"I have bad genes." That's an excuse reason I hear all the time for people's problems with weight.
But what impact do genetics really have on your weight? That's what we'll talk about in this article.
On the one hand, your nutrition and exercise habits play a big role, but on the other hand, it's important not to discount the role that your genetics play.
In this article, you will learn:
- The impact of genetics on your weight
- Why genetics aren't destiny
The Impact of Genetics on Your Weight
Genetics determine how many fat cells you have when you are born. You have your mother to thank for this, because what she ate while she was pregnant with you is what will determine how many fat cells you will ultimately have.
And there's a little problem with fat cells: they can get bigger or smaller. But you can't reduce their number (without surgery). Oh, and one other thing: they can increase in number. So they can increase in number and in size, but when they decrease, they only decrease in size (but not in number). Life is unfair.
Genetics also control a few other things relevant to weight, like:
- Your responsiveness to the hormones that make you feel full. Some people keep eating when they are already full. Others seem to feel full with much less food.
- Your fat burning hormones and enzymes. Certain hormones control how quickly you burn fat (the technical terms are "lipolysis" and "fat oxidation.") These hormones include adrenaline, cortisol, testosterone (yes, in both men and women), growth hormone and others. Either a lower total amount of those hormones, or a decreased responsiveness to those hormones will make it harder losing body fat.
- Where you store your fat. To some extent, where you store your fat is determined by gender. But also, to some extent, it's determined by genetics. It's true that most pre-menopausal women store fat in their buns and thighs, but with certain groups of people (like East Indians and Asians), it seems like there are a lot more pre-menopausal women storing fat in their stomachs. Likewise, it's true that most men store their fat in their stomach, but occasionally, I'll see a man who stores it in his lower body as well.
Genetics Aren't Destiny
There's a saying that "genetics load the gun, but you pull the trigger." You might have your genetics stacked up against you (in other words, being overweight might run in your family), but if you eat healthy and exercise, you'll still be lean and healthy. This was certainly the case with two of our clients, David and Brittney, who I wrote about in my article on the Biggest Success Stories of 2014.
Brittney's whole family is not the healthiest, but as a result of great exercise and nutrition, she was able to drop significant amounts of body fat.
David's whole family is also not the healthiest, and he wasn't the leanest guy early in life, but for the first time, at age 69, he was able to get a flat stomach: something he was unable to do in his teens, 20s, and 30s.
Think of genes as light switches. They have an "on" switch and an "off" switch. A lot of genes are in the "off" position. The environment can switch them to the "on" position. This interaction of genes with the environment is called your "phenotype." What does your environment consist of (as it pertains to your weight)? Exercise and nutrition. So you might have the genetics to make you fat, but unless the environment supports those genetics, you won't get fat.
The most classic example of this is the Pima Indians. They are Native Americans, primarily living in Mexico. Over there, in their natural environment, eating the food they've eaten for many generations, they are lean, healthy and strong. But across the border, in the United States, those exact same people have the world's highest obesity and diabetes rates. Higher than the already-high rates in the United States. Even though their relatives on the Mexican side of the border are still lean, healthy and strong.
So what changed? Do genes change when they cross the border, and start eating the Standard American Diet? No, of course not. Genes don't change that fast. But all of them have the genes for obesity and diabetes. Yet in their native environment, their genes are in the "off" position (remember the light switch analogy). Eating a North American diet, and the genes switch to the "on" position.
This is encouraging, and means that even if you were given bad genetics, your environment still plays a HUGE role.
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