It's all in our genes, I inherited this body.........
(deactivated member)
on 6/4/09 12:38 pm
on 6/4/09 12:38 pm
It's true. If you're overweight it's because you inherited it from your parents. Sweden has kept excellent records that researchers have been able to use to trace what happens when children are adopted and what happens when twins, both identical and fraternal are raised in separate households. What makes this study so valuable is that they had actual weights and heights of the parents. Even identical twins raised in different households maintained similar weights. It matter whether the adoptive parents were heavy of slim, the children grew up to be similar in weight to their biological parents. This means that diet and activity level, while it plays a small role is not the most important factor. If you want to read more about this, an excellent book to read is Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss--and the Myths and… is by Gina Kolata, a science journalist for The New York Times.
What it means is that it truly is difficult for us to lose our excess weight and keep it off - it's a serious battle. OTOH if there is a global famine - we're going to do well since we have inherited the genes to survive this kind of hardship. Unfortunately, unlike our ancestors we are confronted by food everywhere. When I was a kid there were limited places to buy food - who knew people would buy sandwiches where they gassed up their cars, and snacks while they picked up toilet paper. Ads for food are everywhere, you can't escape them.
People who are naturally thin don't realize how lucky they are - they won the slim body jackpot and they aren't even aware of it or appreciate it.
Skylar
What it means is that it truly is difficult for us to lose our excess weight and keep it off - it's a serious battle. OTOH if there is a global famine - we're going to do well since we have inherited the genes to survive this kind of hardship. Unfortunately, unlike our ancestors we are confronted by food everywhere. When I was a kid there were limited places to buy food - who knew people would buy sandwiches where they gassed up their cars, and snacks while they picked up toilet paper. Ads for food are everywhere, you can't escape them.
People who are naturally thin don't realize how lucky they are - they won the slim body jackpot and they aren't even aware of it or appreciate it.
Skylar
No one else in my family is obese. My parents were both slightly overweight, but had strong, sturdy frames to back it up. My sister is a toothpick, and she's had 3 kids! I know I didn't inherit my obesity. I know its my actions that have gotten me here. And its my actions that will lead me away.
However, I was married to a man who DID inherit his obesity from his family, and he has struggled his whole life. My son, is now struggling too. I try to encourage him to be active, and make good choices, but he's built like his dad. He has a great outlook on things though, right now. My daughter is more like me. She's not heavy, but she keeps a check on her weight so she doesn't get over a certain size. She has a very good attitude about herself and knows its her responsibility to take care of herself. Just for a point of reference, my kids are older. My son is 19 and my daughter is 20.
However, I was married to a man who DID inherit his obesity from his family, and he has struggled his whole life. My son, is now struggling too. I try to encourage him to be active, and make good choices, but he's built like his dad. He has a great outlook on things though, right now. My daughter is more like me. She's not heavy, but she keeps a check on her weight so she doesn't get over a certain size. She has a very good attitude about herself and knows its her responsibility to take care of herself. Just for a point of reference, my kids are older. My son is 19 and my daughter is 20.
* Take 1 DS, add a little p90x and stir :)5' 3" HW 293/SW 253/Goal 130/CW 128
(deactivated member)
on 6/5/09 7:06 am
on 6/5/09 7:06 am
Well the theory is that we all inherit a certain set point weight and that number can vary somewhere between 20 or 30 pounds - so if your parent is just a little overweight and they are on their skinnier side of the set point - if you are on the heavier side then you may be more overweight but still inherited the same setpoint.
The other factor is that while we inherit genes from both our mother and father, not all of them are expressed - which means we carry them but we don't see them and they can get passed along in the family unseen until someone inherits them and it is expressed. That means that your mother and father may be skinny but you may have a grand parent or great grand parent who had the heavy genes that have been passed along and now being fully expressed. When you study genetics you see these patterns in diseases where some diseases skip a generation or parents never knew they carried a gene that could cause serious disease until they had a child born with it and then testing revealed they were carriers. This may be why Mary is shorter.
I know both my girls are struggling with being overweight - I bite my tongue so that I never say anything to them about any weight gain - never will I make them feel guilty about it I certainly don't know the answer so I don't want them to feel bad that they don't either. Both are active and healthy and wonderful people to know so I take pleasure in the good stuff.
Skylar
The other factor is that while we inherit genes from both our mother and father, not all of them are expressed - which means we carry them but we don't see them and they can get passed along in the family unseen until someone inherits them and it is expressed. That means that your mother and father may be skinny but you may have a grand parent or great grand parent who had the heavy genes that have been passed along and now being fully expressed. When you study genetics you see these patterns in diseases where some diseases skip a generation or parents never knew they carried a gene that could cause serious disease until they had a child born with it and then testing revealed they were carriers. This may be why Mary is shorter.
I know both my girls are struggling with being overweight - I bite my tongue so that I never say anything to them about any weight gain - never will I make them feel guilty about it I certainly don't know the answer so I don't want them to feel bad that they don't either. Both are active and healthy and wonderful people to know so I take pleasure in the good stuff.
Skylar
Yupper...both of my parents are squatty and solid! My mother was pretty little as we grew up, but has always had a sturdy frame. When she got cancer and got older, her frame is now more chubby.
I also am intrigued by the fat cell study. There are several over the world science scene on this. Some babies are born with many more fat cells than others and therefore start life out at a disadvantage.
As we now realize, once we grow fat cells they almost never go away and will work against you as try to lose them (which is one powerful reason I believe in WLS for some folks).
And I must add - this is not to depress or kick any one of us while we're down - just to affirm that we will have to work harder than many. It's not impossible!
I also am intrigued by the fat cell study. There are several over the world science scene on this. Some babies are born with many more fat cells than others and therefore start life out at a disadvantage.
As we now realize, once we grow fat cells they almost never go away and will work against you as try to lose them (which is one powerful reason I believe in WLS for some folks).
And I must add - this is not to depress or kick any one of us while we're down - just to affirm that we will have to work harder than many. It's not impossible!
"The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not." ~Mark Twain
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