Welcome to Debate Club! Please be aware that this is a space for respectful debate, and that your ideas will be challenged here. Please remember to critique the argument, not the author.
Genetics and weight
Replies
-
Build I would say is genetic. Weight isn't. Don't use genetics as an excuse as to why you're over weight and can't lose it. It won't help you on your journey.
Now health issues is a different story. I have a nephew with a rare metabolic disorder and he has to drink special formula every day,which is high in calories, and eat a certain amount so he's a little over weight. But it's either that or he could die, and I'd rather he be around.
Good grief no. To think that height and bodyfat distribution is genetic but deny that the ease with which someone puts on weight or loses weight isn't is bizarre. Especially since there's already convincing published evidence that there are genetic factors in weight gain/loss.
It might not be a major factor (it's down to CICO, basically) but it might be enough to make it difficult for some people.3 -
Genetics is one piece of the puzzle without question. Our macro, environment, mental state, etc are factors as well. See link at the bottom for greater details.
We are a whole unit. Our pre programmed features seem to be modified by epigenetics and many other things.
The root cause of most all diseased states we now understand is long term internal inflammation. Removing the triggers of most all disease causes is my main eating goal today. We do have total control over what we eat and how we think if we are mentally and physically healthy. It my case it is turning out to be a stair step process taking years to recover lost health.
As long as my C-Reactive Protein (CRP) levels are going lower year by year I know I am on the road to the best mental and physical health possible in my case.
https://selfhacked.com/2016/11/04/c-reactive-protein/Everything You Need to Know about the C-reactive Protein (CRP)
6 -
cassandrarodriguez89 wrote: »The_Enginerd wrote: »krisb1701d wrote: »The_Enginerd wrote: »
This is not true, the ratio is closer to 1:1krisb1701d wrote: »Bacteria outnumber our cells ten to one, and if the drive you to eat... There is little you can do in the short term to combat that.
http://www.nature.com/news/scientists-bust-myth-that-our-bodies-have-more-bacteria-than-human-cells-1.19136
Interesting paper, thanks for that. While his findings are still under review it does note that there is still a higher concentration in the gut. I believe the point about the GI microbiota driving us to eat still stands.
At this time, some correlations between gut bacteria population and weight/obesity have been found, but I believe it would be a drastic overstatement of the evidence to date to suggest that there is causation of any sort causing folks to overeat. Folks who are overweight also tend to eat more/differently and be less active. My gut (
) feeling is the causation is likely the other way and the differences in bacterial populations found is due to the lifestyle differences that lead to obesity.
They also discovered that the gut bacteria is directly linked to what foods we eat. So once again, people need to stop eating McDonalds. That stuff is terrible, all chemicals, killing off those good bacteria
What about the fresh cracked Round eggs that are cooked in real butter? What about the side salad? I only know about their USA stores. I do agree we do not need to kill off good bacteria. I am questioning your knowledge of all of McDonalds menu items in the USA. Do you have science as to why one should not drink their black regular coffee?2 -
Bones only get "big" if the physical exertion done using that bone causes the bone to need to get big. For instance, a baseball pitcher will have thicker arm bones in his throwing arm than in his non-throwing arm. Yet a violinist does not have bigger bones in his bow hand. Instead, the violinist has more neuronal synapses in the left hemisphere of her brain.
Now you know.
As far as people being destined to overweight and obesity by their fat parents, hogwash.
If people were destined to a body shape by our parents, then we'd all be skinny because our parents' parents were skinny.
That said, it's also been shown that a child born to an older mother tends to be overweight.
6 -
My "genetics" made me fat, yet when I cleaned up my eating and exercised regularly, my "genetics" suddenly made me fit and healthy with a total weight loss of 80 pounds.
People love excuses....
I loved those excuses too. I don't deny it. But since losing as of today 96 lb and discovering how easy it is, I know it's hogwash.2 -
My father, 6'2" and 220 lbs, had a quadruple bypass surgery on Thursday. It's a genetic thing, every man in the family going back at least 4 generations, and a fair number of the women, have had this problem.
The surgeon said that my father made him work harder than hes' worked in his 30+ year career as a surgeon. He said that he'd never seen a ribcage as large, or bones so big and thick.
If you looked at my dad you'd say he's tall and strong. Football, track, swimming, wrestling.. I grew up watching him compete in triathalons. When I was young, he was a ditch digger, and though he moved onto another career, he's always on the move, and has maintained both cardio and weight lifting into his sixties. Very few people would call him "fat" either, though he's not at his high school fighting weight any more. He intends on reaching that weight though in the next few months (right here with MFP) to give him a better shot at another 30-40 years though.
But at any rate, he's LARGE. Big bones. Big muscles. My ankles are big enough I register as a large-framed man (yes, I'm a woman) .. and my ankles are dwarfed in size by his, my size women's 10.5 feet looking downright petite next to his men's size 13 shoes. And no, he doesn't have remotely fat feet.
Genetics and hard manual labor, people. It's a real thing.10 -
Being "big boned" doesn't mean you can't be fit. Having a large skeleton doesn't mean you also have to have a bunch of extra fat on your body. People with small frames are fat, too. Not sure how the term "big boned" came to signify someone is forever doomed to fatness. Might just be a way for people to make excuses. If you say something is genetic, you can pretend you don't have any control over it.3
-
krisb1701d wrote: »...Bacteria outnumber our cells ten to one, and if the drive you to eat... There is little you can do in the short term to combat that.
Bacteria made me do it...
5 -
Favorite read of the day!JeromeBarry1 wrote: »Bones only get "big" if the physical exertion done using that bone causes the bone to need to get big. For instance, a baseball pitcher will have thicker arm bones in his throwing arm than in his non-throwing arm. Yet a violinist does not have bigger bones in his bow hand. Instead, the violinist has more neuronal synapses in the left hemisphere of her brain.
Now you know.
As far as people being destined to overweight and obesity by their fat parents, hogwash.
If people were destined to a body shape by our parents, then we'd all be skinny because our parents' parents were skinny.
That said, it's also been shown that a child born to an older mother tends to be overweight.
0 -
People are taller and shorter...but have you ever seen skeletons? There are no big bones.
7 -
JustDoIt987 wrote: »Hey guys ! Sorry for asking another question , but today a friend of mine said '' I can never be slim , my parents are both big boned''
My question is : Do genetics determine your weight ?
If someone's 'natural weight' is 130lbs , can they get to a lower weight and healthily maintain it ?
To some extent sure. Genetics do not determine how much fat you have on your body, diet does. But how you are built can certainly prevent you from getting a certain look you may desire. I'll never be short. I would have to get down to an unhealthy weight to ever have slim hips or calves.
So, it depends on what your friend means by "slim". They can get to a healthy weight. But they may not ever fit into a size 0.0 -
I'm an xray tech and I have never seen a heavy person with a skeleton that matched it.16
-
I have a borderline large frame and I'm far from being overweight. As to genetics, I take after my paternal grandmother in looks, height, general build, etc...but she was morbidly obese with diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, and had 2 heart attacks and a stroke before she died. I may have her bone structure, but I chose my own path in terms of weight, health, and fitness level.7
-
People are taller and shorter...but have you ever seen skeletons? There are no big bones.
Actually, and this is speaking from a forensic examination I did of 137 skeltised remains, there are "big" bones. Skeletons come in a range of big (robust) to small (gracile). This is a separate measurement from length which you use to calculate height. Generally, you will find more robust bones amongst those who have engaged in heavy physical labour whereas the gracile bones will come from those who engage in more low impact cardio type activities. You can tell all sorts of things from a person's bones...can tell if they regularly ride horseback, or were a keyboard tapping desk jockey, or a roofer, or a ballet dancer. Living bones are very adaptable and more malleable than people think. Why else is one of the key recommendations to increase bone mass is to lift weights? Your bones are getting both denser and more robust.15 -
This content has been removed.
-
JeromeBarry1 wrote: »Bones only get "big" if the physical exertion done using that bone causes the bone to need to get big. For instance, a baseball pitcher will have thicker arm bones in his throwing arm than in his non-throwing arm. Yet a violinist does not have bigger bones in his bow hand. Instead, the violinist has more neuronal synapses in the left hemisphere of her brain.
Now you know.
As far as people being destined to overweight and obesity by their fat parents, hogwash.
If people were destined to a body shape by our parents, then we'd all be skinny because our parents' parents were skinny.
That said, it's also been shown that a child born to an older mother tends to be overweight.
But why? Genetics/epigenetics? Or something behavioral, like older women tending to be heavier and less active on average than younger ones, thus modeling "heavy and inactive is normal"; or being more indulgent food-wise with late in life children?
My mom was 43 when I was born in 1955, her first and only child. I was fat, and am now thin. Will it be harder for me to maintain than it would be for someone whose mother was young? (I doubt it.)1 -
snowflake954 wrote: »It's the availability of food. If you give an animal too much food it will get fat, unless it's very active. We are no different.
This is rather simplistic.
Sure, readily available food and never having to go without is a factor in obesity. It's not the only one though.
And there are plenty of people living in an abundant, first world environment who maintain healthy weight without being 'very active'.
meh- I don't know about that- all of the people I know who aren't fat are quite active.1 -
People are taller and shorter...but have you ever seen skeletons? There are no big bones.
Actually, and this is speaking from a forensic examination I did of 137 skeltised remains, there are "big" bones. Skeletons come in a range of big (robust) to small (gracile). This is a separate measurement from length which you use to calculate height. Generally, you will find more robust bones amongst those who have engaged in heavy physical labour whereas the gracile bones will come from those who engage in more low impact cardio type activities. You can tell all sorts of things from a person's bones...can tell if they regularly ride horseback, or were a keyboard tapping desk jockey, or a roofer, or a ballet dancer. Living bones are very adaptable and more malleable than people think. Why else is one of the key recommendations to increase bone mass is to lift weights? Your bones are getting both denser and more robust.
Surgeons will also attest to this, as well anatomy professors.2 -
People are taller and shorter...but have you ever seen skeletons? There are no big bones.
Actually, and this is speaking from a forensic examination I did of 137 skeltised remains, there are "big" bones. Skeletons come in a range of big (robust) to small (gracile). This is a separate measurement from length which you use to calculate height. Generally, you will find more robust bones amongst those who have engaged in heavy physical labour whereas the gracile bones will come from those who engage in more low impact cardio type activities. You can tell all sorts of things from a person's bones...can tell if they regularly ride horseback, or were a keyboard tapping desk jockey, or a roofer, or a ballet dancer. Living bones are very adaptable and more malleable than people think. Why else is one of the key recommendations to increase bone mass is to lift weights? Your bones are getting both denser and more robust.
Surgeons will also attest to this, as well anatomy professors.
I don't know if there's a genetic component to this. In gross anatomy there is a visible difference and even after a few autopsies begin to make an educated guess on if the subject was physically active.
We've discovered much of this through the space program and the massive decrease in bone density in the early astronauts. Body maintenance is terribly taxing and energy intensive. Our bodies are designed for efficiency and will cease activity if it is not needed - e.g. providing calcium to bone structures. To stimulate this in space requires ~2.5 hours of exercise/daily.2 -
JeromeBarry1 wrote: »Bones only get "big" if the physical exertion done using that bone causes the bone to need to get big. For instance, a baseball pitcher will have thicker arm bones in his throwing arm than in his non-throwing arm. Yet a violinist does not have bigger bones in his bow hand. Instead, the violinist has more neuronal synapses in the left hemisphere of her brain.
Now you know.
As far as people being destined to overweight and obesity by their fat parents, hogwash.
If people were destined to a body shape by our parents, then we'd all be skinny because our parents' parents were skinny.
That said, it's also been shown that a child born to an older mother tends to be overweight.
But why? Genetics/epigenetics? Or something behavioral, like older women tending to be heavier and less active on average than younger ones, thus modeling "heavy and inactive is normal"; or being more indulgent food-wise with late in life children?
My mom was 43 when I was born in 1955, her first and only child. I was fat, and am now thin. Will it be harder for me to maintain than it would be for someone whose mother was young? (I doubt it.)
Why are some bones robust or gracile? The genetics portion is just XX or XY. Men are genetically predisposed to more robust bones than women. Anything beyond that is down to behaviour...as in the type of physical activity or lack thereof.
0 -
JeromeBarry1 wrote: »Bones only get "big" if the physical exertion done using that bone causes the bone to need to get big. For instance, a baseball pitcher will have thicker arm bones in his throwing arm than in his non-throwing arm. Yet a violinist does not have bigger bones in his bow hand. Instead, the violinist has more neuronal synapses in the left hemisphere of her brain.
Now you know.
As far as people being destined to overweight and obesity by their fat parents, hogwash.
If people were destined to a body shape by our parents, then we'd all be skinny because our parents' parents were skinny.
That said, it's also been shown that a child born to an older mother tends to be overweight.
But why? Genetics/epigenetics? Or something behavioral, like older women tending to be heavier and less active on average than younger ones, thus modeling "heavy and inactive is normal"; or being more indulgent food-wise with late in life children?
My mom was 43 when I was born in 1955, her first and only child. I was fat, and am now thin. Will it be harder for me to maintain than it would be for someone whose mother was young? (I doubt it.)
Why are some bones robust or gracile? The genetics portion is just XX or XY. Men are genetically predisposed to more robust bones than women. Anything beyond that is down to behaviour...as in the type of physical activity or lack thereof.
No. Why do children born to older mothers tend to be overweight.
And no. There's variation in bone structure even within one sex.5 -
I’m a genetic specialist. I work in genomics and whole genome sequencing. Genetics plays some role. The way our body distributes fat and predisposition to medical conditions that can cause weight gain can be familial. This include hypothyroid, hormonal imbalances, diabetes, early onset high cholesterol. Other things such as body structure, metabolism etc are things we are born with. We haven’t identified one gene that leads to more fat gain. Ilmultiple genes interact with each other and the environment to cause some people to have more problems losing weight. For example, early diabetes and thyroid problems have led to rapid weight gain in many members of my
Family leading to extremely slow and difficult weight loss.
Genetics plays a role but luckily it’s not deterministic and living a healthy lifestyle will usually trump a lot of the genetic factors. That’s the good news!
We have more power than we think 13 -
There is quite a lot of evidence to suggest a strong genetic link to bone size and density. And more specifically hereditary traits that exist alongside environmental and behavioral factors. A look at osteoporosis research will lead you to some scientific data.
I found out the hard way that some people really do just have thicker "bigger" bones, and I have the Xrays and MRI's to prove it lol. In my case, my "unusually thick bones" cause me to have an "unusually thin spinal canal." So when I experienced swelling in my spinal cord that may not have effected many people, in my case it caused Acute transverse myelitis. *Quotes from my neurosurgeon.
But of course, as almost everyone here has noted, big bones have nothing to do with being overweight or one's ability to maintain a healthy size.3 -
RayofShreya wrote: »I’m a genetic specialist. I work in genomics and whole genome sequencing. Genetics plays some role. The way our body distributes fat and predisposition to medical conditions that can cause weight gain can be familial. This include hypothyroid, hormonal imbalances, diabetes, early onset high cholesterol. Other things such as body structure, metabolism etc are things we are born with. We haven’t identified one gene that leads to more fat gain. Ilmultiple genes interact with each other and the environment to cause some people to have more problems losing weight. For example, early diabetes and thyroid problems have led to rapid weight gain in many members of my
Family leading to extremely slow and difficult weight loss.
Thank you for this! Finding out that there IS a genuine genetic proponent to my obesity and difficulty in losing weight is a relief. I hate when I see posts and comments on "if you'd just shut your pie hole and get off the couch, you'd lose weight!" or "just eat less and exercise more, and it will come off". Getting those comments can be very disheartening, especially when I AM eating less and exercising more, but my body seems to be fighting me every step of the way.
So knowing that genetics could be making it more difficult for me to lose weight than someone else with a different make up does help me in that I can see that it's not necessarily that I'm doing something wrong in only losing 1 lb a week when the calculator says that at my intake level and exercise level, I should be losing 2 lbs a week. And it goes a long way in explaining why I have to slash my calorie limit by 100 below the most conservative calculator results I can find to see the right results.RayofShreya wrote: »Genetics plays a role but luckily it’s not deterministic and living a healthy lifestyle will usually trump a lot of the genetic factors. That’s the good news!
We have more power than we think
I also think this is key. Genetics DOES play a part in how easily a person gains weight and how difficult it is for them to lose it, but it doesn't make it impossible to lose weight. And I have found that out personally in this round of weight loss.
It just frustrates me because I have family members, such as my sister, who uses genetics as their excuse to not bother even trying, instead of admitting that its a matter of the will and the fact they just flat out doesn't want to eat healthier foods. My sister refuses to accept that while our family has a genetic predisposition toward heart disease and diabetes, that eating a healthy diet and working to get to a healthy weight can really help us either not slide into those issues or at least delay the onset and lessen the severity. She makes the claim that her body weight has nothing to do with the fact that she's got high cholesterol and is diabetic, or that the fact that she eats fatty, fried foods at several meals, and prefers chicken nuggets and popcorn shrimp to grilled chicken breast or a fillet of fish has anything to do with her poor health. As far as she concerned, her poor diet is not at fault at all; its simply her "genetics" and its inevitable, whether she ate better and lost some weight or not.
The fact that we DO have a family genetic tendency toward those things and realizing that the older I get, the higher my risks of developing them becomes is what finally motivated me into trying actively to lose weight again - I'm nearing that 40 mark and realized that that's the age when most of my family started having those health issues, and that I really, really, really didn't want to become diabetic yet if I could help it. I realized that while all my health markers are fine NOW, and have been fine for all the years that I've been obese, that doesn't mean that they'll continue to be fine as I enter middle age. And seeing the health issues my family is dealing with as they get older was a wake up call for me.
I don't know if I'll succeed in getting into a healthy weight range, but I figure the more I lose, the better off I am, right? yeah, right now my BMI is around 42, but that's worlds better than when it was 57!9 -
bmeadows380 wrote: »RayofShreya wrote: »I’m a genetic specialist. I work in genomics and whole genome sequencing. Genetics plays some role. The way our body distributes fat and predisposition to medical conditions that can cause weight gain can be familial. This include hypothyroid, hormonal imbalances, diabetes, early onset high cholesterol. Other things such as body structure, metabolism etc are things we are born with. We haven’t identified one gene that leads to more fat gain. Ilmultiple genes interact with each other and the environment to cause some people to have more problems losing weight. For example, early diabetes and thyroid problems have led to rapid weight gain in many members of my
Family leading to extremely slow and difficult weight loss.
Thank you for this! Finding out that there IS a genuine genetic proponent to my obesity and difficulty in losing weight is a relief. I hate when I see posts and comments on "if you'd just shut your pie hole and get off the couch, you'd lose weight!" or "just eat less and exercise more, and it will come off". Getting those comments can be very disheartening, especially when I AM eating less and exercising more, but my body seems to be fighting me every step of the way.
So knowing that genetics could be making it more difficult for me to lose weight than someone else with a different make up does help me in that I can see that it's not necessarily that I'm doing something wrong in only losing 1 lb a week when the calculator says that at my intake level and exercise level, I should be losing 2 lbs a week. And it goes a long way in explaining why I have to slash my calorie limit by 100 below the most conservative calculator results I can find to see the right results.RayofShreya wrote: »Genetics plays a role but luckily it’s not deterministic and living a healthy lifestyle will usually trump a lot of the genetic factors. That’s the good news!
We have more power than we think
I also think this is key. Genetics DOES play a part in how easily a person gains weight and how difficult it is for them to lose it, but it doesn't make it impossible to lose weight. And I have found that out personally in this round of weight loss.
It just frustrates me because I have family members, such as my sister, who uses genetics as their excuse to not bother even trying, instead of admitting that its a matter of the will and the fact they just flat out doesn't want to eat healthier foods. My sister refuses to accept that while our family has a genetic predisposition toward heart disease and diabetes, that eating a healthy diet and working to get to a healthy weight can really help us either not slide into those issues or at least delay the onset and lessen the severity. She makes the claim that her body weight has nothing to do with the fact that she's got high cholesterol and is diabetic, or that the fact that she eats fatty, fried foods at several meals, and prefers chicken nuggets and popcorn shrimp to grilled chicken breast or a fillet of fish has anything to do with her poor health. As far as she concerned, her poor diet is not at fault at all; its simply her "genetics" and its inevitable, whether she ate better and lost some weight or not.
The fact that we DO have a family genetic tendency toward those things and realizing that the older I get, the higher my risks of developing them becomes is what finally motivated me into trying actively to lose weight again - I'm nearing that 40 mark and realized that that's the age when most of my family started having those health issues, and that I really, really, really didn't want to become diabetic yet if I could help it. I realized that while all my health markers are fine NOW, and have been fine for all the years that I've been obese, that doesn't mean that they'll continue to be fine as I enter middle age. And seeing the health issues my family is dealing with as they get older was a wake up call for me.
I don't know if I'll succeed in getting into a healthy weight range, but I figure the more I lose, the better off I am, right? yeah, right now my BMI is around 42, but that's worlds better than when it was 57!
In fairness, your sister's diet may have little to do with her cholesterol levels. I have friends with the same diet. They eat breakfast and dinner together most days and take turns packing work lunches. Her cholesterol is fine. His is through the roof. She's a little chubby, he's skinny as a rail. They changed their diet to try to bring down his cholesterol. Hers came down even lower, his didn't really change at all. Having said that, a genetic predisposition is not the biggest factor for most of us, and if it is, it's even more important to control the things we can. Best of luck to you. All you can do is hope your sister gets it before it's too late for her.2 -
I think genetics play a role in as such as some people have to work harder to stay slim or even to gain weight than others but anyone can do it no matter what their genetic make up is.4
-
maryannprt wrote: »In fairness, your sister's diet may have little to do with her cholesterol levels. I have friends with the same diet. They eat breakfast and dinner together most days and take turns packing work lunches. Her cholesterol is fine. His is through the roof. She's a little chubby, he's skinny as a rail. They changed their diet to try to bring down his cholesterol. Hers came down even lower, his didn't really change at all. Having said that, a genetic predisposition is not the biggest factor for most of us, and if it is, it's even more important to control the things we can. Best of luck to you. All you can do is hope your sister gets it before it's too late for her.
True, and I do know that there is a major genetic component that trends in families to give folks a disposition towards certain things.
However, being that she has several factors that would give her a disposition toward certain health conditions, she needs to do whatever she can to mitigate those genetic biases, not worsen the situation by over-eating foods that exasperate the health problems.
You are right - the best answer is to control the things she can, which includes making healthier food choices. But she doesn't; she doesn't want to eat better or healthier or limit her portions because she thinks that's "starving" herself and frankly, she just doesn't care enough to want to be healthier, so she's using the "its inevitable because its my genetics" as her excuse to not bother trying.
I know I can't lecture her on it especially because any hint of what she might even consider a lecture, whether it was truly intended to be so or spoken out of loving concern, just causes her to become even more stubborn and to tune a person out. If she doesn't want to hear what is being said, she just refuses to listen, and that's the point she's at when it comes to her bad health and weight. And unfortunately, my example hasn't made a bit of difference in her attitude; she still thinks she can't do it herself when it's not a matter of "can't"; its a matter of "won't". She simply doesn't want to expend the effort or discipline it requires, so she moans about wanting to lose weight, but refuses to make little adjustments like limiting portion sizes, and instead continues searching for a quick cure like a diet pill or "apple cider vinegar" and such. I just pray that she finally gets to the point where she wants to bad enough before she has a major health crisis like a stroke or heart attack
3 -
JustDoIt987 wrote: »Hey guys ! Sorry for asking another question , but today a friend of mine said '' I can never be slim , my parents are both big boned''
My question is : Do genetics determine your weight ?
If someone's 'natural weight' is 130lbs , can they get to a lower weight and healthily maintain it ?
It depends on whether the person is saying that while 50 lbs overweight, or is within a normal BMI range and just can't attain a slimmer model-esque physique.
I will never be as "slim" as my sister, even though we are the same height, because she has a different bone structure, (narrower shoulders and hip placement) but I am a healthy weight and am successful in maintaining it after decades of obesity.3 -
Original question: My question is : Do genetics determine your weight ?
If someone's 'natural weight' is 130lbs , can they get to a lower weight and healthily maintain it ?"
Everyone seems to be assuming we are talking about obesity when talking about weight. I was curious if that's what the OP is really asking? Because it does not necessarily follow.
Being slim, or weighing a certain amount, if we are just talking about that specifically, and NOT obesity - I would say yes absolutely genetics will determine that.
If you take 5 people with the same height, who get in the most optimal shape of their lives...they are not going to weigh the same, nor be the same size. The size of their bones, and the structural alignment of them, will play a role in this, even ignoring any other factors. I mean, we all know that - we're all different shapes and sizes, at a base level.
I mean, I have a friend who is in amazing shape, a great athlete. She does NOT look thin, however. She looks like a little spark plug, because that's the bones she has - wide hips and shoulders, and very short torso with almost no room for a waist to hip change in size. She has ALWAYS looked this way. She is always a bit heavier than her fellow friends in similar shape, because she literally has a different body shape, due to genetics. She will NEVER look slender because she quite literally can't.
She is, as people would call it, big boned. Nearly no fat, but wider than many women who have a lot more fat than she does, you know?
So with that in mind, if one was to call a certain weight - let's say the 'in shape' weight - of someone their 'natural weight,' it would be very difficult to get a lower weight than that. Potentially impossible to do so if they were in peak condition, at least and maintain it in a healthy way, I would think.1 -
bmeadows380 wrote: »maryannprt wrote: »In fairness, your sister's diet may have little to do with her cholesterol levels. I have friends with the same diet. They eat breakfast and dinner together most days and take turns packing work lunches. Her cholesterol is fine. His is through the roof. She's a little chubby, he's skinny as a rail. They changed their diet to try to bring down his cholesterol. Hers came down even lower, his didn't really change at all. Having said that, a genetic predisposition is not the biggest factor for most of us, and if it is, it's even more important to control the things we can. Best of luck to you. All you can do is hope your sister gets it before it's too late for her.
True, and I do know that there is a major genetic component that trends in families to give folks a disposition towards certain things.
However, being that she has several factors that would give her a disposition toward certain health conditions, she needs to do whatever she can to mitigate those genetic biases, not worsen the situation by over-eating foods that exasperate the health problems.
You are right - the best answer is to control the things she can, which includes making healthier food choices. But she doesn't; she doesn't want to eat better or healthier or limit her portions because she thinks that's "starving" herself and frankly, she just doesn't care enough to want to be healthier, so she's using the "its inevitable because its my genetics" as her excuse to not bother trying.
I know I can't lecture her on it especially because any hint of what she might even consider a lecture, whether it was truly intended to be so or spoken out of loving concern, just causes her to become even more stubborn and to tune a person out. If she doesn't want to hear what is being said, she just refuses to listen, and that's the point she's at when it comes to her bad health and weight. And unfortunately, my example hasn't made a bit of difference in her attitude; she still thinks she can't do it herself when it's not a matter of "can't"; its a matter of "won't". She simply doesn't want to expend the effort or discipline it requires, so she moans about wanting to lose weight, but refuses to make little adjustments like limiting portion sizes, and instead continues searching for a quick cure like a diet pill or "apple cider vinegar" and such. I just pray that she finally gets to the point where she wants to bad enough before she has a major health crisis like a stroke or heart attack
I am completely in agreement with everything you guys said. I hate when people attribute it to "genetics" as being the reason they can't lose weight etc but then continue to eat too many calories and crappy foods.
I just wanted to bring up something I found very interesting in case you haven't heard of it. There is actually a genetic mutation that can occur in families. Basically what it means is that they do not have the receptor to digest and breakdown LDL cholesterol so they have high cholesterol regardless of diet and overall health. Obviously it is very rare, but if you have this mutation you could have high cholesterol while eating a fantastic diet your entire life.1
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 424 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions