Are you overweight? Did you gain several pounds during the pandemic like many people have? Well, let me provide you some proof your weight is almost entirely genetic and not your fault.
After reading this post you will hopefully: 1) stop beating yourself up for why you aren't in shape, 2) stop feeling guilty about what you eat, 3) stop spending money on diet fads, 4) stop spending money on exercise equipment, and 5) gain more confidence and self-esteem.
My Struggle With Weight
I've struggled with staying in fighting shape ever since I entered college. As an athlete who played competitive tennis, I was always about 152-155 in high school with a body fat percentage of under 7%. I benched 1.5X my body weight and clocked a 4.5 second 40 yard dash.
When tennis season was over, I ran the anchor for the 4X100 and 4X200 relay. Sports was a huge part of my life and I don't think I can happily live without it.
By the time I graduated college, I permanently gained the freshman 10. After my second year of working 70 hour weeks in NYC, I ballooned to 175-180 lbs. My strength and speed dissipated. I got sick a lot, had horrible allergies, and even came down with the weirdest case of plantar fasciitis.
My breaking point came when a female colleague I fancied nonchalantly said I looked like another out of shape colleague. I was crushed, but knew she was telling the truth as I looked in the mirror to spot the first signs of jowls. What the hell are jowls?!
I proceeded to work out like crazy for six months in the gym upstairs. I even bought those “Ripped Fuel Extreme” pills filled with ephederine, a substance that is now banned!
In three months, I got down to 165 and felt better. But you know what? I've been 162-170 for the past 20 years no matter how much I exercise or how little I eat. Something must be up!
Genetics Determines Your Steady Weight
On Sept 18, 2012 an Ohio state parole board recommended that an obese inmate on death row should have his sentence commuted to life in prison. At 470+ pounds, Ronald Post, 53, was sentenced to death by a three-judge panel in 1985 for the 1983 aggravated murder of a hotel clerk after entering a plea of no contest.
In other words, Ron has been in prison for 27 years, and is still obese. We're not talking 20-50 pounds overweight. We are talking 250 pounds overweight.
When you think of prison, you think of minimalism. They are not serving double cheeseburgers, scallop potatoes, rib-eye steaks, nachos, Twinkies and other fine foods. Instead, prisons are feeding inmates carefully rationed amounts which fall under general recommended guidelines.
In fact, here is the 2012 Federal Bureau of Prisons Certified Meal Menu. Most states are also under siege due to budget constraints. Therefore, the last thing a prison will do is give inmates more food than necessary.
If you are in prison for 27 years and you are still obese, how do you not concede genetics has almost everything to do with weight? Sure, we can watch what we eat and exercise a bit to improve our fitness and lower our weight at the margin. But, the vast majority of our weight explanation seems predetermined.
Let's Recognize The Truth About Weight
You think I'm being stupid for thinking we have no control over how we look. That's fine, but I'm trying to be unbiased and 100% rational here about the explanation for how someone could be obese after 27 years in prison with budget cuts and food rationing.
We do have control over how we look, but how much control we think we have is an illusion.
I used to believe working out and eating healthy made up 70% of the reason why we look the way we do after watching contestants from The Biggest Loser shed literally hundreds of pounds over a three month filming.
The remaining 30% was due to genetics. I was pushing 170 pounds at the beginning of the year and needed to believe I could make a difference.
After eating less and working out vigorously, I ended up hitting 158 lbs and stayed there for several months until I went on a 2.5 week cruise to Scandanavia at the end of September. During this trip, I gained everything back.
You Can Only Do So Much To Lose Weight
Genetics plays a greater part in our body composition that we think. No matter what, my “happy weight” will always hover around 160-170 lbs. I'll be happier at 160 lbs than 170 lbs, but below 160 lbs I'll start getting pissed off because I'll always be hungry! At over 170 pounds, I'll also start getting annoyed because I'll be slower, my pants will feel tight, and my face will start looking like dough. Genetics has an immutable way of normalizing our weight back to a predetermined range. Exercise and extreme dieting can help you get below your range briefly, but you're going to mean revert sooner or later. How else do we explain why the large majority of diets fail? Everybody needs to stop beating themselves over the head wondering why they can't stay thin. Stop thinking we need to look like the actors we see on TV or the models we see in magazines. The industry is simply selecting those people who have weight bands much lower than the average person. Folks we see on the big screen are also more attractive than the average person. They are the anomaly, while what we see all around us is reality.Time To Lose Some Weight And Get Healthier
While we work ourselves out of the global pandemic, now is the time to eat better and exercise more.
Further, if there's one thing the pandemic has taught us, it's that life is not guaranteed. As a result, please get life insurance. Not only should you get enough life insurance to cover your liabilities, your life insurance term should last long enough to get your kids through college.
The best place to get life insurance is through PolicyGenius. PolicyGenius will help you find the best plan for the lowest price tailored to your needs. PolicyGenius provides free, no-obligation quotes so you can get the best rate.
In the past, you would have to get a life insurance quote by applying to individual carriers – the process was completely opaque. Now, you can have multiple qualified life insurance carriers compete for your business after applying on PolicyGenius. It's so much more efficient!
After eight years of owning life insurance, my wife decided to check on PolicyGenius for free to see if should could do better. Lo and behold, my wife was able to double her life insurance coverage for less money. All this time, she thought she was getting the best deal with her existing carrier.
If you don't have life insurance, please get life insurance before you need to. Life insurance gets more expensive the older you get. If you get sick, depending on the severity of your sickness, you might not be able to qualify.
If you do have life insurance, I highly recommend checking PolicyGenius to try and get a better deal. Chances are high you're not getting the best terms. Overweight people have a higher chance of heart disease. Protect yourself and your loved ones!
this is cope lol how could u possibly think ur weight is genetics???? it’s thermodynamics 101 calories in calories out
weight doesn’t pop in from thin air the idea that ur weight is genetics defies common sense and pyschics
Holy crap this is laughable! The “proof” that obesity is genetic to the point of no individual control is an obese guy in prison and the author gaining weight while being glutinous in a cruise.
My dad, mother, brother, and sister are all obese, yet I am not, at 51 years old. The reason is due to diet and exercise. I’m never hungry and 100% in control of what I eat and how I exercise.
Hopefully the financial advice is better than this crap.
Ask all your family members What they think. And if you care about them, why don’t you encourage them to eat better and exercise more? Let’s see if it makes a real difference.
my question has to do with this. while it seeems eryoneinvolved in my fortune are playing a game i wonder who sincerely admits it, has become overly invested in has regained their original reasoning for and sought ways to personally gain in a way that ultimitely benefits themselves while also taking into consideration the status quo. furthermore has anyone besides me taken light of the true meaning of sacrifice to self. Ready, Set…4:42pm(pst)
I wish the author had shown peer reviewed research to back up his comments about obesity being genetically determined as it would have made this article a lot more credible and the discussion afterward could have been productive verses this bickering. However, the author IS correct that obesity is related greatly to genetics several peer reviewed papers published in med journals back up his claim. Here is just one which proves his point. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1893129/
Thanks for backing up my claim!
Really now? Concentration camps anyone? That’s proof of concept for you.
You need to count your calories or otherwise learn to control the amount of food energy you put in. You’re not going to lose weight by relying on your appetite – that’s how you ended up gaining it in the first place! If you lost the weight by dieting and exercising then that’s proof enough that diet and exercise works.
Failure to maintain weight is another thing entirely. Of course binging or otherwise reverting back to your old eating habits will promptly put the weight back on especially after a prolonged period of a steep energy deficit. Doing the same thing and expecting different results is silly. Repair vs maintenance. Does that not make enough sense to you?
Of course weight loss and maintenance is hard and mostly devoid of enjoyment. So is getting a college degree, running your own business or just working for someone else. You need to know why you’re doing it in the first place and enjoy the results it brings, not necessarily the process itself. It just becomes another daily chore then, nothing you can’t handle.
Not everybody has it in them to become a math prodigy, a witty comedian or a huge bodybuilder, yet it’s physiologically possible for everyone to get deathly lean (not that you’d ever want to). This is one thing that genetics absolutely won’t preclude you from achieving, though yes of course it is harder for some and easier for others.
It’s much easier to have to do one “chore” per day and be free the rest of the day, than having to deprive yourself of something, which is a permanent toll and not something you can get free from, there is nothing you can do to stop wanting to eat something that you are not allowed to, no matter how much of other non-tasty stuff you eat. Personally so far I wasn’t able to stick to any diet for more than 1 or 2 weeks. Even though I’m not very overweight, just wanted to lose a few kg, but so far little luck (have been trying for a few years now). Not sure if exercise helps either.
Not sure how this blog string works since the dates are all over the place but in response to Razwell or anyone who wants to argue for their human limitations. I’m sorry you feel that way because you close down all sorts of possibilities to have a healthier and happier life. I could and have written pages on the subject, but whether one’s excuse for anything is genetics, ignorance or simply complacency, they can change AND that includes genetics. But the most important commonality for all is belief and we all want to feel we are right. But if one can open up their belief horizons to allow for improvements in their lives, it can be a beautiful thing. To paraphrase something that Einstein said, “One of the most important decisions we can make is whether we believe the Universe is supporting us or against us.” I choose the former!
You need to give that belief up , it is just feel good nonsense. You need to accept the cold hard reality . Many people tried harder than you could imagine. Genuine science backs the experience of the obese and shows most people are ignorant that body fat is largely genetic and involuntarily controlled. This is the data Dr. Liebel said the body has a MIND OF ITS OWN REGARDING FAT . No scientist oooked at this more carefully Plus severely obese people observed in worse than Haiti level poverty
Jesus why people are so stubborn and can’t accept this simple truth.
Once again people are trying to hide behind the excuse of genetics. You are not a slave to your so called genetics. Not everyone with fat parents and siblings will be fat. Who is to say what your personal limits are. It sounds so nice for lazy people to give up and have a built in excuse. If you are not pushing yourself to exercise and accounting for ALL the food you take in there is plenty of wiggle room to blame genetics. Put the fork down, do your cardio and if you are unhappy, work harder. Yes harder. Whining will not make you fit!
you are totally ignoring science. GENETICS MATTERS THE MOST- IN OLD AGE LONGEVITY, HEIGHT, OBESITY ETC.
What do you mean by “science”? Are you referring to one particular finding, while discrediting thousands of others?
Longevity, height, and obesity are all biochemical factors that are strongly influenced by the chemicals that we consume (yes, all foods are 100% chemistry. every molecule of food is on the chemical chart, and affect the biochemistry of our bodies through specific, chemical reactions).
Why are Asian children who are born in the USA often much taller than their 5-foot parents? Because of the foods they eat – specifically, higher in protein, higher in calcium, and higher in zinc (zinc is deficient in most global diets, hence stunted growth).
Fatness is just a lack of control, and eating foods that shouldn’t be a part of the human diet. If you’re fat, cut all grains out of your diet. If you really want to lose that chunk, lose the nuts and beans as well. Then you don’t have to go hungry and you can still lose weight.
Oh yeah, and don’t forget exercise. It’s actually not that hard. Turn off that TV, and spend some time being useful to yourself.
[…] Proof Your Weight Is Almost Entirely Genetic And NOT Your Fault […]
Sam,
I believe I need to point out there is a huge difference between eating relatively normal, and indulging now and again to find yourself at a happy weight of 170lbs as oposed to be 470 at your height.
I am 5’8 135lbs-140lbs. I was 135lbs at the age of 15 (I am now almost 32.) I am female, and have every card stacked against me going by all the bull they spew on obesity. I am of a poorer class, I grew up with the idea that a filled plate was a happy home, nothing in my house was ever diet or low fat. My parents are both diagnosed morbidly obese, as are my grandparents.
However I believe the problem is we “accept” and give up to easy in this world. I do not expect everyone to hit the gym, or walk four miles as I enjoy doing. However, I do think people should be responsible for their own actions. I fear we are setting a very poor example by allowing people to believe that eating is not their fault. The problem I truly have is not with people that have gained a few extra pounds, or people that are kind of sloppy and older because they’ve given up. The problem I have is allowing people to think that they ate 300lbs gained through calories and it is not their fault. The only time I would even allow anyone to say this is if it were a child, because children’s parents are their advocats.
The bottom line is if you are truly gaining weight in a negative and noticeable weight and you cannot simply put the fork down, you have now realized you have a problem. As a smoker, or a drinker people would not allow you to come up with excuses (since I fully believe food can be an addiction) they would urge you to get help. I refuse to allow anyone to believe that eating themselves to severely morbid obesity is the right choice, especially if they find absolutely no happiness in it. Often times the severely morbidly obese people need care givers, and tending too – I think we need to draw a line between what is making us happy, what is ok, and when we just need to accept people need to own up to their actions.
I have linked my facebook to show I am a legit person. I hope you get my point, it is late and it has been a long day. I go off of point now and again, but in the end I know one thing is clear – put the fork down and get help before thinking severe morbid obesity is ok. Furthermore there is a huge difference between a happy weight where maybe you have a few pounds, maybe you’ve rounded out – and you’re fine with it and someone needing to wipe your behind because you can no longer reach it. ;)
Serena
Lastly NUMEROUS studies REFUTE the caloric hypothesis, NUMEROUS mouse studies disprove it:
Here is a link to the most recent from Harvard and North Carolina University scientists:
Did you know energy is NOT anything concrete or material????? It is merely a number- a quantity…. Nor is it a description of ANY mechanism. This is straight from physicist, RICHARD PHILLIPS FEYNMAN, himself.
Are you honestly, seriously suggesting that one has absolutely no control over their weight gain whatsoever and that diet and exercise plays no part whatsoever in the sculpting of ones body? Because if you are, then that’s some of the most insane and ludicrous nonsense I’ve ever heard.
Using block capitals and calling yourself ‘science literate’ doesn’t change anything. Referring to ‘studies’ conducted by so called ‘scientists’ and ‘physicists’ proves even less.
You claim that ‘science’ has ‘proved’ your opinion correct, but without actually posting any credible links or evidence to back this up. Your link to studies on mice proves absolutely nothing their relationship with food and weight gain.
Remember, studies once ‘proved’ that the world was flat, the sun revolved around the earth and that sanitizing ones hands before surgery was a pointless endeavour. These ‘studies’ were conducted by some of the most respected and revered scientists of the day, which your so called physicist friends are not. Countless people died needlessly due to infections because doctors and surgeons didn’t wash their hands in the operating theatre. Yet respected physicians would insist, with a straight face, as you have done, that ‘science’ has ‘proved’ their beliefs to be true.
Animals get fatter when they eat too much and exercise too little and there are countless other ‘studies’ that support this. I could link you to some but no doubt you’d simply dismiss them for whatever reason as they don’t comply with your friends theory.
In fact here’s a story about the world’s fattest Daschund who’s owner let him gorge on endless takeaway food until he was cripplingly obese. Then a new owner put him on him on a healthy diet and exercise regime and he lost four stone. But that must have been all ‘coincidence’ right? His body must have had a ‘mind of its own’ and decided to randomly shed all that weight because of his ‘genes’, or something. Or wait, dogs are too ‘different’ to humans aren’t they? Whereas mice are barely distinguishable from us ‘according to science.’
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11466656/Overweight-Dachshund-sheds-four-stone-after-giving-up-pizza-and-burgers.html
Even if these studies ‘proved’ anything at all about animals, which they don’t, they prove absolutely nothing at all about humans. Mice are completely different animals and our genetic makeup is so similar, as you’re no doubt going to reply, then how did we become 5/6 foot tall humanoids who can reason intelligently as no other known species can whilst they became tiny scuttling rodents who live in sewers? Science once has ALL the answers doesn’t it.
The body does NOT have a ‘mind of it’s own’ when it comes to food and your assertion that one has no control over their weight and fitness is nothing short of insulting. If this is what your friend Dr Friedman genuinely believes then he/she is not fit to be a doctor. Neither are the ’50 physicists’ who allegedly supported his theory with all these emails that you never posted.
If they are in fact real doctors, a far more likely conclusion is that you’re just misinterpreting their research to justify your own lifestyle choices.
Do you honestly think that eating nothing but McDonalds with no exercise over a 6 month period has the exact same (or remotely similar) impact on ones body as training 5 days a week whilst eating nutritional vegetables and lean white meats? Because if you do then you might as well be declaring water to be dry or the sun to be cold or the human eye to work best in the dark when it can’t see. The statement is non sequitor regardless of how many physicians allegedly support it.
There’s a film called Supersize Me where a guy in real good shape eats nothing but McDonalds for a month to document the results. He gains 25lbs in just 30 days and by the end is having heart palpitations from the sugar, salt and fat intake and suffers from depression and liver failure. He then LOSES 20lbs in 5 months by, yup you guessed it, training regularly and eating cleanly. His supervising physicians noted the effects were caused by his high-fat, high-carb diet, with one even comparing it to a case of severe binge alcoholism. But again, must have just been his genes right? Or his body having a ‘mind of its own’.
And finally, why am I so outraged by your comments that I feel the need to post such a long and critical response? Well I’ve been training and fighting in both boxing and muay thai on the amateur scene for years and actually have first hand experience of the effect exercise and diet has on ones body. In this sport you may notice how fighters have to be an exact certain weight before a fight and often lose or gain several stone in a relatively short space of time in order to achieve that. I myself can vary between 85-95KG and even a few weeks ago had a bit of a keg belly and hamster cheeks due to my lifestyle choice of gorging on fatty foods and not training for several months. Having returned to eating clean and training this month I’ve lost about 15lbs and gained lean muscle. I’m solid again in sparring and am pretty much back to fighting shape. If I had ‘no control’ over my body and diet, which I do, then this would not be possible, which it is. The same goes for all the other COUNTLESS athletes through who alter their weight and bodies in order to compete.
When I gorge on snacks and fast food I feel and look terrible. When I reward my body with nutrients and clean food then I feel great and my life dramatically improves in every conceivable way. Many women actually want to date me and most men would think twice before stepping in the ring with me. The same cannot be said when I get out of shape by eating bad and not training.
Some of my friends are personal trainers and your deluded assertions about weight loss and dieting/exercise are insulting to their many clients who got in great shape through hard work and dedication. It’s insulting to me and anyone else who takes a great interest in keeping fit and that’s why I am offended enough to post such a long reply.
Yes genetics plays a HUGE part in how one looks. Different people have different optimum looks and one man could be lean at 260lbs in amazing shape whilst another could be disgustingly out of shape at 180. Human’s don’t have limitless capability for gaining physical
attributes and I’m in no way saying they do. But most people only operate at maybe 20% of their genetic capability and can dramatically improve their look and physical performance by training and eating properly. Even elite level athletes only operate around 60-70% and I could show you many studies and interviews with professionals who support this.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ and I’m not saying there is. Different workouts and diets have better effects on some than they do on others. But all of them work better than sitting on your backside gorging takeaways and accepting the insane belief that there’s ‘nothing you can do’ whilst stuffing horrible junk into your face.
If you took the hours that you use reading pointless studies and spent it actually training hard and eating healthy then you’d see the results for yourself, rather than lamenting a world where the strong survive and the weak perish. If you claim to be such a ‘scientist’ then you’d see for yourself how the fittest thrive and the weak struggle. This is true of all walks of life, especially humans and the world will never conform to the fat acceptance movement as you have. Nor should it.
And if you think I’m just making up my own fitness achievements, here’s a recent pic of me at my Dojo. I’m the tall shirtless white guy on the right with black shorts and gloves and 6 pack abs (which I work damn hard for). If you ever find yourself in Nottingham, England, maybe I can show you put you through a boxing fitness workout and you can see for yourself how effective it is for anyone in achieving peak shape. And maybe you’ll think twice before concluding that lifestyle choices have little effect on ones body.
You are going on NOTHING BUT YOUR BASELESS ASSUMPTIONS AND BELIEFS. Observations and experiments demonstrate you wrong as wrong can be. Severely obese people have DYSREGULATION going on- single gene defects, dysregulation and hoarding of fat cells. Obese donors of fecal matter MAKE thin recipients FAT during Fecal Transplanation to treat C. Diff. infections! SCIENCE HAS THROWN AWAY THE BLAME GAME. DEAL WITH IT.
LEARN a thing or two about physics and stop misusing it and abusing it to blame victims. Energy is NOT any entity whatsoever. It is a NUMBER. The reason it does not have to come from somewhere IS BECAUSE IT DOES NOT EXIST AS ANY ENTITY. Atoms must come from somewhere. Energy is STRICTLY mathematical FICTION. YOU CANNOT INFER THE BEHAVIOR OF MAMMALIAN FAT CELLS FROM AN ABSTRACT MATHEMATICAL FINDING…. I TALK TO PHYSICISTS…… OBESITY IS A GENETIC, BIOLOGICAL, BIOCHEMICAL ISSUE….. IT IS TRULY COMPLEX. AND DIET AND EXERCISE ARE ABJECT FAILURES AND COMPLETE IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. THEY NEVER WERE SOLUTIONS. YOU ARE ASKING WHAT CHEESE THE MOON IS MADE OF THEN SUGGESTING PROVOLONE OR SWISS,. GETTING NOWHERE !!!!!! MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT HAS FLAT OUT FAILED OBESITY VICTIMS. IT IS COMPLEX BUT THESE RESEARCHERS AND DOCTORS ARE ARROGANT- MOST OF THEM,
Calories do not even exist. ATOMS EXIST- CARBON ATOMS and how your body DEALS with these ATOMS- MATTER- is different from lean people.
OBESE PEOPLE HAVE A MUCH DIFFERENT BIOLOGY THAN YOU OR I. GENETICS ACCOUNTS FOR 80 % AT LEAST. OBESITY IS MORE GENETIC THAN ANY OTHER MEDICAL CONDITION OR TRAIT OTHER THAN HEIGHT, AS DR. ROSEBAUM NOTES.
AND YES, THE BODY DOES- DOES HAVE A MIND OF ITS OWN. DR LEIBEL SPECIFICALLY AND EMPHATICALLY STRESSED HIS YEARS AND YEARS OF CAREFUL FINDINGS SHOW THIS. YOU ARE SCIENCE E ILLITERATE!!!!!! I HAVE THE VIDEO FOR YOU !!!!!!
DieMafia,
You are not science literate about this issue. Scientists have shown that the body has a mind of its own regarding weight INDEPENDENT of your voluntary efforts and wishes. Body mass and fat are MOSTLY INVOLUNTARY REGULATED. Further, the body is NOT a passive reciprocal. It RESPONDS and ADJUSTS DRAMATICALLY to what you are doing exerting its control. Science shows us what is WRONG. And it has shown us that the unfounded BELIEF that your body mass is just a passive result of how much you eat and exercise is WRONG. TOTALLY WRONG………
If you cannot handle this, like most people, fine, but you would be ignoring science in favor of BELIEF. You are totally ABUSING the conservation of energy principle. it is a state equation only and cannot and does not say anything about obesity and fat cell regulation anymore than it explains the cartoonish freakish muscularity of Belgian cattle…. All the conservation of energy says is that there is a quantity in nature that does not change when something happens… It has NOTHING to do with explaining fat cell hoarding SPECIFICALLY, fat cell creation SPECIFICALLY ( which is a reguklated process and GENETICS extremely involved) , or fat cell dysregulation SPECIFICALLY. NOR does it say ANTYING about body composition differences between individuals, NOR what FORM of mass is lost or gained ( bone, organ muscle fat or all) NOR how energy is handled, used, absorbed or partitioned Obesity is about fat cells SPECIFICALLY.
I have talked to over 50 physicists over the last 6 years studying this non-stop. You do not want to go down this road with me. They are ALL UNANIMOUSLY in agreement with the abuse of the conservation principles. I have the e-mails still. The physicists ALL SAY obesity is a PHENOMENON, poorly understood and is a BIOCHEMCIAL/GENETIC.PHYSIOLOGY MATTER. They are DISHEARTENED that layman are ABUSING and TOTALLY MISUSING the conservation of energy principle. it is almost always done by the people who are not science literate.
Ok, I got the following input on this:
The meal you posted of the prison food actually does not seem like it contains a very low amount of calories. It seems like you can easily consume 3000 calories with that alone if you add up the individual items that are included and estimate the calories. Many prisons have a commissary where you can buy chocolate bars, bread and so on… as well. I’m pretty sure an overweight person addicted to excessive eating will make use of this. Who knows, maybe some other inmates share food if they don’t eat all of it but I’m not sure about that.
The reason that guy is still fat is because he ate too much. Genetics don’t make you fat by magically creating energy, they make you fat by increasing your hunger levels, making you eat more, then adding the pounds. The food has to be there. And because genetics explain 70% of the variance in weight in a population does not mean you can only influence 30% of it. Some diseases are explained 100% by genetics alone, yet there are treatments. An active lifestyle additional to a lifestyle change in food both helps. You think the genetics in many countries changed over two generations to increase the number of fat people?
You might want to look at the work of Dr. Bruce Lipton and Epigenetics. If it is ok to give you the link in this format, here it is.
https://www.brucelipton.com/resource/article/epigeneticsere
Let me know what you think.
I was writing a letter for a wellness forum I was putting together when I found your blog about genetics and the obese inmate. I have been in the business of teaching people how to maximize their health status, for over 25 years. In a brief look at the posts it would appear that the most important factor in determining good health was not even mentioned. That most important factor is your thoughts and beliefs. If you believe you are doomed to be this or that, skinny or fat, then guess what? You are! Just one simple statement about the samurai premise of “genetics are the reason” he can’t be a healthy weight. Your genetics are probably pretty much the same now as they were when you were in school and “fit”. So I guess its something else? And age is not a big a factor as you would be lead to believe so don’t use that one.
Believe me, if you don’t get your head “right” you cannot have your best possible anything. So if you want to blame someone or something for anything bad in your life then you have just given them or it the power over you. Just take it back by taking responsibility for your life. Choose to be happy and healthy and stop looking for reasons why you are not.
Thanks for stopping by, and great point about the power of a positive mindset.
Attributing things to genetics takes away one’s power, and a negative cycle occurs. Unfortunately, I think genetics is a 70% factor for our appearance and weight.
You’re right. I studied behavioral genetics, and heritability can influence our weight by as much as 70%. This has been known for years, yet it’s so much more fun to always blame the person…
GREAT POST, FinancialSamurai . :)
You are correct.
The genetic component /heritability of obesity is EQUAL to that of height ( Friedman Leibel Rosenbaum). GENES have a MONUMENTAL say. The MOST say by far.
When it comes to out levels of fat mass and our body size, the body has a mind of its own – its own agenda. This has been very, very, very, very well studied by Dr. Rosenbaum and others using top quality ” A1A experiments” and they were ran back and forth 6 different times.
Humans are laughable creatures with belief systems. This is apparent with the topic of obesity. I get tried of the politics and belief systems.
In SCIENCE, we FORCE our beliefs to CONFORM to the evidence of reality. We DON’T make the evidence of reality conform to our beliefs. This is a NO-NO, in science, and it is what 99 % of the population does.
The evidence from honest scientific experiments ( the evidence of reality) tells us that the body has numerous powerful involuntary defense mechanisms and biological safeguards. The heritability of obesity is EQUAL to that of height . And voluntary measures have VERY LIMITED ability to affect body mass/size over the very long term.
FABULOUS post. I hope it ruffles the feathers of people with baseless belief systems about body size.
Wishing you the best,
Raz
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Raz. How did you first find this post?
Hi FinancialSamaurai,
I don’t know the exact phrase I used when I did my Google search , but I was searching for Dr. Friedman’s genetic work and stumbled across your excellent article. :)
Dr. Friedman and I? Nice. Good combo!
I can’t find your sources. Please provide your specific sources; I simply don’t believe you.
You are dead right. People bleat on and on about how the inmate can buy cookies on commissary. So what? The thin inmates also can buy cookies on commissary. And, you cannot buy that much on commissary. There are strict limits. Prison is all about strict limitations. Most people who lose weight regain it. People bleat on and on about calories in versus calories out. What if the amount of calories you “need” to be at a certain weight is much lower than another person’s? Should you have to be hungry all of the time? What kind of life is that? The lemmings just want to believe that they have more control than they do. They say you cherry picked data? Go to visitation hour at prison and you will see many inmates of all sizes. Some are fat…some are thin….some are plain obese. But they are all eating the same portioned slop at the cafeteria. Genes are king.
I’m not fat, obese or overweight so I have good genes? My sister has a lot of fat on her face and some on her legs. My brother has a bloated belly, my mom has some belly fat and my dad is overweight. Most of my dad’s relatives are not overweight. But he is getting slimmer and getting rid of the face, belly and leg fat. So genes reign supreme?
Eating the same amount of food at prison doesn’t prove that it’s their genes that is controlling how fat they are. Some may have eaten a lot of food before going to prison and some may have not. The ones that did probably have “starvation mode” activated because they can’t just grab a bunch of calories whenever they want to. Typical US prison menus contain moderate calories so the fat inmates’ bodies aren’t used to the sudden reduction in calories.
Stop blaming your genes. Unless you have thyroid problems, it’s not like you’re doomed to live that way forever.
So are you saying your sister, brother, and mother are all lazy overeaters? That’s not very nice.
If only we could be in other people’s shoes before we judge.
It’s time to lay off of obese people . Science shows us that GENES have a MONUMENTAL say in our body shapes and sizes. The MOST say. You are reasoning from BELIEF , NOT from evidence. The great thing about science is that it challenges our beliefs and makes us uncomfortable. it is called LEARNING and growing….
In science, we reason from EVIDENCE. We force our beliefs to conform to the evidence of reality. Dr. Friedman has shown obesity is largely genetic.
* My comment was meant for “someone.” :)
Hello. I agree that not losing weight in prison is not necessarily an indicator of genetic predisposition.
It’s not necessarily the quantity of the food but the quality. I can imagine a prison diet being very starchy, insulin producing foods as these are the cheap foods but are often devoid of nutrition so the body will not readily release its excess weight because it views itself as starving.
Eating LESS food not more is often why people don’t lose weight because metabolism slows. Also, a body with insulin constantly coursing through the veins will not release fat. It’s the science of metabolism.
I like the hypothesis but I believe there is more to it. It seems genetics play a part in the Ecto, Meso, Endomorph body types that do seem to respond differently to diet and exercise.
I have been fighting my body mass all my life. I exercise 1h every day, eat extremely healthy, control my weight every week. I did some diets with the guidance of my MD, which unfailingly worked, but afterwards I regained my lost weight, pound after pound, without any specific reason. And, no matter what, I can’t seem to be able to lose weight anymore. I.e.: you are completely right, our bodies are programmed to be so-and-so, and we have relative control on that. And, no matter what, I have decided to feel confident about myself and my body.
hi fatty,
the problem is: human fat cells are not dying when on diet, just lowering ther size. it takes about 9 months for fat cell to die, so if you don’t want to gain weight back, you should diet for longer time. please, DO NOT DO any drastic diet! diet for 9 months = healthly eating + calories counting. so it should be basicly your lifestyle to keep the weight at healthly level. but you can do it.
for sweet cravings: it takes 7 days without sugar food (like snacks and so on) to stop craving for it. after just 7 days you are free and have no urge to eat sugar as before.
good luck!
Sam,
First off, I love your site and thanks for creating it/posting.
In regards to the post, I believe your “mystery” (of why you yo yo in a 10 lb band) is quite simple actually. There have been enough posters above to completely ridicule your argument based on a sample size of 2 and utterly devoid of any sophisticated understanding of health/exercise (beyond “proteins, fats, and carbohydrates are nutrients and calories in = calories out …” level understanding), so I will not even touch upon that except to say that it is fairly common knowledge (as well as common sense) that BMI is not a very meaningful value for more muscular/athletic people (which you claim to be/have been). Instead I will focus on your situation:
First some assumptions: these are based on reading almost your entire site and so I think fairly accurately describe you, obviously if these assumptions are wrong then my explanation is not as strong
1) you hate traditional workout methods, you have written that you don’t see the point of spending “hours in the gym” and you dont like doing “mindless activities” such as cardio and weightlifting and that you would much rather be productive with work/projects rather than “waste” time at the gym, hence your choice of tennis as exercise
implication: I hate to burst your bubble but tennis (like most sports) is not a continuous activity and does not burn the same level of calories as cardio exercise (i.e. you can play tennis all you want but unless you man up and actually do a real workout in the gym you are vastly overestimating your calorie expenditures). Tennis involes 10-20 seconds bursts of movement followed by a minute+ of standing around. Not even close to continuous cardio activity! I understand you hate workouts (cardio/gym) so my explanation is that this post/opinion is your own mental way of giving yourself a free pass from the guilt that you feel due to avoiding real exercise. It can’t be the type of exercise you do (i.e. i only like to do fun activities like tennis but cant force myself to do cardio), so it must be genetics, right? I believe you are deluding yourself and not owning up to the fact that you are lazy in your choice of exercise (which is very surprising given that you are so extremely productive in probably every other walk of life). I am surprised you don’t see the connection here. Maybe you think “well im definitely not lazy as evidenced by x,y,z so it can’t be that im lazy with exercising” but yes based on what you have written I would say that by avoiding traditional gym exercises you are definitely lazy in that regard.
2) You most likely give yourself way too much credit for your eating habits. You have written that in your previous career you were frequently wining and dining with clients and that you are a “foodie” that loves eating good food. After years of this behavior, it becomes habitual and very hard to break/curtail (I know from experience). Given that you have the means to do so, you are most likely eating out/ordering in several times a week AT LEAST, if not almost on a daily basis as you are wealthy and money is not an issue. Eating out frequently is your way of life. It is an integral part of your social and former (current?) professional life and I would venture to say that you don’t have a very strong willpower when it comes to food. My guess is that when you approach the lower end of the 10 lb band you are actively and diligently cutting down on eating out and eating much cleaner. Due to your willpower, this “dieting” period only lasts a certain period of time before you can’t maintain such a drastic lifestyle change, after which you revert back to your old eating habits (frequently eating out) and the weight comes right back and brings you to the top range of the band. Once again (as with laziness in choice of exercise above), I believe your motivation for a post like this is because deep down you feel guilty that you don’t have the willpower to make a lasting and drastic change to your diet so instead you have to blame genetics for your inability to stop “being such a foodie”.
At 5’10” and 162-165lbs, I have no doubt I am too lazy to workout hard enough to get down to my high school fighting weight of 152-155lbs. Eating out has become my way of life, especially since I live in San Francisco where there is so many good restaurants.
I’d love to hear your stats and your story about weight. How’d you find my site btw? Always curious.
Cheers,
Sam
Rather than whether it is 100% under your control or you have 0 control, one must ask if it is worth the hassle. Some people may need to struggle harder for a normal weight. Both physically and mentally ( genetics and impulses ) I can easily lose up to 25 lbs in 8-10 weeks if I stick to a diet patiently including exercise but I find it impossible to keep it for a lifetime. I keep going up and down in weight. I love desserts and I know people who just don’t like eating that much. So I wonder : is it worth all the emotional and physical stress just to keep a normal weight ? Funny thing is I crave sugar when I am stressed and dieting creates more stress :) It is like a curse :)
first time commenter, love the blog! going back into the archives on page 14 so far… “how do you explain Steve Jobs dying of cancer in his 50s when he was a vegan and exercised regularly?” – sugar is a primary substrate of cancer and soy, a staple of vegan diets is estrogenic –> cancergenic
Welcome to my site!
I agree, sugar kills. Keep intake to a minimum!
A little late on this article, but want to share my opinion as a yo-yo dieter who was 30 pounds overweight a year ago and still has some more weight left to shed!
I think the main point of contention with this article is people’s differing reactions to saying that something is genetic (which many interpret as fate). It sounds like one group (including FS) finds that to be comforting: these are your limits, be happy with who you are and don’t beat yourself up about what’s outside of your control. You aren’t without willpower, there’s just a limit to what your genetics allow you to accomplish. Group 1 finds this message empowering, as it confirms that they are still in control, adding an upper/lower limit to that control just helps to ensure realistic expectations.
Group 2 (including myself) finds it to be incredibly discouraging and even more negative: no matter what you do, you’ll always be fat, don’t even bother trying. Which, if you go down that road, puts you probably at the highest possible end of the weight bands that you’re discussing because you can give yourself the rationale that you don’t have any power/control/responsibility for your weight at all. This might be a personal weakness of mine (and others in Group 2), that we take such an idea to an extreme. Group 2 finds this message UN-empowering because we take it to the extreme that we have lost all control and shouldn’t even bother trying.
Personally, I believe that genetics influences body type (similar to how I’ll never be tall, I’ll never have a willowy body type) and ease of weight loss/gain (it might be harder, maybe A LOT harder, for some folks to lose/gain weight). I feel like this encompasses maybe 20%. The rest is up to you. I embrace this message not because I don’t have empathy for those who are overweight (I’m usually counted among them, although I’ve been slowly losing!), but because it’s empowering for me to believe that I have control in this situation. This feeling of empowerment usually leads to a positive cycle where I make better choices around food and exercise, thus making it self-fulfilling.
I think that’s why the reaction to this article has been so strong. Not because one side has completely opposing views, but just the interpretation of genetics vs. control.
I don’t know about this article Sam, I mean if you are going to ask why a guy didn’t lose weight in prison after 27 years, I can ask if its genetics then why in the past 20 years especially obesity rates in this country have sky-rocked. Can’t be down to genetics.
Environmental perhaps? There is not one case of obesity in my family incl. extended clan and inlaws. We all eat well but not to excess- some cook, others eat out frequently. Plenty of physical activity with either sports or working out – nary a TV couch potato in the bunch.
Middle to upper middle class Midwesterners, Texans and a few in Colorado.
Personally, I’m 5’11” female and 135-140, 50’s and pretty active but not obsessive gym rat or jogger – watch what I eat, read labels, cook nutritious meals and watch the carb and calorie intake. My parents, aunts/uncles (grandparents as well when they were alive) are all average weight-absolutely do not eat junk or overly processed food and moderate intake.
Growing up I can’t recall a single instance of sitting in front of the TV snacking -my mother didn’t allow it. Ever checked an obese persons cart in the grocery store? Mostly junk – high
sugar/salt, sodas, snacks, processed frozen etc. Family members around the cart are usually
unfit especially the children. Ever seen an obese persons cart full of fresh vegetables, fruit, whole grains, fresh whole chicken, lo fat milk and beef?
Two more points:
1. When I moved to Texas from Colorado 10 years ago, my health insurance premium skyrocketed – I’m self insured. A call to the ins. company resulted in the explanation. Colorado is one of the healthiest states and Texas, not so much. I was now part of the general population
Of a state with much higher obesity, stroke, heart attack rates. Bit of a blow to the finances.
2. I have noticed a correlation with friends and acquaintances – sudden weight gain is usually accompanied by financial woes.
Genetics greatly influences a person’s tendency to gain weight (or not) and their health. However, we can do something about it. That’s why I keep trying to lose weight and be fit despite generations of obesity in my family.
I agree with you Kay Lynn. There is a reason why some people can eat so much and never work out and still look relative normal. Best of luck with your fitness endeavors.
Hi Sam,
My problem is opposite – I’m a so-called hardgainer. I work out in a gym for more than 2 years already. But still I’m stuck with my weight – it doesn’t go higher – so I still look thin (in comparison to an average person). I tried to eat like ten people, I tried to drink “gainer”-cocktails. Yes, my weight grew a little bit higher. But when I stopped eating very much, it has returned to the old value.
So I stopped freaking myself out with my weight and gaining a lot of muscles – I just continue going to gym for “staying in shape”.
Hi Alex,
I’ve been waiting for someone who has your situation chime in. Thanks for that. And as you say, no matter how much you eat, you still can’t put on mass. Sounds like another vote for genetics largely determining weight to me!
Sam