“Yes, there is an ‘obesity gene’… but even those who have this gene can maintain a healthy body weight with a bit of self-discipline. Everything healthy… and in moderation. And get that pulse rate up for 30min a day with some good weight bearing exercises thrown in. Simple.”
Obesity gene, hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia, all kinds of issues that many, many people who struggle with keeping their weight down to a healthy level have and still, we eat right, exercise not 30 miutes a day with weight bearing exercises, but 90 minutes a day!! Hypothyroidism does not just affect people in their 50’s. I got mine in my late 20’s, and its permanent.
So, not simple and I agree with Judy, I definitely do not agree with Jeannie.
Good luck to everyone!

Carbohydrates including those in fruits and veggies (yes, they are carbs along with protein), beans, and grains contains about 4 calories per gram. Fat contains about 9 calories per gram. Twice the energy density of an unrefined carb.

A calorie is a calorie, but you can eat twice the number of grams in carbs than fats for the same calorie count. In addition, carbs, even the refined carbs, tend to burn off as heat rather than be stored as fat. The conversion is pretty energy intensive. It’s the fat that creates the problems.

Research has shown your body fat is made up of the fats you eat–olive oil, canola oil, lard, chicken fat.

Fats in the diet also make it harder for insulin to do it’s job, leading to insulin resistance, which most Americans have to some degree. When your insulin levels are high, such as after you eat, your body shuts off it’s fat burners because the insulin signals that there’s plenty of available energy. However, your body continues to put the fat in your bloodstream in storage, leading to weight gain.

When you eat a vegan, no fat added diet, it’s hard to overeat because you reach satiation on fewer calories. And they tend to burn off as heat when you don’t have the fat in your diet to interfere with insulin and/or be put in fat storage while your insulin is doing its job.

In a vegan, no fat added diet, oils that occur naturally in the foods you eat make up about 10% of your calorie intake. A “reduced fat” diet in the US, however, usually means fats make up about 20% of your calories, which is not enough change to create lastng or dramatic results and still interferes with insulin.

There’s more to it than this, but this is the basics of why low energy density foods work, especially when you limit fats. That said, if you overeat anything, you’ll gain weight, and if you’re genetically programmed with a slow metabolism, foods will have a greater effect on you.