Do genetics really keep you from getting skinny?

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.

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

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.

FOR SURE,,,

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.