Why Are Thin People Not Fat? (11 of 29)

Why Are Thin People Not Fat?

We don't think that a human could consciously control their body weight to that level of precision.
Instead Dr Leibel believes that we all have a biologically-determined natural weight which varies from person to person, and our bodies do their best to maintain us at that weight, be it fat or thin.
That doesn't mean that you cannot, by over-eating consciously or responding to delicious meals that are in the environment, or for example undertaking a conscious effort to exercise a lot, can't move this around a little bit, but the body will constantly tend to try to bring you back to whatever your normal body weight is.

So if we're all stuck with a natural weight, what determines it, and how early in life is it set?
According to Dr David Allison, even events that take place before we are born whilst we are still in the womb can affect the size we are destined to become as adults.
There's now clear and emerging lines of evidence indicating that several factors can have long-term effects on obesity and degree of body fatness throughout life, even when those effects occur in the womb.
We know that, for example, older sheeps have fattier lambs, and we know that older women, women who give birth at a later age, tend to have children that are more likely to be overweight or obese.
And it seems that the mother's weight and nutrition during pregnancy are also crucial.