To think that obesity mostly has to do with your genes

[penandpaperlife]

I've been living with my best friend for a year now due to some personal issues with my STBXH, and this has been something I've been wondering about. My best friend eats the exact same thing as me, with the same exact portion size. She also snacks on nuts and/or biscuits throughout the day (we're a freelance team so we spend basically all day together) while I don't.

Why then, is she slim and I'm not?

The only difference in our lifestyle is that she goes for a 15min run every morning. I've read studies and charts though and that seems to only burn about 150kcals. Surely that wouldn't even offset her snacks? I come from a 'fat family', she doesn't. We're both almost 30, if that matters. That leads me to believe that genetics do play a huge part here, contrary to what's often being parroted in the press. Is that possible? Does anyone have any experience with this?

If Person A is 55 Kg, eats X calories and burns X calories, Person A will continue to weigh 55 Kg.

If Person B is 75 Kg, eats X calories and burns X calories, Person B remains at 75 Kg.

I think so much of it is skewed view of what food is.

Someone hot the nail on the head earlier saying all calories are not born equal. My sister in law often says to me she can't believe I'm slim when I eat nuts, avocado and full fat geek yoghurt. She eats weight watcher ready meals, special k cereal and Muller light yoghurts which are all "low fat" and my nuts have too many calories that speaks volums abput our societies understanding of nutrition.

She also mocks when I try to feed her son food with vegetables in saying that i need to understand that children don't like veg and chicken nuggets and chips are just meat and potato.

So long as we have a skewed view of how to bring children up understanding nutrition and laying down healthy foundations for them we will have adults with poor eating habits.

We do have different heights, hormo d's egg but with very few medical exceptions if you eat a nutritious diet with minimal processed foods and you get regular moderate intensity exercise then you won't be obese.

I don't think 'obesity' as such is in the genes but your metabolic rate more than likely is. If you think about it humans are designed to survive periods of food scarcity and our bodies are very efficient at storing energy. These days we have food abundance which we are not evolved to deal with. I know my body just doesn't seem to need alot of food to get by (sadly). However, put me in a famine and I'd possibly last woman standing 😂😂

I’d be done after I cup (of salad)

I call MN undereating bingo

Just looking at the salad should be enough🙄 so greedy

1 cup of salad

Even 1 slice of pizza is sad

I eat 5, easily, and am not overweight

I think it's very difficult to compare one person to another. Lots of factors suggested on this thread are playing a part, in different combinations and proportions for each person. Along with behavioural issues which are not genetic but may have passed down via each person's upbringing.

Focus on what your body needs. Examine its responses. Try different combinations of 'move more, eat less', until you find something that works for you. Forget about your ancestors, forget about comparing to your housemate. The fact is, if you fell down a well, you'd lose weight pretty quickly. It might be slightly more quickly or slowly dependent on your biology, but so what? Genetics don't exempt anyone from the 'if you eat less, you get thinner' thing.

I’m not sure if it’s true, but I recall hearing that your stomach doesn’t get the message you’ve eaten enough till 15 minutes after you start eating. So while my tastebuds might enjoy five slices of pizza, I eat one as that seems enough. I’m not skinny, I’m slim, but I really couldn’t eat more than two or I’d feel uncomfortably stuffed. I used to overeat when I was a young adult (and I was skinny then as I was on my feet all day) & I hate the feeling. So since then I’ve always made a conscious decision not to eat big portions as I don’t like having a stomach ache. If it’s something easy to overeat, like a bag of crisps in front of the telly, I put some in a cereal bowl, and leave the bag in the kitchen, as I’m too idle to go and refill the little bowl.

One largeish slice of pizza is a normal amount though. I know some people are capable of eating a large Dominoes or whatever by themselves, but I just don't understand how. I could easily eat two slices and be comfortably full, sated, but any more than that and I'd feel painfully stuffed, like having this huge weight in my stomach, and it would hurt. I hate that feeling, and I can't understand why some people willingly eat until they get to that point.

It depends on the pizza! If we order pizza I would always have one each as our pizzas are quite thin and one is by no means too much for one person.

I am most likely slimmer and in better shape than most as I weight train, run, eat well (vegetarian) etc. Size 6/8 with muscle definition.

Dominos lists 1 slice of large cheese & tomato pizza as just 176 cals. I’m not sure how that can be a sufficient dinner for an adult.

I don’t think that 1 or 2 slices of pizza would be sufficient for me for supper alone. Fair enough if sides are included, but just 2 slices of pizza alone? Absolutely not. Maybe it’s because on average I’m not snacking through the day or eating high calorie meals across the day.

I think that modern amount of exercise won't help you lose weight unless you change your eating habits, but it will help keep weight off when you've lost it as long as you aren't eating too much.

If it’s not to do with genetics how do people explain different body shapes? Eg me storing the fat that I do have on my stomach and thighs make me look plumper than someone whose fat sits on their breasts or bum!

@sunfloweryy excess weight is excess weight, it doesn't matter where you carry it.

Do you two weigh exactly the same? Our calorific needs differ in relation to our weight. If she is eating to maintenance calories she will stay the same weight. If you are eating in a calorie deficit you'll lose weight. This is dependant on your current weight.

"sunfloweryy excess weight is excess weight, it doesn't matter where you carry it"

Matters a bit in terms of health, doesn't it, isn't fat round the middle the worst for your health? So pear shapes have a genetic advantage over apples in that sense.

sunflowery Where you carry the weight is genetic. How much weight you have isn't.

YABU. Weight/body shape is definitely genetic to an extent, but not purely. She may be naturally more slim for sure, but obesity is lifestyle overall.

What kind of meals/portions do you eat? Maybe she has a very very fast metabolism...

I would be very tempted to join her for her runs and stop the snacks and see what happens.

@eckhart but isn’t it more dangerous to carry weight in certain places?

sunfloweryy Yes it is.

People often say this - I can understand that perhaps due to genes and upbringing someone may be prone to overeating or food addiction, so struggling more with the mind power aspect of dieting. But physically I think genes can only make a very marginal difference - if you’re eating the same and moving the same your weight loss/gain will be similar. Otherwise, where are all the ‘genetically obese’ people in those countries struggling with famine?? If your starving - so not eating enough calories - you will lose weight, no genes make you immune to that.

I've seen pics of both my Grandma's in the 1930's & 1940's, both were very plump. I was really skinny like my DM, til I hit 30 & now struggle & am a big size 14 because I hate exercise & got used to eating chocolate all day long. My closest friend in my 20's swam for a county team & had a cracking, v slim figure. As soon as she stopped swimming she got her Mom's build, v chunky legs, mahoosive boobs etc, despite eating really sparsely.

cavabiensepasser I could eat the whole pizza and not feel uncomfortable, no huge weight, no hurting, simply full. I am obese though and my stomach is more accustomed to large quantities. .

Conversely I rarely feel hungry, I haven't had anything to eat yet today.

The French are worried the US will have more deaths because so many more Americans are obese including 18% of American children.

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8200025/Obesity-major-COVID-19-risk-factor-says-French-chief-epidemiologist.html

but but but isn't that medical fatphobia and weight stigma?! /s