But all genes can really do is define a "baseline" of where people start if they eat whatever they feel like and exert as much or little effort as they feel like. It's a pain for those of us who tend to get fat if we eat what we like, but all it takes is knowledge and self-control. If calories out (via exercise and base metabolic rate, no matter how low that natural rate is) are greater than calories in (via eating), you will lose weight. It's not physically possible to do otherwise.
Yes, calories expended vs calories consumed is the key. What we’re increasingly learning about, however, is how the line of demarcation can change for many people.
It’s really, really a sad commentary that even on FR perfectly legitimate articles about significant biological revelations still provoke the high horse herd.