Genes give some a slim body but good health is more than just being thin. Here are 10 tips
Some people are lucky. They binge on pizzas, burgers, ice creams, fries and chocolates, but don’t seem to add an inch to their waistlines. And we wonder why they never put on weight. It’s genetics, they say. True, their genes gives them high metabolism.
That’s only partly the truth. The other part is perception. We only see them wolf down high-calorie food, but we don’t know what they do during the rest of the day. Maybe they have only one or two meals a day so that the calorie intake evens out. They could have an active lifestyle to burn the calories: they may be playing a sport regularly or at least going for long walks.
People with certain health conditions like hyperthyroidism and diabetes don’t pile on the pounds. Eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia too can prevent people from gaining weight. So weight management is more than just genetics and portion control.
Staying healthy: What the experts say
Suchitra Bajpai Chaudhary, Senior Reporter
While most of us are huffing and puffing on the treadmill, counting calories and resisting our favourite foods, we have some people seem to have their cake and eat it too. In other words, these people not only eat well, but they also don’t need to watch the scales. How do they achieve this impossible feat?
Gulf News spoke to a nutritionist, a gastrointestinal specialist and weight loss expert to learn what revs our metabolism. They pin it down to three main factors: behavioural patterns, sound nutrition and genetics.
Two other significant factors are sleep and eating pattern. “Our nervous system and our hormones together work in tandem to create an appetite regulatory system. When people don’t have good eight hours of sleep at night, it triggers cortisol release because of the stress. This activates the ‘hunger hormone’ leptin, and they tend to snack a lot and put on weight. Others just have a huge appetite and tend to eat even when they are not hungry. Those with great metabolism are those who sleep well and eat only when hungry,” Dr Cowie added.