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.
Pingback: The Unfair Competitive Advantage Of The Wealthy | Financial Samurai
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
Sam,
What do you think about other factors that are also heavily influenced by genetics, like intelligence, appearance, intro/extrovertedness, laziness etc…? I call it the ultimate lottery of life. ;)
We are still responsible for our own outcomes, but to attribute 100% of anything to one’s will alone is crazy. That’s why a little bit of understanding and empathy can go a long way.
Good points Kevin and something others have failed to address. There is a confluence of things that play a part of who we are and what we turn out to be. I say it’s more than 50% genetics now, from 30%.
Not everybody can become as rich as Bill Gates, but everybody can certainly try…. but maybe not even on the trying part!
The reason people always gain what they lost is because of dieting. Diets are temporary.
Sam,
I agree with a bunch of other commenters. One data point, no matter how big it seems, indicates a trend. The reality is that genetics plays a bigger role for “some” people and “lesser” role for others. There are indeed people that no matter what they eat will not gain weight and on the flip side there are people that have a much harder time losing weight. This effected by a lot of things: basal metabolic rate, body type I.E. genetics
However, the vast majority of people fall in the middle where genetics and lifestyle play more equal parts.
I think the statement “why fit people get sick” is completely misleading. Eating right and exercise will not 100% prevent illness. However, the data shows over and over again, quite conclusively, that I you live a healthy lifestyle you have a much lower chance of getting various illnesses.
-Tim
As a dietitian- Most of what I see in clients who lose weight quickly is that the changes they make to lose weight cannot be sustained as a lifestyle (example: big cuts in calories or restricting entire food groups). Instead of focusing on the scale I encourage others to focus on how they feel and eating REAL food. Ideal body weight (and BMI) are not realistic numbers and will only make you depressed when you find out what yours are.
As a Christian- If I put my identity in anything else other than God (job, nutrition, exercise, friends, money), it will eventually let me down and I will still die. We pursue things we believe will satisfy only to find out it’s just a temporary satisfaction that ultimately can’t quench our desire to feel like we have a purpose. God made food for his glory and our joy. When we let food become an obsession it takes away that joy and becomes a guilt-ridden burden.
Hi Sam,
Great post- I was eating a carrot with a sandwich for lunch, while pondering how my weight has creeped up from 180 lbs to 200 lbs in the 7 years I’ve been in SE Asia.
One component is aging and being happily married. Another component is having a 3-4 hour commute of sitting in the car each day plus a sedentary job coupled by crushing heat year round, so sitting in A/C.
Through these 7 years I gave been working out 6 days a week- typical regimen is 2 days a week outdoor running at 5-6k at an 8 minute mile pace. One day a week riding a bicycle for 15 miles outside, another day running stairs in the condo – 110 flights up and down. The last two days are lifting weights for 1.5 hours and 30 minutes on the elliptical. Surprisingly, I can knock off 30 – 35 pull ups in a row when fresh even at my inflated weight, same as I could do when I was 180 lbs… Most of this has been around my midsection that has grown. Turned into a bit of a fat bastard.
This year I have a new years resolution to step it up a notch- I will spend 10 days in the year doing a full fast (no food, water only) and will increase my running mileage such that I will do a marathon this year. Since last week the runs are up to 8k instead of 5-6k and I am more strict on the diet but lo and behold the scale reads 199 lbs as of this morning…
My next goal once retiring is to hike the Appalachian Trial from Georgia to Maine in a summer – that is 2188 miles. I figure that will get my weight down to 165 by the end of the hike!
Genetics play a huge factor, but lifestyle controls how the genes are expressed.
Take a look at this study- is shows genetics only account for 25% -70% of the difference observed in weight gain between identical twins and other groups (based on the particular study)
https://www.iub.edu/~k536/etiology.html
Yes, you can’t fight genetics. I’d argue that we should at least give some partial empathy to our overweight paisanos… but not 100%
-Mike
Mike – You have a 3-4 hour COMMUTE? What’s up with that? I think I would get a helicopter if this was the case. Impressive on the 30-35 pullups!
Good luck with your weight loss goals. So your band is 170-200lbs. Sounds genetically reasonable.
Not sure about the study saying genetics accounts for 25-70%? Is that a typo? I’m at the 70% mark for genetics too.
BTW, I always lose weight in Asia no matter how much I eat b/c of the lack of dairy.
Yes- 3-4 hours both ways. You have been around Bangkok / Thailand before right?
Thanks for the luck. I am 6’2″.
In the link above there is a blurb where one study claims genetics accounts for 25% of weight gain in identical twins, another study says 70%.
-Mike
I believe genetics have a lot to do with your normal weight, which doesn’t mean that if you eat junk food every day your body will wash it down and keep you at a weight that works for you. I believe that the food you eat as a child is the one that your body gets used to and processes best. In Guatemala, the basic diet is corn tortilla, beans and rice. People are not overweight, but there was a rise in obesity since convenience stores started introducing snacks and sodas. I gained about 25lbs by eating that diet a few years back, then moved back to France, had cheese wine and baguette and lost the weight within three months without noticing. When diet companies introduce the Japanese diet or the Mediterranean one it makes me smile because it is what people have been eating for decades that works, not changing radically your habits if you have never had those kind of meals.
Or society is one of excess but historically, people weren’t fat, they ate the local diet in reasonable portions.
Sam,
Been reading your blog for a while now (and have enjoyed) but thoroughly disappointed in this post.
There are many angles to counter this post but all I’ll say is I’ve lived in Europe the past two years and it’s amazing how many fewer overweight / obese people are over here. Look at the statistics man: ~35 % of Americans are overweight. You think it is because Americans’ genetics are “worse” than Europeans given your statement “weight is almost entirely genetic”. No chance man – diet and exercise are the major factors.
Hi Dave, sorry, I will try harder for you. Perhaps you can give me a raise for 2013? Come to SF, NYC, SD, LA, or Honolulu. Some pretty fit folks around here, but also plenty who are struggling.
I’m disappointed that you are disappointed. It absolutely perplexes me why someone who I assume is not out of shape would be bothered by a post that was written to help ENCOURAGE folks who are trying to get fit not to feel too bad about themselves. The post isn’t directed at you.
That said, I am fascinated about the anthropology/psychology behind what has transpired in the comments section. It’s as if people are devoid of compassion.
I encourage you to start your own post and write a nice rebuttal. Or you can write a guest post here on why you think the way you do. Give it a go, it’s fun!
Best, Sam
Sam,
It’s not that we lack compassion (perhaps some of us do), but your post gives an overall message that genetics controls our weight nearly completely. I don’t think this encourages people who are trying to get in shape, but rather gives them a reason to stop trying.
Since this first and foremost and financial blog, and liken the example to saying “the job you have, the income you make, your spending patterns, and your saving habits are uncontrollable and are controlled by your lot in life. Don’t worry about saving and spending wisely. Just accept what you have.”
It’s important for people who are trying to lose weight/get in better shape not to feel bad about themselves, but it’s also important to accept the personal choices they make impact their health, much like finances. I think many of us just feel like your post this time doesn’t inspire people to make wiser decisions about their health, and in some ways, even promotes the idea that there’s no point in trying to improve one’s health.
Also, a small tangent relating to this topic… let’s remember that weight is just a number, and BMI a standard created by insurance companies originally. A 200 lb man that’s fit and healthy isn’t the same as a 200 lb man who’s obese, and a since BMI only accounts for height and weight, it completely misses out effectively evaluating one’s level of health.
Derrick, I’m just wondering why you care about this topic? Out of all the posts I’ve written, why do you choose to comment on this one most? You have not shared your story like I have regarding my struggle with weight. I’m assuming you are a fit individual, and if this is the case, why do other people’s fitness matter to you? Share your story! I’m fascinated by the psychology of it all. Thx!
Sam,
My feeling of needing to comment on this one in particular is due to a few things:
1. Your posts have always empowered people to make a commitment to improving their finances, with an underlying theme that there’s always room for improvement; it’s giving people control of their financial destiny. This post, while not focused on finances, run contrary to that empowerment… at it’s core, you tell people that if you’re obese, it’s probably not your fault so just go get another plate of Indian food. (Which I crave everytime I read this btw).
2. I’m a fanatic about a few things… Finances (which led me to your blog), food (making and enjoyment of), and fitness (to live a long life of enjoying good food and strong finances). In all three aspects, I feel that we as individuals have the power to control and improve our situations… choosing to save money isn’t too dissimilar to choosing to workout hard, or choosing an apple over a doughnut at the company party, or choosing to pick up a higher end flour that will better impact the results of making pizza. It’s all about the choices we make that impact our outcomes. So similar to reason 1, I believe it’s about making the right choices to get to the results we want. And this post runs against a core belief of choice which was partially established by your previous posts!
In terms of my story? I’m atypical to anyone really… Skinny kid all through junior high, gained a lot of unhealthy weight in high school and college, thinned out after college doing South Beach and regular running/lifting sessions, gained unhealthy weight through my Masters program through my first three years of my hospital career, and then transitioned to regularly doing Crossfit, eating Paleo, and now testing intermittent fasting with great results thus far. I’m a yo-yo when it comes to weight like many of us… but I’ve realized it comes down to the everyday choices in food and appropriate intensity of workouts that make a significant impact on my health. We all struggle with aspects of our lives… whether it’s finances, weight, or otherwise. While you shouldn’t feel bad about struggling, it’s not a reason to give up the struggle.
Thanks for sharing your story Derrick. Gives me and others reading a better idea of where you are coming from. Perspective is important.
I do believe people have the power to change, but only by so much. Perhaps the weight band is around 10 lbs (160-170lbs) or perhaps it’s a larger band between 170-220lbs for something of similar height an build. If you look around you, everybody looks different.
Is it not a wonder that with billions of people on earth, there aren’t MORE run-ins or instances where you find someone who looks exactly like you or exactly like someone else?
My hope for this post is to raise awareness that perhaps maybe, just maybe when you see someone overweight, you don’t automatically vilify them for being lazy and not wanting to change. I think in today’s visual ADD society, we are too quick to judge others by first appearance. Very few people I know who are out of shape are happy to be out of shape.
Compassion is part of our humanity.
Very true and I try and relate the same thing to friends. You are only a teenager for a short time of your life so why people try to get back down to that weight is absolutely absurd. As we age (which is natural) things are going to start deteriorating, that’s a fact! Watching your diet and getting natural exercise is about the best we can do.
***Here goes my rant***
Secondly I am soooo sick and tired of magazines & commercials flaunting these men/women who are in extreme shape and portraying that they achieved those results in 30 mins or less a day. It is a lifestyle and chances are they are paid to do it. While the average person works 40 hours a week and has other responsibilities we simply do not have the time to dedicate to our bodies like they do.
***Rant over***
Great post!
In consideration of your sample size of 2 here (you and fat prison guy), I’m going to give a counter-scenario:
Myself and both of my parents are pretty slim by American standards. (I’m 6’1” and 170 lbs. Both parents are of similar stature). Both of my sisters are quite overweight. My parents and I exercise quite a bit and eat healthier in general than my sisters (mom only exercises like 2 times a week, but she also does yoga, so we’ll give her full credit).
How would our situation be explained under this theory where weight is almost entirely genetic?
I don’t think there’s any denying genetics plays a significant role in weight, but I think you might be taking it a bit too far.
Bonus Question: My fiance is an identical twin. Her twin has a muuuch fuller figure. (haha don’t tell her i said that)
Haha, ok, I won’t tell.
The answer is simple. Your genetic makeup is different from your fuller figure relatives.
Everybody is unique. Let’s embrace out individuality!
Sam
I think there is a lot of truth to what FS says. Each day for the past 25 years, I’ve done 60 – 90 minutes of daily calisthenics, weight lifting, & cardio. My weight has remained precisely between 155 – 165 lbs. I am 6.0 feet tall and lean. I’m the same height, weight, & body mass as when I graduated from high school in 1981.
I suspect that my daily exercise routine helps maintain my genetic status quo.
You are a lucky man to be 6 feet tall and 155-165 lbs! I’m a plumper version of you then :)
But wow, 60-90 minutes of exercise a day is impressive. Props to you!
Sam,
While I typically agree with and enjoy your posts, I think you’re really letting people off the hook on this one…
I agree that genetics plays a certain role within obesity, but the way you make it sound, you’re attributing 100% of obesity to genetics. This just isn’t the case, except in very rare cases of metabolic disorders (which unfortunately many people believe they have thanks to drug marketing/weight clinic advertising, but that’s another rant for another time.)
I agree with you on the point that our bodies have a “baseline” that it likes to settle into… but I firmly believe that the baseline is controllable.
What leads your typical person to obesity, IMHO, is a series of choices… some that are not necessarily within that person’s control, but many that are. I’m a strong believer that it begins at childhood, when parents make the choices for what children will eat. Are parents feeding kids healthy fruits, veggies, and meats? Or are they opting to go to McDonalds and letting their kids eat chicken nuggets and fries all day long? This sets the groundwork for choices the child will make when they begin to gain independence as teens, and through adulthood. These choices at a young age set the framework for what your “baseline” will be.
Also, activity level is significant in so many ways. At the simplistic level, calories burned vs. calories taken in, where more activity equals more calories burned. If that inmate was sitting in his cell, really not doing any exercise, his caloric burn is going to be low. This is a nasty cycle, as the less activity he has, the less his muscles are developed or his muscle deteriorate, and the lower his metabolism will be ultimately. (Muscle burns more calories than fat, even at a resting state). Again, these choices from youth set your “baseline.”
At a more complex level, calories in are not all created equal. Yes, this is a much debated topic, especially after the “twinkie” diet, however your body reacts differently to different nutrients provided to it. An individual that eats 180 calories of veggies and lean meat will have a very different response compared to 180 calories of Pepsi (about a can). From digestion to how the food/fuel is used by the body, those 180 calories are processed very differently. This is pretty well documented.
In regards to the prison controlled diet, there’s definitely the opportunity to trade foods and eat outside of what the cafeteria in prison offers you. For awhile, there was a trend for “prison cookbooks” to be released based on what inmates were able to create with the food they traded for… Here’s a reference:
The key with weight and obesity isn’t about the decisions you make for one day, one month, or even one year… it’s about the decisions you make for a lifetime. Take a look back and think about your activity level and food choices/intake… were they similar to what you were doing pre-cruise? My guess is probably not, which is why you gained the weight back so quickly. It’s easy to fall back into old habits, especially when the change is short term. Your body is used to being at that weight for over how many years, so compared to a few months of weight loss, it’s going to be comfortable going back to your old weight.
Yes, changing our weight and ultimately our baseline is challenging… but it takes time, effort, and good choices. Does this mean you should never indulge? That’s a personal choice… to stay sane, my wife and I indulge in a meal a week (homemade pizza, ice cream, etc.) because while we know these choices are “bad”, we enjoy them and are willing to make that choice.
I’ve watched a close friend of mine go from 170 to 230 to 165 to 250 to 165 again, within a span of 5 years. And really, it all came down to choices he made on what he was eating and what his activity levels were.
If you truly believe obesity is 100% genetic, I would challenge you to try to become obese. Literally, stuff your face with “processed” foods all the time to the point you’re uncomfortable. Also, do as little activity as possible. After a year or so of this, I guarantee your body weight/type/response will be significantly different than you are now, and I’m guessing it won’t be pretty… Genetics can’t prevent you from becoming obese. Respectfully, doesn’t that poke a hole in your theory that genetics is the predominant factor in obesity?
Sir Isaac Newton’s 1st law: A body will stay at rest unless force is exerted upon it.
The law of conservation of energy: Matter is neither created nor destroyed, it can only be converted.
After all, it is much more difficult to move say Jupiter than it is to move Earth.
I’d have to say the guy in prison for 27 years and is now still obese has not been given, or at least not followed, and exercise regimen in addition to reduction of caloric intake.
There will be a point where the plateau effect will come in because the body is used to being in a certain condition and is less likely to change. That’s when another change would be necessary (i.e. change the exercise type and/or change the types of calories ingested).
I once weighed 70 lbs more than I do now. I lowered my caloric intake and exercised to get back down. I have maintained that weight for 8 years now without having to modify my diet, although I can reasonably eat 1600-2100 calories a day.
Granted when I was younger I could NOT get my weight above 140 lbs, even eating over 4,000 calories a day (i.e. protein shakes in addition to food and snacking).
So my “at rest” weight appears to be 165 lbs – 170 lbs.
Weight sure is a sensitive subject. I think there’s a mixture of genetics, diet, and exercise in regards to weight and what the actual ratio is I don’t know. I do think genetics has an large impact on metabolism which affects some people a lot more than others. Some people have super high metabolisms and can eat a ton of calories without exercising and barely gain any weight, while others with lower metabolisms struggle to keep weight off even while eating low calorie meals and exercising multiple times a week.
I think a lot of people are addicted to sugar too which does a lot of bad things to the body. It’s hard not to crave something sweet at least once a day, and sugar and corn syrup are in practically everything. I try and satisfy my sweet tooth with dried fruit and small bites of dark chocolate and avoid drinking sodas.
On the subject of genetics, I once saw a documentary on a study of weight between twins that was very interesting: they found a few sets of identical twins but who possess vastly different bodies and health issues despite their shared DNA. I believe they surmised that the difference has to do with epigenetics, or how certain genes express themselves, though what actually sets them off are still unknown. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it, so hopefully I’m not misinforming, but there you go.
I’m willing to believe that people are partly predisposed to be the way they are, but we need to distinguish those people from the folks who are just eating too much and/or have terrible eating habits. They might be depressed or have other problems, and use food to feel better, or they might just love to eat. All the lifestyle changes in the world can’t help those people until their psychological hang-ups are addressed. A healthy diet seems to do the trick for most of us, even if we don’t exercise as much. This seems to be the case with me: I’ve been the same weight since high school, though I exercised more in school and eat healthier now (maybe I just re-balanced the scales?). I couldn’t assume this to be the case with others, though; there are far too many of us.
Allison, does being the same weight since high school (i don’t know how old you are, but assuming at least 7 years out) and admitting you exercised more in school buttress the argument for genetics as the majority determinant of your weight?
First off, I totally agree with the calories in compared to calories out thinking. Here in the warzone, I see thousands of people regimented meals similar to the ones you describe for prisons. However, some people get a lot of veggies and skip the chicken wings….some do the opposite. Those with the chicken wings tend to be the smokers and loafers. Those with the veggies are the runners and lifters. There’s certainly a correlation.
More importantly, I believe that, for the most part, your physical appearance is a matter of choice. How you style your hair (if you’re lucky enough to have some), what clothes you wear, etc…are all choices. Sam, you said it yourself: “After my second year of working 70 hour weeks in NYC, I ballooned to 175-180 lbs.” YOU made the choice of money over health. Some of the comments have mentioned other priorities such as spending time with the kids. Again, that’s a choice you make as an individual. You also admit that you feel best between 160 and 170. Some with your body type might be OK with the constant hunger if they were 155 because they felt better. The important takeaways from this are:
1. At least you’re aware of how you feel at different weights. You have experienced the gamut of fitness. Most haven’t. Many have no idea what they’re “missing” by choosing an unhealthy lifestyle.
2. We all choose where we place health and fitness on our respective prioritization hierarchies. Back home in Orange County, I see countless stay-at-home moms with washboard abs and 7% body fat. I talked to one who is barely making the payments on the family mansion and German cars. She previously had a career making over 200k/yr and could easily go back to it. However, she and her husband agreed that her fitness and ability to spend time with the kids was of greater priority than their finances. I don’t fault them for that. Similarly, I don’t fault obese people for choosing other things over their health…unless they claim that it’s genetic ;)
Hi Josh – Are you visiting here from Afghanistan? If so, stay safe OK, and thanks for helping our country.
You make some very good points about priorities, which I also address in this post, “Everything Is Rational, The Answer To All Things Irrational.” I think you’ll enjoy it.
You are correct. I would rather be 160-163 and feel at ease, than be 155 and always feel hungry.
The ideal weight for someone 5-10″ is 152-162 lbs, so 170lbs is borderline overweight.
Sam I love your blog but this is a terrible post. Sometimes I can’t tell whether you are being serious or sarcastic, but if you are being serious on this subject then I’m honestly disappointed in you.
Cory, definitely explain why and share your thoughts. I would love to learn from you, especially if you have extensive experience in physical fitness. Do you have a site? I’m also curious to know why you lack compassion for those who are overweight. Thx!
Sam, very provocative post. A guy has gotta eat too:)
Believe me I know people who reduced drastically, some by half, and still maintaining that state for years. While I do agree this has largely to do with genetics but, there’s personal effort that can overshadow the genetics.
Sportsman, specially, boxers and wrestlers who compete in same weight category throughout their career can attest to this. They maintain same body weight for almost 20 years or more.
Normal people can’t do that much exercise but body weight can be kept in control by most of us.
How is stating my opinion based on rational thought misleading? Diet and exercise helps in getting down one’s lower band, but there is only so much one can do. Feel free to share your story here or publish your rebuttal. I’d also like to understand whether we have an empathy problem. Thanks
I work part-time in 2 different prisons. I see no evidence that inmates have a physical exercise requirement, as you suggested in one of your responses. I do know that inmates trade all sorts of things amongst themselves, including food, so basing caloric/nutritional on the govt doc only tells part of the story.
I’ll give you advice I wish I would take: drink more water and eat mostly vegetables. The weight would roll right off both of us.
So I’ve never been to prison, but the only person I know who HAS been was constantly asking for money to be deposited into his account so he could buy crap food like doritos and twinkies. It was hardly a rationing zone.
Not to be overly contrarian, but I think we have a decent amount of control over our physical health. My family is largely overweight, but I’m not. I exercise, and eat healthily instead of sitting in front of the tv eating melted butter and sugar. When I moved away from my family and their unhealthy habits as a freshman in college I lost about 25lbs. It’s still pretty much all off over a decade later.
Glad to hear someone agrees with my thesis. May you be blessed with great health and happiness.
You sure know how to write some controversial posts, don’t you? LOL
I won’t even play in this post, but I will continue reading these comments that borders on the line of a “war against fat people.”
But just to add a bit a fun, check out accesscatalog[dot]com.
This is a website where you can send $85 worth of junk food per quarter to any prisoner at a participating prison. If prisoners can still get access to drugs, what makes you think they can’t circumvent the system above to gain access to more than $85 worth of junk food per quarter?
And no, I am not affiliated with the site above.
It is interesting how one of my hopes for this post is to create empathy for folks who aren’t in great shape, but instead turns into a war against why some are out of shape. Disappointing.
Yep. Definitely disappointing, especially because the majority of people suffer from some type of “problem.” It’s just that some “problems” are more noticeable than others. In the end, “problems” are all relative to the cultural in which they exist.
Good point about different problems everybody has. Obesity is unfortunately just highly visible, but is no different from many other issues that may go undetected.
@ Jamie Excellent point
“Proof”? This article undermines the validity of your entire website.
And I’m tired of people generalizing that vegan means healthy, so when/if a vegan gets sick people ALWAYS say, “Well, they were vegan, so if they got sick anyone can, so why bother it’s out of our control…” So many vegans I know eat oreos, french fries, smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, drink loads of soda and alcohol, etc. There are different types of vegans, all the word means is that you don’t consume animal products. I am one so I know, however, eating healthy is a priority to me. As a result, I feel amazing, both mentally and physically.
Diet, exercise, environment, and genetics all play a role in disease prevention and weight management.
Are you saying you’re not joining my WeightTraining group page for better health?
You are making a huge assumption about prisons that is not really true. In my experience (as a visitor) prisoners have pretty healthy amounts of pretty unhealthy food available to them. Granted its not an all you can eat buffet but they are generally given more than they need at mealtimes (lest they be accused of being inhumane) and on top of that there is plenty of food and drink available for purchase (prisoners do generally work and get small allowances for it), mostly consisting of various forms of processed foods and sugar water. Not to mention contraband (mostly alcohol). So yeah, while I agree that there may indeed be a “set point” that your body maintains which may indeed creep up a few pounds as we age, that prisoner was most DEFINITELY overrating to get to 250 lbs overweight!
I agree 100% from what I have observed too.
Here’s the 2012 Federal Prison Menu. Decide for yourself. It’s not all you can eat either mind you. https://www.bop.gov/foia/certified_food_menu.pdf
I talk with my sister about weight stuff sometimes (she’s a scientist). She always tells me that everyone is programmed genetically to gain as much weight as possible and hold onto it like crazy. I don’t remember why she said that it’s like that. But she also repeats again and again that it’s all about counting calories. You can only gain weight from calories, so whatever your body is programmed to do, without the calories, it can’t do it. *shrug* Do with that what you will!
Points to a natural instinct for survival in other words. I can believe in that theory.
Maybe Jobs drank alcohol frequently, which is related to pancreatic cancer.
3 years ago I weighed 275. Today 205. I’m 6’1″. I’m up at 4:50 AM for 45 hard treadmill minutes at the YMCA 5 days a week, before work. I pretty much eat whatever I want, but try to eat good – more fruits and veggies. BTW I am 63 years old. I do agree with genetic predisposition to skinny, normal or fat, but I believe we can overcome this. I have.
Hmm, maybe! Although there was no mention of Steve’s alcohol tendencies in his famous biography.
Congrats on getting down to 205 from 275! 205 is a weight that has always stuck in my mind because that is what Michael Jordan said his fighting weight was in the early 90’s. I was a huge Jordan fan!
The wife does the same thing and has slowly gained weight, genetics suck
Beware!! if you continue to fight your genetics it will end killing you… we have all been programmed when we were born to be a certain height, hair colour, facial features etc…
If you keep trying to be something you are not programmed for your whole system will continue to attack or over compensate for what the genetic code has been set up for!!
I agree with the concept, but I may disagree with the percentage. I think you can overcome genetics. You may have to exercise more or avoid certain foods in order to achieve what you want. Now to the extreme, I could do the same training as Arnold Schwarzenegger and still never reach his performance. Genetics plays a part in his performance, although I think he may be an extreme.
When I think of genetics, I think of Steve Jobs. He was a vegan and ate super healthy. Yet, he died of pancreatic cancer at 52. I don’t think all the wealth, science, exercise, or healthy eating could have saved his life.
Genetics win. It does not discriminate between rich or poor. Hence, an argument for universal health insurance.
Was he a vegan his whole life?
You can call yourself a vegan, eat potato chips, diet soda and all sorts of garbage foods.
“After eating less and working out vigorously…”
Did you actually change what you were eating? Simply eating less isn’t going to do much if what you are eating is unhealthy to being with. Did you cut out all soda and junk food? Did you stop eating at restaurants and fast food joints? Did you eat a healthy breakfast shortly after waking up?
I do think genetics play a part in our weight, but certainly not enough to make it impossible to ever get to a healthy weight.
Have you not read about the professor who lost weight on the Twinkie diet?
He lost 27 pounds. https://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html
That story reminds me of Fat Head. The guy made a documentary on eating fast food for 30 days as a response to Super Size Me and saw similar results. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch it for free on Hulu. It’s quite interesting.
As I said, I think genetics play a part in our weight. Genetics affect how our bodies metabolize certain foods. They explain why a friend of mine can drink Mt Dew all day and eat junk food and still be a scrawny little beanpole, yet others would balloon up like an oompa loompa. I’m in the latter category, and it sounds like you are too. To us, it matters where our calories are coming from, so we have to be more careful what we eat. That’s why I questioned what (and when) you were eating. Genetics also play a part in how much muscle we can gain. Two people can eat the same food and work out the same amount, but one will go from 14″ to 17″ biceps and the other will be a “hard gainer” and grow much slower. Genetics. Metabolism. Prescription drugs. Supplements. Eating and exercise habits from when we were young and in our growth stages. Everything can play a role. The trick is figuring out what works for you. Saying “oh well, it’s genetics” sounds like a cop-out to me. It certainly doesn’t sound like the samurai way. Take the time to figure out how your body responds to certain foods and exercise routines.
You are worrying about those last few pounds. Perhaps for your body type you would see a big result from doing long distance running. Perhaps you’ll see better results weightlifting instead. Or swimming. Perhaps your body doesn’t metabolize certain foods efficiently, which is why you gained so much weight on your cruise. Cutting out certain foods could help. Adding other types of food (high in fiber?) into your diet might help too.
Anyway, I’m sorry some people aren’t holding back any punches in their responses to your article. Hopefully this can remain a lively and respectful debate rather than an all-out brawl of words.
Hmmm, I wonder what his chances of getting cancer on a diet of man-made food?
people who are fat are simply weak minded people and i should practice my jujitsu on their weak body.
We are ecstatic that we were able to help you with your recent fitness journey, Sam. Can’t wait to see everyone from the Financial Samurai Community on WeightTraining.com – we are ready to giveaway some comfortable, cool shirts! :)
There are at least two significant issues with your argument. First while the prison may carefully control the amount of food and follow government guidelines the inmates are still eating processed junk. Just look at our schools for evidence of what government guidelines get you for a meal. Second your sample size is way too small. There have always been obese people so one obese person in prison does not tell you anything.
Real food and exercise will allow the majority of people to control their weight.
I agree with Aaron! This sample size of one.. far too small to jump to any conclusions like this! Maybe this guy steals food somehow, maybe his weight is caused by genetics but he is an extreme case, where most other human beings do have more control over their general weight.
Plus if obesity is growing in America it proves that our environment (sedentary lifestyle, easy access to cheap fast food and a society that loves convenience) has a much bigger influence on our weight than our genetics. Some human beings may be able to eat more calories than others and maintain a lower weight. But we are talking about a small difference… one person can eat 2000 while the other 2300 calories per day.
Obese people are very likely eating double the amount of calories of your average person or more. There may be cases where the metabolic system stops functioning properly… But this person will not have energy, they’ll be extremely tired because they are unable to use their food as energy… burning it up like regular people do.
Plus even if their body is genetically vulnerable to metabolic problems.. the lifestyle we live can trigger those genes to become active.. or with the right lifestyle those bad genes will never be triggered.. and the person will live a healthy, normal life.
I think you are on to something! Have you also noticed how debt tends to run through a family tree as well? This must also be caused by genetics and people should not fight it but embrace it.
After 20 years of studying my own body, testing out diets, and various exercises, coupled with this story of obesity in prison after 27 years, I believe our weight is predetermined in a band. Skinny people just genetically have a lighter/lower band!
Love our bodies everyone. Love ourselves!
I would like to propose that for 1 year you change your workout style. Instead of doing your normal routine of weightlifting/tennis and probably a high protein diet, you become a distance runner and focus on marathon training with an appropriate diet. No weightlifting other then light lifting on “off days”. You do not have to be a competitive runner, just complete two marathons by the end of 2013.
To me it sounds like the issue with your current weight is that you have to much muscle to have an “optimal BMI” based on the average american. Unrealistic goals are causing you to become discouraged, and the only option is to change your goals or change your workout style.
I was always comfortable with my weight after college, being 5’6″ and 140 lbs while eating reasonably and having my workouts consist mostly of lifting and running approximately 10 miles/week. I then moved to the city, sold my car and started running to and from work 3 days a week. My mileage increased up to 25-40 miles a week, and I no longer had a gym membership because I thought the prices were outrageous in the city. Sure enough, with no intentional change in diet and making no effort to lose weight, I dropped from a reasonable weight of 140 to a skinny 125. That was two years ago, and since then I have reduced my running and workouts, and am back up to 145 lbs. My goal for the next few months is to create a balanced workout of running/lifting and to get my weight back to 135-140.
Additionally my Mother, Father, 3 of 3 biological aunts on my fathers side, and grandfather on my fathers side are all what would be considered obese. I do not know the genetics on my mother’s side beyond her because her parents passed away in their 40’s.
Genetics certainly plays a role, but I think you’re overrating its effect. You fluctuating between 160-180 is probably certainly due to genetics because I’m sure even at the top end of that range you would be considered a relatively healthy weight. If you were to quit tennis, and begin a strict fast food diet as many Americans do. you surely wouldn’t blame genetics when you weighed 215, would you?
I also don’t think its very hard to see how someone in prison could remain obese. While rationed, i’m sure the quality of prison food is pretty par for the course with school cafeteria food. That is to say, low quality. Then take into account that for the most part, prisoners live very sedentary lifestyles and its not a stretch to see why Ron was still fat. (I doubt he spent his days doing pushups in his cell like some others!)
A couple things. 180 pounds is considered obese for someone 5′ 10″ with a medium frame. See this post on the ideal body weight.
Second, I could quit tennis and eat normally, and would never get to 215lbs, or even 200lbs due to genetics.
It’s not about the quality of food in prison. It’s about the quantity and caloric intake. 470 lbs is not fat. 470 lbs is morbidly obese.
Yeah, our bodies are not suited to the modern American diet (fast food, sugar, tons of bread, etc.). That is why people have gained so much weight over the last 60-70 years. If it was just genetics there would have been a lot of fat people in the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s as well. That just wasn’t the case. Also, people get almost no natural exercise these days. The only walking most Americans do is from their car in the parking lot to whatever store or destination they are going.
I agree the American diet has gotten worse w/ sugar and processed foods. However, how do we explain someone being 470 pounds in prison for 27 years?
A metabolism unsuited to carbs.
Low carb would probably help this guy. Rumor is, prison meals include bread, a ‘starch’, and dessert. Along with ‘a beverage’ which I’m guessing is juice or sugar drink. If you’re not working out in the weight room during all of your rec time in prison, you’d end up fatter than your ideal weight.
My ideal weight is 152-162. Perhaps I would by 10 lbs over my ideal weight, but 200+? There is no way. One has a lot of time in prison. Exercise and reading are a core part of prison routine.
I would say that some people are particularly insulin resistant from a combination of genetics and a lifetime of carbs, and it is entirely possible to gain fat even with exercise in this condition.
It’s just one hypothesis. We don’t have enough information about his activity levels, total macro counts, etc to know what the cause is (although genetics likely plays a huge part, since even with some variation, prison is a much more controlled environment than the outside world).
Maybe the inmate’s body wasn’t used to eating fewer calories so the metabolism got screwed up, thought there was a famine and clinged onto every calorie. People need time to adjust to eating fewer calories in order to keep weight off.
Sorry but you are half wrong. If genetics were the main reason for obesity, then we should be seeing a constant level of obesity in our population. But unfortunately, it’s been growing rapidly. There doesn’t seem to be an evolutionary reason for being fatter over the past generation (IMO meaning there’s no benefit in obesity that pushes us in that direction).
So evidence points is toward our diet and lack to exercise as the sole factor for our obesity problem. It’s hard to point to this as your specific reason but I’d bet it to be the case. Look at other skinnier cultures becoming more obese with American lifestyles. It’s not genetics changing, it’s diet and exercise.
Why can’t there be evolution over generations?
Evolution doesn’t work that quickly?
Genetics is just an excuse fat people like to make.
As for Ronald Post: 27 years of doing nothing and eating 3 prison meals will make you obese! Calories in > calories burned = obesity. It’s a simple problem.
You think Ronald Post actually did any type of physical activity in prison? He ate 3 square meals a day. Even with “prison portion control”, if you don’t lift a finger to do anything, you will gain weight.
People think eating right will make them lose weight. That’s far from the truth. If you consume 1000 calories and only burn 500, you gain weight. It doesn’t matter if you consume 1000 calories of pop tarts, prison food, or carrots, if you are sitting on your ass in prison all day long, you will not burn any extra calories and you will gain weight.
Genetics plays no role in this. I bet if you started counting calories and compared that to what you burn, you, Sam, will find that you are either burning the exact same amount that you take in or less. This is why you are not losing weight.
Not true, my wife is a fitness buff, works out regularly, when she need physo the theatapist commented that she worked out due to muscle mass, she is also super carefull on her eating yet by BMI standards she is considered morbidly obsess some 25% over her ideal weight. Not noy that she steadily gained about 5 pounds a year
We’re doing P90X and while the weight won’t go away she is trimming up
So short answer you can be fat and in shape
My happy weight is 130-140 lbs. I haven’t worked out in 6 months and my weight is still around 130 lbs. I try to eat moderately though. I think your eating habit is a huge part of your weight and health. I’d rather be working out if I can, but baby is keeping me busy at the moment. The weight might be the same, but I do feel a bit more doughy.
Genetic is a huge part too, but eating right can really help.
Thanks for proving my point Joe! Fight on.
So, people in prison don’t have access to other food other than what they are served for meals? I find that hard to believe but well, I’ve never been in prison.
I agree that genetics likely plays some part in one’s weight but not sure your example of Ronald Post proves that point.
Correct. And certainly less access to other foods as free people have. There are no all you can eat buffets or chipotle nights in prison if that’s what you’re thinking. There is no better evidence than my own experience with weight loss/gain, and Ron’s 27 years of obesity than to prove genetics plays a dominant role.
I’m afraid folks who are physically fit give themselves TOO MUCH CREDIT for being fit. Whether they workout, eat right or not, they would always probably be fit. Why do you think healthy people die young all the time? Or folks who never smoke die of lung cancer? GENETICS.
What about the studies about how obesity increased dramatically in this age of fast food and processed food? why people in the 50’s-70’s as an example, the women were mostly so slim? because they always did house work and cooked from scratch !!! I am over weight too, but also a biologocal science major. there is a process in the body called Anabolic (growth wether its fat or muscle) & Catabolic (breakdown of muscle-fat, degrowth) .. when you use calorie in/ calorie out, Build muscle too accomodate your hurt metabolism even if you lose and become lets say 150, whichmatabolism will be more than person in your weight 150 but was like that & he didnt lose weight, so what u need to do is build muscle (alot) so u can eat like a normal 150 person without gaining weight. because ur metabolism is fast (aka will store anything u eat) and that other person is normal met.
in summary,
Lose weight with calculated diet and exersice.
DONT forget to build ALOT of muscle !
I’t not entirely genetic, your genes will control your height,complextion, ABILITY and how fast you store fat, curves. NOT being fat & lung disease, what u refer to is that EVERUONE has prone to everything dofferent. maybe im prone to specific disease that you not ! thats true.
c’mon, Sam! I know you’re more data-driven than that! Cherry-picking one case doesn’t make a pattern.
https://xkcd.com/605/
Calories in, calories out in almost every case. Personally, I’ve gone from an almost-obese kid to lifting a good deal relative to my body weight and running half marathons every week. Others can work hard at fitness and self-control as you have at your job and reap the rewards!
Got to compare apples to apples, not when you were a kid, growing into your body and now. With this inmates example, we have 27 years of evidence in adulthood showing his obesity is not his fault. Genetics has kept him in his weight ban, and no matter how carefully rationed his portions are in prison, it does not matter.
You’ve got to wonder though, how much exercise is someone over 450 pounds really getting? Even if consumption drops drastically, being very immobile due to weight really drops the amount burned when compared against an average person.
I think just giving this one example of an obese inmate is indeed cherry picking. Although inmates do get their food rationed in the mess hall. They buy their own food and trade them like commodities. If you look at the typical prison diet they don’t only get the food from the cafeteria, but they are eating a lot of processed foods like instant ramen noodles, koolaid drinks, hostess snacks, etc. My wife and I used to watch a lot of the Lock-up shows on tv and almost all of the ones who are observed are seen trading or buying massive amounts of processed foods from the store. So again I say, your prison inmate story is a bad example, especiallly since its only one example.
How were they rationed? By calories or by weight? I don’t know how you can tout 27 years of “evidence” when there is no report of caloric intake versus output. Do you have the prison menu to show what kinds of food are available? There are huge assumptions here in your “evidence.”
Here is the Certified Food Menu from the Federal Bureau Of Prisons for 2012. Let me know what you think. What is your evidence to the contrary?
It looks like that menu is very heavy in refined carbs.
i see what you are trying to do with this post – mixed feelings about this one. i am afraid it gives people reason to justify not to do at least what is in their control. agreed that genetically we are likely to revert to a certain “norm” which is unique to us and our genes, but it’s certainly no reason to control factors we can (diet, exercise, lifestyle). we don’t stop breathing, sleeping and eating every day do we? so why stop exercise?
but to each their own – cheers to a successful 2013 – however we define success
We only have so much control. Instead of the post giving people justification as to why they shouldn’t try hard, the post is giving people a reason to feel BETTER about why they have tried hard and constantly fail.
your weight is determined solely 70% on what you eat and 30% on how much exercise you get, after school your exercise reduced as you had a job, people are more likely to eat more when they work.. the rate of obesity has dramatically increased in the past 20 years, you can’t say that the gene pool has changed that much in 20 years, for that to happen it would truly be a miracle gene and i am yet to hear of that. The foods we eat are getting more sugary and fatter, its a lifestyle choice.