Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that obesity mostly has to do with your genes

420 replies

penandpaperlife · 05/04/2020 20:56

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?

OP posts:
Bookoffacts · 05/04/2020 22:34

My fatter friends do eat a lot more and enjoy food more.
Food to me is still reminiscent of being told to come in, from playing, to eat. A chore to be got through. I'm bit better now but that's why I was thin. I eat three meals a day and don't relish cheese like many people seem to.

onionface · 05/04/2020 22:37

I think there is a genetic or gut bacteria aspect to obesity but it only comes into play when food is freely available. If people aren't overeating, they can't become obese. But if a lot of people overeat to the same extent, some will become obese and some won't, due to genetics etc.

Makeitgoaway · 05/04/2020 22:42

Most of my friends are runners. Most of us are not particularly good runners but we all run a few times a week. Often at the weekend (in normal times) we will take a run or bikeride out for lunch.

Among the group are some very thin and some fatter women. I'm sorry but without exception, the thinner ones wait for lunch, the fatter ones need a snack on the way. The thin ones have coffee after their meal, the fatter ones have cake.

I'm in the middle and will occasionally have dessert but you can forecast what people will choose based on their weight.

Bookoffacts · 05/04/2020 22:43

Also the Mediterranean diet is to blame a lot. The real Mediterranean diet is healthy but the UK /USA version of it is not.

Baking own pasta and pizza and gnocchi since CV has just confirmed to me what I already suspected.

Pasta is boiled pastry. People are eating bowls of pastry with extra cream.
Even a bowl of pastry with some tomato and chorizo is still quite bad.
Gnocchi is mashed potatoes with extra egg and flour!
Pizza is a large loaf of bread per person, made into large loaf cheese on toast with bit of tomato and some toppings.

Makes you think when you put it like that!

Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow · 05/04/2020 22:47

Morning exercise will kick start your metabolism for the day.

The other thing you can do is sort your gut microbiome - that has also been linked to
obesity. Lots of veg to feed the good bacteria and watch the sugar.

Noti23 · 05/04/2020 22:48

Going for a run every morning can boost your metabolism. Besides, you don’t know how fast she’s running during her 15 minutes so she could be burning far more calories. I don’t really understand why you’re confused if you’re eating the same as someone who exercises regularly- surely you’d need less food than her?

Maybe go running with her every morning? It might make for an interesting experiment. I do think that some people respond better to exercise than others and that some people naturally carry less fat. I think it’s an obvious combination of genetics and lifestyle.

ChipsyChopsy · 05/04/2020 22:49

I haven't RTFT for my own sanity, but yes. I think in a few years the idea that obesity is due to lifestyle choices or something that can be permanently changed with diet and exercise will be obsolete.

EmeraldShamrock · 05/04/2020 22:51

I'm not sure. I think slim people move more in general, for instance if you're having coffee will your friend jump up first to stick the kettle on, is she still tidying, folding clothes in the evening.
I'm slim I'm always on the move I don't sit for long. I wasn't well last year, I changed my medication my hunger was insatiable I put on 15lb I thought I was just slim but 2 dinners a day got me. Once I felt better and got going I lost it.
Health issues a thyroid issue or autoimmune disease, medication can cause weight issues.

ThreeTurtlesPlease · 05/04/2020 22:52

A short run every morning will probably have a great effect on her metabolism

h3av3n · 05/04/2020 22:53

"I think in a few years the idea that obesity is due to lifestyle choices or something that can be permanently changed with diet and exercise will be obsolete." But it's literally a fact...

MarchMare · 05/04/2020 22:55

Nope. In the absence of other factors (eg steroid treatment), it's lifestyle. People who are obese tend to eat more food more often and move less. There might be a lot of reasons they do that, but it's largely down to consuming more calories than the body expends.

Ibizafun · 05/04/2020 22:55

isseywith4vampirecats I also used to never think about my weight.. till I hit 50.. now I can literally see it spreading from my stomach round to my hips

onionface · 05/04/2020 22:56

Pasta is boiled pastry

Is it shite. Pastry has fat. Pasta is flour, and maybe a bit of egg if it's fancy pasta.

Makeitgoaway · 05/04/2020 22:57

Pasta and pizza isn't what is meant by a Mediterranean diet anyway

bestcat · 05/04/2020 22:58

.

Original poster
penandpaperlife · 05/04/2020 23:09

m not sure. I think slim people move more in general, for instance if you're having coffee will your friend jump up first to stick the kettle on, is she still tidying, folding clothes in the evening

She's a 'pacer' when making/answering phone calls, and yes, thinking about it, I do tend to be sitting almost all day long while she goes between sitting and standing to stretch her legs (her words). How much of a difference would that make though?

Maybe go running with her every morning?

I've tried on two occasions! The problem is that she ran 200m track all through school and then uni and there is no way I can keep up with her normal pace. She did slow down (significantly) for me but even then I was winded in no time it's ridiculous. Too embarrassed to go running on my own too.

Currently, the plan is to cut down on my portion sizes. Yes, PP's comment about us eating the same amount being akin to us both maintaining our weight makes sense. I'm also looking into some home-based exercises that need no equipment and are 'beginner friendly'. Any suggestions?

OP posts:
Aufgehts · 05/04/2020 23:14

She's a 'pacer' when making/answering phone calls, and yes, thinking about it, I do tend to be sitting almost all day long while she goes between sitting and standing to stretch her legs (her words). How much of a difference would that make though?

Massive. If she's going for a run in the morning and then pacing all day then it's a big difference. 10,000 steps is (roughly) around 500 calories, which would make a big difference on a daily basis. Whereas if you're sedentary, you're going to be burning a fraction of that.

I'd say get a fitbit or similar, track your steps and try to get more active.

EmeraldShamrock · 05/04/2020 23:16

She's a 'pacer' when making/answering phone calls, and yes, thinking about it
There is your answer, my Dsis sits lots too and often comments we eat similar calories yet she carries more weight. I am not sure if it is a faster metabolism or movement, I'm a very fidgety person moving, hopping, I find myself walking to the sink with my plate before I've chewed or swallowed the last bite of food.

EmeraldShamrock · 05/04/2020 23:19

And yes it would make a massive difference probably over 500 calories of a difference excluding the morning run.

safariboot · 05/04/2020 23:19

YANBU.

For those who say "it's a choice", understand that for some people choosing to eat less is easy and for other people it's hard and genetics is part of that. "Dieting" means mildly malnurishing yourself by choice.

user1470132907 · 05/04/2020 23:23

I think a lot is genetics. My sister was born ravenous, struggles to ever feel full and has disordered eating habits. I have always been less interested in food.

At the minute, I am uncharacteristically overweight which is down to a medication that affects metabolism but also because I have lost the 20-minute brisk walk I used to do when my son was at nursery and have fewer meetings in my work day. My step count has dropped from 15,000 a day to 6,000! That adds up over a few months.

Previously, work colleagues would comment that i never stopped eating but while I was indeed a grazer on shite, I rarely ate a full meal and only ate when hungry

CJsGoldfish · 05/04/2020 23:31

I think in a few years the idea that obesity is due to lifestyle choices or something that can be permanently changed with diet and exercise will be obsolete
No, it won't. How absurd.

For those who say "it's a choice", understand that for some people choosing to eat less is easy and for other people it's hard and genetics is part of that
Only for the ones who find it too 'hard'.
We'd all like to be able to 'blame' genetics. I know I would.

cinammonbuns · 05/04/2020 23:35

For the people who believe it is due to gut bacteria or an obesity ‘gene’ then why do people in the west - from all ethnic backgrounds have higher rates of obesity than everywhere else on the planet.

You do not gain a gene from living in the West.

cinammonbuns · 05/04/2020 23:36

It’s simple calories in calories out. Most people do not know how much they eat in a day. I’m a health weight but if you asked me what I ate today I would probably miss out a lot of things like most people do.

It’s unconscious eating, readily available fast food etc.

Ibloodylovewomen · 05/04/2020 23:36

As others have said, work on your gut health, it's key in being a healthy weight. People who have eaten junk for years will have fed the types of bacteria that will continue to 'demand' junk food long after their host has decided to go on a diet!! Scientists know there are links between the gut and brain, and that the types of bacteria in our gut actually influence what people feel like eating. For example, if you've got dominant strains of bacteria that thrive on beige food then that is what you'll crave! It will take work to build up different strains of good bacteria, but it is possible (take inulin, take a decent probiotic or ferment your own food, which is cheap and easy), and will, for most people, make a difference to not only weight but their overall health.

Swipe left for the next trending thread