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Just a reminder: the topic of this thread is overweight people claiming they have a thyroid issue. Please keep your focus on the topic and do not discuss other posters. Additionally, in this forum all posts are expected to be civil, well thought out arguments for or against a topic and "chatting" between posters discussing something of interest to them, especially if it is about another topic, is not allowed.
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I haven't read the whole thread, but I'll share an anecdote. It's not really answering the OP's question, but it does show that my experience does reflect it a bit.
I'm not fat. I've always hovered around 125-130 when not pregnant. (I'm 5'7", so that's not bad.) A year before my last pregnancy, I gained about... maybe 20 lbs. I couldn't shake it no matter what. I had no other health issues, so I was just very confused as to why I was all of the sudden heavier. II never blamed my thyroid, I just wondered what was up. When I got pregnant, they did a blood test and found out that my thyroid was way out of whack. They put me on meds and within weeks my weight dropped to the "right" level. (Even though I was pregnant!) I'm now 18 months postpartum and still take a high dose of medication to maintain the right levels. I'm right back at 125-130. (Unfortunately I'm also starting to get more symptoms nowadays, which I hope won't be too progressive, considering I'm only 31... )
People I've been around and different people who comment on articles and forums online. Look at the link I posted in my original post. Most of the comments in the article are from fat people who claim they are fat because of thyroid issues or some other medical condition.
No fat person ever told me he/she was heavy due to thyroid problems. I do know people with thyroid problems though, and they are heavy. Not obese, but heavy. Did you look up thyroid problems and obesity? Also, thyroid problems are not the only cause for obesity. As we learn more about all illnesses from the genetic map, we are also learning about the multiple causes of obesity, stress, genes, medications, hormones, illnesses of certain types, and more. I doubt anyone says, "HEY, I LOVE obesity! I'm gonna get myself really fat! Let me go eat 5 pizzas!"
I have hyperthyroidism. Check out my pics - I am slim.
The overweight people around me whom I see on a daily basis at work:
- eat big lunches in restaurants while the others bring their sandwich or have salad
- pour tons of sugar in their coffee
- bring Starbucks coffee to work
- drink soda while others drink water
- eat unhealthy snacks in between their meals on desks while we eat nothing or fruits
- always linger around the free snacks when somebody brings in something bec of special occasion.
- don't seem to be interested in any sporty activity other than just watching it on tv.
Then they look at me and complain I have better genetics. Makes me mad.
While I have also met these people, I do all the things on the list and am "underweight".
The people I know who claim hormonal/thyroid issues usually don't workout, eat oversized portions of unhealthy foods and live sedentary lives.
I don't know why though. I guess some of them give up hope on controlling whatever issue they have.
Thyroid issues do exist though, as do hormonal issues. But a lot of people self diagnose and don't want to change their eating habits and/or lifestyle.
P.S. If you need proof it's not all environment/upbringing, and more how you're "designed" internally (both emotionally and physiologically), my siblings & I are a great example. We all grew up in the same household, eating mostly the same diets, even participated in the same sports throughout our childhoods. So why am I the only one who's struggled with my weight, while they are both naturally thin/fit? Probably because I inherited my father's overweight genes, whereas they're built more like our very petite mother. And that's not a complaint or "making excuses," just the facts ma'am.
The example of you and your siblings does indeed point to the fact that we humans as individuals differ considerably from one another. This is true not just in relation to tendencies to gain weight or to remain slender, but in almost all other respects as well. Some of us are allergic to some things, others to other things, and others to nothing at all, etc., etc. So that's a given in my book.
HOWEVER, I'm not buying it that our genetics have changed in the short space of 50 or 60 years. When I was a child growing up in the 1950's, true obesity was a very rare thing. Now it's commonplace. That means there are significant differences, in the aggregate, in environmental factors such as diet and exercise.
While a few individuals may be fated to be obese, we as a society are not. Yet we have become so, as a society, to our very sad detriment.
The example of you and your siblings does indeed point to the fact that we humans as individuals differ considerably from one another. This is true not just in relation to tendencies to gain weight or to remain slender, but in almost all other respects as well. Some of us are allergic to some things, others to other things, and others to nothing at all, etc., etc. So that's a given in my book.
HOWEVER, I'm not buying it that our genetics have changed in the short space of 50 or 60 years. When I was a child growing up in the 1950's, true obesity was a very rare thing. Now it's commonplace. That means there are significant differences, in the aggregate, in environmental factors such as diet and exercise.
While a few individuals may be fated to be obese, we as a society are not. Yet we have become so, as a society, to our very sad detriment.
I totally agree. Genetics don't just change like that. Now people want to make every excuse in the book about obesity such as there's not enough sidewalks in the suburbs
Last edited by Oldhag1; 07-02-2014 at 11:40 PM..
Reason: No rude icons
The example of you and your siblings does indeed point to the fact that we humans as individuals differ considerably from one another. This is true not just in relation to tendencies to gain weight or to remain slender, but in almost all other respects as well. Some of us are allergic to some things, others to other things, and others to nothing at all, etc., etc. So that's a given in my book.
HOWEVER, I'm not buying it that our genetics have changed in the short space of 50 or 60 years. When I was a child growing up in the 1950's, true obesity was a very rare thing. Now it's commonplace. That means there are significant differences, in the aggregate, in environmental factors such as diet and exercise.
While a few individuals may be fated to be obese, we as a society are not. Yet we have become so, as a society, to our very sad detriment.
Perhaps not, but as someone who spent most of her life living abroad, I've noticed the difference in weight. Americans are overweight if they're not constantly working out and watching what they eat. Abroad I haven't seen the emphasis on gym memberships, the constant dwelling on overweight, nor the countless diet products, diet doctors, diet books, hundreds of thousands of diets, etc. that I see in the U.S.
What I do notice in the U.S. is that it's a car nation, so people don't walk daily and need a membership to a gym just to maintain their weight. Also, they have very little time off compared to people of other countries. Lastly, they don't have a very full lifestyle, full of enjoyment.
I think the lifestyle in the U.S. is another illness that needs to be addressed and hasn't been.
Also, when I live abroad I weigh 15 lbs less, approximately, and with no working out, no memberships to gym, and no watching my weight, and no diets.
The moment I get back to the U.S., those 15 lbs are back on me like glue.
I totally agree. Genetics don't just change like that. Now people want to make every excuse in the book about obesity such as there's not enough sidewalks in the suburbs
Again, you need to learn the difference between an "excuse" and a "reason/explanation." Many people have given examples of WHY these factors have affected obesity rates, and there is no arguing the truth behind this. Did the invention of the automobile lead to people walking less overall? Yes. Has the way we prepare and process foods today vs 100+ years ago had an effect on our health/size? Yes. Are humans and our lifestyles the same as they were in the 19th Century? No.
These are all facts, and DO explain why the overall obesity rates have risen... that doesn't mean we cannot improve how we live among these changes, it merely means that we have more challenges to overcome now. If I were a farm girl in 1850, I'd be spending my days toiling in the fields, eating mostly "fresh off the farm" produce and meat, and traveling around town would have required walking or controlling a horse. They didn't have to work at keeping fit, it was how they HAD to live.
In reality, my life in the 21st century consists of driving 20 miles to work, sitting at a desk for 8 hours w/ only 30 minutes to eat whatever meal I can scrounge up, then driving 20 miles back home. Thus, I have to make a concerted EFFORT to get the exercise & good foods needed to stay healthy, as my routine is otherwise a path to weighing 300lbs.
Modern advancements have improved our lives in many ways, but they have also added the challenge of fighting our now "easy" and fat-inducing lifestyles. This isn't too difficult for people with a natural tendency to be small, and not so easy for the rest. Period.
Last edited by Oldhag1; 07-03-2014 at 06:40 AM..
Reason: Edited quote
FWIW, I'm fat and female and have a low functioning thyroid. But I believe that more exercise and less food would do the trick. I think low functioning thryoids, even on medication makes for low metabolisms, and that makes it harder for sure. But certainly not impossible.
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