Both of my parents are gone now. My Dad died from a heart attack when I was 19. He had had heart problems for about 3 years. He was very overweight. He went on a medical diet and lost 100 pounds. The heart disease had taken a toll on him and eventually he died from another heart attack.
My mom was a horrible cook. She was a grazer. She picked at food all day long. She was about 80 pounds overweight herself. She use to make comments to family members about their weight. I use to feel she had no room to talk. I miss her though. She died in a car accident when I was 30.
I didn't learn great eating habits from either parent. My ex mother in law taught me how to cook and make good meals. Too bad her son was such a jerk.
What eating habits did you get from your parents and did they have weight problems too?

Hi Enough,

Strangely enough, neither of my parents were overweight (Mom was 5'1 and weighed 100 lbs). I am the youngest of nine. The rest of my siblings were all normal weight until they got older. Three of my older sisters got very heavy after they hit their 30's. One is taking off weight.

Our Grandparents were average to slim but when I saw old photos of our Great Grandmother, I was surprised to see that they were both very large women... who knows.

For me, I know it's more than genetics and I have battled with food/body/emotion safety issues that I'm trying to move beyond.

Best regards,

Isis

Nope. Neither of my parents were overweight and my brother is still slim at 43. My mother passed away 11 years ago at age 74 and still weighed 145 pounds at 5' 6". My dad is still alive today and nearly 91 (this month). He could actually stand to gain a few pounds and my step mom has him drinking Ensure so he doesn't lose any more weight.
Hard to say if genetics are involved in my PCOS and resulting weight problem...I'm adopted.

We used to have a "meat & potatoes" type meal every night. When my Dad would go up north, and leave Mom & us kids behind - our treat was macaroini & cheese, or tv dinners! The Dairy Queen & McDonalds were frequent stops after shopping. It was a "eat everything on your plate" family. My mother always battled with her weight, probably 50 -60 pounds. My dad is probably maybe 35 - 40 pounds overweight - he has high cholesterol & high blood pressure. My mother passed away in February, she had been in poor health for a very long time, knee replacements, heart problems, type II diabetes, asthma induced emphysema, high blood pressure & some I have probably forgotten. My promise to her before she left us, was to lose weight and get control of my health. I miss her terribly.

My mother wasn't overweight until she had her 4th child, my brother. Since then, she has been battling her weight. She is about 40-50 pounds overweight. My dad was never really overweight.

My mom is about 15 lbs overweight (mainly due to age and a slower metabolism, not overeating I don't think) while my dad has been thin most of his life. Most of my relatives are on the thin side.

Both my parents have battled their weight.. my father is very overweight now, I was shocked the last time I saw him (hadn't seen him in 2 years)! I dont' know their exact weight but he probably has over 100 to lose, at least! His problem is eating too much of the wrong things. My mother has about 80+ to lose as well and suffers from type 2 diabetes (for about 7 years now) which she treats with medicine... although her diet is almost totally carbs. My sister has about 80 lbs to lose too.. she eats VERY poorly - probably worse than my parents, and she has no portion sense, she'll just keep eating and eating unless the food runs out (like Pooh Bear.. "is there any more? No? I thought not.").

I can't talk to them about this WOE because they wouldn't listen.. so I'm hoping to SHOW them by my weight loss. When I've lost my 60 lbs, they'll say, "wow.. how'd you lose???" and then I tell them.. pretty much all their weight related medical issues (high blood pressure, poor skin condition, weight, cholesterol, diabetes, etc) can be "cured" with this WOE... and I intend to teach them. But, actions speak louder (and clearer) than words.. so that's the way it'll have to be with my family.

My mil, on the other hand, has just a few lbs to lose, and her .. get this.. iron is low, blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides are up... so (we're weight loss buddies) she tells me that she's going to do WW because she doesn't feel low-carb would be safe right now with her medical problems?!?!! Sigh.. I wish I could get her to read the book.. I leant it to her, in fact, I GAVE it to her and bought another copy for myself... but she's never read it.

Still, like I said.. actions speak louder than words... so when I've lost my weight (and I gained a pound today, don't know why!) she'll see my quality of life and health being so much better and she'll want to finally know more. I think it's the best thing you can do for your overweight friends/family... lose weight then explain how... and hopefully they'll listen.

I know with my parents they would never do this.. or at least it would shock the heck out of me if they did, because they love their desserts (my dad is a Brit), and love their eating out after supper (yes, you read that right - they go out for "wings" slathered in sugary sauces and a pop, and dessert - again!). My sister has a chance, but she needs to learn portion control. There's no point eating 7 cups of salad slathered with dressing and 3 chicken thighs... at one meal... and then snack on other things between meals.. you know? I dont' think she'd lose like that.

Anyhow.. blah blah blah.. yes, they were and are overweight. grin! (I talk too much, I know )

Blessings!

Both of my parents were very overweight and made my life a living hell when I started gaining weight in my teens. From the time I was little they would fill my plate with adult size portions then make me sit there until I finished it. Always had to clean my plate no matter if I liked what we were eating or not. I started gaining weight when I was about 13 and my dad and mom both started right in on me - you're fat, you're ugly - get on a diet and stick to - then put huge portions of food in front of me and made me eat it. Lots of baggage. Dad passed away about 11 years ago still overweight and suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes, kidney failure and cyrrhosis of the liver. Mom is still alive and suffers from Type II diabetes, high blood pressure and several other problems. She still puts huge mounds of food on her plate and makes sure she eats it all before she leaves the table.

I'm in control of my eating now. I am going to lose this weight and not kill myself doing so. I gained the last 40 pounds of this weight on low fat, high carb diets - they don't work. This WOL is working. It may be a little slow at times (didn't lose anything this week), but it IS working.

My dad didn't really have a weight problem. He has a beer gut from drinking though. He ate when he felt like it, and when he did he usually would have 1 huge meal and nothing else throughout the day.

My mom on the other hand has a body type very similar to mine. We are the same height, start to have problems losing at the same time (200 #s), and store fat the same way. She has very bad eating habits, total sugar junkie. When she was young she ate in secret and would hide candy bars in her room. Currently she weighs 200 pounds but in the past has been as big as 250. When we were young she made us kids clean our plates . Out of 4 kids 3 have what could be called unstable/abnormal weight but I am the only one with the real weight problem.

I think the development of an eating problem usually has less to do with the environment you were raised in, and more with genetic predisposition to engage in certain behaviors. Like, a certain mindset would be inclined to find enjoyment or comfort in overeating. That said, my mother and I think remarkably similarly. We are both prone to depression, and compulsive overeaters because of it.

Also, no doubt your body type plays an important role. Some people have more trouble with refined carbs and have a slower metabolism. My sister is 5'7 and 140 pounds, all she eats is sugar (very little fat and protein) and never gets hypoglycemic (shaking, ravenous hunger and all) or anything like that. Whereas, before i started this WoL I ate far less candy and refined carbos than she does, but I had a huge problem with maintaining stable blood sugar and weight (partially because of the previous problem, i overate a lot). I attribute that difference to genetics.

So anyway, I think the genes (or prenatal environment) that helps determine predisposition to behavior/feelings and body type are far more important in indicating if one will have a weight problem than environment. Not that environment is unimportant, I just feel it plays a smaller role: if you took a child and put them in an adoptive home, you'll probably find their body type and behavior towards food more similar to blood relatives than their adoptive parents.

I look at the way they eat and see where I got it. Cookies before breakfast, mcdonalds over veggies, sweets and more sweets. I thought it was *NORMAL* to have a slice of pecan pie (or 2!) while making my morning coffee..
sheeshh...........

My father is Asian, so he and his side of the family tend to be small and thin. My mother on the other hand is Caucasian, and the best word to describe her and her side is Amazonian. Very tall, large people to say the least. When the genes were divided up, I received the heavy bone structure and height of my mother yet I am slim in the breasts, hips and thighs courtesy of my Asian ancestors, which I find to be a blessing. Unfortunately I also seemed to inherit my mother’s way of eating (meat and potatoes) and not my fathers (seafood and vegetables).

My Dad was always thin, & my Mom was slim to average size until she reached middle age, & then became overweight.

My dad is 6'3" so no and my brother is 6'4".

My sis, mom, and I are all 5'8". My mother is what is termed morbidly obese and has fought her weight her whole life. Both her sister and brother were also morbidly obese, smoked and drank black coffee a lot during the day. Both my aunt and uncle were dead by 50.

My mom is now 60 and does not drink black coffee or smoke so hopefully she will be around long enough for my daughter to know her ... but she has given up on worrying about her weight and loves food. So she I guess figures why not enjoy these last years and eat what she wants.

She is where I learned my overeating behavior from that I have tried not to teach my daughter. I let my daughter snack if she wants to and she tends to naturally eat small meals and snacks ... so I will not be discouraging that.

That whole mentality of finish your whole plate even if you are full I think is very old thinking and should be changed.

My dad was 5'11" and overweight (but I wouldn't say "obese". He passed away last year...though not related to weight (Melanoma). My mom is 5'4" & has lost 12 pounds on Atkins & has about 10 more to go.

~Amy

We had the usual ,meat potatoes and veggie for supper and for breakfast and lunch it was get whatever there was. Both my parents worked full time.
My mom never had a weight problem but my Dad always was battling the bulge. My Dad would go away for work and we too had Kraft dinner and pizza while he was gone--he didn't like those.
My 3 sisters were always somewhat over weight as I. This summer my oldest sister found out she had diabetes she had been gaining alot of weight in a short time. That got me to thinking--but i should have been smarter before has I had high blood pressure. But the thought of having one more comlication got me started on the diet.
angie