Why does the same diet make me gain weight but not my friend?
The short answer
The FTO gene influences appetite and how your body responds to high-carbohydrate diets, so the same eating pattern can drive weight gain in one person and not another.FTO variants, common in South Asians, are associated with stronger hunger signals and more weight gain on carbohydrate-heavy diets. Your friend without the variant may eat the same and stay steady because their appetite and metabolism respond differently.
Knowing this reframes willpower. If you carry the variant, you are not weaker - you are working against a stronger appetite signal, and structuring meals to manage that signal is more effective than blaming yourself.
Do this today
Front-load protein at breakfast tomorrow. It blunts the appetite signal that FTO turns up, and the effect lasts into the afternoon.
Genes in playFTOMC4R