In thinking morbidly obese women should not be trying to concieve?

[anotherfatty]

I think it is incredibly selfish and feel that if they cannot (or will not) lose weight they should not have a baby. Much like smokers, alcoholics and drug users - if they cannot make an effort to be healthy for a pregnancy things will not improve once the baby is born.

ME ME ME ME ME I am obese because i eat shit! BUT i know plenty of people who shovel away shite food, drink loads, eat far more than i do - skinny as rakes - the fuckers.
I think there is an element of genetics in it, very much so - but its not an excuse, i KNOW i need to change my diet as i am not one of the luckly ones who can metabolise a cream cake in a flash.

I think it is really brilliant that you are trying to get as healthy as you can before you TTC. That is sensible and i admire you for that. But honestly, please don't let being the perfect weight be the thing thing that stops you from having a much wanted child.

I really honestly worry that you have some serious self image problems really i do.

LEM, I agree that underweight women and those with unhealthy diets etc.. would be unwise to ttc and of course there are some healthy overweight people etc..

I don't agree with stopping anyone from having a child if they want one. I mean how the hell would you stop them , for a start. I just think it's a matter of encouraging people to think a bit more before falling pregnant. Obesity is soaring in this country and it's scary, this is the first generation of kids expected to die at a younger age than their parents as a direct result of obesity and it's very worrying. The more we stick our heads in the sand and defend it the worse it will get.

Correct me if I'm wrong but even if you have the obesity gene doesn't it have to be triggered by environmental factors?. Therefore if you ate healithly and in reasonable amounts (I'm not talking American portions here) + kept fairly active you would keep within a healthy weight-range..An d if your baby had it, as long as you gave them nutritious food they would be fine (unlike that ridiculous program the other night where they were constantly fed chips - but I take that with a pinch of salt)

Kiddiz, I don't think the OP meant people who were a bit fat, quite podgy, overweight or even obese. She referred specifically to the morbidly obese due to the health implications that they very likely have and or may pass on.

As for losing the weight, sadly I think like anything else that's worth doing it's hard work and you have to want it badly enough...

Phew, apologies for the length

I will admit that I do have a problem with portion control and that's why I'm fat, but my Mum eats loads more than me and is a size 12. She used to be a size 8 and hated her body but now she has finally, in her 50s, managed to put a bit of weight on and she's really happy. Unfortunately I don't take after my Mum, I take after my Dad and all his family are on the larger side. My Nan was a size 30 and 2 of my Aunts are over 20st. To me this proves that a tendency to put weight on easily is hereditary.

As i have said, it is not going to be a simple as a single "obesity gene", rather a range of genes that will affect many aspects that might contribute to a persons weight. Metabolism, appetite, will power etc. There may well turn out to be certain metabolic, and indeed there are, conditions that will most likely mean that a certain individual will have a lifelong battle with weight. Prada willi (sp) being an example of this. There will most likely be subtle permutations within the genome that may well make a person be the person "who only has to look at a cream cake". I think the media surrounding "fat genes" is a little misleading. I think that alot of the research carried out in this area has focused on known conditions and has thrown up potential candidates for genes likely to be involved in determining a persons weight.

It is more sensible to think along the lines of healthy eating for all. I don't know where there is such an explosion in obesity, i guess it is a number of things.

One could use the same argument with people who behave badly, maybe someone will identify an ASBO gene

Empirica i do agree that the OP was specifically referring to morbidly obese people. However she did not really make this clear. In all honesty though, a morbidly obese woman is likely to battle to conceive in the first place and this will no doubt affect her hormones anyway.

They have identified two genes that are supposed to give someone a predisposition to being obese, some people have none, one or two. When they blind tested 1000 individuals there were no more fat/slim people in a group with no 'fat gene', one or two.
I think it's a shame that as a society we are becoming fatter and also begeinning to really loathe fat people, the two trends really do not make for a cohesive and happy society. Perhaps our quick lifestyles, with large portions and driving not walking has lead to this. I wouldn't dream of walking to the shops when it's raining, for example. I have no raincoat that's good enough to push a pushchair and can't use an umbrella when I'm doing it.
I know if I eat lots of rubbish, unlike one of my best friends, I will put on weight not instantly. My friend can eat like a horse and is not as active as me and put on no weight.
I feel really sorry for people that can't control their eating and understand as I was under 6 stones before I had my children, this was neither healthy or attractive. This was due to no appetite and I became pregnant and ate a healthy diet plus cakes and put on 6 stone in pg, I did go down to a healthy eight stone after.