Weight Loss

If your having trouble losing weight, could it be your mother or father's fault? According to the authors of a British study, "children are more likely to become obese when their same-gender parent is obese."

The researchers from Peninsula Medical School studied 226 families. Here's where the link to your mother or father, regarding your weight comes in; "they found that the daughters of obese mothers were more likely to struggle with weight problems." They also "found that the sons of obese fathers ran a higher risk of becoming obese " (Perez-Pastor EM et al. 2009).

So you have to look no further than your mother or father when it comes to your weight. However, if you're a man, you may be able to blame the weight on him, and if you're a woman, you may be able to place the blame on your mother. The reason I say this is because the authors of that study "did not find the same link between mothers and sons or between fathers and their daughters."

Now, before you go blaming your mother or father on your weight problems, your may want to first start by looking into the mirror. Not all the time, because genetics (we won't get into that in this article) does have a lot to do with it, it's the person in the mirror that needs to take responsibility for their own eating habits, and weight loss and/or weight management strategies.

I know it's easier to point your finger and say it's that person's fault, but we need to become more responsible for the food we eat, and our daily activities. Typically, if the parents are lazy, or couch potatoes, the children will be the same. Some how, some way, that pattern has to be broken. And the best way to break the pattern is by starting with self.

When you were growing up, who did you look up to? More than likely, your parents were your role models. Little girls liked to hang with their mothers, and boys loved to hang with their fathers, and I believe that's what this study is all about. It's about learning, or becoming, like your mother and/or father.

Included in that study, their research showed that ""the risks of obesity among eight year old girls were 10 times greater if their mother was obese. With boys, the risk of obesity was six times greater if their father was obese. And compared to the apparent influence exerted by the weight of their same-gender parent, the weight of the children measured at the age of eight bore no significant relationship to their birth weight."

Here are the results, if you were thinking your weight problem was all genetics. The findings in this study suggests that "childhood obesity is not primarily caused by genetic traits passed down by same-gender parents."

As I've mentioned, it's not all genetics. We pick up the same "good" and/or "bad" habits from the people that influence our lives the most. And as a child, most likely, it was your parents. Just as the authors of the study wrote,

"Childhood obesity today seems to be largely confined to those whose same-sex parents are obese, and the link does not seem to be genetic. Parental obesity, like smoking, might be targeted in the interests of the child." (Perez-Pastor EM et al. 2009).

I would think that this finding (above all others) seems very important because it may mean that w as parents can reduce our same-gender child’s risk of obesity by losing weight ourselves. That's what I'm trying to communicate in this article. If we take a long hard look into the mirror, we may find the source of the real problem.

This should not be news to anyone of us. However, it may be something that we are just hiding from, or something we don't want to deal with. If we are going to break the pattern of obesity in our family, you may have to take a stand, and take action. Weight loss does not have to be painful or even a chore. We just have to use common sense. Weight loss can all start by eating healthier meals, and becoming more active - put down the television remote control and go for a walk.

If you've tried diet plans before and they didn't work, give TriVita's Leanology® a try. What do you have to loose?

To learn more about weight loss or TriVita, click on the previous links.

Jeffrey Sloe
Independent TriVita Business Affiliate - 12871028
440-725-3729

The above information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Sources:

• http://newsletter.vitalchoice.com/e_article001572970.cfm?x=bgb4LV2,bfv5gTb0
• Temple JL, Wrotniak BH, Paluch RA, Roemmich JN, Epstein LH. Relationship between sex of parent and child on weight loss and maintenance in a family-based obesity treatment program. Int J Obes (Lond). 2006 Aug;30(8):1260-4. Epub 2006 Feb 21.