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?

Nothing to do with genes, I'm afraid. You are overweight. Fat even.

You need to eat less and exercise more.

And whilst you're at it stop complaining about slim people.

It's calories in vs calories out. We've known this since the 1940's

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Starvation_Experiment

There were no chubby people in the Nazi slave labor camps.

It’s simple calories in calories out

Winning an election is simple just get the most votes.

“She’s a pacer”

I think you may have your answer, op. Also, if she was a 200m track runner then it’s likely that she enjoys short but very fast paced runs- which surprisingly burn a lot of calories.

Gentle exercises can include swimming (starting slowly), yoga, fast paced walking, short bike rides, exercise videos at a beginner level. The key with starting exercise is to have low expectations, start slowly and not push yourself too hard and make sure you take decent rest periods in between each time (‘recovery time’ will get shorted the more accustomed you become). This is so you’re not put off the moment you start and you begin to weave it into your lifestyle as something enjoyable and easy. You will start improving when your stamina builds and then you’ll be able to push harder. Think of it as a long-term goal.

www.reddit.com/r/fatlogic

My XP was very very overweight, i have always verged on underweight

I don't think it's down to genetics, our eating habits were so different. Notably he would pile his food up, and eat really really quickly while i eat slowly. I used to ask him how did he know when he was full when eating at such a pace?
He would also buy huge chocolate bars, and could never just eat a bit, had to have all of it, then and there. He had a sense of entitlement, and food was a priority, whereas i am often too busy and skip meals. Different attitudes to food, not genetics.

cinammonbuns actually obesity is becoming a global problem, even in some developing countries.

Your titles comes across like you’re trying to shift the blame of your obesity. Whilst your genes may have given you a naturally slightly heavier set body, you, across your entire life, could have implemented changes which would have lead to you not being obese. You have to take some responsibility.

Consistently exercising does make a difference. I have a very fast metabolism and can generally eat whatever I want without putting on weight, but I am fairly active.

It is obviously calories in=calories out but I think our bodies burn calories differently so our daily calorie needs are different.

I am from a family of super skinny people who can eat whatever they like and be lazy. I have always been a little fatty starting from around 9 even though I eat less and do more exercise. I have never made excuses I have just tried different diets that don't work. One time me (size 14) and my friend (size 6) wrote down everything we ate in a week and swapped diets - it was horrendous! I was physically sick and couldn't manage the amount of food she ate whilst she cheated and ate more. What I noticed was that I would eat about 2 meals a day whereas she would constantly be eating.

I have found out recently I have something called insulin resistance (don't know loads about it yet) but your body does not burn the calories the way it should do so you are more prone to putting on weight as well as other side effects. Unfortunately, the only way to try and reverse this is to have a really low calorie diet and to fast (something that everyone says not to do as you need a diet you will stick to) I am eating 1000 calories a day and working out 2 x a day and currently only lost 1lb so will try and reduce my calories more and see how I go.

I thinkk

How to fly a plane: Take off, don't crash into anything, land where you planned to.

How to win a tennis match: Hit the ball so your opponent misses it while not missing the ball yourself.

How to quit heroin: Stop taking heroin.

How to lose weight: Make calories in less than calories out.

All of these statements are true. Yet for the first three, I expect most of us agree there's a lot more to it than such an over-simple sentence. Weight loss is the same.

Interesting thread. I also think people are unaware of the cumulative effect of what can seem like just a few calories.

If I were to keep my diet the same and my activity levels the same and just eat 2 extra digestive biscuits a day, I would consume an extra 50,000 calories a year which is the best part of a stone I think.

@feelingverylazytoday uh yes... because of the increase in fast food and junk food as these countries develop and consumers can afford to buy them.

How does that refute anything I said? Rates of obesity are still much higher in Western countries.

You don’t see obese people in famines but the people you do see would have been obese in times of abundance. Those who would have been slim die in famines.

Yes the propensity to obesity is genetic, obesity is clearly evolutionarily beneficial. In times of abundance those prone to obesity die young thus serving to control the population, while in times of famine, they survive and reproduce often at lower weights than others are capable of reproducing at, thus preserving the population. In fact from an evolutionary perspective it would make sense that propensity to obesity is a highly beneficial trait and over time you’d therefore expect when coupled with abundant food to see a rise in the obese, as we are doing.

Yes to insulin resistance, that’s definitely a thing according to the gynaecologist I see and more so for women in peri/menopause as oestrogen levels fall. Fat is stored around the abdomen, aka middle age spread.

She says to never eat carbs without protein and that sugar is the enemy. Sugar also causes inflammation.

People are forgetting that people have different TDEEs, just because someone can consume the same amount of calories as you without gaining weight, it doesn't mean the reason isn't still calories in-calories out, it IS about whether you're eating more than you burn... which equals weight gain

And people always say. ‘But me and her eat exactly the same and I way more.’

Even if you only ate 100 calories more than someone a day (a banana or two biscuits). Then that’s 36,500 calories a year. By the time you are 40 you would weigh 40 pounds more than them.

Op you’re friends 150 calorie run would mean that over 20 years she would weigh 30 pounds less than you.

And if you Account for you eating even slightly more than she does as well as her pacing and the fact that she has more muscle than you (which makes you burn not calories in a day) then it makes absolute sense why you weigh more than her.

One last thing, in some poor parts of the world, being fat is a sign of wealth and abundance. Being slim means you work physically hard and don’t have much money.

My best friend eats the exact same thing as me, with the same exact portion size.

Every single day? Breakfast, lunch and dinner? Honestly, I find that hard to believe.

Also have a think about sneaky ways that extra calories get into you that you don’t think about and perhaps aren’t honest with yourself about - milk in drinks, sugary drinks, booze, snacks, treats etc.

At www.obesityuk.org.uk they state that there are over 100 different factors that contribute: biological, genetic, psychological, sociocultural and economic. Many of which are outwith a persons control. Most of us still believe that it's just laziness and overeating but it's a much more complex disease than previously thought.

Sleep is a big contributor to weight too, as hormones related to appetite (leptin and ghrelin) are affected by sleep quality. Generally the less quality sleep you get the more you eat!

I think you can have a generic predisposition to weight gain, and a particular hormone pattern. Everyone in my family gains weight easily and mostly round the middle. I am not overweight though because I work hard not to be - you can keep your weight down but I think perhaps it's harder for some than others.

cinammonbuns so Nauru is a Western country then? Pacific Islanders have the highest rates of obesity, followed by Kuwait.

Everyone blames the individual for obesity, but environment is such a huge factor. Obesity has only become a problem in the past few decades. Why? Because we allow the food industry to advertise high calorie low nutrient food, and we allow our roads and transport to become car - centred, St the expense of active transport.

I don’t think it’s genetics. When I started work, aged 19, there were about 15 people at my worksite, one plump. 35 years on and I’d say it’s a quarter of the staff (different place). I’ve seen the population get heavier over time.

My kids and I are slim, I have some fairly overweight relatives. My mum was about a size 16 and my dad was very overweight.

At work I am often rather shocked at the portions people eat. My coworker will have 3 slices of pizza for lunch, I’d have one. She’ll eat a container which holds 8 cups of salad (greens, chicken, potatoes and dressing), I’d be done after I cup.

I believe it’s moving and intake.