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Mad Poster
#26 Old 19th May 2008 at 1:47 AM
I think that our weight is based in our genes, but your lifestyle contributes to whether your genes continue to control your weight. A prolonged lack of exercise and unhealthy nutritional habits can make a skinny person bulk up, whereas with the proper amount of diet and exercise, those who are overweight can start to come down. However, I do think there are some rare cases in which no amount of effort can change how your genes can affect your weight.

My sister and I are a good example of how weight begins in your genes. I'm 5'9 and 120 pounds; however, she's two inches shorter than me, eleven years older, and has to weigh at least fifty or sixty pounds more. She exercises more than I do and eats healthy, yet remains at the same weight. I probably don't exercise as much as I should and don't eat anywhere near right, but have a fast metabolism and stay the way I am. I guess we're just two of those people who don't change, but I commend those who make enough effort and are able to.

I have to agree with Remyohmy about our society contributing to our weight, though. Kids these days don't know the meaning of playing outside. I also think it has to do with how much we eat and when we eat if; if the big meal of the day were lunch rather than dinner, Americans might have the time to burn the calories and be more motivated to go to the gym in the afternoon. After dinner, most of us hunker in for a night of television and even more snacking. The fact that portion sizes in restaurants are ridiculous doesn't help, either.

Do I dare disturb the universe?
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#27 Old 5th Feb 2009 at 2:54 PM
Quote: Originally posted by daveyman
With an increase in the level of obesity in the developed world, do people think obesity is in our genes or does our more fast food, convenient lifestyle have a lot to do with it?


I think both. Both my parents are quite skinny and i also have a high metabolism. I also participated in a lot of sports when i was in school.
When i was in school some people even thought i was anorexic!! I
Lab Assistant
#28 Old 5th Feb 2009 at 5:07 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Rabid
I think that our weight is based in our genes, but your lifestyle contributes to whether your genes continue to control your weight. A prolonged lack of exercise and unhealthy nutritional habits can make a skinny person bulk up, whereas with the proper amount of diet and exercise, those who are overweight can start to come down. However, I do think there are some rare cases in which no amount of effort can change how your genes can affect your weight.

My sister and I are a good example of how weight begins in your genes. I'm 5'9 and 120 pounds; however, she's two inches shorter than me, eleven years older, and has to weigh at least fifty or sixty pounds more. She exercises more than I do and eats healthy, yet remains at the same weight. I probably don't exercise as much as I should and don't eat anywhere near right, but have a fast metabolism and stay the way I am. I guess we're just two of those people who don't change, but I commend those who make enough effort and are able to.

I have to agree with Remyohmy about our society contributing to our weight, though. Kids these days don't know the meaning of playing outside. I also think it has to do with how much we eat and when we eat if; if the big meal of the day were lunch rather than dinner, Americans might have the time to burn the calories and be more motivated to go to the gym in the afternoon. After dinner, most of us hunker in for a night of television and even more snacking. The fact that portion sizes in restaurants are ridiculous doesn't help, either.


I completely agree Rabid.......well said.
Instructor
#29 Old 6th Feb 2009 at 12:59 AM
I'm actually underweight.
according to the BMI anyway.

“When you're taught to love everyone, to love your enemies, then what value does that place on love?”-Marilyn Manson
Test Subject
#30 Old 9th Feb 2009 at 11:46 PM
I think there has to be something of a genetic factor to it, although lifestyle doesn't help. Our environment and lifestyles have changed tremendously over thousands of years, but our bodies haven't kept up with those changes.

Think about the lifestyles of our ancestors. I don't mean those who were not Homo sapiens sapiens. I mean those who were the exact same species as we are. Hunter gatherers before the advent of agriculture went through cycles of feast and famine. Those who couldn't store enough fat between meals died out and never reproduced. Over time, that left individuals who are very efficient at storing food energy as fat.

Our bodies adapt to exercise, becoming more efficient and burning fewer calories with repetition. That's why you have to vary the type of exercises you do if you want to maintain momentum losing weight. Running nonstop for 30 minutes at a time for the first month burns more calories than running nonstop for 30 minutes the next month, and so on, even if your weight doesn't change. It's another survival strategy that was the difference between life and death for our ancestors. Now it's a pain in the arse for those who aren't going long periods of time between each meal but want to stay active enough to keep weight off.

Even the way our bodies respond to sugar and the way we crave it is related to survival. Sugar provides a very quick burst of energy. Simple carbohydrates go through our systems the fastest, causing spikes in insulin production and later leading to crashes. However, that's perfect for somebody who needs energy to catch and kill the next big meal.

Our ancestors couldn't have dreamed of the type of world we in developed countries live in now, with food at our fingertips whenever we want it, the luxury of sitting around and not having to be very mobile, never having to go more than a few hours without food if we don't choose to. The conditions from which we developed didn't account for it, either, so the very things which allowed us to survive and develop as a species now work against us.

There have been preliminary studies on sitting for long periods of time and how it possibly causes the body to produce certain hormones that make dropping weight more difficult. So you could exercise like a fiend, but if you've been sitting at a desk job for nearly 8 hours straight, it won't do as much for you as it would someone who stays on their feet a lot.

Who knows? Maybe a few thousand years from now, offspring from those with high metabolisms will be the ones who have survived, because obesity severely interferes with reproductive health. It has been said we are seeing some of the first generations that can be expected to die before their parents because of obesity related illnesses. So can it all be blamed on genetics? Of course not. The food has to be there and be consumed for those traits to have the negative impact, but the traits are always there.
Forum Resident
#31 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 12:16 AM
I believe it has to do with both. My father is what would be considered obese- however when he was younger, he was incredibly healthy and fit. He retired from the army, adopted a hideously unhealthy lifestyle, and hey-presto, he now has a belly like a full-term pregnant woman.

My mother has struggled with her weight since she was a child (although being very active, participating in several etam sports, joining the army, and being incredibly strapped for cash), and has tried diet after diet, and weight loss program after weight loss program. In desperation of both her sanity and health, she had lap-band surgery two years ago. Since then, she has lost almost half her body weight, and with out the extra baggage, now has a new lease on life- walks every day, gym three days per week, hiking every month. She is a completely different woman.

Now with two parents who or have been overweight, one who I believe had it in her genetics, and one for whom it was lifestyle, I think it is a combination for me. Medically (by my BMI) I am considered overweight, but I would not call myself 'fat'. It is a lot harder for me to lose weight and keep it off than for some other people, but my lifestyle at the moment is not that great either. And while I do not indulge in fast food or chocolate, I don't exercise as much as I should, and should eat a much more balanced diet.

I believe it is a combination of both, but lifestyle has a huge contribution. We live in an increasingly lazy society- most people no longer work in hard labour, which was a contributer to keeping pervious generations fit, plus we are much more wealthy and can indulge in more fatty, unhealthy foods more often.

On a side note, and to emhpasise the genetic predisposition argument- my 21 year old brother has Klienfelter's Syndrome. Basically, he has one Y chromosome, and two X chromosomes. He is over 6 foot tall, and skinny as a rake. He eats absolute crap- huge bowls of ice cream, chips, fast food etc. Only eats vegetables when my mother forces it down his throat, drinks no water and his exercise consists of walking from his bed to the TV. There is not one ounce of fat on him at all. This also shows that a 'fat' person who lives a healthy lifestyle, while overweight, would in fact be healthier than someone like my brother, however slim they might be.
Top Secret Researcher
#32 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 1:12 AM
I was at a BMI of slightly obese and now am at a BMI of Healthy.
My brother, never overweight...hell he gets mad when he loses weight.
Our parents were slender when they were in their 30's and lower.
My mom's parents, in pictures where never overweight. My grandpa now after cancer and other illnesses is overweight.
My dad's mom is slender while his dad is obese.

I think it's lifestyle completely.
My grandpa (dad's side) does nothing. His exercise is walking very little around the house and gardening. My grandma, hardly sits down (when we are over).

If people do nothing, it shows.
If people work out, it shows.
Genes have nothing to do with it.

Genes do factor our lazy-ness, not weight (in my opinion).

So long, my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
I should've known you'd bring me heartache
Almost lovers always do

Forum Resident
#33 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 5:53 PM
I think it's both.

Of course, lifestyle has a big influence - I mean, having studied basic metabolism in biology is enough to know that. Eat too much fat/sugar without using it for energy production and your adipose cells will soon swell with fats.

But I also think that genes have to do with that. For the last few years, I've been feeding on much more unhealthy food than is... um... healthy. Double cheeseburgers, soft drinks, sweets, pizza, pasta with lots of cheese, doughnuts, biscuits, if it's edible and unhealthy, you name it, I've had too much of it. I'm not sporty at all, yet I haven't put on any weight; I'm stick thin, and some even say I got thinner throughout the years. No, I don't have a terrible disease that would eat me from the inside either.

Also PuX, how can genes factor in laziness? That makes much less sense than them factoring in the metabolism...
Theorist
#34 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 6:12 PM
Both


I think it is not only because of our [personal] lifestyle, but of our Environment and also our Genes.
It is not *Our* fault if our Parents are obese and so therefore *We* find it harder to be "Normal Weight" as our Early lifestyle was living that of your parents (In most cases)
*WE* had not much control/understanding of what our minders/elders/parents were shoving into our mouths before the age of 7, maybe later (guesstimate)

But also, I feel that our *body* reacts to different lifestyles too, and has changed genetically with food.
Its all alright, PuX, if you have a variation of weight, But guess what size My Mother would be if I told you that she;
Went to the gym at least twice a week, Went to aerobic classes, is on a diet, and all the other stuff. "Normal"? nope
I have a diet consisting of at least 5 fruit a day, maybe more, I have sports at least twice a week, and also have Drama and Singing [and yes, that *is* working on the body; Diaphragm muscles are hard work to keep contracted] but I have problems with my weight. Yea, I'm not obese (almost there though, according to Wii Fit ) but I'm not "Normal".

My Father has a lifestyle where he used to be a farmer, and all that jazz, which then moved onto lifting Humongous Porta-toilets onto a Truck. He has a TERRIBLE diet. He has cakes, sugar, crisps and four meals a day. He hasn't done any of that stuff in a good two years or so, and He's "Normal".
The same is for my sister, But She doesn't have the terrible diet and doesn't lift Portaloos! :D


Yes, I believe it is to do with not only your lifestyle, But your Genetic code as much as anything. People are born fat, But that doesn't mean we HAVE to be fat, just that we are at an unfair advantage.


BodyShopped /// ShoofleedSims
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#35 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 6:21 PM
I think it's down to both, definitely.
I used to be a pretty average weight but have put weight on since I hit puberty due to having Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome - so there are definitely a lot of aggravating factors out there.

I read a great article a few weeks ago, I think on the BBC, where a scientist was saying that everybody has a predestined body shape. Which explains why some people have to spend 2 hours in the gym every day to maintain their figure, whilst others can veg out on the sofa for weeks and not gain as much as a pound.
Once you return to a normal lifestyle, the person who needs to constantly work out will always return to a familiar weight.

Also, BMI is greatly flawed; don't even get me started! It's much more important to be healthy and fit but a little bit overweight, than unhealthy and skinny, any idiot knows this.

My cousin, who is a stick insect, has high blood pressure due to eating all kinds of crap, whilst I, the heavier one, eat healthy and actually have low blood pressure. But I'm the one who gets all the crap from the doctor!
#36 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 7:10 PM
My Mum was way skinny as a teen, apparently, and says she wished she was more like me. Yeah, right.
My friend eats loads at home, she says. Yet she keeps super thin. She says it is due to the fact that she is a REALLY good runner and she goes to running club. In this age, there are too many anorexic people and too many obese people. Personally, being a little chubby myself and having to go through the taunts of being called names, I can't see how people can get that big.
I think I believe more in the whole lifestyle thing. It makes more sense to me
Oh and that Wii Fit thing is (insert rude word). A boy in my class went on that and he is high up in our rugby team and it said he was obese. I wonder what it would say for me. *wonders* It works for some people though.
Mad Poster
#37 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 8:42 PM
Quote: Originally posted by PuX- 80's
I think it's lifestyle completely.
If people do nothing, it shows.
If people work out, it shows.
Genes have nothing to do with it.


So, by your estimation, where would I fall? I don't get as much exercise as is recommended, I eat incredibly unhealthily, and yet I remain twenty-five pounds underweight, according to the BMI scale. I do very little to maintain my body, but the good genes and fast metabolism I've inherited keep me thin. Wouldn't, then, my existence defy your statements, seeing as genes are largely what is responsible for my physique? Genetic composition has everything to do with weight, but lifestyle merely detracts from or enhances one's natural appearance.

I think that height plays a role, too; I wouldn't be statistically underweight if I wasn't so tall. Differences in height cause weight to be displaced differently, and although body composition isn't changed, it impacts one's appearance.

Do I dare disturb the universe?
.
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#38 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 8:57 PM
I don't think its in our genes at all. You could have a obese man while both his parents are not obese. Its all to do with taking no excercise, eating to much and all the wrong things, and probably alcohol intake to.

Yes, some people can drink loads and eat loads and be skinny, like my boyfriend who is very underweight but both his parents are overweight, so it is not down to genes!!
Mad Poster
#39 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 9:07 PM
Quote: Originally posted by LouBarratt88
I don't think its in our genes at all. You could have a obese man while both his parents are not obese. Its all to do with taking no excercise, eating to much and all the wrong things, and probably alcohol intake to.

Yes, some people can drink loads and eat loads and be skinny, like my boyfriend who is very underweight but both his parents are overweight, so it is not down to genes!!


(1) When fat people are given a starvation diet in order to lose weight, the weight is very quickly gained back, and it's nearly impossible for them to avoid this. The body goes into a starvation mode.

(2) When thin people are given a high calorie diet in order to gain weight, the weight is very quickly lost after they go back to their normal diet.
(Found this on a website)

Something tells me this is more than just because of your lifestyle, my mother is underweight and so am I. My grandmother is also but it's probably because of her age.

"Going to the chapel of Love"

the girls club . statistics . yearbook .
#40 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 9:12 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Dreamydre15
(1) When fat people are given a starvation diet in order to lose weight, the weight is very quickly gained back, and it's nearly impossible for them to avoid this. The body goes into a starvation mode.

(2) When thin people are given a high calorie diet in order to gain weight, the weight is very quickly lost after they go back to their normal diet.
(Found this on a website)

Something tells me this is more than just because of your lifestyle, my mother is underweight and so am I. My grandmother is also but it's probably because of her age.


I see where you are coming from, maybe some people do get it from genes but at the same time its not all about genes. Like I said before, my underweight partner is th skinniest in his family, most of the others are overweight.
Mad Poster
#41 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 9:13 PM
You're right it isn't just about genetics; I think Lifestyle probably plays a larger role in Obesity than genetics though.

"Going to the chapel of Love"

the girls club . statistics . yearbook .
Theorist
#42 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 9:29 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Dreamydre15
You're right it isn't just about genetics; I think Lifestyle probably plays a larger role in Obesity than genetics though.


Exessive Obesity. The line for "Obese" and "Overweight" is actually closer than what you might think.

See the chart:



To work out your BMI, it is:

Your Weight [in Kg] Over your Hight [in Meters] Squared
(BMI=kg/m2))


But mind, The figures shown are for *adults*


BodyShopped /// ShoofleedSims
♦ // Jack.exe // ♦
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Alchemist
#43 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 9:34 PM
That means im very underweight. I am 5"3 and weigh under 60 pounds..

I think Obesity is definatley lifestyle, both of my parents are on the tubby side.
#44 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 9:39 PM
Well looks like I'm between overweight and normal lol - I'm 5"1 and 132lb, but my boobs are a FF and I have just had a baby lol...
Mad Poster
#45 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 9:41 PM
You know there's a more simpler way of checking your BMI; using the BMI online calculator :umm: and I stand corrected, thanks for clarifying Petchy.

"Going to the chapel of Love"

the girls club . statistics . yearbook .
Lab Assistant
#46 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 9:54 PM
Obesity can run in both ways. Now, some people are naturally obese. As in, obesity will forever run in their family, unless that gene gets turned off later in the tree, or they marry someone that doesn't have natural obesity, and their kids don't, and their kids marry people that don't naturally become obese.. and so forth. Now, obesity starts at a young age. If you are naturally obese, it is best that you get plenty of exercise, and eat healthy. Since its in your body's coding that you are to be obese, it will be harder for you to knock off those pounds that you had gained when you were a child. Same goes for children and teens that eat really unhealthy, don't exercise, and yet they stay relatively thin. This is because they have a fast metabolism, and they think that they can eat whatever they want, whenever they want, and they just won't get fat. They're wrong, for the most part. Your metabolism slows down as you age, and all that fat you were eating as a kid, comes back to bite you in the arse when your an adult.

Of course, obesity is also imbedded well into the American lifestyle. Ever since fast food became a part of society, and it was cheap and fast, it just seemed more practical to eat it, rather than cook a homemade meal. Now close to half, probably more of all Americans are now obese. The truly depressing part is, that more Americans are starting to see this as socially acceptable, as they are growing up around it, and seeing it a lot more. Of course, its never easy to be overweight, but its just getting so out of control, and people just keep eating the food that kills them. Now, when some people look at fat parents, and notice their kids are also fat, most of the time, they think its genetics. But they could be wrong. Now, if you had two parents that are both naturally slimmer, and they start eating food that causes them to be obese, they will feed these to their kids. That's what a lot of children and teens in America are obese, not from their choices, but what they're parents had let them eat when they were younger. Kids also are getting the concept of exercise wrong too. Throwing a baseball back and forth for an hour every day, isn't exercise. Your barely working any muscle. Children are also getting hooked on TV, and their computers, instead of doing what they should be doing: playing outside, and being a little kid.

The foods we eat are also a huge huge part in American obesity. Last time I checked, frozen wasn't a food group. So much sodium is put into those meals, that you could dehydrate yourself if you took all the salt out of it, and just ate it. Healthier foods have been put aside, as the "good tasting stuff," is easier to make, and cheaper to buy. I can't think of that many commercials that say: "Hey kids, eat some broccoli!" Instead, I see McDonalds pushing out they're Happy Meals that come with a toy, as a way to draw kids into their foods. Fast food has changed the face of America, and the rest of the body too. Fast food is OK on occasion, but its disgusting to see the people that eat it everyday, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Some of the foods on their menus have enough calories to last you two days at the minimum.

On myself, I eat healthy, and play sports to keep my body at a normal weight. I do have a fast metabolism, so I am also a little on the skinny side, but its not that big of a deal. I just think its sad that we have put aside living in a healthy, productive society, and instead turned into the fattest country in the world, and growing.

EDIT: BMI online calculators can lead to people thinking that they are obese, when they clearly aren't. A more muscular person can go and weigh themselves, and take their height, and plug it into an online BMI calculator. Keep in mind muscle weighs a lot more than fat. Now, it will show that they are obese or overweight, as it doesn't know that they are muscular, or an athlete. That's why its best to visit a walk-in-clinic, and get it done their, as its far more accurate, and they have ones for skinny, obese, and athletic people, not one for all three.

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#47 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 10:34 PM
Going by that chart at 5'10 and 230 pounds (at last check), I'm considered obese. If I dropped 60 pounds to what I was about three years ago (170), I would be in the normal range but to me, rather on the skinny and unhealthy side (at least to me).

I think obesity is a mixture of both genes and lifestyle. Take me for example. Both of my mother and father are tall and on the hefty sides (5'10, 222 pds and 6'3, 328 pds respectively), themselves, so I was never going to be a lightweight in the first place. Yes, we may be huge to most medical standards but that is just the way the genes run on both sides of the family.

My lifestyle is also what added to the obesity. I'm not all that active to begin with, I hate exercise and have a horrid diet (fast food, sugary cereals, whole milk, a lot of snack foods, not nearly enough fruits or veggies, etc), even though I'm barely eat once a day. Even I do eat, I must eat way more calories that my body requires.

I guess the weight is not coming off for the simple fact that my body thinks I'm starving and is trying to hold on to as much weight as possible. In my case, I have to find a happy medium between both.

So again, I think obesity can be a mix between lifestyle and genes.
Theorist
#48 Old 10th Feb 2009 at 10:53 PM
Fundamentally, this is simply a nature vs. nurture debate. The answer of course, is a murky blend of the two, just like with any other nature/nurture debate. It is both genetic, and the result of our lifestyle. Genetics may predispose people to gain or keep on weight, and make it hard to drop, even with exercise, but at the same time, it our dietary choices that contribute a lot to our fat content to begin with. You cannot blame one without blaming the other. The fault is not mutually exclusive.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Obama on ABC's This Week, discussing Obamacare
What it's saying is, is that we're not going to have other people carrying your burdens for you anymore
umm...Isn't having other people carry your medical burden exactly what national health care is?
Top Secret Researcher
#49 Old 11th Feb 2009 at 4:17 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Rabid
So, by your estimation, where would I fall? I don't get as much exercise as is recommended, I eat incredibly unhealthily, and yet I remain twenty-five pounds underweight, according to the BMI scale. I do very little to maintain my body, but the good genes and fast metabolism I've inherited keep me thin. Wouldn't, then, my existence defy your statements, seeing as genes are largely what is responsible for my physique? Genetic composition has everything to do with weight, but lifestyle merely detracts from or enhances one's natural appearance.

The only thing I find genes have anything to do with weight is, how fast/slow your metabolism is, your lazy-ness, and your body shape.

How did my brother stay extra small?
Our parents aren't small (weight-wise).

Genes:
Quote: Originally posted by Dictionary.com
The proteins that are determined by genetic DNA result in specific physical traits, such as the shape of a plant leaf, the coloration of an animal's coat, or the texture of a person's hair. Different forms of genes, called alleles, determine how these traits are expressed in a given individual.

So long, my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
I should've known you'd bring me heartache
Almost lovers always do

Field Researcher
#50 Old 11th Feb 2009 at 6:40 AM
Well, people are associating body type with health. That is not always the case (sorry if I derail this too much). In some skinny people with horrible exercise and dieting habits, they store fat near their vital organs, I believe. So that could be a genetic trait. They may weigh less but they could have a higher body fat percentage than someone who has fat that shows on the outside of their body.
 
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