Do genetics really keep you from getting skinny?

dessyjo

I've lost almost 20lbs now and was talking to my dad about it and he said that I'd never be real skinny because of my genetics. I am big-boned, broad shouldered, and as he put it "built like a brick *kitten*-house". My grandma was big and so are my 2 aunts on his side, none of which were able to lose weight. My question is basically do I have a chance at being thin? Believe me I don't want chicken legs, just a defined body.

btoeps74

Get that thought out of your head. You may never get to "chicken legs" dimensions, but you certainly can get down to a healthier weight.

Josee76

Have you done measurements to know if you really are big boned? I spent a part of my life obese and always told myself I was "big boned". When I actually started to lose and took measurements; I realized I was not!

gmallan

There are calculators that will tell you your frame size which will impact on your realistic and ideal goal weight. Genetics and body type make it more difficult for some people to lose and maintain weight but you CAN do it if you want it badly enough. Your grandma and your aunts were probably just eating more than they burned

purpadillo

It sounds like you and I are built similarly. I am 5'8, but I have a larger frame/big bones. My shoulders are wide (if I wasn't deathly afraid of the water, I'd probably make a good swimmer) and my arms are too long for my body (the shoulders/arms of my husband's shirts, who's ~5'11, actually fit me very well). It took me a long time to actually feel comfortable in my skin because I always did feel like the Jolly Green Giant. My family are all large frames/big boned as well, but they're also overweight. I was overweight as well until grad school when I lost 30 lbs after an illness (not the best method for weight lost, but effective). I hovered at the high end of my BMI until a couple of years ago when I took up running; I've lost another 20 lbs and I am now in a size 2. I wouldn't have thought it was possible, but I'm by no means too thin. I still have plenty of meat on these big bones, but I've toned everything.

MikeMarchetti

I would rather be "lean" than "skinny." Even if you do have a larger frame (which may or may not be the case), you can still be very lean.

Curleycue0314

I go by this....STRONG IS THE NEW NEW SKINNY. Just because you are skinny doesn't mean you will be healthy! Focus on the healthy and the rest will follow. I go by my measurements more that the weight I loose. I don't see a drop in pounds, but I do see drops in meaurements. Also, just because you drop pounds doesn't mean you will see it in inches. One thing I've learned from my personal trainer that it isn't all about your weight!

KANGOOJUMPS

FOR SURE,,,

Shawnzgirl78

I don't believe it, no
My grandma and aunts are all big and I am not even remotely taking after them

katyejean

Don't focus on "skinny", focus on healthy and fit. I am broader, and don't believe I could ever be "skinny", but I don't really care about that. It's about being healthy and fit. Sometimes skinny isn't healthy.

SideSteel

Genetics may make it easier for some people and more difficult for others but we can all make very significant improvements.

kristen6022

People use genetics as another reason to stay fat. Like when people say "I just come from a family that's larger". Doesn't mean you can't lose the weight. When I was at my heaviest I thought I'd never been able to get into the sizes I'm wearing now, but I could if I really put my mind into it. And I'm 5'11, 34 and wearing size 4 jeans today, smaller than I've ever been, even in high school. Don't listen to others, do what you think is right.

dimsumkitty

Remember, genes aren't the only thing that run in the family, so do habits! Break out of the unhealthy habits first, and if that makes a difference, disregard the genes.

Yanicka1

I am 4'11'' but medium build. I tend to be quite muscular.... I could never blook like a vcitoria secret model with legs a mile long but I can be my best.

quirkytizzy

One can always get skinnier. You cannot always get smaller, if that makes sense.

I have huge boobs, big hips, small waist. I can and will continue to lose the weight. But my dimensions will never be waiflike, delicate. I will not get the ballet dancer body, just a thinner body.

belligerent599

My scientifically-minded brother likes to tell me that nobody in our family will be cut because of our eastern European ancestry, since "it's cold there" and therefore (according to him) people from that region need extra insulation. As a counter, I like to point out Dolph Lundgren and the fact that Sweden is colder than the part of eastern Europe we're from. He doesn't have an answer for that.

Genetics may have a part in weight loss ease, frame, metabolism, and body composition but until you can look up which genes you do or don't have, I wouldn't let it discourage you from trying to be the healthiest you that you can be.

NikoM5

Genetics will make it more or less difficult, but not impossible.

nxd10

I come from a family of chubby people who started out skinny. I weigh 80 pounds less than my next thinnest sibling. They started out skinnier than me.

It's harder for some people to stay 'skinny' than others, but that's because they burn calories more efficiently than others (bummer) and they move less.

MY kids, sons of a somewhat overweight dad and someone who has mostly been 'average', but slipped into 'overweight' for a year, are VERY thin. One is 6'2" and weights 135, the other 6' and weighs 140. Same genetic heritage. But they eat well. They are also very 'wiggly' (active even when sitting 'still') and exercise a lot during their daily routines.

darwinwoodka

You can look fantastic and healthy at any size! When I go to my Bar Method workouts, we are all different shapes and sizes, but we all look wonderful! I'll never have thin hips, but the curves shape up nicely.

_noob_

There is absoutely NO genetic advantage for us to be inefficient at storing fat...so yes, basically.

nesman89

Go live in an African Village for 2 yrs and see if genetics is this issue. I'm thinking you will come back skinny(i.e. Malnourished) it really has to do with diet and exercise(how much we move during the day). I hate to sound condescending but it really is that simple. We live in a society where you can eat pretty much anything at anytime, this is what makes us overweight.

plynn54

Eating cake and ice cream, mcdonalds and burger king, nachos and cheese.....things like this are what keeps us from getting skinny

dsjohndrow

You eat at a deficit, you will lose. Big boned is a myth. Just do the program, eating right, counting calories and get 90 minutes of cardio a week; you'll be amazed.

tabinmaine

Who the heck wants to be "skinny" ??? Not me !!

samanthajade124

Personally, I am 5'8" and my goal is to get to 160lbs which is at the very top of the "recommended" weight I be at. It varies from person to person because for myself, if I even drop 5lbs and get to 155, my ribs and hip bones start poking out.... and I do not find that attractive. I have broad shoulders and wide hips (thank you german heritage) and find that you just need to find the weight that makes you look most healthy

dlpnrn2b

Absolutely not!! I say this with complete confidence because my entire family, maternal and paternal are obese, .. my highest weight was 208 with full term pregnancy. I have had to work hard and eat right to be where I am but it is achievable. Genes do play a role in your composition but you have control over it ultimately and you can be the size you want to be Don't give up! 20 is a good start

Bilbobradshaw

Have you done measurements to know if you really are big boned? I spent a part of my life obese and always told myself I was "big boned". When I actually started to lose and took measurements; I realized I was not!

This.

But additionally, while genetic things height and build (square vs more curvy) which can determine how you carry your weight, you definitely can get in shape and look fantastic and reduce your weight quite a bit (it just might look different on you than you expect, due to your build).

apriltrainer

I did a 23andme test. Wrote about it in another thread. One of my "traits" is that I only have slight reduction in BMI with exercise ...I always responded to weights well but I think this study may be about cardio.. I can do cardio till the cows come home and NOTHING happens.

So I already have that stacked against me.

Another thing I am a CT... which means (there is a sterotype that asian women are small and petite and don't gain as much muscle.turns out per my genetic test.. not true. Imagine if I kept believing that like some ppl that they are meant to be big and never reach their potential.)

I have alot of muscle power and due to my fast twitch fibers respond excellent to weights. Not in my head. I do see good muscle gains and why I probably never succeeded very well with running and prefer the weights) and I count being a CT as a pro instead of a con.

So are some things genetic. Yes..But even though my test says I have one con- my body doesn't respond well to things like cardio( my own experiencE) my other genetic trait is telling me something I knew all along... I respond well to weights.

I decided a few years ago to hop off the marathon bandwagon and do what I loved- weightlifting. My genetic results prove me correct..but also..it proves to me that one can also fight the cons. I did by doing the exercise regimen I felt best suited me. Running just made me gain weight. Maybe it would do opposite for others who have different genetic traits.

icimani

I hear you!

Genetics do play a part. If that wasn't the case then everybody would be the same size! But I'm also with you in that I have no desire to be skinny - just healthy and more defined. I think that for people like us it will take more work (and more patience) but I do believe we can get there.

captmiddy

Go live in an African Village for 2 yrs and see if genetics is this issue. I'm thinking you will come back skinny(i.e. Malnourished) it really has to do with diet and exercise(how much we move during the day). I hate to sound condescending but it really is that simple. We live in a society where you can eat pretty much anything at anytime, this is what makes us overweight.

Not sure I believe this. I think you may be missing her message. Can she get thinner? Probably given her goal. Can she get to "skinny"? Maybe, it depends on what she defines "skinny" to be. That isn't a goal, that is an image. Avoid images that can't be measured, set realistic achievable goals. If you fall for stereo-typical definitions of body type you will likely go from unhealthy overweight to unhealthy underweight, or will quit in the attempt.

I will agree with the last part of your statement though, we live in a society where food in general is plentiful and our brains aren't geared to tell us to stop, so that is our jobs to recognize that we need to set real boundaries for ourselves. Also our brains are wired, for the most part, to enjoy foods that are actually not good for us because we think we are stocking up for when we won't have food.