I don't blame fat people, I blame the system that makes steaks and burgers so cheap with artificially distorting subsidies.
I'm a pretty skinny guy, and I would rather be fat than skinny. It's so hard to gain muscle mass when you are skinny, at least when I'm fat, I know if I work out and do cardio, I will have much faster results.
lol that's so funny It's hard to build muscle mass? That's your reason? Do you know how many other things fat people have to go through to get to the "now how do I build mass" part? What many people don't realize is that it's not stored fat which allows you to get built (As opposed to being skinny and having low bodyfat). It is the actual process of eating a lot which gives you more energy to lift, which produces better results. I.E. if you're skinny and eat well and a LOT, you are just as likely to add mass as a fat person. There is nothing to prove that fat people are able to gain more mass simply due to being fatter. There is lots to prove that eating a lot, regardless of your current state, helps you to add more muscle mass. This is precisely why bodybuilders typically go through bulking-cutting cycles. Because to bulk muscles, you have to eat a lot (it's not that you have to be fat). As a result of eating a lot for bulk, you gain fat. Then you go through a cutting cycle to trim the fat off. With that in mind, I don't think anyone would rather be fat as their starting point. Because it means that if you want to bulk first, you probably will have to gain even MORE weight. If you want to cut first, you won't be able to develop your muscles, and the end product minus the fat doesn't look great anyway.
I have two theories on this. One: It's socially acceptable to be overweight in Western Society now. Look at the pic of Churchill earlier in the thread...by today's standards, he's not a huge guy. Back then, he was. I'm 37 and can remember when most people were fairly thin. Now, I get trapped in a train of scooters in Wal-Mart. Just shows how perceptions have shifted. Two...dudes will bang anything.
I am not surprised at this finding and have been hearing for years now that there are genetic links towards retention of body mass. There was research 15 years ago that showed that a hormone called leptin helps to regulate appetite and retention of fat. When the genes that produced the receptor for this hormone was disabled in lab mice it produced extremely obese mice. Genes though aren't necessarily destiny and while people with genetic predilections towards obesity can probably with exercise and a good diet remain healthy. They might never be supermodel thin but still healthy. Also just because someone might be technically obese according to BMI doesn't mean they are not healthy. I know several people who do Judo and play football who qualify as obese yet are in great shape.
Its not quite that easy to add muscle mass and I speak from experience here. When I was younger my coach wanted to move me to a heavier weight class because there were few competitors my weight and while I ate a lot and lifted I still couldn't put on much more weight. Part of the problem was that a lot of the calories got burned rather than adding to muscle mass but also that my frame just wasn't designed for adding on a lot of weight. Since I am older now and my metabolism is much slower I might be able to bulk up more but I would probably damage my joints if I got significantly heavier than I am now even if it was mostly muscle mass.
How much do you exercise and eat? If you do more of the latter than the former, you'll be fat. "Master switch" gene? Hilarious. Get off the cart at Wal-Mart and walk. LIAR. You just want to look REALLY skinny next to him...
Oh cmon, I think everyone knows fatness is a genetic disorder, much like baldness or necrophilia. Spoiler
For someone with a background in science, you sure have an elementary understanding of it, and lack of perspective. For most environments for most of human existance, starvation was a much bigger risk than heart disease. A fat gene would make you more fit for survival, not less. Only in an environment of abundance does a fat gene make you less fit for survival, and even then, it only slightly lowers your chances of reproduction. It's just been in the past 100 years that most of the world lived in an environment of abundance. On the other hand, though, you can overcome your genetics for this. I'm one of those that I think is genetically predisposed to obesity, and I've lost 40 pounds in 7 months, and I'm not obese anymore.
SwoLy, I have to disagree here, buddy. I have an inherited genetic thingy that causes my body not to process fat properly. My lipids ("the fat" in your bloodstream) would be sky high were it not for modern technology (Lipitor and supplements, like a highly refined and concentrated blend of fish oils and some other stuff), my metabolism (I think), and the fact that I keep my weight low. The impact of this genetic thingy? My cholesterol was over 600 when this was discovered, and my triglycerides 1200. Those are incredible numbers. Frankly, without the meds and supplements I take, the odds are very good that I'd have been in the ground a long time ago. While I take a stab at eating healthy from time to time, I usually eat whatever I want and as much as I want, yet my weight is below that of a typical person my age (much older than I'd like!) and my weight normally fluctuates 2-3 pounds, up and down. When I'm stressed out (I've been really stressed a lot, recently, about the death of a close family member), I lose a lot of my appetite and end up lighter than usual, without the day to day couple of pounds, up and down. When things return to as normal as my life ever manages to be, it'll go up to the same range it's been for the last 20 years. My point? People are different. What causes weight gain may be genetic, or have a genetic component, and certainly by one's diet (unless they are me), but can also be affected by things that happen in your life. I know people that eat when they're stressed. In fact, I'd guess that eating when "under pressure" and gaining weight to be more typical than the reaction of a guy like me. Making broad generalizations about this topic is easy to do, but the reality is that weight gain, and loss, depends on the bodily makeup, genetics, and life of the individual. At least in my opinion, and based on my personal experience and people I've known for many years.
That's part of your problem. Cut out the red meats, deep fried stuff, switch to healthier oils. Your body is both how much you eat and what you eat.
That's what I was going to respond. If you know you've got trouble digesting or processing certain foods, cut them out completely AND exercise to make the others burn properly. Deckard, sir, when these "genetic thingys" become an excuse, mind you, it's time to evaluate everything else aside from only what's causing it. Learn to fight it and use the stairs instead of the elevator every now and then. I know you're an individual and I know most people will have their own reason, but... one can LEARN to stop these reasons from making them fat.
