How much of your weight/shape is just genetics?

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berylw49
berylw49 Posts: 68 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
My story: I've lost this weight three times now and gained it back twice. The first time I lost 30 lbs, then gained it back and then some. The second time I lost 70 lbs, gained it back and then some. This time I've lost nearly 100. Each time I lost I got down to roughly where I'm at now, so I'm pretty sure this is my body's "happy place." This is about what I weighed in high school and college. It's at the top end of a healthy BMI for my height.

I've maintained this time around for about 8 months so far, which is longer than I've ever maintained before. The thing is: I'm not happy with how I look. I carry my weight in my stomach and have really large breasts, so I'm top heavy. My doctor keeps telling me I shouldn't try to lose any more weight and that this is just my body type. I also realize you can't spot reduce, but at this point I'm getting really discouraged. I work out six days a week, and I really truly enjoy working out...but I don't look like I work out. And I've gone back to eating at a deficit in an effort to lose a few more lbs and look slimmer, but the weight really isn't budging.

So finally my question! Am I just fighting genetics here? Is there something more I can do to start losing again and/or see some changes in my body? My greatest fear is getting discouraged to the point where I gain it all back, because that's what's happened in the past. I care less about the number on the scale at this point and more about how I look, but I don't know whether it's better to shake up my diet, change my gym routine, etc. Any advice would be welcome!
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Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    You may not want to hear this, but when I look at pictures of all the women on my father's side of the family, there's no question we're shaped the same. My great grandmother, my grandmother and great aunt (sisters), and both of my father's sisters are all pretty much shaped the same.

    But you know what else? They were intelligent, plucky, spirited, beautiful women--several of them talented musicians, all of them pioneers of one sort or another. So go ahead and strip us all and line us up nekked: I'm proud to stand tall--big boobs, big tummies, and big butts-- next to those wonderful women!
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
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    Body type is real, yes, but you can get to an ideal place for your body type. I will never be curvy or hourglass, my body doesn't do that. I have weighed from 95 pounds (eating disorder) to 150 postpartum and nope, never got T&A. There is no way I am getting that body short of surgery, and maybe not even then, they can't give me a little waist, there are bones in the way... I can sculpt myself into a long lean sleek build with exercise and moderation in eating though, and that's good enough for me.

    So you may never be a pear or a stick figure, just like you can't be taller or shorter, but you can absolutely get to a good weight for your body and a healthy composition. Do you know your bodyfat percentage? My advice would be to add strength training and track your bodyfat and waist measurement (since that's where you hold the fat), not so much the scale weight. Seeing your waist measurement shrink some would give you better feedback than anything else, and you are already inside the healthy weight range, so don't really need to lose.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
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    Also, your cats are beautiful!
  • eeejer
    eeejer Posts: 339 Member
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    Genetics play a large role in what you look like, but they do not determine how fat or skinny you are. Your diet does. Google somatotypes (this is the scientific word for body type).
  • DanSTL82
    DanSTL82 Posts: 156 Member
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    Your body shape is genetics. Your weight is 100% based on your calorie in vs. out and nothing else.
    I carry my weight in my stomach and have really large breasts, so I'm top heavy.

    If you are carrying weight in your belly, that means you have excess weight, so the only way to get rid of that is through dieting/exercising more.

    Another commenter here said that her family all has big stomachs, big boobs, and big butts. Again, that is just due to excess weight, which they could shed with diet and exercise. The genetic component is that when they have excess weight, it is stored in those places. But genetics don't put the excess weight there; calories do.
    My doctor keeps telling me I shouldn't try to lose any more weight

    Is your doctor saying you don't need to lose any more weight to be healthy, or that it would actually be detrimental to your health to lose more weight? If you have extra body fat on your belly, I don't see how it would be bad to get rid of that.
    I've gone back to eating at a deficit in an effort to lose a few more lbs and look slimmer, but the weight really isn't budging.

    Either you haven't been eating at a deficit for very long, or you're not really eating at much of a deficit. If you are eating at a deficit, your body has to lose weight, according to the laws of physics. It is literally physically impossible to not lose weight if you are actually at a deficit every day.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    eeejer wrote: »
    Genetics play a large role in what you look like, but they do not determine how fat or skinny you are. Your diet does. Google somatotypes (this is the scientific word for body type).

    This is not a scientific fact, it is a theory.

    If you look it up, in the 1940s, some dude named Sheldon proposed a theory about how there are certain body types which he called "somatotypes" which he associated these types with a certain personality characteristics therefore created the names endomorphy, mesomorphy, and ectomorphy.

    I will be darned if I fit any of these theories. Which I do not. And this theory is not going to fit most.

  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    I don't have a perfect answer, but this is a true story. One of my grandfathers died in 1939, 23 years before I was born. I am the youngest of a large crowd of 17 grandchildren of this man. A few years ago my oldest cousin, who was old enough to remember him before he died, told me that I was the same size, shape, and had the same gait as he. He was called "Big Daddy".
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,497 Member
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    When I am carrying extra weight, I do it the exact way my mother did.

    But I am under no obligation, genetic or otherwise, to carry extra weight. :)
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
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    What are you doing for exercise? To some extent your body shape will be determined by genetics and unfortunately you can't control where fat comes off your body when you lose weight. Females in general tend to hold onto it in our lower abs, hips and thighs for baby making reasons. So if you want to lose fat in a specific area you basically need to keep losing fat until it comes off where you want it to. You'll have to decide whether that practical or even worth the sacrifices you'd need to make to get it to happen.

    One thing you should look at if you're not doing it already is some heavy strength training. Adding muscle mass for me has made a huge difference and definitely changed the shape of my body (hello butt that wasn't there before). Even when I'm carrying a little extra fat it tends to distribute more evenly on my body and look better generally now I'm carrying some muscle
  • eeejer
    eeejer Posts: 339 Member
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    gia07 wrote: »
    eeejer wrote: »
    Genetics play a large role in what you look like, but they do not determine how fat or skinny you are. Your diet does. Google somatotypes (this is the scientific word for body type).

    This is not a scientific fact, it is a theory.

    If you look it up, in the 1940s, some dude named Sheldon proposed a theory about how there are certain body types which he called "somatotypes" which he associated these types with a certain personality characteristics therefore created the names endomorphy, mesomorphy, and ectomorphy.

    I will be darned if I fit any of these theories. Which I do not. And this theory is not going to fit most.

    I think you misread my post. I am saying somatotypes are BS, as are body shapes or types.
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
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    I think of myself as having a quarter horse body, versus a thoroughbred. Or I say I'm from good "peasant stock" with strong legs - thighs and hips. Not long and thin and sleek. But, a good weight. Sometimes I look in the mirror and wish I were "just" 10 pounds thinner, but at 123 I'm good enough.

    You need to choose your battles here, as you've done a great job losing weight. Maybe it's time to life some weights and see if that will change how you look. Don't get discouraged, as you sure won't like being 100# heavier- again!
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    About a decade ago I lived at the gym, had nice definition and low fat levels and met a woman about my age whose body looked like mine. I asked her which gym she went to. She said she didn't lift weights or exercise at all, she just had good genes. I didn't believe her for a long time, but we've stayed friends and I can confirm that although she is active, she doesn't work to look like she does. In fact, now I don't lift weights with the same zeal or consistency and my body shows it. She however, looks exactly as she did 10 years ago. I find the genetics baffling here, but really my point is that it's easier for some people than others to look lean and defined, but most if not all of us have a shot at looking pretty darn good if we are willing to work at it. Recomp!
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat
  • thunder1982
    thunder1982 Posts: 280 Member
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    Congrads on maintaining your weight loss for 8 months.

    I was doing a food and nutrition course through an open uni course last year. Set point or set weight was a topic in the course. The theory being we have a set weight our body naturally falls to. I have found this to be true for me, between kids etc my weight always ended up at the same (overweight) point. I struggle to get it down, give up and end up right where I started. It also said that its takes 18months for your body to expel the additional fat cells. Basically they deflate for a while until your body is sure that you wont need them again. The theory being thats why its easy for the fat cells to expand and you regain weight. I am not sure if its true (I would question the quality of the course) but it does kinda make sense. So you can create a new set point by maintaining the weight for 18months. How true this is I dont know yet cause I havent made it past 12 months without regaining weight but its something that I aim to do achieve this time. It might be BS but then again if I can keep it off for 18+months I probably have changed my ways for good.
  • berylw49
    berylw49 Posts: 68 Member
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    Thank you all for your advice! It sounds like I need to just keep at it (which I knew but really needed to hear). My shape is what it is but I can lose more lbs (and consequently look smaller) if I just keep eating at a deficit.

    EQComics: My doctor has just said that she is fine with my weight where it is, but there isn't any medical reason why I shouldn't lose more

    gmallan: I'm trying to vary my exercise routine now. After a year and a half of cardio only, for the past 4 months I've been doing 3 days/week of strength training classes (dumbbells and lots of bodyweight exercises) and 2-3 days/week of cardio. I was hoping this mix would give me some visible results but nothing so far--I'm still carrying too much fat I guess. I haven't done any heavy lifting so far but it sounds like maybe that would make a difference?

    robininfl: I only know my body fat percentage from my Withings scale (which I know isn't fully accurate), and that gives me a % in the mid-30s, which I know is high. I've only had the scale for a month so I haven't been able to track any changes in that %, but I bought it for that very reason. I'm hoping that continuing at the gym will show me a reduction. My waist (in inches) has not budged since May, though, when I first started maintenance. That's where a lot of my discouragement is coming from!
  • MichelleLea122
    MichelleLea122 Posts: 332 Member
    edited March 2016
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    Coming from the opposite spectrum, I can say that yes genetics certainly plays a role in body composition and body weight. But that shouldn't deter you from challenging yourself. Growing up my siblings and I were all borderline underweight, despite having the worst diets ever. Even at my highest weight, I was still 20 lbs from being overweight. That being said genetics doesn't wholly determine your physique. For instance, I will never have curves and I will never be overweight. But through lifting, I've gained more curves and more weight than what my body "naturally" sits at. So maybe it is more difficult, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    People often don't achieve the body composition they desire because they fail to eat and train properly to that end. On top of that, people have very unrealistic expectations of great changes taking place over the course of a matter of days or weeks or months...people with athletic/fitness physiques spend years working on that.

    Genetics plays a roll in regards to your frame...your predisposition to putting on muscle mass or not...where you store excess fat, etc.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
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    Before losing weight, I thought my sister and I had totally different body types. She is almost 3 inches taller and very slim. I am shorter and was quite chunky(size 10 compared to her 0-2). I did gymnastics until highschool and just thought it shaped me differently. After losing weight and really working hard, I notice that our bodies look very similar, even though we do different types of workouts. I do have certain places that are more muscular (like calves), her hips/booty are slightly bigger, but we tend to weigh fairly close to each other. I think our overall underlying body type/shape is genetic, but how we use it and feed it makes a big difference.
  • Syneea
    Syneea Posts: 451 Member
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    Yes genetics plays a role in how we are shaped and where our fat is stored but like a couple folks pointed out, we can defy genetics!! I am defying genetics now by building myself some thicker legs while losing my upper body! It's easy for me to hold weight at the top while losing at the bottom which sucks!! Thankfully cardio and weight training combined is getting me where I need to be. :)
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    edited March 2016
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    All the women in my family are pear shaped and overweight with high body fat percentages. We like food! They didn't get to benefit from all we know now about diet and exercise, and have the luxury of going to the gym and using software to calculate and count calories.
    I don't have that excuse.
    I have one life and I'm going to live it slim, muscular and fit. I don't believe the BMI markers. I think people should all be under 20bmi.

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