habits vs genetics?

michael_hatten wrote: »

The older I get, the more I believe in the effects of genetics. You can maximize your potentials but once you hit about 50, the genetics kick in and you look more and more like your aunts and uncles.

So when I hit 50 I should become very slender and either muscular like my uncle on my mother's side, or scrawny like my uncles on my father's side. Forgetting the fact that my none of my uncles' physiques are anything like my parent's physiques (other than height).

I don't think that's quite how this works.

I believe it can be both. However, using genetics of obesity does not give us the go ahead to just give up and go pig out on whatever we want, then turn around and blame it on metabolism or genes. I have heard that excuse many times. I have tons more respect for those who try than those who don't .

Genetics is huge part of bone structure, weight gain, and what you eat that may cause weight gain.

My family is Italian and all my siblings grew up eating macaroni regularly for meals. If you come to my house, macaroni and sauce is healthy in our house. Why? Because based on our genetics, we benefit more from spaghetti and sauce in our diets than mashed potatoes and chicken. I eat macaroni without weight gain, but I rather hate stake. My dad can't eat regular macaroni because of his genetics and the fact he has diabetes from weight gain. He has to eat a special kind that won't spike his blood sugar so fast.

My sister has bigger bones than me but my brother and I are smaller boned. Leaving my sister to eat more but have trouble losing weight. My brother and I can lose weight fairly fast if we watch what we eat. That is also why I don't look good at my sister's weight but she wouldn't look good at my weight. We aren't that off in height, but bone structure determines what "looks right."

It depends, I would say a good chunk is genetics. But the other part is learning what is healthy, and to not go overboard on how much you eat.

Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »

DanceDiva234 wrote: »

Genetics is huge part of bone structure, weight gain, and what you eat that may cause weight gain.

My family is Italian and all my siblings grew up eating macaroni regularly for meals. If you come to my house, macaroni and sauce is healthy in our house. Why? Because based on our genetics, we benefit more from spaghetti and sauce in our diets than mashed potatoes and chicken. I eat macaroni without weight gain, but I rather hate stake. My dad can't eat regular macaroni because of his genetics and the fact he has diabetes from weight gain. He has to eat a special kind that won't spike his blood sugar so fast.

My sister has bigger bones than me but my brother and I are smaller boned. Leaving my sister to eat more but have trouble losing weight. My brother and I can lose weight fairly fast if we watch what we eat. That is also why I don't look good at my sister's weight but she wouldn't look good at my weight. We aren't that off in height, but bone structure determines what "looks right."

It depends, I would say a good chunk is genetics. But the other part is learning what is healthy, and to not go overboard on how much you eat.

you think there are genetic differences that allow some people to eat pasta and some people to not be able to.....? Have you ever seen any research or data on this?

I've never looked into it, but I am sure there is a study somewhere. My only explanation in regards to my statement is from experience. The general population of the United States has always complained of gaining weight from breads and pastas, but the majority of my family never faces weight gain from a dish of macaroni every night.

I think our genetics has a defining role in what we can eat and how much weight we gain from certain foods. If your ancestors lived off of certain foods for survival than eventually evolution takes course and the food becomes easier for your body to break down. Maybe those who have trouble digesting starches is because their genetics aren't accustomed to handling it?

I have a tree nut allergy that runs through my family. My aunt has it and my father has it, and in turn my cousin and my sister and I have it. We've had the allergy since birth. Is that genetics? Just a thought, I have no scientific evidence to back up any of my claims.

DanceDiva234 wrote: »

Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »

DanceDiva234 wrote: »

Genetics is huge part of bone structure, weight gain, and what you eat that may cause weight gain.

My family is Italian and all my siblings grew up eating macaroni regularly for meals. If you come to my house, macaroni and sauce is healthy in our house. Why? Because based on our genetics, we benefit more from spaghetti and sauce in our diets than mashed potatoes and chicken. I eat macaroni without weight gain, but I rather hate stake. My dad can't eat regular macaroni because of his genetics and the fact he has diabetes from weight gain. He has to eat a special kind that won't spike his blood sugar so fast.

My sister has bigger bones than me but my brother and I are smaller boned. Leaving my sister to eat more but have trouble losing weight. My brother and I can lose weight fairly fast if we watch what we eat. That is also why I don't look good at my sister's weight but she wouldn't look good at my weight. We aren't that off in height, but bone structure determines what "looks right."

It depends, I would say a good chunk is genetics. But the other part is learning what is healthy, and to not go overboard on how much you eat.

you think there are genetic differences that allow some people to eat pasta and some people to not be able to.....? Have you ever seen any research or data on this?

I've never looked into it, but I am sure there is a study somewhere. My only explanation in regards to my statement is from experience. The general population of the United States has always complained of gaining weight from breads and pastas, but the majority of my family never faces weight gain from a dish of macaroni every night.

I think our genetics has a defining role in what we can eat and how much weight we gain from certain foods. If your ancestors lived off of certain foods for survival than eventually evolution takes course and the food becomes easier for your body to break down. Maybe those who have trouble digesting starches is because their genetics aren't accustomed to handling it?

I have a tree nut allergy that runs through my family. My aunt has it and my father has it, and in turn my cousin and my sister and I have it. We've had the allergy since birth. Is that genetics? Just a thought, I have no scientific evidence to back up any of my claims.

No one gains weight from bread and pasta without a calorie surplus. (Also, most who claim to gain on pasta probably eat it WITH bread, in overly large servings, with a high cal sauce and plenty of cheese.) My ancestry isn't Italian at all (it's mostly British Isles and German, which is the ethnic background of a huge proportion of the US), and yet I lost weight easily eating pasta regularly (I don't really like bread that much unless it's homemade or naan, but I ate that sometimes too). And, of course, the entire population of Europe regularly ate some sort of carbs (and all starches get treated the same by the body), so that my ancestors might have been earlier adopters of the potato vs. some other Europeans (and the potato is relatively recent to Europe, introduced around 1600, caught on later, depending on the place) is not going to mean that I do better with potatoes than others who maybe relied (ancestrally) more on grains (including rice).

In fact, most areas of the world relied on a primary starch staple -- tend to be easy to grow and high in cals and that was the main concern.

I somewhat buy the amylase thing and that some groups do worse with higher carb diets than others, but I don't think that's going to differentiate various European groups and couldn't explain differences so specific as pasta vs. potatoes. (Personally, I'm a fan of gnocchi anyway.)

I would say habits.

ugh I CANT with this one my mother is over weight and always says its because of my diabetes its because of my genetics etc etc. NO woman its because you used to eat an entire box of donuts and a big bag of potato chips every day for 10 years of your life. I have never said that to her of course but its true my father isnt over weight, my mothers mother isnt over weight, my sister isnt over weight, i was over weight but thats because i would binge eat not because of genetics. IT IS possible to loose weight with diabetes and thyroid issues but most people use there illness as a crutch.

Much of this discussion has been about generalities. The documentary profiles a handful of people who have a specific known genetic disorder, Prader-Willi Syndrome, the result of damage or gene deletion in chromosome 15, resulting in an array of developmental disorders. I'm not sure we can infer anything about genetic effects on weight gain in the general population from that.