I'm the counter example of genetic overweight. I've been overweight since I was 8, with a little period of normal weight. My whole family is skinny. In fact, we have pictures going back as far as 1900 and they are skinny there too. My mom dieted once in her life by not eating white bread for 1 month. She always brings that up when talking about my dietary struggles. The last time I ate white bread was so long ago, I would not be able to say. Maybe one piece at a wine festival 2 years ago. My father does have strong bones and thick thighs, like I do, but the only area where he is slightly bigger is his stomach and that's because he's a party animal at 61. So I can't blame the genes. I just blame another area of my biology, my hormones. That's again my own solitary problem in the family.

I'm 38 years old and grew up with an obese mother who did not exercise and we ate junk food all the time.  I didn't know anything different.  My Mother died at the age of 60 from diabetes and heart disease.  I currently weigh 289lbs and know if I continue in the path I'm on I will be in the grave also at a young age. My siblings are also obese.  My sister had gastric bypass surgery last March and has lost almost 80lbs to date.  She has about another 30lbs to go till she is at her goal weight.  I have been using this site for only three days now and think its a great tool.  I need to do this for me and my girls and to prove to the world I can do this without surgery.  Well off to do some aerobics. 

Many years ago I saw a mother and daughter (perhaps seven or eight years old) in front of the frozen food shelves in a local market.  From what I could pick up of the conversation the mother had told her daughter she could pick out a frozen food meal for herself - perhaps the parents were going out, or something, I'm not sure.  However, after the little girl made her choice, the mother overruled it, and was reciting what sounded like something from a diet book about the grams of fat and why this wasn't something the little girl should eat.  If that is what you are suggesting, I'd suggest it isn't such a good practice.  The daughter said, under her breath, "but that is the one I want". And the daughter had a look on her face that said her  mother wasn't fooling her for one minute; in the name of "health" Mommy was passing on her own hang ups about food, appearance, self-worth and body image.   And making sure her daughter knew that she wasn't capable of even choosing food for herself.

Both my parents struggled with obesity and depression when I was a child. My brother is now clinically depressed and morbidly obese and is a disordered eater although at one time was a slim marathon runner. My Dad was overweight when we lost him to cancer. My mother maintains a healthy weight now, due in some part to her battle with oral cancer and now limited food choices.

My whole family's relationship with food is unhealthy, as was mine especially in college and in my early 20s, when I was overweight to obese. I lost about 20 pounds nearly 20 years ago and now stay at the high end of the healthy BMI range. I exercise regularly and try to eat what I consider to be healthy foods (lots of fruits, veggies and almost no red meat). But it's a struggle and probably always will be.

Habits learned in childhood are hard to overcome. As a parent, I seem to always want to feed my kid as I was fed as a child, even though I know better. My 12-year-old daughter is now overweight and sedentary due to 5 hip surgeries in the past year. As a Mom who struggles daily with her relationship to food, it is very, very difficult to help a young person manage his/her weight when you also take most forms of exercise out of the picture....Any advice?

My family of origin was heavy, my husband and I are both heavy but my kids are not...thanks to in large part of us following many of the guidelines above.

We always had dinner in the dining room...no TV or cell.  We never made them clean their plate...they ate until they were full, and then they stopped. And we made healthy food available (we were too cheap to buy junk!)  And we had rules about when they could eat the limited amount of junk that we did have.  And when a healthy meal was provided, they did not have to eat it, but they had to take 'a healthy bite', so they did not have the opportunity to outright dislike something, because of the look, smell, name, etc.  Plus we always had high expectations...yet were proud of everything they did...even if it wasn't always right.

We weren't perfect...we yelled to much, we watched a lot of TV and we were not nearly active enough, but they still are active, healthy and vibrant young adults.  So genes were not the strongest factor in our children's size!

@bestephens, thanks so much for sharing that, I really needed to hear a success story where someone was able to raise healthy kids despite what they learned as a child.

This issue is very close to my heart. I have a family history of overweight, obese and morbidly obese adults, (we also have family pictures back to around 1900, ALL the women have been big for at least four generations)so you could probably say there is a genetic component.  But there is also an ass-to-couch component and a I-want-what-I-want-and-I-don't-care-if-it-is-good-for-me component.  These last two I have put a great deal of effort into correcting. 

So far I am down 67 pounds in 20 months and have made healthy eating and walking every day my biggest priority.  I am trying to get pregnant so I really hope I can help break this unhealthy chain in my family and pass on good, healthy habits, like bestephens, despite my comfort zone of junk food and sitting on the couch. 

PS - one of my cousins had gastric bypass 20 months ago and she is only about 8 pound ahead of me in weight loss, and she has lots of complications to boot.

My mother had me when she was 400lbs. I was overweight my whole childhood and most of my teen years. Do I blame genetics? I don't think so. Immediately after I moved out, I started losing weight without dieting. Because I was living in the same house with my family, I was eating the same things they were. And because she's my mom, I ate whatever she cooked. So I don't blame genetics, I think for the most part obesity is environmental and situational.

I'd also like to add that my mother underwent gastric bypass surgery a little over 10 years ago and had lost and kept off more than 200lbs, and I have lost over 100lbs through diet and exercise and also kept it off, at a healthy weight with a BMI of 23. :)

I grew up in a large family with two working parents. Despite this my mother always managed to put wonderfully delicious meals together and we ate as a family every night. I also remember never being restricted in what I was allowed to eat. If we wanted cookies we got cookies. If we wanted pizza we made pizza!

I was a mildly plump child but shaped up nicely in my teens. Now as a middle aged woman I have never dieted, never restricted what I ate and never really gained any weight, even after quitting smoking. But, i've also always been very active and enjoy all kinds of physical activities.

I do think genetics plays a large part in our physical make-up, but I also believe how we are raised and what we are taught about food plays an even larger role.

Good luck, and PLEASE don't have the bypass.  I have known several people who have had this surgery and have gained ALL the weight back, plus more...and the extra added bonuses that go with it, like not being allowed to take ibuprofen, and many other issues!

For those who must have it, I understand, but other than that...I would rather try EVERYTHING else...including 'weight loss rings' ^_^ 

Congratulations on the increased exercise.  I am not at the crossroads where I have made the commitment to change, but I have made the commitment to not letting myself go completely.  All good things in time, and I hope to be where you are soon!

Take care and CONGRATULATIONS!

I come from a food-centric and overweight family.  After battling food and weight issues throughout most of my life, I now am healthy, active and at a proper weight.  However, my mother and three younger siblings (two sisters, 1 brother all in their 30s and 40s) are obese and have various health problems.  One sister even had lap band surgery (a procedure, along with gastric bypass, I am totally against) which was completely ineffective; nothing but a waste of money.  It's incredibly frustrating and sad to watch them struggle.  I am blessed with a 12 year-old son and from the moment I became pregnant, I vowed not to pass on the bad habits I developed up as a child.  I read voraciously about health and nutrition and have taught my son how to eat well.  We exercise as a family, my son participates in a variety of sports, and I praise him when he makes good food and lifestyle choices.  My personal struggle isn't with staying active, it's with keeping my hand out of the cookie jar (and the fridge, and the cupboard...).  I eat what I like and want, just not as much, and not as often, and not mindlessly.  It's a lifestyle I can live with.  I just wish I could help the rest of my family make the same mental shift.

@belln - I think the mother just approached that in the wrong way. Teaching your children about fat content of prepared food isn't a "hang up", it's common sense and good to know for when the kids are making decisions on their own.

What the mother should have done is picked out several mom-approved meals and then let the daughter choose among them. That way she isn't tempted by gravy laden salisbury steak & sugary pudding, but still feels like she has control over what she eats.

Original Post by: recriswell

I'm 38 years old and grew up with an obese mother who did not exercise and we ate junk food all the time.  I didn't know anything different.  My Mother died at the age of 60 from diabetes and heart disease.  I currently weigh 289lbs and know if I continue in the path I'm on I will be in the grave also at a young age. My siblings are also obese.  My sister had gastric bypass surgery last March and has lost almost 80lbs to date.  She has about another 30lbs to go till she is at her goal weight.  I have been using this site for only three days now and think its a great tool.  I need to do this for me and my girls and to prove to the world I can do this without surgery.  Well off to do some aerobics. 

recriswell - you are very brave and very smart to join caloriecount. Keep up the aerobics and incorporate more plants in your menus and you will SURELY get to where you want to be. You can't fail :) Good luck on your journey.

I think it is more likely that children learn bad eating habits from their parents, rather than inheriting genes for obesity.

A person may inherit a body type which is thicker or more plump than others, but to proceed from that into obesity I believe is determined by what we eat, not our genes.

All of my family is obese, and I used to be obese, but I knew that it was caused by what I ate, not genetic factors.  I don't think it was any more difficult for me to lose 90 pounds than it would have been for a person from a slim family.

I have quite the opposite problem than what is described here.  My family is very, very skinny, and goodness only know how with the way they eat.  (I am the non-skinny one, of course.)  Somehow I missed out on the skinny genes because I grew up eating the same as them and ended up weighing over 200.  My sister, on the other hand, has yet to even hit 100 (not that I want to be as freakishly skinny as her, but it does demonstrate my point well).  My mother, my cousins, even my grandmother(though in her age she has finally started to put SOME weight on) are all skinny little twigs who don't have to worry one bit about what they eat!  Alas, if only I could have their metabolism.

Original Post by: glindas

I think it is more likely that children learn bad eating habits from their parents, rather than inheriting genes for obesity.

A person may inherit a body type which is thicker or more plump than others, but to proceed from that into obesity I believe is determined by what we eat, not our genes.

All of my family is obese, and I used to be obese, but I knew that it was caused by what I ate, not genetic factors.  I don't think it was any more difficult for me to lose 90 pounds than it would have been for a person from a slim family.

 

Glindas....thank you for your comment.  It's nice to have encouragement to keep on the straight line.  Congrats on your lose.  :) 

Original Post by: enigmaticphrase

I have quite the opposite problem than what is described here.  My family is very, very skinny, and goodness only know how with the way they eat.  (I am the non-skinny one, of course.)  Somehow I missed out on the skinny genes because I grew up eating the same as them and ended up weighing over 200.  My sister, on the other hand, has yet to even hit 100 (not that I want to be as freakishly skinny as her, but it does demonstrate my point well).  My mother, my cousins, even my grandmother(though in her age she has finally started to put SOME weight on) are all skinny little twigs who don't have to worry one bit about what they eat!  Alas, if only I could have their metabolism.

Then you have the same problem as I do.

Original Post by: recriswell

Original Post by: glindas

I think it is more likely that children learn bad eating habits from their parents, rather than inheriting genes for obesity.

A person may inherit a body type which is thicker or more plump than others, but to proceed from that into obesity I believe is determined by what we eat, not our genes.

All of my family is obese, and I used to be obese, but I knew that it was caused by what I ate, not genetic factors.  I don't think it was any more difficult for me to lose 90 pounds than it would have been for a person from a slim family.

 

Glindas....thank you for your comment.  It's nice to have encouragement to keep on the straight line.  Congrats on your lose.  :) 

Keep up the good work, recriswell.  There are plenty of "maintainers" on this site who have lost their excess weight.  You'll make it!

I know many people who blame genes for their obesity, but honestly I think it's just an easy excuse so that they don't have to work hard to lose weight.