgery, and then recovered from anemia, but still had all the extra weight.

That all happened in 2009-2010. I just never focused on weight loss until this year.

Qski

I don't think genetics has anything to do with it or if it does it is such a small factor in weight gain or such a small percentage of the population where it's a large amount weight, that it shouldn't be considered
A lot of people in my family are overweight, but it's definitely not related to our genes, it is what and how we eat and who we learn our behaviours from, so it may be inherited but not by DNA.

I too am an emotional eater (for any emotion unfortunately) and that coping strategy also comes from (as most coping strategies do) from early childhood. I had the added issue of learning a lot of maladaptive coping strategies and for a long time, eating for comfort was the least damaging path to take.

Someone Posted this recently by Kernel Mag - I am not convinced that they aren't just journalistic trolls, but it is an interesting read - You Eat too Much
http://www.kernelmag.com/features/report/6051/you-eat-too-much/

Then on the flip side there is this from one of the lesser 'controlled' media points in Australia
The overweight live longer
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2012/11/09/obesity-paradox-studies-find-overweight-live-longer

Also Kernel Mag's opinion on the matter aside I think that the media portrayal of what we should look like does play a big part in it. There are a lot of studies that show that if you never start a diet (attempt to lose weight) --> you never need to (ie you will just stay the same weight). My first diet was when my mum dragged me as a 14 year old (at my current height 5ft2 weighing 47kg (103lbs)??!!! to weigh less - I wore a size B bra and had hips and that was so fat for a 14yr old?! - Not to mention that she was 5ft8 and weighed 54kg(118lbs)??!!! - My dad called her "fats". Both of us have been dieting ever since and pretty much never weighed again what we did when we started.

So I think far to many young girls, mothers and I know many men and boys attempt to lose weight when they don't need too, and because mostly the loudest diets out there then and now are total rubbish fads, get into a cycle we never get out of.

I won't even start on the whole Religion thing... I was brought up as a Muslim and Ramadaan (one month of fasting entire days(no water) - [as a child playing sport] ?! but having breakfast and dinner before sunrise and after sunset followed by days of feasting?!) I am no longer religious - but that certainly did not teach me anything healthy about my relationship with food.

edited - long post. = lots of errors

xmysterix

Genetics is a significant player in my family, or so says my genetics professor uncle. Every female member of the family (and we all strongly favor one line in looks/stature), regardless of dieting history or current weight, has experienced major digestive system and weight-related hormonal disorders. Learned bad habits from my mom are another big problem (fad dieting, inconsistent/negligible exercise, body shaming). My eating has never been that crazy but my activity level has been so low since I quit school sports (way back when) that my relatively good diet means next to nothing. I get thin insanely quickly when I lack a car and live in a pedestrian friendly area. I gain when I drive and live in a car-focused place. So, genes, habits, laziness, circumstance. Lethal combo. Can't change my genes, so I'm trying to unlearn the bad habits, be more generally active, and we have plans to move to one of several very pedestrian-friendly, active, fit cities...not for that reason but it's a factor.

GadgetGuy2

It's both.

Eating (or breathing for that matter) are behaviors. We choose to eat. We choose to breath (the conscious act).

As an MFP user, I have learned to control what and how much I eat so as not to gain my weight back. As a FreeDiver (SCUBA diving without a tank), I have learned to hold my breath much longer than the average person.

However, I can not keep myself from eating when the hunger pains are great, and I can not keep from taking a breath when my blood oxygen drops too low.

We are pre-programmed (call it instinct, call it genetics, call it bacon, what ever, it is real) to want to eat and breath as evidenced by hunger pains and that tightness in your chest when you hold your breath.

So...as a behavior, we should be able to control eating and breathing. But since it is also instinctual (i.e. genetics), it may not be as controllable as those "personal responsibility types who've never studied chemistry and genetics would have you believe. Google the sport gene. It is a genetic condition where the person with the gene has 2 to 3 times more red blood cells in the blood, and can thus endure exertion for greater periods of time (e.g. marathon endurance) than those without the sport gene version of the DNA)

But individuals who can NOT keep from eating until they pass out for lack of calories are unable to override the pre-programming. Likewise, very few people (ok maybe a few problem kids) can hold their breaths until they turn blue in the face and pass out for lack of oxygen. These are examples of where humans are not able to control their pre-programmed behavior.

IMHO.....these behaviors are both instinctual (genetic) and learned. Some folks find it harder to resist the hunger pains. Some folks have to take a breath way sooner than I do. Learned? Inherited (what is instinct, if it is not inherited via genetics?)?

So now my simple answer to the simple question: It's both greed (I interpret this to mean conscious behavior) and genetics.

silken555

It has nothing to do with genetics and everything to do with conditioning.

We're taught how to eat by our parents. If they consistently overeat then the chances are higher that we will also be taught to overeat.

An example for you...one of my friends was considerably overweight as are her parents. She'd eat junkfood like it was going out of style and she hates most veg & fruit.

Her two year old was with us to celebrate another friend's birthday. The child was acting up and so she reached for some food to calm her. A small bowl of chips was sitting next to a HUGE fruit bouquet. Guess what she gave her kid. Until she realized what she was doing to both herself and her kid, her kid was on her way to being fat before she was out of toddlerhood. Thankfully she did turn it around and now her kids eat healthy snacks and are both normal weight.

33Freya

I don't like the title of your post. The words "greed" and "fat" are quite negative.

For me it's neither. It could be both. I come from a family of big people who overeat and don't exercise. Sometimes that cake was so good, I want another piece. Call that greed if you want, but I don't think of it that way while I'm looking at the cake

Mostly, my overweight-ness is me not paying attention to what I'm eating (or keeping track) and procrastinating on exercise. You could call it ignorance and procrastination, with a little bit of "greed" and genetics thrown in.

We are responsible for our actions, including what we eat and do (shrug). All people are different and the level of work it takes to become or stay fit varies with the colors of the rainbow.

GadgetGuy2

It has nothing to do with genetics and everything to do with conditioning.

We're taught how to eat by our parents. If they consistently overeat then the chances are higher that we will also be taught to overeat.

An example for you...one of my friends was considerably overweight as are her parents. She'd eat junkfood like it was going out of style and she hates most veg & fruit.

Her two year old was with us to celebrate another friend's birthday. The child was acting up and so she reached for some food to calm her. A small bowl of chips was sitting next to a HUGE fruit bouquet. Guess what she gave her kid. Until she realized what she was doing to both herself and her kid, her kid was on her way to being fat before she was out of toddlerhood. Thankfully she did turn it around and now her kids eat healthy snacks and are both normal weight.

So do you believe that hunger pains are the result of learned behavior (i.e. conditioning)?

lcfairbairn74

Although there are genes that determine, for example, our predisposition to preferring high fat food, I don't believe they can really be blamed for people being overweight. Families of overweight individuals pass down their predisposition to poor choices as an environmental factor, rather than a genetic one, in the vast majority of cases. Even if you inherit these genes, you can override them by making sensible choices.

Personally, I put on weight due to a variety of health issues, medications, and poor choices. Eating too much for my reduced activity level (due to the health issues) being the major issue!