# Gut bacteria seem to play a role in obesity **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 4, 2013, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gut-bacteria-seem-to-play-a-role-in-obesity/667979 "2013-09-04T08:08:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f19dbf/32.png) [@CLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CLee)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gut-bacteria-seem-to-play-a-role-in-obesity/667979/21 "2013-09-06T10:34:20Z")
> [@brazil84](#): > > I have a feeling that if you put a mouse on a “cafeteria diet” for a few months (i.e. the opportunity to eat as much varied junk food as it wants), then it will tend to get fat regardless of what bacteria it has in its gut. Really? Huh. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gut-bacteria-seem-to-play-a-role-in-obesity/667979/22 "2013-09-06T12:40:15Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > Basic maintenance (eat to appetite, no heavy exercise) seems to be 2000 for me. When I’m not using weights, I go back down to 102 lbs. If I’m exercising in addition to my usual active lifestyle (I work on my feet and cycle for transportation), 3000 is my usual diet, and it means I make myself feel not-quite-comfortably full twice a day. My weight never tops 108 lbs/my hip circumference never goes over 35.8. I have gone up to 4000 per day over weeks, but eating that much food makes me feel CRAPPY, and I give up before I can get over my usual limit. Yeah, it seems as though your body is a furnace. 3000 cals a day for me and I’d be putting on a pound a week. Then again, I’m not on my feet all day nor do I bike to work (how far is the ride?). Typically I strength train if I’m eating 2500 (give or take) and that’s about maintenance. If I’m running (jogging) then I’m typically on a calorie restriction plan, so I’m not sure what my maintenance would be if I was trying to run to improve my cardiovascular fitness (just thinking out loud here, I probably _should_ run without a goal of cutting weight). What type of weight lifting do you? > [@rhubarbarin](#): > > Of course if I could manage to overeat enough for long enough, I would put on weight, but my body protests so much it’s not worth it to me. > > This has all been true for the last 5 years. > > I don’t calorie count all that often but I’m both an eat to live person, and a health nut, so I eat basically the same things most days in measured portions. I count occasionally to make sure I am getting enough not to lose any weight as I don’t have a scale anymore. I like to keep myself at a minimum of 105lbs/35" hips which isn’t too hard. But I do have to work at it. My natural weight is 100-102lbs. I’m kind of curious about your weight lifting plan and bulking. I’d be interested to know if you were eating 3k cals a day (maintenance) and you threw in the weight training if you would start losing weight or if you would stay the same but gain strength. Then add on about 250 cals to the 3k when you were no longer making strength gains. Keep doing that slowly until you are at the 4k limit. It would be interesting because it seems as though you are extremely consistent in your daily meals. If you don’t mind me asking - how tall are you? 100-105 lbs seems awfully light, granted I’m approaching this from the other end of the spectrum (I need to lose about 40 lbs). I do get the feeling that you are comfortable at your weight - when you are 108 how are you feeling (outside of actually getting the food down)? As I said, it’s interesting to look at this whole thing from a different angle - when I intentionally try to gain weight (to gain strength/muscle) I tend to put on fat rather easily. If I didn’t have that issue and I could just bulk I’m wondering what my lifts would look like. Right now it’s such a yo-yo for me trying to put on muscle and then cut fat. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gut-bacteria-seem-to-play-a-role-in-obesity/667979/23 "2013-09-06T14:05:18Z")
> [@CLee](#): > > Umm, don’t the subjects chosen for the study sort of disprove a genetic/organic cause of obesity? Assuming the subjects are identical twins, it disproves the claim that genes are the sole cause of obesity. But I doubt that anyone seriously believes that genes are the sole cause of obesity. It’s pretty obvious that like most human attributes, genes and environment both play a significant role. > [@](#): > > Really? Huh Yes, really. And if the bacteria hypothesis gains traction, it won’t be long before we see food products and pills being pitched which are claimed to contain “good” bacteria and therefore to provide an easy fix for obesity. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gut-bacteria-seem-to-play-a-role-in-obesity/667979/24 "2013-09-10T03:48:50Z")
> [@Hodge](#): > > I prefer [RePOOPulate](http://www.uoguelph.ca/news/2013/01/post_229.html), myself. Love the name. And it sounds like I called it. Lab grown bacterial mix: new name. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gut-bacteria-seem-to-play-a-role-in-obesity/667979.md?page=1)