Obesity is only genetic in a very very tiny fraction of those who are obese -- we're speaking of probably less than a percent. (Note that I am not speaking of a genetic predisposition towards being overweight -- but there is a difference being overweight and obese.) The indisputable fact is that the vast majority of people who are obese are obese because of the choices they make. Studies have been done on people who claim that they "just can't lose weight" no matter how little they eat. The outcome of these studies? These people were underestimating the calories they consumed -- sometimes by as much as 2000 a day. And until you've been put into a situation where you're being monitored 24/7 for an extended period of time by doctors/scientists/nutritionists, I don't think you can accurately claim that your weight problem is genetic.

I find it interesting that no matter what the statistics say, a good 1/3rd-one half of all obese people I've ever come into contact with claim that they fall into that fraction of a percent for whom obesity is genetic.

Exactly - the doctor is going to try to find what is causing the issue, whether it's diet or genetics. He's not going to drive the nutrition issue if it has to do with more than nutrition.

The fact is that a doctor (and anyone for that matter) can't simply assume that something like weight is out of a person's control. For some people, yes, there can be other issues, but for the majority it's a matter of nutrition, exercise and taking better care of one's self. I know (from personal experience) that in those cases, while it's not easy, it can be done.

Sometimes an honest voice is all it takes to get started, and it seems like this woman doesn't want to hear that honesty.

High fat vs. High carbs...
 

Currently, there are 2 genetic mouse models for obesity that many researchers study:

The ob/ob mouse that is leptin (a protein secreted from adipose tissue which affects the arcuate nucleus of the brain indicating some level of satiation) deficient and there are VERY LOW numbers of humans that actually have a leptin deficiency because it causes a birth defect (I think) only in humans...

And the db/db mouse that is a leptin receptor-deficient mouse--meaning the leptin must use a "key to unlock the door to get into the brain"--a receptor... I don't think any human has been found with a leptin receptor deficiency--but I could be wrong...

What we are discussing is diet-induced obesity that indirectly affects leptin levels. But leptin levels alone cannot account for the massive increases in WAT in morbidly obese people. To induce obesity in animals, one has to feed a high-fat and high carbohydrate diet with essential vitamins and nutrients... But only a select number of mouse strains are obesity susceptible--most never get fat, ever... Either they don't eat the diet, or the rapidly metabolize the diet.

There is a "convention" of thought that something in WAT suppresses metabolism in the liver and the gut. Something is secreted by the WAT that goes to the brain that shuts off the metabolism in the liver and gut--something to do with POMC and melanocortin levels... What the WAT cranks out is not really understood. But my guess is that it they are free fatty acids which can be strong ligands for many a receptor... It has been shown that fatty acid structured sterols in the liver with the orphan nuclear receptors--such as LXR and RXR regulating cholesterol levels... So, I have no reason why this would not occur in other parts of the body...

Which says, that the genetic pathways to regulated appetite and metabolism is not all just with will-power, it may be truly genetic. It may not be because of straight out mutation in one's genes, but by differences in the genetic structure of the protein--like my protein just works better than yours kinna thing... The single nucleotide polymorphism issue...

Moreover, women are structured in the child-bearing years to maintain a certain weight... Why? Because you don't want the lack of "insulation" and "nutrients" if a woman were to ever become pregnant... I.e. there is no such thing as a cholesterol-free fertilized chicken egg... There IS a reason for that and YES, it is evolutionarily conserved...

Scoop the Poop...
 

PM--

If you can see a bonafide nutritionist/dietician recommended to you by a physician, then I would do that too...

You need to make sure you have a BALANCED diet... Low in fat AND low in carbs... And you need to eat the correct things for your body. Find out what your body craves--sweets or fats... Based on that info, you can adjust your diet accordingly to correct for your workouts... Moreover, cardio is not the only way to correct for weight, you must also do it with weight toning. And muscle weighs more than fat. You will first build muscle before you lose fat. Once you build enough muscle, then the fat starts to come off.

And depending on the length of time you've been overweight, it will take you a lot of time--like years--to get that weight off... The sad part about gaining weight that it is quick to gain, but slow to come off...

And alot can be said about eating HEALTHY foods--the veggies like leafy green lettuces with mixed greens, cucumbers, peppers, broccoli if you can handle it along with fiber...

And some folks think that your "poops" need to be "frequent"--not diarrhetic--but like 2 per day... That is "roughly" ONE sign of how you can tell you are beginning to lose the fat... If you are all clogged up, that stuff stays in your bowel and bloats you out... That is why ab exercises are VERY useful in "relief"...

I say if you are consistent with your exercises and your eating habits and you haven't lost weight--and I mean you aren't aiming for a size 1 and anorexia--then that suggests your body has reach its "rheostat" for just about as much weight it can lose without going into "haywire" mode--where you'd get sick all the time for whatever...

However, if you are gobbling food up and cannot control yourself, you have other issues that need the help from your physician. A satiation problem is a whole nother issue that is realistically addressed by researchers... You cannot stop mice from eating kinna thing--you can only manipulate their caloric intake of their feed...

Prednisone alone can really affect your weight. My daughter had to take it & another steroid for asthma and gained 5 lbs in one week!

But a little off the topic - I guess I should thank insensitive people for probably saving my life. When I was 19, I looked into going into the navy for the college funding. I aced the little test that they give you at the office and the recruiters got me all hyped up. Then a particularily gruff recruiter weighed me, looked at me like I was an insignificant ant, and said - "You need to loose some weight". Needless to say - I walked out and never thought about that again. My weight at the time - 135 lbs & I'm 5"8 1/2. However because of that stupid chart - my ideal weight is supposed to be 125. Yeah - right.

Here is some additional information about the good doctor. This is was today Atlanta Journal Constitution....
This is only part of the article.
____________________________________
By J.M. HIRSCH
Associated Press Writer

CONCORD, N.H. — The state is investigating a doctor accused of telling a patient she was so obese she might only be attractive to black men and advising another to shoot herself following brain surgery.

"Let's face it, if your husband were to die tomorrow, who would want you?" the state Board of Medicine says Dr. Terry Bennett told the overweight patient in June 2004.

"Well, men might want you, but not the types you want to want you. Might even be a black guy," it quoted him as saying, based on the woman's complaint.

The board said it also is taking a second look at a 2001 allegation — deemed unfounded at the time — that Bennett told a woman recovering from brain surgery to buy a pistol and shoot herself to end her suffering.

Bennett made national news last week when the complaint from the obese woman became public without any mention of the racial comment. But Senior Assistant Attorney General Richard Head, who leads the state Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau, said Tuesday the woman complained about the racial remark, not about being lectured.

In a telephone interview Tuesday from Rochester, Bennett denied any wrongdoing and defended his message to her, saying he has read polls that say black men prefer overweight women.

Bennett added that he is angry the board is reconsidering the 2001 complaint.

"That patient is currently in a nursing home completely demented, tied to a chair drooling on herself and doesn't recognize anybody," said Bennett, 67. "She was in pretty nearly that condition at the time she filed that complaint."

!!!

The plot thickens.

OH MY I have not laughed this hard in a LONG time. Holy crap that is funny.

Frankly, I'd like such a blunt doctor.

I agree. My doctor is pretty blunt and I appreciate it. I don't have the time to be in her office and beat around the bush for 20 minutes before I hear what she really needs to say and I don't think my doctor has teh time for that either. Considering how short the average office visit is it would probably benefit everyone to have doctors be more to the point during visits....although I don't know that suggesting suicide is a good option, lol.

This man tells it like it is. I love it.

I'm sorry, the racial comments make me laugh even more.

With the obese lady Necessary Motivation; We're such a lawsuit happy country..geesh.

Now the other stuff, that's out there to say the least.