Question: Nature or Nurture?

[virtualjul]

Hey ladies. Here's a question for today:

Do you think your weight issues are a result of heredity or are you the only one in your family with a problem? And for those of you with kids, do you think it's helping/affecting them?

This question came to me while talking to my mom. I never thought my weight issues had anything to do with heredity, even though my mom has always fought her weight since she was a child.

The first time I got heavy, it was a collegiate freshman 30 lbs. I lost it quicky (2 months on WW) and never worried that it would be an ongoing issue.

This time, I know I gained weight when I quit smoking and couldn't shut my friggin' mouth. But again, I didn't think it was heredity, even though mom was spouting advice (since she was still smoking, I was jealous and didn't want to hear it). Once I was at my highest weight, I looked at my body in the mirror and HOLY COW, it was my mom staring back at me. I think that's when it clicked for me that this would be a lifelong process and not just a "diet." I now realize that if I don't live OP, my family history shows I will be heavy.

I don't have any children yet, but I do think my mom's weight obsession had a small affect on me. She was a very heavy child and has fought her weight for her entire life -- and my entire life. She weighed herself several times a day when I was a kid. Today, I have a similar affair with my scale. Although I only weigh more than once a day as I get closer to WI. Mom and I speak every morning on the phone and the first thing we say is how much we weigh. She doesn't do WW anymore, but she does "her own thing."

So what do you think? Nature or Nurture?

[bluffview]

Hi Jules graemlins/wave.gif

I've been thinking about this since you posted this a.m. I think this rasies an important issue. It reminds me of something the infamous Dr Phil says: "you need to change the story you tell about yourself" (or something along those lines).

For me, I came from a family of overweight people who basically worshipped food. Food was like a member of the family. You handled all emotions with food & centered gatherings around who was bringing the sauce LOL. I learned at a young age how powerful food can be & now I struggle not to pass this on to my girls.

I think I got a bad start, so to say, thanks to my genes & then let the environment complicate matters. I don't at all not take responsibility for my weight issues though. Personally, I feel I've chosen a lifestyle which allowed me to weigh 212 lbs.

A huge motivation for me to get healthier is my daughters. Not only, do I want them to have a healthy mom, but I want them to have a healthy role model for eating well, exercising, etc.

Thanks for a thought-provoking question.

[fritter]

Jules,

Very interesting question. I come from a family of overweight females. Only, in our family, the problem comes in adulthood. When I was 27, I could eat as much of anything I wanted and stayed at a steady 120 lbs. Then, I had kids. Since then, my highest weight was 150 lbs, but I'm back down to 135. Still, I'm one of the smallest females in my family. Most of my Aunts and cousins, and my sister, are over 200 lbs. Some of them just don't seem to care, but I want to fight this now, since the tendancy is there. I really do believe genes have a lot to do with it. As far as my kids are concerned, they are on the same trend. They can eat whatever they please and not gain an ounce (other than getting taller), but I think that I'm setting a good example for them to follow later when it really matters.

Fritter

[Yogi]

Ohh Jules - another great question!!

It's funny because this question is what actually got the ball rolling on my weight loss. All of the women on my moms side are over 200 lbs so I always just said my weight was high due to the genes.

Well, the next thing I knew I was getting ready to buy size 18 pants! I decided I didn't want to buy more clothes, let alone another size, so I began to open my mind to the possibility that I could be thinner. A lot like Bluff said above with rewriting your story.

All the women on my dads side of the family are average size and not one is over weight. So once I opened my mind, I blew my own theory! tongue.gif

I do believe genetics still play a part in your metabolism, but I also believe that you can work with it. Reality is that I am not one of those people who can eat anything I want and be thin. I have to work with that if I want to be thin.

Gina

[mzlizzy]

Hello,
interesting question. Most of my family is overwt with one exception.
I have a cousin that was given up for adoption when she was born. Her mother(my mom's sister) and father(my dad's brother)
She managed to find us a few years ago.
The thing is she looks exactly like my sister who was born around the same time except for 1 thing.
Their wt. DS is overwt while the cousin is skinny as a rail.
I feel nurture is a big thing in regards to wt.

Lizzy