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?

My great Gran born 1900 was the same @Walkingtohealth a very large woman, but active, widowed mum of 5 kids, and worked full time as a cleaner until she retired at 74.

I don’t know. I’m overweight and I’m pretty sure my brother is obese but our parents weren’t (although my dads dad was fat as far as I remember)
My brothers lifestyle is terrible, which largely explains his weight but I don’t know about mine. Obviously I eat too much but not enough to explain why I weigh so much. I’m not deluded enough to claim I eat nothing but previously people I have spent a lot of time with have expressed surprise at how little I eat compared to how large I am (not huge, size 16). I spoke to my GP about it and they asked me to keep a food diary, I did religiously but when I took it back they more or less said I was lying and it wasn’t possible.Blood tests for thyroid came back negative. MYfitness pal said I wasn’t eating enough. I do a lot of walking too.
No idea why I’m overweight, the only thing I can think of is something genetic

The exercise might only burn 150 calories, but once you have exercised you continue to burn off calories whilst your muscles repair (which is why exercising larger muscle groups burns the most calories). It is literally how much you eat vs how much you burn off, you need to be in deficit to lose weight, and match up to maintain.

You won't always have eaten the same amount as her though OP, hence why you are overweight in the first place, so you cannot compare how you eat now, because you would have to be eating less in order to be slim.
Exercise has a massive impact on your metabolism and your friend is probably a lot more active than you in general. If she has more muscle she will burn more calories than you, just staying still.

But if it is genetic, then why are so many more people overweight when previously the percentage was so much lower?

I think activity and exercise are much much more important than people think.

Some people barely move once they sit down, others fidget and constantly get up to get things etc

Genetics plays a part, but almost anyone could be the size they want, through lifestyle changes (No need to join a gym, walking to work etc all adds up, eating better food, sleeping more etc.)

I come from a fat family. I have been clinically obese in the past and I have now maintained a healthy weight for several years. My experience has taught me one thing :

Obesity is a choice.

When I started eating significantly less and moving significantly more, I started to lose weight. Funny, that... When I moved onto eating much more healthily and taking fitness seriously, the weight dropped off at an astonishing rate.

Losing weight is easy. Maintaining a healthy weight is much tougher. 5:2 and doing exercise I actually enjoy works for me, but everyone has to figure out what works for themselves.

I used to work with someone who appeared to eat absolutely loads but was very thin. Everyone would marvel at her getting a sausage sandwich for breakfast in the canteen, eating leftover takeaway for lunch etc. But if you actually watched her, she ate really, really slowly (because she was talking) and actually left loads of food on her plate. We switched down to 30 minute lunch slots and she was horrified, her lunch was never more than half eaten in that time. She also was very active, but not in terms of exercise - she struggled to sit still and was very fidgety.

Years later, I watched a documentary (a bit like Secret Eaters, but not that) that revealed that these very small differences were the main difference between fat and thin people. Weight management is very fine margins: eat 500 calories more than you burn per day and you’ll gain a pound a week, or 52lb per year. This is why so many people are mystified by their weight, they often overeat healthy foods and, when comparing with others, neglect to mention that extra sugar in their tea, glass of wine per evening, full-fat products instead of lighter etc. It all adds up, unfortunately. There is a very unfair perception that fat people are lazy or stuff themselves every day.

@cavabiensepasser no, but your gut microbes play a much bigger part of the story than you think. The studies show its more than just calories in/calories out.

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.

You probably do eat more but don’t realise it. Anyone not bothered will not notice or think about portion sizes or calculate amounts of eating, whereas a person affected about this would and would more likely try to justify it, IMO.

@OhhhPeee yes I saw that documentary, was really interesting

I think there is certainly an obesity gene and a tendency towards obesity. I believe all the world's leading obesity experts think the same.

This was always my thinking, my mum and nan have always been a little on the learner side, but hugely, but arse and legs mostly. I’ve always been big and clearly underestimated exactly how much I was eating and assumed it was a family thing. Until I had a gastric bypass. This proved to me that I was obviously eating too much! Now my portions are much smaller and I’ve lost 6 stones. So while our ‘shape’ could be inherited. I don’t think being overweight is, it’s down to what we eat, and what we have been brought up to believe is a ‘normal’ size portion of food.

How odd that no one had that gene during the war then? 🤔

The studies show its more than just calories in/calories out.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why people are fat...

Larger, not learner !

But if you actually watched her, she ate really, really slowly (because she was talking) and actually left loads of food on her plate.

That's interesting because my friend is definitely a very, very slow eater. She does finish her food though (we meal prep and we take turns doing the washing up). Is there a correlation between eating speeds and weight gain?

Oooo goody I love a good fat thread. 🙄

Also I think keeping a food diary you may surprise yourself. Wrote down everything you eat, it will either stop you from eating little extras, knowing you have to write it down, or you’ll be surprised how much you have eaten and forgotten about by evening

Agree with @PurpleGentian.

Plus the fidgeting/ general movement. I'm currently plump and sedentary by my usual standards, although still reasonably slim and active in general terms. I'm eating far more than dp without gaining weight, despite him being broader and taller, simply because I don't stop moving even when I'm sat still.

If you are both currently eating the same, then you are both likely maintaining your current weight.
If you want to lose weight, eat less.

My grandmother was born in 1908 and when the war started in 1939 she had children who were 2, 6 and 12. She had to feed her family of 5 on wartime rations and she most certainly was overweight. Not gargantuan, but definitely 13ish stone at 5'5".

She stayed that way until she died at almost 95.

I think it’s way more complicated than yes or no. Genetics definitely plays a part in where your body stores fat in my opinion.

I come from a family of big thighs. My mum has them, my grandma, cousins etc. I’ve been very slim everywhere but never been able to shift the fat from my thighs which I’ve always thought makes me look ‘curvier’ than if my bottom half was in proportion to my slimmer top half. I’m not fat by any stretch (eat healthily/exercise daily) but I certainly look it when I’m stood by tall, slim all over friends.

I’ve had way too many super skinny friends who eat crap constantly and never excercise to think it’s always a case of eat less, move more.

People respond differently to sugar and therefore simple carbs. Some folks can eat a high carb diet. Others can’t. More and more science is supporting this. Studies that look at slim people and what they eat are limited as these are likely to be those whose bodies cope well with high carb.
Many people can handle high carb short term when young or very active but most people can’t as they age. It’s not just about weight but overall metabolic health. Some people don’t get far but do get metabolic disorders. People are not all the same.
Prof Schofield in NZ, Tim Noaks in SA, Gary Taubs are all good to read on this.

Her run every morning will definitely make a difference. Also people have different metabolic rates, that will be partly genetic, as will your shape and your tendency to store fat in different areas. It might not seem fair but everybody's different and you clearly need to eat less to be slimmer than you are. If you want to lose weight, you need to eat less.

You probably do eat more but don’t realise it. Anyone not bothered will not notice or think about portion sizes or calculate amounts of eating, whereas a person affected about this would and would more likely try to justify it, IMO.

I'm quite sure we eat the same portions though. Every weekend we meal prep for the week (both lunch and dinner), and the portions in the containers are all exactly the same. Breakfast will usually be 2 soft-boiled eggs and toast with an orange/banana for each of us. Very boring but neither of us like cooking.