what is the truth?

dydn11402

basically everyone i talk to feels that being overweight is genetic. kids tend to look like their parents; you see fat families all the time. that some ppl just have a really hard time losing weight and tend to gain easily (bad metabolisms etc). a (heavy) friend of mine told me that her kids pediatrician told her that her kids will most likely have weight problems because she and her husband are both heavy (her kids have been steadily gaining - they were not fat as babies/ toddlers but are slowly getting chubbier).
ppl talk all the time about how they cant lose weight not matter how hard they try... theyve gone on every diet under the sun and nothing seems to work... they swear they dont eat a lot... etc etc etc.

then i read on here how all this is not true, how our builds are genetic and where we store fat is genetic but otherwise, "bad metabolisms" are not genetic and it all boils down to lifestyle and what we eat.

so which is it? why does it seem to be genetically linked when you look around at people? and how do you know that having a "bad metabolism" is not genetic?

Veil5577

I have been told by family that I inherited my Mack truck rear end and large chest from both grandmothers and will never get rid of it.

Well, I did once before and I can do it again. I don't think it's genetic at all. I think it all has to do with putting down the fork.

riffraff2112

Personally, in my family I was always the 'big one', the rest of the fam was slim. I had a different relationship with food than my siblings.

While in life there really isn't a one size fits all rule....and i am certain genetics must play some role in body genotype, metabolism etc...

I think what I have noticed is that families tend to have the same eating habits. That is why it isn't uncommon to see large parents with large children. Not really genetic, but more likely children tend to fall into bad habits of overeating, not being active, making poor choices because their parents do.

More importantly.....it doesn't matter. This can be fixed, and everyone...no matter what their genetic predisposition or mindset can lose weight!

Branstin

Excuses are blah, blah, and more blah. There isn't any such thing as a "bad metabolism". Did the metabolism kicked a sick puppy and need to be punished? Everything you listed is a BS excuse and the never ending blame game. Being overweight isn't genetic. If my sons were overweight and their pediatrician said something that stupid to me I would have fired his or her *kitten* on the spot. Overweight children look like their overweight parents because of a lack of education in terms of health and nutrition. Diets do not work and that is the reason your friends’ attempts failed over and over. The reasons people don't lose weight are because they eat too much food and medical reasons. Medical reasons do not mean people can't lose. It means people have another battle to fight. However, once they get the correct combination of medicine, food, and exercise then they will lose the weight, even if it is slow.

_HeartsOnFire_

Excuses are blah, blah, and more blah. There isn't any such thing as a "bad metabolism". Did the metabolism kicked a sick puppy and need to be punished? Everything you listed is a BS excuse and the never ending blame game. Being overweight isn't genetic. If my sons were overweight and their pediatrician said something that stupid to me I would have fired his or her *kitten* on the spot. Overweight children look like their overweight parents because of a lack of education in terms of health and nutrition. Diets do not work and that is the reason your friends’ attempts failed over and over. The reasons people don't lose weight are because they eat too much food and medical reasons. Medical reasons do not mean people can't lose. It means people have another battle to fight. However, once they get the correct combination of medicine, food, and exercise then they will lose the weight, even if it is slow.

Excuses??? http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2014/06/02/the-no-excuses-play-like-a-champion-challenge/

WBB55

Yes, the obese parents modeled eating habits for the child. Yes, there's probably a genetic component to where and how quickly we put on fat or gain muscle. But I don't believe the genetic component is a big part of the problem. Every year my relatives keep getting fatter, and I keep getting thinner. I'm sure there's an impulse control part of the brain somewhere that might be under-expressed in some families. But again, if I was doomed to be as fat as my family, then I would be as fat as my family. I used to be, but I fought to lose it. Every day I fight to make a different choice. Everyone in the industrialized nations can make a different choice.

ShibaEars

I don't think it's genetics. If the parents are very overweight/obese, obviously they have bad eating habits, and feed their children the same way, making them overweight and teaching them the same poor habits.

Yes there are some things besides a poor diet that can cause weight gain, but generally it's eating poorly.

whyyesitsneke

Habit is a huge problem. You develop habits as a child - if you see somebody else eating something, or often, you do it too. By the time you care for yourself, the habit is firmly entrenched and hard to escape from. So it seems genetic - your mom is chubby and you are too, but it's just a bad habit.

There are external factors for some people - thyroid conditions are one I am all too familiar with that can cause problems, particularly if undiagnosed. Gluten intolerance, too, is on the rise. Does this mean people with thyroid issues will always be overweight? No, it means that they need to learn what their body needs and will use and adjust their lifestyle accordingly. For example, they might not need as much caloric intake as somebody without the same medical problem.

Honestly, most obese people blame genetics because it's easier. I have severe hypothyroidism, and weight gain is one of many symptoms. Is it controllable? Yes, I must take my medication and avoid specific foods. And if I gain, I must go to the doctor with a food diary and see if a particular item caused the issue. Does it mean I won't lose weight? Nope. Now that I'm properly medicated and working at it, I'm down 5 pounds in a few weeks of careful changes to my eating habits and specific types of exercise.

mlittle71

This topic reminds me of my present situation. I have been overweight since I was a child, highest was 110lbs overwieght at the beginning of this year. Amazingly only one of my four kids is overweight but she's significally obese. She's 5'0" and 225 at 13 years. She IS just like me and she did "inherit" (ok, probably learned) my laziness trait. This is probably why she weighs more than her more acitve siblings. And not surprisingly, she's always been a 'good eater' but the other 3 kids have to be forced to eat at times. Is it genetics? I have no idea. Personally, I think that it's probably not genetics at fault but I'm sure it IS all my fault somehow. I've passed my old lifestyle down to her and now she's suffering as well. I have terrible guilt about this.

I also have no idea how to correct it because she sneaks food and refuses to exercise.

ilona1913

Very few people have a fast or a slow metabolism. Most people have an average metabolism and are overweight because of bad habits.

When I was pregnant I read that overweight parents will most likely have overweight children. That is when my husband and I decided to change our eating and exercise habits, because we don't want to pass on those bad habits to our son.