Fighting Genetics

Amandabelanger614

How do i know if i am fighting my genetics for my weight and size? Is there a way to test for this?

I have a very similar stature to all the women on my mom's side of the family. In the last 2 years i have completed a lifestyle overhall but stil can loose the pounds like it seems like i should. (you can tell a physical difference though).

I wonder if i am fighting my genes. I don't look significantly thinner than my family but i workout and eat right.

It's driving me crazy - my lack of results.

psuLemon

You can't beat genetics. And eating healthy foods doesn't mean weight loss. Only a deficit can cause weight loss. But weight isn't genetics.. it's how you eat. Your shape is genetics.

Open your diary and post your height, weight, age and exercise routine and we can look at your estimated caloric requirements. Also, do you use a food scale?

kcb0308

"Eating right" is very subjective. The only way to make progress is to know your body, how much you need calorie wise in a day, set a plan to hit a slight deficit, and stick to the plan. Think long term about your life, goals, and dreams; don't focus too much on today how you look, or the scale each day.

Number_44

You can try fighting them if you want to

usmcmp

My entire family is obese. I was obese at one point.

It's not genetics. It's consuming too many calories for your activity level/lifestyle.

zornig

Biology does not equal destiny. Genetics plays some role in the efficiency of your metabolism, where and how you store fat, and so on. But that doesn't mean there aren't things you can do to counter your obtain different results. There are, of course, real metabolic disorders that can be tested for and treated medically. But speaking statistically, you are unlikely to have one of these disorders.

Amandabelanger614

5, 4 173 pounds
diet 1250 calories M-TH, 2000-3000 calories F-Sa, 1500 Sunday
Activity level 20-30mins cardio/strength training 3-5 times per week.

How would i find out if i have a slower metabolism in general?

usmcmp

5, 4 173 pounds
diet 1250 calories M-TH, 2000-3000 calories F-Sa, 1500 Sunday
Activity level 20-30mins cardio/strength training 3-5 times per week.

How would i find out if i have a slower metabolism in general?

At your height 3000 calories for two days would probably wipe out your entire deficit.

ETA: You could have your BMR tested, but increase strength training and you'll increase your metabolism.

Ang108

How do i know if i am fighting my genetics for my weight and size? Is there a way to test for this?

I have a very similar stature to all the women on my mom's side of the family. In the last 2 years i have completed a lifestyle overhall but stil can loose the pounds like it seems like i should. (you can tell a physical difference though).

I wonder if i am fighting my genes. I don't look significantly thinner than my family but i workout and eat right.

It's driving me crazy - my lack of results.

I " ate right " all my life, but over the last ten years ate for various reasons much too much of the " right " food and gained a great deal of weight. I still eat right, but a whole lot less of it and am losing. It's not what you eat when it comes to weightloss, but how much you eat.

bryntevans01

Research Somatypes and take your pick. Your nutrition split could be off, for example, if your an endomorph, you may have difficulty processing carbs(sugar) and then they get stored as fat. try researching Macro split and play around with it. I use a 50% protein, 30% Carbs and 20% fat, If my carbs are any higher I will bloat out...

husseycd

You can have your metabolic rate tested. I had it done by a dietician at a grocery store of all places. Some gyms and universities also offer testing.

Be sure you are weighing your foods correctly. It really can make a huge difference.

bajoyba

Why such a sporadic calorie intake throughout the week? There's nothing wrong with it if that's what works for you, but if you crunch the numbers (assuming you eat 3000 calories on Friday and Saturday), then you're averaging 1785 calories a day. Again, that's a fine number, but I'm guessing it doesn't leave you much wiggle room for a calorie deficit. Additionally, if you don't have a food scale and aren't accurately weighing and tracking every single thing you eat, then you may actually be eating pretty close to maintenance.

You may want to do some research to figure out your maintenance calories and what an appropriate calorie deficit would be for you to reach your goals.

MinnieInMaine

What do you mean when you say you're not losing like you think you should? Have you been losing both pounds and inches fairly regularly? Have you been tracking your food the whole past two years or have you been inconsistent? Were you also very accurate with your tracking - weighing, measuring food and checking labels to make sure MFP listings were accurate?

It's hard to know for sure without some cold hard facts so if you haven't been tracking consistently for the past two years and can't say for sure that you've been spot on with your calorie intake the whole time, you can't really say that genetics is the problem. You could have been eating more than you think and maybe not being as active (burning as many calories) as you think.

I'm built a lot like my paternal grandmother but that doesn't mean I'm destined to be obese like she was for most of her life. I used to think it did as many of my aunts and cousins are also obese, but it was just a very convenient excuse. Once I got my eating under control and started exercising fairly consistently, the weight came off. Sure I might have to work a bit harder to get to goal due to my genetics but that doesn't means it's impossible.

calibriintx

5, 4 173 pounds
diet 1250 calories M-TH, 2000-3000 calories F-Sa, 1500 Sunday
Activity level 20-30mins cardio/strength training 3-5 times per week.

How would i find out if i have a slower metabolism in general?

1650 is calorie goal I get when I type in your stats to a tdee calc (at 20% deficit). You're averaging almost 1800/day. Are you pretty sedentary aside from the 3-5 days of exercise? You're probably eating pretty close to maintenance if you're not losing or losing at a really slow pace.

WalkingAlong

5, 4 173 pounds
diet 1250 calories M-TH, 2000-3000 calories F-Sa, 1500 Sunday
Activity level 20-30mins cardio/strength training 3-5 times per week.

How would i find out if i have a slower metabolism in general?

Your best test is reading your own info. If you're eating X calores/week and not losing or gaining (for a long period) you're burning X calories per week. You say body changes are visible? Then maybe you're losing fat and retaining water, which doesn't last forever. The only way to tell which is going on is to keep doing what you're doing and keep checking the results in the mirror as well as the scale, or try a lower calorie level and check those results.

Your deficit does seem pretty small. And '2000-3000' sounds like an estimate, which means it could really be 3500, maybe?

psuLemon

5, 4 173 pounds
diet 1250 calories M-TH, 2000-3000 calories F-Sa, 1500 Sunday
Activity level 20-30mins cardio/strength training 3-5 times per week.

How would i find out if i have a slower metabolism in general?

I wouldn't even worry about your metabolism. Eat a standard amount of calories, track progress for a month and you can come up with estimated TDEE.