Ability to delay gratification is genetic. See the Marshmallow Experiment Now we need to talk about ethnic differences in obesity (for the time being, of course) as well as heritability of BMI being between .75 and .82.  In a study of white Britons, it was found that IQ measured in childhood predicts obesity by age 51. In yet another study, cohort members who became obese had a low IQ. Those same cohort members didn't see a decrease in IQ, instead they had a low IQ from childhood.  Read more here. Evidence states that there are underlying factors to obesity, such as diabetes being an underlying cause for obesity. Also, studies have came out in the past 2 weeks stating genes are linked to binge eating. New genetic form of obesity, diabetes discovered..  A large number of genes are involved in regulating body weight, and there are now over 30 genes known in which people with harmful changes in DNA sequence become extremely overweight. Similarly, there are a number of genes that can, when altered, cause type 2 diabetes. These conditions are inherited through families in exactly the same way as disorders such as cystic fibrosis or Huntington's disease.  We also know that obesity is associated with the brains neurotransmitters. Also, type 2 diabetes is reversible with diet. White rice consumption leads to a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes.  Higher consumption of white rice is associated with a significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes, especially in Asian (Chinese and Japanese) populations.  And this came out a few weeks ago saying that obese people have an extremely low chance of becoming a normal weight  The chance of an obese person attaining normal body weight is 1 in 210 for men and 1 in 124 for women, increasing to 1 in 1,290 for men and 1 in 677 for women with severe obesity, according to a study of UK health records led by King's College London. The findings, published in the American Journal of Public Health, suggest that current weight management programmes focused on dieting and exercise are not effective in tackling obesity at population level. The annual chance of obese patients achieving five per cent weight loss was 1 in 12 for men and 1 in 10 for women. For those people who achieved five per cent weight loss, 53 per cent regained this weight within two years and 78 percent had regained the weight within five years. Overall, only 1,283 men and 2,245 women with a BMI of 30-35 reached their normal body weight, equivalent to an annual probability of 1 in 210 for men and 1 in 124 for women; for those with a BMI above 40, the odds increased to 1 in 1,290 for men and 1 in 677 for women with severe obesity. 'Once an adult becomes obese, it is very unlikely that they will return to a healthy body weight. New approaches are urgently needed to deal with this issue. Obesity treatments should focus on preventing overweight and obese patients gaining further weight, while also helping those that do lose weight to keep it off. More importantly, priority needs to be placed on preventing weight gain in the first place.'  I also like linking this brain MRI scan when talking about how sugar, which 80 percent of the things on our shelves in stores have unneeded, added sugar, is AS addictive as cocaine. And I love this study talking about delaying self gratification predicts obesity 30 years later in pre schoolers Another study came out the other day talking about how brain structures involved in delayed gratification identified; implications for range of psychiatric disorders Tldr, heritability of BMI is, at its highest at .82. Low IQ is correlated highly with obesity. Since IQ is genetic, and IQ is highly correlated with obesity, then that means obesity is genetic.    One of the best studies used pairs of identical twins (Bouchard et al, 1990). Twelve pairs of identical twins were kept in a lab and overfed for three months. All the twins gained some weight. However, there was a marked variation in how much weight each subject gained. But, more strikingly, there was a tight correlation between co-twins in weight gain: Both the total weight gained and the distribution of that weight was strongly correlated between twins. Despite the small sample, this is a poignant demonstration of both the great degree of individual variation in propensity to gain weight – even in the same broad conditions – and the genetic underpinnings of such variation.   https://jaymans.wordpress.com/obesity-facts/#diet You can attempt a rebuttal to my post or just give me downvotes, it doesn't change the reality of what I posted.