Losing weight is not just a matter of will power. Humans are biologically pre-programmed to overeat, according to evolutionary biologists and medical researchers. Human ancestors did not have the conveniences of canned goods or freezers, so they ate whenever food was available and built up fat to survive times when no food was available. This could go on for days, weeks or months, so the body has an extremely powerful mechanism to ensure it will store fat.
Leptin’s Actions
When the body is obese, the fat secretes a special hormone called leptin. It gets into the blood stream. This helps shut off the body’s appetite. So when the fat disappears, so does the leptin. The body’s appetite is ramped up. When a person eats, the pleasure centers in a person’s brain practically sing. This ensures that a person keeps on eating.
That’s what happens for people of a normal weight. Obese people have an especially hard time losing weight because their body will not produce leptin or enough leptin to override the pleasure centers and shut off appetite. Whenever an obese person considers a plan like weight loss surgery or liposuction, they ideally need to diet weeks before surgery. This helps them not only become more likely to survive surgery, but also gets them into the habit of living without leptin. How genes influence leptin is still not fully understood, but it is thought that some families more than others are “leptin resistant.”
Genes and Weight Studies
According to studies done on twins in the United States, about 80% of an individual’s body weight is determined through their genes and not through income levels or lack of willpower (although these certainly can be significant factors in food choices and eating habits.) This means that overeating cannot be controlled in some people in the same way that people cannot control what color skin they were born with.
But this is not the popular belief. Even people enrolled in a weight loss plan can get frowns and snide remarks about their appearance. This prejudice can dishearten even the most committed dieter. Overweight people eat, their pleasure centers get stimulated and the cycle is set.
But regardless whether this claim is true or not, it is still up to your actions and discipline whether or not you will gain or lose weight. It is advisable to take lose weight supplement like leptoconnect to support your routine and system in your goal to lose weight.
In Conclusion
Obesity kills. But without understanding how a person’s body and hormones work, obese people have little incentive to lose weight and exercise more when all around them they can hear people laughing behind their backs. This doesn’t mean an obese person is off the hook for not trying to lose weight. It just means that their struggle is all the more impressive when even the smallest amount of weight is lost.