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Do genes make us fat? Some of our class believed that weight is a set point, but I disagree with this. I believe that making this statement ignores the obvious issue at hand. Obesity is a problem in America. Genes may cause weight gain in some people, but the majority of people simply lack nutritional education. Calories in vs. calories out have nothing to do with genetics, but the culprits of overeating are often not controlling fat intake, snacking, emotional eating and exercise.

Emotional eating would be an interesting discussion to have as a class. Why does a person eat comfort foods to maintain good moods? Can our box theory explain this dependence? I would also be interested to hear the class opinion on the use of sweet treats for child behavioral reinforcement. Does this encourage these children to continue this behavior as an adult and never learn to deal with the sad feeling?