many, many factors need to be considered

There was almost no serious obesity in my family that I ever heard of (I couldn't gain much weight if you paid me), yet my younger brother (3 1/2 years)outweighed me by the time he was 10 years old, once got to almost 300 lbs. He was able to control it, but it was a mystery why he found it so easy to pack on pounds.

I have known people whose body type seemed to have been 'set' in childhood, and no amount of diets made much difference. But.... there is no reason not to explore the possibilities! Life can be pleasanter and maybe longer if really excessive pounds can be defeated.

I sometimes feel a bit guilty for having few dietary issues.