Well, I just spent 2 weeks in Seattle with my sister, 2 brothers and my mom. I have always been the smallest of the family, in every respect. I am the shortest, have the smallest feet, smallest hands, weigh the least, everything!!

Anyway, I was so judgemental of my entire family!!! I had to really get a grip on myself before I said something ugly. I sat and watched as my sister ate a very large chicken breast in 3 bites, then proceded to eat my chichen breast, because I took my 2 bandster sized bites and could not eat anymore, she then ate my veggies, my potatoes,my salad, and then went back for seconds, and thirds...This was at her sons rehershal dinner for his wedding, Anyway I realized how much my family eats and why we are all so fat!! It has nothing to do with heridity other than the fact that we all have the same disease, unable to put the darn fork down and walk away from the food!!

At one point I was actually embarrased and not for my sister, but for my kids and what I must have put them through all these years and they were not even there to see this side of their mother!!

My sister has been telling me how much weight she has lost and how skinny she has gotten, she still weighs close to 300lbs and eats enough for 10 people!!!!

Now that I am banded I find myself being overly observent of how much food people eat and what kind. Does everyone do that?? Or am I just overly sensitive??

OK just needed to get this off my chest. Thanks for letting me ramble about my family who eats enough to feed a small country in africa..:omg:

BTW, I do love my family, I was just shocked that I had never noticed this side of them before now...

Perhaps it is not inherited for some, but for some, it is inherited.

Perhaps it is not inherited for some, but for some, it is inherited.

I think it's a little bit of both for just about everyone. It's not nature vs. nurture, it's nature PLUS nurture.

I know for myself, nurture was not involved in it. My mom cooked very healthy food and served me normal portions. Despite her efforts, the second I hit puberty, the weight started pouring on no matter what I did. I was a skinny (normal weight) child. As I have mentioned repeatedly on other threads, the fact that obesity can be a genetic condition, passed down through families, has been well-researched and proven. Again, I'm unsure of the reason for the strong objections to this fact. I'm not speaking for anyone else on the board, only for myself, and for myself, genetics caused my obesity.

Two points.....

My former boss transfered to the US from Germany. He was shocked:

That our office was on the 2nd floor and a lot of the americans took the elevator. He said in Europe they walked everywhere.

Our portions were HUGE! He said and I have witnessed, our one portion would feed a family of 4...

My husbands family ... I love them, but they are all overweight. There were a lot of kids, so the meals were made in mass quantity. The problem was every event was planned around food. Not just when we are there visiting, but in general. When we were at breakfast they were planning lunch, at lunch they were talking about dinner ... It was a nonstop eating feast!!!! Of couse you know I loved going to visit. They would make all your favorites and the food just kept on coming....I am putting off a visit for now... LOL

My family is pretty much all thin, with a few notable exceptions. THIS is what leads me to believe that my obesity, at least, has a strong genetic component. The fact that only isolated individuals among my extended family are obese is as clear an indicator as if we had isolated individuals with blue eyes while everyone else's are brown. Those of us who "tended to fat" did so in a BIG way, while everyone else's metabolisms were pretty much normal.

Now that I am banded I find myself being overly observent of how much food people eat and what kind. Does everyone do that?? Or am I just overly sensitive??

I think we probably all do that. You're not alone.

One thought behind this entire disease is the inate human desire to survive. It's thought that the desire to gorge yourself comes from a time when we were primarily hunter / gatherers and never knew where the next meal was coming from.

Gorge all summar for a thin winter.

What we have here, IMO, is a simple survival mechanism (a very good thing) still working in a society where it isn't needed.

I think the mechanism is indeed inherited. All those skinnfy folks would be in trouble if a famine hit

Two points.....

My former boss transfered to the US from Germany. He was shocked:

That our office was on the 2nd floor and a lot of the americans took the elevator. He said in Europe they walked everywhere.

Our portions were HUGE! He said and I have witnessed, our one portion would feed a family of 4...

That is pretty much accurate. I'm originally from the UK. My house had two flights of stairs - you had to walk up a flight of stairs to get to the living area.

Someone rings the doorbell - you have to charge downstairs to open it. My parents never learned to drive, there was no need.

I would walk to work every day no matter if it was raining, raining or raining (see the trend there, occasionally make the rain freezing and horizontal from a 60mph wind).

Portion size was very much up to the individual, but generically smaller than the US.

The big thing I noticed when I came to the US was the sheer horrific amount of sugar in the food. I actually had trouble eating bread because it was so DAMN sweet.

Since removing fat and refined sugar from my diet I now struggle to eat 1000 calories a day.

I believe it is all in the brain. I truly and finally felt what it was to be normal for the 3 months I was on Phen Fen, which of course was taken off the market. While on those drugs, I had no compulsions to eat, my body told me when I was hungry. I am in mourning that it proved harmful and was taken off the market.

I have no compulsion to drink alcohol, I have no compulsion to gamble or take drugs. My compulsion is to eat. I pray one day the answer to obesity is solved.

Certainly lifestyle has a huge part. We are some of the richest people in the world, with regards to food availability and 'soft' lifestyle. I am trying very hard to train my younger children to get lots of exercise and eat properly. So far, so good. I see one of my children with the same compulsion to eat sweets and carbs. So far she is thinish and she is kept busy. I pray, she didn't inherit my compulsions, my brain chemicals, whatever you want to call it or all the above. But I see the behaviours in one of my children and not in my other 2. Such a complex issue.

Sunta, we get it, you think obesity is genetic.

Try googling "hereditary disease message board" and see what people on those boards are talking about. Treatment plans, how they live their lives, etc. No one reminds each other every third message that their disease is inherited and that they can't help themselves.

Do these "scientific study" people pay you or something? No one is objecting to your "facts," we're just wondering why you insist on beating a dead horse.

Until one of your research buddies comes up with a cure for these hundreds of obesity genes, what's the point of dwelling on it?

The title of this thread is "Fat Family, It's not inherited!" Were you aware that the word "inherited" relates to heredity?

Let's all take a breath....This is a new day.. Let's all make it a point to get along. That doesn't mean we all have to agree with everything... we just need to not make it "personal" and not attack people for their "opinion".

Sunta has just as much right to post as everyone else. When you are being singled out it is hard not to take it personally!

Kisses to you all,

D

Let's all take a breath....This is a new day.. Let's all make it a point to get along. That doesn't mean we all have to agree with everything... we just need to not make it "personal" and not attack people for their "opinion".

Sunta has just as much right to post as everyone else. When you are being singled out it is hard not to take it personally!

Kisses to you all,

D

I second your sentiment Doc.

I shall now repeat the man prayer from the Red Green show:

"I'm a man, I can change, if I have to, I guess."

We gotta give everyone a fair shake of the stick, even if we don't agree with them.

Again, I'm unsure of the reason for the strong objections to this fact. I'm not speaking for anyone else on the board, only for myself, and for myself, genetics caused my obesity.

Sunta - Don't worry about the objections. I keep repeating my theory on other threads very much like this one (in regards to our reactions to other people's behaviors) because I feel it's important. If nobody else out there relates.. oh well. I'm still here saying it outloud, if only for my own therapy!

To anca - If you'll look around, you'll see that there are at least four threads going discussing our reactions to those around us who are still overeating. Is this beating a dead horse? There are many who are out there saying that their weight is a disease, while others claim it is merely choices they've made. To single out someone and attempt to make them look stupid for their contribution is wrong. Please refrain from doing that again. Thanks.

*smiles* Think it, but then keep it to yourself. There is no reason any of us should be made to feel stupid for wanting to share something which is obviously important to us.

I'm just not clear on why every one of Sunta's posts have to do with genetics. I don't see the value in repeating the same statement over and over.

As I mentioned on my previous post, this entire thread is about heredity. That is why I am talking about genetics on this thread.

Thank you PhotoNut, Doc, and Dawg.

Christina, I don't think you're alone in becoming sensitive to the eating habits of others. I couldn't have cared less what others were eating pre-band. Now, I look around at the people who are eating appetizers, entrees sized for 3, and dessert and I find myself (a) grateful for my band, ( shocked that I used to eat that much, © a little disgusted if they're really packing it in, and (d) sometimes even a little envious, depending on my mood. It sets off a complicated string of emotions for me.