[quote=afx114]Another anecdote showing that “just eat less/exercise more” isn’t the silver bullet and that genetics gives people various advantages/disadvantages to controlling weight. My brother (2 years younger) grew up with the same parents, in the same household, playing the same sports, and eating the same food as myself. Yet I was always the “skinny” one and he was always the “big” one. We grew up with virtually the exact same environmental variables, yet our body types were always so different. This is further evidence that genetics play a large role and what works for one person may not work for another when it comes to weight loss/gain. So if your diet works for you, great… just don’t assume that the same diet or eating habits will work for everyone else.
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Totally agree with this, and have seen the same thing in my family. My sister weighed over 11 lbs. at birth, I was 6 1/2 lbs. She had the stereotypical endomorphic body, and was always overweight, even though she ate less food (and better food) than I did. Back in the day, I was very skinny.
We also see this with our kids. Our eldest is also endomorphic (like my sister and my husband), our middle is “normal” and our youngest is very muscular and athletic-looking with absolutely no fat anywhere on her body. Our biggest eater? The youngest — the lean one.
There is no question in my mind that peoples’ bodies use food differently. Some store calories as fat, while others convert it immediately into energy/movement (like my “hyperactive” youngest who eats us out of house and home). While some would suggest that it’s the movement that causes food to be burned up more quickly, I think it’s the opposite: the *type of body* that converts food to energy (as opposed to fat) will make that person much more active. It’s the metabolism that makes one active/inactive, and the inactive people have less energy because their body doesn’t convert their food into energy (it’s stored as fat), so it’s a catch-22.
Not scientific, but just based on what I’ve seen in real life. Everyone is built differently, and it’s interesting when the “naturally skinny” types — who don’t have to work as hard at it — look down on those who are naturally heavier. I’ll bet you can take two different body types, feed them the same, exercise them the same, and you’ll end up with two totally different outcomes.
That being said, not every overweight person has metabolic problems, and we all need to be more mindful of the quantity and quality of food we eat. I also think that our lifestyle is much more sendentary than it used to be. Remember when all of us kids would spend our days outdoors riding bikes, hiking around, building forts, etc.? It seems those days are long gone.
Another thing…I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the rise in obesity corresponds with the decline in smoking rates.
