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Last week while waiting in line at the grocery store with my daughter, I noticed a magazine. No, it wasn't one of those tabloid gossip magazines, it was TIME.
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Mixed in with all the gossip rags I noticed a TIME magazine, and the cover jumped out at me - The Science of Appetite. Intriguing. Like most of us I struggle with my weight, and since I often write about it, I decided to buy the magazine. Coincidentally, on that same day I received a book from Holtzbrinck Publishing titled Rethinking Thin - The New Science of Weight Loss. Was it a "sign", or just a coincidence? I'm guessing coincidence...but I thought I would write about it anyway.
It seems every day a new "scientific" study comes out about dieting. But does any diet really work? Does anybody do scientific research on whether the scientific research is right or wrong? Well, it turns out they do. And Gina Kolata, a science writer for the New York Times, has compiled quite a bit of this information in her new book Rethinking Thin - The New Science of Weight Loss.
I'll be honest, I was hoping this would be a book revealing that one secret scientific fact that would allow me to lose those last ten pounds and keep them off forever. Well, fat chance. But seriously, this is a book that actually talks about the truth, the myths, and the history of dieting.
This is a book that's not so much what we "want" to hear, but what we "need" to hear. In comparing the Atkins diet to a low-calorie diet, Kolata takes us on the personal journey of four dieters, each committed to losing a significant amount of weight. And the results will surprise you. While in the process of reveling the outcome of this two year study, Kolata also tackles many social, economic, and political aspects of weight and dieting in America.
I would say Rethinking Thin is; a scoop of history, a pound of science, and a dollop of heartache...and when you mix it all together, it turns out to be a pretty interesting read. But that's just my opinion, if you want to read an actual review of this book then check out this New York Times book review...
If you had to choose, would you rather be fat or blind? When a researcher asked that question of a group of formerly obese people, 89 percent said they would prefer to lose their sight than their hard-won slimness. “When you’re blind, people want to help you. No one wants to help you when you’re fat,†one explained. Ninety-one percent of the group also chose having a leg amputated over a return to obese. — read full article
Another interesting review…
Still, fans of Kolata’s writing in the Times will not be disappointed by this book. She has an easy way of explaining complicated science, of introducing you to words like “leptin†and “ghrelin†without scaring you off. Rethinking Thin will definitely make you smarter about the world of metabolism and nutrition, even if you despair, after reading it, of ever looking like Brad Pitt. — read full article
For me, the TIME magazine article is the ying to the Rethinking Thin’s yang. The article covers some of the scientific reasons for our hunger and our cravings. For instance, is the decision to eat in our head or our stomach?
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What Makes Us Eat More Food? — Seven Ways Our Bodies Tell Us We’re Hungry - Even When We’re Not.
Somewhere in your brain, there’s a cupcake circuit. How it works is not entirely clear, and you couldn’t see it even if you knew where to look. But it’s there all the same—and it’s a powerful thing. You didn’t pop out of the womb prewired for cupcakes, but long ago, early in your babyhood, you got your first taste of one, and instantly a series of sensory, metabolic and neurochemical fireworks went off. — read full article
Four ways to Curb Your Appetite:
1. Eat Fiber to stimulate appetite suppressing hormones and make you feel full.
2. Brush Your Teeth instead of eating a snack, the flavor change helps you resist eating more.
3. Be Consistent by eating breakfast and regularly scheduled meals to keep hormone levels steady.
4. Slow Down to give your brain time to tell your stomach it’s getting full.
Also See: A New Diet
