When most things in life don’t work out the way we would like them to, a scapegoat is first thing we look for. Something to blame for our mostly self-generated problems.The theory goes like this: you are obese because your body has this gene that makes you that way and there is little you can do about it. Solace to millions, but pure hype used mostly to sell copy.There is absolutely no proof of this. Even somebody without a degree in advanced molecular biology specializing in genetics could tell you why. It’s simply impossible.50 years ago, obesity rates were negligible. Today, more than 60% of the US population is overweight or obese. Obesity rates have jumped 70% since 1991 – no way could this happen if genetics were the problem.Genetics is about evolution and evolution works on a much longer time line than fifty or even hundred years – try thousands of years. There has been no Darwinian force to make us heavier.There is no genetic benefit to being overweight – in fact, it’s just the opposite. If overweight trends continue, obese people will eventually die out since generally they make less money, have fewer children, have more health problems and die sooner.But don’t hold your breath. It won’t happen any time soon and it won’t help the overweight of today. And neither will telling them, “It’s all your genes fault.”Are some people more predisposed to being overweight? Yes – and you know who you are. But this only means that it’s easier to get overweight, not manifest destiny.Experts think about 25% of the all the factors that cause obesity are linked to genetics. So that means if you are carrying 20lbs of fat, 5lbs comes from genetics – in the worst case – and the rest is due to lifestyle factors.In reality, all excess weight comes from lifestyle factors – namely not exercising and eating too many calories. It doesn’t matter what kind of genes you have. That some people get overweight faster than others is no excuse.So why would people – even respectable people – be saying such things? That’s pretty easy: Which book do you thinks sells better: “You’re Obese and It’s not Your Fault” or “How to Burn Off that Fat with Hard Work at the Gym and a Strict Diet?”There’s also a huge supplement industry that lives off obese people. The fitness industry is no different, really, we just tell it like it is – unfortunately, people are tired of hearing that same old tune.The pharmaceutical industry also loves obese people – they can sell billions of dollars of costly medications for “weight control” and they just swoon at all the nasty health conditions obese people are more prone too.But the reality is humans stopped evolving a long time ago. Once we could control our environment, evolutionary pressures largely ceased.The real reason why people are obese is the huge selection of fattening foods available and poor self control when it comes to eating. Plus, the TV, couch and remote control. Lifestyle changes are necessary if you want to burn fat and lose weight healthily.Another factor related to genetics is that some people’s bodies seem to like to stay at a particular weight and body fat percentage. Even strict dieting and exercise just causes the body to burn less energy thereby defeating efforts to lose that adipose tissue. The reverse is true for some who would actually like to gain weight – muscle weight – and can’t seem to no matter how hard they try.The good news is these “set points” – that the body defends with a will – can be changed by sticking with it. All the more reason for long term lifestyle changes as opposed to “get slim quick” plans. Any short term plan – no matter how effective – is doomed to failure.These genetic body fat percentage set points may also be part of the reason why people get obese in the first place. Since they see no immediate effects from overeating – their body may react by increasing their metabolism to burn off the extra calories – they think it’s OK to overeat again. But after awhile, your body can just give up and begins storing the extra calories in the form of fat.This also explains why some folks just never get overweight – their body reacts to extra calories by increasing its metabolic rate.Regardless of the cause, there is still only one sure cure for obesity – less food in, more calories burned.Maybe someday we will be able to modify a person’s genetic structure and create GM people, so they don’t get obese, but that day is at least a decade off. Any “diet” medication – like those now coming on the market – used to suppress the effects of bad genes are likely to have unpalatable side effects including seriously denting your wallet.And only a few percent of us are really affected by the perfect storm of bad genes that allow morbid obesity. But this has been the case for the last millennia and is no excuse for the bulging waistlines surrounding us today.Look to lifestyle, not genetics if you really want to know why you are overweight – and look at the good side: you do have a choice. Your overweight is not carved into your genetic code.