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

Mr_Knight

Either you believe you have the power to make your own choices, or you don't.

Me?

I do.

jenilla1

For the most part (since there are exceptions to everything), it seems to me that EXCUSES make you fat.

endoftheside

I've had my DNA tested and part of that included at least some of the the known genetic factors for increased weight where they had enough science to be able to estimate. Sad to say, even if genetically predisposed, the effect for most was something like a pound or 2, not 200 extra pounds. iirc, I might be genetically predisposed to be about 4 pounds heavier than average, so happily I can put that excuse of mine to rest.

I do however think that there is a cascading effect that happens when you start gaining weight (for whatever reason), then become less active, get health problems that further limit activity and push you to food for emotional comfort, etc....especially when metabolic syndrome is in play. It can be pretty painful (mentally and possibly even physically) to reverse the process and most people are pretty pain avoidant, especially if they cannot see the big picture or have convinced themselves that there is nothing they can do.

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.

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

That depends...the signal you get can get screwed up if you have truly horrible eating habits. In that sense I'd say you've conditioned yourself to overeat so much that your body has been trained to eat that amount. Anything less results in said hunger pains or at least a perceived feeling of hunger.

I still don't see it as genetics unless one has some kind of disorder or birth defect.

VictorianFlower

For me, it's greed and conditioning.

My Mum has, for most of her life been a comfort eater and a binge eater and she passed on her habits to me.

When you combine those behaviours with a love for pretty much the worst possible foods for you... it didn't exactly end well lol.

MelissaPhippsFeagins

for me - and I have a neurologist who agrees with me and some very interesting MRIs too - anything between 150 and 175 is genetics and a real fight for me. Anything over 175 is greed.

I was in an accident as a kid that caused severe enough brain damage that I didn't grow at all for 2 years. No growth hormone whatsoever. On my most recent MRI my pituitary and thyroid glands are still both smaller than normal. Had I grown during those two years and reached my genetically suspected height of 5'11", then 170-175 would be a normal healthy weight for me according to the BMI charts. (I had to have some genetic testing done during my last pregnancy and the genetics counselor was surprised by my height. She did a double take and said "you are supposed to be tall". I grinned and said, "I'm brain damaged.") Unfortunately, I didn't grow and I need to be 150 to be a healthy weight for my actual height. My mother - 5'11.5" - weighed between 145 and 155 her whole adult life, but most people thought she was too thin. I know that even with my genetics against me I can get to 150 and probably stay there within 5 pounds, but I also know I will have to work at it for the rest of my life.

OTOH, I weighed 196 in July of this year and 192 when I joined MFP in early August. That twenty pounds is all because I chose to eat too much. That twenty pounds was gone by the end of September. 175 to 170.5 have taken me almost 30 days of doing exactly what I was doing the first seven weeks. It is what it is. One thing is certain: this girl is out of the greed business. I can't change my genes; I can't fix my brain damage; I can tell myself no.

Jessica1173

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?

I do not think it is genetics. My parents were stick thin when they were younger. They are heavier now. My mom is 180 ( most of my childhood she was around 145) and my Dad is around 235. My other two sisters are super thin. One is around 130 and the other about the same. A few years ago when I was on my honeymoon I was weighed in at 184. I am more than 100 lbs. heavier now. For me, as a Christian, I believe it is a sin issue. Everyone has particular issues (sins) that they struggle with. Mine is overeating.

Amazingly, I am very disciplined in other areas. I don't drink, smoke or do drugs. I don't party or have extramarital sex. I don't watch television except maybe two or three hours a week. I am disciplined with my schoolwork, even distance learning. My grades have been 3.8 at the colleges I have been to.

Ed98043

My mom's fat, my brothers are fat and my dad is finally getting there, so I used to think it was genetics. But then I started counting how many calories I was eating and realized that my body just processes them like everyone else, and I eat too much.

iechick

For me personally it was having three pregnancies close together. I was always thin until then, then it went down hill :grumble:

Jessica1173

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.

You really should not assume that people are eating until they want to pass out if they are heavy. Of course, some people do do that. I did that when I was on the wrong medication. I put on a lot of weight in a very short period of time. As soon as I got off of it, my weight stabilized and I was able to lose and maintain weight. My point is that for the average person if you just overeat around 200 calories a day you can be about 40 lbs. heavier in two years.

Hildy_J

Nature or nurture? No idea. Need some adopted identical twin studies, here, methinks.

Wetterdew

I think the way your family raised you probably has more of an influence than your genetics. If you grew up in a family that lived in a McDonald's and grew up fat, then it's not genetics, but I also don't think it's greed. At least, not until you reach adult age and have independence. By then, continuing to fatten is greed in my opinion.

callas444

I think most folks would have a hard time pinning down one cause. Nature vs. Nurture? We are all a product of both. Through my teenaged years we ate all processed food. As a newlywed, it was easier to cook that way. Now most of our food is homemade. I want my son to eat healthy and not fall into the processed food trap. That unhealthy cycle ends with me. I'm not passing it on.

Lkkiser3

I think its more lifestyle and emotions then anything else.. As a kid I grew up alone My mother worked 2 jobs and went to college so from the time I was 10 on I was expected to prepare all my own meals.. So I NEVER ate right simply because I had no one show me.. and because I made those bad decisions so early on they continued more out of habit too. And I tend to replace one addiction with another. I used to use drugs so I was super skinny, then I got pregnant and quit everything. and then my eating became out of control.

laursoar

I agree that it's probably not genetics. I think longterm habits you've adopted for years semi-consciously that can make one feel like they're predisposed to being overweight. On top of unhealthy habits at home, you have media everywhere encouraging you to make bad eating choices and many systems in place that encourage people to be less active.It's really hard to do an overhaul on your portion sizes, what you're eating, etc. in whatever form that means for you.

Personally, I grew up in a household that didn't really advocate a healthy lifestyle. Until college, I didn't even really know the right way to eat better (and not to just eat marketed "diet" foods with their unsatisfying portions). Having lived that way for eighteen years, it still took me all four years of college to come to terms with the changes I'd have to make to become a healthier individual and lose weight. It took a few failed attempts through college because my self-control was so terrible. Those habits are hard to quit. I couldn't bring myself to say no to any food and was constantly surrounded by it. It's only now that I moved to grad school where I finally had full control to start developing new habits. Even nearly two months in, I still struggle though because of how long I made poor choices. Environments can really affect you.

wildflower100

the food landscape has changed so much in the last 100 years
we evolved in a time when food was not always available and that when we found it we had to eat it
look back at photos 75+ years ago, no one is over weight
now there is food available 24/7 and for most people their choices are processed calorie dense nutrient poor food

skinnybythanksgiving

Gluttony, plain and simple. And plenty of other excuses that don't amount to anything.

ithinkicandothis

Just my own personal story... I have an ovarian disease that causes my body to be insulin resistant. I am NOT pre-diabetic or diabetic, I do get tested often. My BP is great, my HR is great, I am healthy other than being a bit overweight. I, however, do not lose weight normally. Eating carbohydrates causes my body to either maintain or gain regardless of my caloric intake and exercise level. The disease has also caused me to become vegetarian due to the androgens found In meat. Therefore, I have to somehow maintain a vegetarian, high protein, low carb diet. Not exactly the simplest thing in the world.THAT is a genetic issue. People who say that everyone who is slightly overweight just isn't trying are full of it. There are stories behind every issue. I don't think I'm the only exception in the world.

wildflower100

agreed, well done on making these changes

CubicalF13

Bad eating habits, poor choice of foods and an extreme lack of knowledge. I have always been an active person but never understood the whole calorie counting and how it applied to me. It was something i assumed was taught to people who might be beginning exercise so i ignored the whole idea of it. Now that i understand how simple it is to monitor calories, i seriously wish i had been educated more about this when i was younger. But im glad that they are teaching this in schools now or so i hope.