Obesity: Genetics or Environment?

ahviendha

environment.

twinmom01

ya just blame the food , thats why half your country is obese ... its alot more than food

True...I think a lot of people simply blame food - but it is much more - even much more then genetics...

In this day and age everything comes easy...you don't have to wait - you can take the elevators instead of stairs - everything can be done from the comfort of your own home sitting on your *kitten*...heck you don't even have to walk around target and walmart - you can ride on a little cart.

Over the past 50-60 years we have the convience of food that isn't very good for our bodies (i.e. does not provide good nutrional products) - so your bodies do not work as well which leads to disease and decay - add in the fact exercise is far less - easier to ride then walk.

I also think people trick themselves. They think they do a lot more than what they actually do or feel they need to "treat" themselves all the time...so if they go for a walk and walk a mile they say "Oh I'll have that latte cause I exercised today"

I also think people choose to not want to do the right thing for thier body and use genetics as an excuse...I'm not stupid I know eating habits that weren't good for me lead to a nice layer of flubber and I am working hard to try and get it to a point that is very little jiggle...I also though had to push the idea that I was going to look like a runway model out of my head and rework my idea of healthy not to be a certain body shape or number of a scale or even a size of clothing - but rather making choices of food and exercise that are the best for my body (so it doesn't disease or decay) - I have seen a number of people in the gym that seem to be there just to say "I went to the gym" I have watched a girl spend an hour on an ellipitcal while drinking a half gallon of sweet tea...why bother...just yesterday I watched an overweight lady (no I wasn't looking in the mirror ) who was doing these little movements with 3 lb weights, or not doing exercises right (i.e. using momentum instead of controled movements to use muscles) and then spent 1/2 hour walking on the treadmill (on a very low speed) and then I watched her tear into a Cliff bar. I am sure in her mind she is thinking "Oh I worked out and burned some calories - so I am going to have this 250 calorie Cliff bar) - IMO she probably didn't burn 250 calories in her workout - I think it is people like this who use "genetics" as an excuse - Oh I am eating right and working out and not loosing weight or fitting into smaller sizes.

NocturnalGirl

People should stop finding things like genetics to blame for obesity. I understand there are medical conditions that cause weight gain and even some medication, but that doesn't mean it is not controllable. The vast majority do not have these conditions anyway. In my opinion, obesity is down to self-control and personal choice. Even if someone doesn't have good genetics in terms of weight, they are not a slave to their genes, it just means they have to be extra cautious. Genetics is just an excuse to be obese.

BBeccaJean

Well, if you consider the psychology work they have done on personality, I would say it's pretty similar. The development of personality is attributed to 40% genetics, 50% environment and 10% unknown. Environment is becoming more and more of an issue though...not only family tradition and values, but the way that our society processes food. The European Union even banned importation of most meat from the US, because of all the carcinogens pumped into it!

Oh, not to mention, that as humans we were built to do a lot of heavy manual labor (aka hunting/gathering/building/etc). Our society has become completely sedentary due to invention and our bodies are not built for that!

UsedToBeHusky

Both and either.

heypurdy

Genetics to start but then environment. You have the ability to change and lose weight. My opinion.

icimani

ahhhh - the old Nature vs. Nurture question. Which came first: the Chicken or the Egg?

I don't think there's any question that some of it is nature/genetics - SOME. Just look at all the studies done on siblings who have grown up in the same environment and one struggles with weight and the other doesn't. I've seen it in my own family. For some, there a propensity for being overweight, and unfortunately I fall in that category. Most likely my weight will always be a battle, while for some others, maintenance is much easier. But that doesn't mean that genetics is an excuse. It's part of the reason - but only a part.

n0ob

I'm big, I've always been big, and I'm going to stay big by BMI measurements of obesity.

However, I don't have to be "fat". That's entirely on me.

Definitely both are playing on me. The lowest I've been in my adult life is 5'10 178, and at that my body fat was 9-10%. It would be more unhealthy for me to be have weighed less than to weight 10-20 pounds more with the same LBM.

testease

ya just blame the food , thats why half your country is obese ... its alot more than food

Nope,

the US produces enough food every day to feed its entire population 4000+ calories.

Easy to see why half the population is fat.

Jim1960

I think it's obviously both.

<soapbox>
It seems pretty conclusive that some people have a genetic propensity to keep weight, or to feel hungry more often. People have genetic attributes that lead to all kinds of behavior in all areas of life. I believe the way to think about it is to know it, accept it, and deal with it. Don't use it as an excuse - you're just lying to yourself and will end up killing yourself earlier. I speak as someone who probably has a genetic tendency to hold onto more weight. Funny thing is I find my well meeting friends sometimes making excuses for me. Things like: "Oh, you're just naturally a big guy". Yeah, maybe so, but do I have to be this big? Well, no I don't. It may be harder for me than for others. That's my particular challenge. You have your challenges, I have mine. Neither is an excuse. Just something we need to deal with.

Environment is the same kind of thing. Habits, particularly well ingrained habits from childhood, are VERY hard to change. But they can be changed. Also, many work environments and daily living environments are very hard to handle if you're trying to keep to a healthy lifestyle. Same thing - it's a problem; and one you may have trouble handling. But it can be handled. Don't make it an excuse.
</soapbox>

Dave198lbs

ya just blame the food , thats why half your country is obese ... its alot more than food

Nope,

the US produces enough food every day to feed its entire population 4000+ calories.

Easy to see why half the population is fat.

I havn't noticed the US pointing guns at peoples head telling them to eat the food they produce

PhoenixIsis

Even if someone is more genetically prone to being overweight, he/she must change their habits/environment if they are going to combat obesity so I say environment.

testease

ya just blame the food , thats why half your country is obese ... its alot more than food

Nope,

the US produces enough food every day to feed its entire population 4000+ calories.

Easy to see why half the population is fat.

I havn't noticed the US pointing guns at peoples head telling them to eat the food they produce

Right, thats why its not a genetic problem. Its people with weak minds.

RobynC79

Obesity is probably epigenetic - an interaction of genes and environment.

Here's the problem with just saying 'when you track thin people and fat people, turns out the fat people ate more and exercised less', implying a purely environmental effect. But what makes fat people eat more and move less? Probably some kind of genetic variant in appetite regulation and basal metabolic process.

Just because we had fewer fat people prior to the past 30 years doesn't mean it's entirely environmental - humans have always been able to get very fat. All humans are genetically programmed to get fat when food is in abundance.

But, using 'I've got fat genes!!" as an excuse doesn't really cut it. You cannot get fat if you don't eat in excess. And people can moderate their appetitive behaviours even if they have a stronger appetite or have been predisposed to craving calorie-dense foods by environmental influence.

TL:DR version: It's both, and the interplay between the two is very complex..

Dave198lbs

ya just blame the food , thats why half your country is obese ... its alot more than food

Nope,

the US produces enough food every day to feed its entire population 4000+ calories.

Easy to see why half the population is fat.

I havn't noticed the US pointing guns at peoples head telling them to eat the food they produce

Right, thats why its not a genetic problem. Its people with weak minds.

ahhhh...I misunderstood your post

agreed...the majority of obesity is weakness that can be overcome with some discipline (education of basic nutrition helps also)

rml_16

Calories do have a roll.

And rolls have calories! It's a conspiracy!

Sul3i

Mine was def environment since 2003 I was like I am now but I got married n let myself go got depressed let myself go even more didn't change til I got on mfp in June 2011 and now I'm back to me but better

So environmental

MGSR

Here's the problem with just saying 'when you track thin people and fat people, turns out the fat people ate more and exercised less', implying a purely environmental effect. But what makes fat people eat more and move less? Probably some kind of genetic variant in appetite regulation and basal metabolic process.

The above example was refering to those who claim they weigh more than others dispite eating less, so must have bad genetics. Almost all of the time they just eat more and their there genes don't magically make them fat.

Hormonal changes may effect appitite, and therefore make it harder on an emotional/mental level (which must be very hard, but not impossible), but it doesn't make it harder on a physical level. Some illnesses/genetic varients do that, and shouldn't be played down, but for the majority, there is no physical reason they cannot lose weight.

testease

ahhhh...I misunderstood your post

agreed...the majority of obesity is weakness that can be overcome with some discipline (education of basic nutrition helps also)

And yes genetics will play a roll in your overall calorie allotment and macro nutrient profile. But it will still come down to will power to make sure you follow through with that.

monty619

completely environment... no one is born to be obese.