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Fat gene

LuxFerum said:
or stop eating.:D
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From my recollection of a "Back in Black" commentary on the Daily Show. The topic was the guy who was suing McDonald's because it had made him fat.

"What? He didn't know that eating fat deep-fried in fat was going to make him fat? This is the American hat-trick: fat, dumb and litigious."

Cheers,
 
He should have done it the sophisticated way and claim that eating at McDonalds caused a genetic mutation in him,that eventually ruined him.
 
Yet another study which points to genetic factors in weight gain.

And yet, so many opinionated idiots say "it's simple, just eat less and/or exercise more".

If only it were that simple.
 
RSLancastr said:
Yet another study which points to genetic factors in weight gain.

And yet, so many opinionated idiots say "it's simple, just eat less and/or exercise more".

If only it were that simple.
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But it is. Genetics don't represent a death sentence or testament of your fate. It just means that you, unfortunately, are required to work harder to accomplish what is easier for others. Just because someone might be genetically predisposed to obesity doesn't mean they have to weigh 300+ pounds and be lathargic and eat excessively. Behavior can influence biology just like biology can influence bahavior. Your opinion is too fatalistic.
 
After seeing that episode of Dr. Phil (yes, I actually watched a few) where we got to see what people were eating, I no longer wonder why some people are fat. The fried food alone made me queasy. Then all the chips and crap. I didn't see anyone eat an apple. It was a frying pan full of oil and breaded chicken swimming in it. I don't eat in a day what those people ate for a snack. I wondered how they could say they they didn't eat more than anyone else.

My kids get dessert after supper. That's the only junk food they get. We don't have kool-aid in the house, and no white bread.

My kids eat bananas like they are going out of style, and we keep the fridge stocked with other fruit. We have vegetables at every supper meal. We don't have fast food more than once a week ever, and usually twice a month at the most. The kids also love wheat thins, not chips.

Supper is usually baked or boiled. Stir fry is not soaked in oil, and I only use like a teaspoon of Olive oil. Spaghetti sauces and chili are made with lean beef.

I only over eat on the holidays, and can get away with it without gaining five pounds.

And yes, take the stairs instead of the elevator (but we don't have any buildings over 15 storys in this city). Park so that you have to walk a bit.

You know? Maybe it's less of a fat gene and more what gets passed down in a family as a regular diet. My eating habits would be dieting to most, but just normal for me. I don't even like milk shakes. I'll take something from Booster Juice over that. I hate chips (too salty). I rarely drink pop (give me water).

That's what is was like when I was kid. That's how I feed my kids. I also chew a lot of gum.

So there's a fat gene. From what I saw-there also seems to be what a family traditionally eats compared to another. Maybe throw in some denial about how much a person eats. I know some people have a bigger appetite...but there is a reason why.

I've rambled on enough. I didn't always feel this way, but after seeing what a family called 'normal' eating, I was blown away.
 
Eos of the Eons said:
You know? Maybe it's less of a fat gene and more what gets passed down in a family as a regular diet. My eating habits would be dieting to most, but just normal for me.
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Could be right. I think that we are trying too hard to genetically explain away obesity. Clearly, in times of famine there are no fat people. And, the obesity epidemic seems to be a relatively new phenomenon explained, at least in part, to huge portions and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, as you suggest. But, the question remains as to why repetitive overeating seems to "kindle" an insatiable appetite. Many people want to lose weight and indeed can lose weight, it's just keeping it off in the long run that seems to be problematic. I definitely agree that habit and lifestyle plays a huge role in this, probably far more than genetics. The former is where the focus should be. As it stands, the latter only provides a psychological cop-out for those struggling with their weight (i.e., "I can't help it... it's genetic") when it is far from even close to being proven that this is the predominating factor.

-TT
 
Prospero said:
But it is (that simple).
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No, it is not. While consuming fewer, and expending more calories will lead to weight loss, for many of us, doing so is anything but simple.

Personally, I have no idea how large a role genetics has in weight gain, and weight retention, but I would guess that for some, the role it plays is significant.

And yes, family eating habits obviously play a large role as well. But there have been studies of twins adopted to seperate families, which had similar weight problems (or lack of same) regardless of the eating habits of the adoptive families.

I believe that genetics makes it easier for some to gain weight, and for others to stay slim.

I am not being "fatalistic" about it at all. I do not believe that, at least with obesity, that genetics = destiny. But to ignore the role
that genetics (and/or mental health) plays in obesity is to do a disservice to many.

Genetics don't represent a death sentence or testament of your fate. It just means that you, unfortunately, are required to work harder to accomplish what is easier for others.
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Yes. Thus proving my point. For many, it is NOT that simple. It is difficult. Extremely difficult.
 
Eos of the Eons said:
I know some people have a bigger appetite...but there is a reason why.
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Yes. Sometimes that reason is genetic. Sometimes it is emotional. Sometimes it is learned. I wuold imagine that usually, it is a combination of these.
 
ThirdTwin said:
Clearly, in times of famine there are no fat people.
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Yes, but I would guess that in times of famine, there are some who lose weight at a slower rate than others.

Many people want to lose weight and indeed can lose weight, it's just keeping it off in the long run that seems to be problematic.

I definitely agree that habit and lifestyle plays a huge role in this, probably far more than genetics.
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But how much of those habits and that lifestyle were genetically influenced?

Nature/nurture aside, once a person is morbidly obese, VERY few ever get back to a healthy weight and stay there, and from what I have heard, most of the ones who get there and stay there do so by means of bariatric surgery.

As simple as eating less and exercising more? :rolleyes:
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Prospero said:


But it is. Genetics don't represent a death sentence or testament of your fate. It just means that you, unfortunately, are required to work harder to accomplish what is easier for others. Just because someone might be genetically predisposed to obesity doesn't mean they have to weigh 300+ pounds and be lathargic and eat excessively. Behavior can influence biology just like biology can influence bahavior. Your opinion is too fatalistic.
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And just because someone is overweight does not mean that that person is lethargic or eats excessively. Behavior can influence biology, and sometimes biology just does what it's going to do. It isn't for many people a case of eat less and exercise more because for many of us, it doesn't seem to matter. I suggest rather than the run for being thin (and many times excessively so), try being healthy at whatever weight you may be at. Eat right and healthy, exercise regularly, and learn to love yourself for yourself. If you loose weight, great, if not, then you are just fine as is.
 
Eos of the Eons said:
After seeing that episode of Dr. Phil (yes, I actually watched a few) where we got to see what people were eating, I no longer wonder why some people are fat. The fried food alone made me queasy. Then all the chips and crap. I didn't see anyone eat an apple. It was a frying pan full of oil and breaded chicken swimming in it. I don't eat in a day what those people ate for a snack. I wondered how they could say they they didn't eat more than anyone else.

My kids get dessert after supper. That's the only junk food they get. We don't have kool-aid in the house, and no white bread.

My kids eat bananas like they are going out of style, and we keep the fridge stocked with other fruit. We have vegetables at every supper meal. We don't have fast food more than once a week ever, and usually twice a month at the most. The kids also love wheat thins, not chips.

Supper is usually baked or boiled. Stir fry is not soaked in oil, and I only use like a teaspoon of Olive oil. Spaghetti sauces and chili are made with lean beef.

I only over eat on the holidays, and can get away with it without gaining five pounds.

And yes, take the stairs instead of the elevator (but we don't have any buildings over 15 storys in this city). Park so that you have to walk a bit.

You know? Maybe it's less of a fat gene and more what gets passed down in a family as a regular diet. My eating habits would be dieting to most, but just normal for me. I don't even like milk shakes. I'll take something from Booster Juice over that. I hate chips (too salty). I rarely drink pop (give me water).

That's what is was like when I was kid. That's how I feed my kids. I also chew a lot of gum.

So there's a fat gene. From what I saw-there also seems to be what a family traditionally eats compared to another. Maybe throw in some denial about how much a person eats. I know some people have a bigger appetite...but there is a reason why.

I've rambled on enough. I didn't always feel this way, but after seeing what a family called 'normal' eating, I was blown away.
Click to expand...

I find what you wrote interesting because for the most part that is the same way my family eats, except for the fact that I rarely have desert as well. I don't buy chips, junk food or soda pop. I don't normally eat any of the above either. And I was raised this same way. My kids eat so much fruit, I am afraid they are fruit bats in disguise. I can't keep fruit in the house, and it rarely goes bad. We keep it in a big bowel in the middle of a table in the livingroom so that it is easily accessible. And yet, some members of my family are overweight.

Some overweight people do overeat; some underweight people do starve themselves. Some overweight people are just the way they were made biologically, and some underweight people are just the way they were made biologicially.
 
RSLancastr said:
Yet another study which points to genetic factors in weight gain.

And yet, so many opinionated idiots say "it's simple, just eat less and/or exercise more".

If only it were that simple.
Click to expand...

Yeah, if only it were that simple. The only time I have ever lost weight with ease was when I was literally starving myself because I couldn't afford to feed my children and myself on a regular basis, so I made a choice, and my kids' got plenty of food, and I did without much of the time. I lost weight, quite a bit in fact. Once my income got to a point where I could afford to begin eating on a regular basis, I put the weight right back on.
 
Chanileslie said:

We keep it in a big bowel in the middle of a table in the livingroom so that it is easily accessible. And yet, some members of my family are overweight.
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You know, I usually try to avoid pointing out typos in other people's posts (I know I make enough of them myself). But, I'm supprised that anyone has an appetite in your family, what with the bowel you have in the living room. (That would really gross me out.)
 
Segnosaur said:


You know, I usually try to avoid pointing out typos in other people's posts (I know I make enough of them myself). But, I'm supprised that anyone has an appetite in your family, what with the bowel you have in the living room. (That would really gross me out.)
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Hey, that Bowel is the component that brings the whole "Inside the human Body" decorating scheme of our living room together. We also have an enormous liver hanging on a wall. a pancreas serves as the centerpiece for our dining room table.

In case you are wondering why I am answering for Chanileslie, I should point out that she is my wife.
 
I'm always a little concerned when they bring out these genetic discoveries. They get hyped as 'gene for blah found', while the majority of the population have little understanding (and for that matter, most scientists) of how some genes interact with a) other genes and b) the environment to produce a phenotype.

All of these discoveries are based on looking at a heap of people who show the phenotype and comparing them genetically with a heap of people who don't. With the information from the genome project freely available, it's becoming more common. But research into the mechanisms behind genetics is at an all time low level (I assume this is because the overall funding normally granted towards genetic research has shifted slightly towards 'find the gene responsible for...' type studies rather than 'find how genes work...' type studies).

Athon
 
Nyarlathotep said:


Hey, that Bowel is the component that brings the whole "Inside the human Body" decorating scheme of our living room together. We also have an enormous liver hanging on a wall. a pancreas serves as the centerpiece for our dining room table.
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You're teaching the little ones all about science and human anatomy. You ROCK!
 
Segnosaur said:


You know, I usually try to avoid pointing out typos in other people's posts (I know I make enough of them myself). But, I'm supprised that anyone has an appetite in your family, what with the bowel you have in the living room. (That would really gross me out.)
Click to expand...

You would be amazed. Of course, it is the rectum that really bothers company.
 
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