Many of us, myself included, find it difficult to control our weight. Unlike many of the generations that preceded us most people in the UK struggle to control our urge to consume. Previous generations may have had similar urges but, certainly for my grandparents as well as their forbearers overeating just wasn’t a choice; there is barely enough food to give the household. Now some people are faced with an excellent selection of calorie-dense, appealing food. Some people find it difficult to control our weight whilst others seem to do so easily. I figured it may be helpful to consider why that is.

Studies suggest that in the long run, there isn't any escaping the fact that to make one pound of fat, you need to store approximately 3 . 5 thousand calories, equivalent to riding about 100miles on a bicycle.

Studies suggest that in the long run, there is no escaping the truth that to create one pound of fat, you have to store approximately 3 . 5 thousand calories.

So in order to gain weight sufficient being obese most adults have to store what seems like a vast number of calories. So how and why does this happen? The physics is apparent – no one could make energy from nothing. Gaining fat is a reflection of the disordered balance between calories in verses calories out. But does that make it our fault? Not at all.

Our ancestors had to eek a living hunting and gathering the things they could from meager resources. When they found a resource of food rich in calories, they ate it. This is what kept them alive when food was scarce. Similarly those genes that built them into choose the high-calorie, rich foods were even the foods that we evolved to choose over those which had less value and were not as likely to stay alive. So the genes that helped us survive were those that drove us towards eating a bit more in times of plenty and people who made us choose the high-calorie foods. These are the very same genes that now cause me to feel choose that bacon sandwich and draw me towards having that second biscuit.

There are known to be over ninety genes that are linked to the growth and development of obesity. Whilst one or two relate very directly to hormones that are key to the control of appetite hugely (leptin for just one), they have more subtle effects. Nevertheless almost all of the currently identified genes influence what we eat. They do this predominantly in 2 ways. They either influence our food response; the impulse to consume from the chocolate box (bacon roll for many), or they control satiety; the “button” that says I have had enough. Roughly 60 to 70% from the variability in BMI (weight proportionate to height) inside our society could be taken into account by genes that control these 4 elements.

So how much extra do individuals with these genes eat? Well on a daily basis very little. The maths is scary. 30 or 40 calories a meal doesn’t seem like much, the majority of us couldn’t measure it (half a biscuit, perhaps, just one chocolate) but that equates to 100-120calorise a day, or 3000 calories per month or roughly 5 kilos a year. When we have done that for Ten years we are dangerously overweight. Obviously other environmental factors influence the food we eat, and just what we burn. Fatigue is known to increase grehlin – among the hormones involved with appetite control. Stress also influences this and other hormones. The availability of yummy high calorie foods also makes people susceptible to excess susceptible to over indulgence.

So so what can we do to prevent excess fat gain? Well firstly prepare the fridge and the kitchen cupboard. Make certain there's tasty stuff in the fridge that is also healthy and never so calorie dense (vegetables in many cases are an excellent start – they have a relatively high volume per calorie so the stomach wall gets stretched and grehlin along with other hormones are freed to trigger satiety). There is a body of evidence to point out that lean protein could have a high satiety value per unit calorie.

There is a body of evidence to suggest that lean protein could have a high satiety value per unit calorie.

Whilst fats might be calorie dense there is some evidence that particular fats might have benefits on long-term appetite, perhaps by their effects on promoting a proper micro biome (the bugs living in our guts). In essence a well-balanced diet without a lot of “treats”(cheese or chocolate!) Exercise may also contribute to experience in influencing our appetites and burning some calories!

The genes which make us aren't our fault (they kept our ancestors alive), but we cannot influence the genes we're born with. What we can perform as human beings is make conscious choices and, to an extent, manipulate the environment around us to overcome the potential risks and difficult choices we very often face.