Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 5,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Always Hungry? summary
Dr. David Ludwig
Conquer Cravings, Retrain Your Fat Cells And Lose Weight Permanently
Listen to the first key idea
Key idea 1 of 8
3.9 (114 ratings)
17 mins
8 key ideas
Audio & text
What is Always Hungry? about?
Always Hungry? (2016) explains the common misconceptions about health and weight loss. In it you’ll see what you’ve been doing wrong in the quest to lose weight, and importantly, explore how you can actually train your body to process fat without giving up real, delicious food.
About the Author
Dr. David Ludwig is an endocrinologist, a researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital and a professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Table of Contents
Key idea 1 of 8
We’re blaming the obesity epidemic on the wrong variables.
People have spent decades trying to lose weight by counting calories, eating fat-free foods and exercising. So why is obesity still such a serious problem in the United States? To understand, first we have to look at some of the many misunderstandings surrounding obesity.
Contrary to popular belief, weight gain isn’t caused by a lack of physical activity. In fact, exercise can even be counterproductive when you’re trying to lose weight. We tend to overestimate the number of calories we burn while playing sports, for instance, and it actually takes a lot of effort to burn the calories contained in a single chocolate bar. The bottom line is that you can’t lose weight by spending more time at the gym – and strenuous exercise might make you hungrier or even encourage you to overeat.
“Fat genes” don’t explain our society’s weight problems, either (although they can have some impact on an individual’s body weight). The obesity epidemic is a fairly recent phenomenon, starting in the United States in the 1970s, and then spreading to Europe and Japan. Any genetic changes we might’ve experienced can’t have been expressed that rapidly. Something else has to be going on.
But obesity is also not simply the result of consuming more calories than we burn. People who believe that think we can fix the problem just by eating less. But that doesn’t work. Why? Because, first of all, it’s not that easy just to eat less! Secondly, it’s unhealthy to prioritize certain foods based on their calorie content. A 200-calorie serving of french fries is much more unhealthy, for example, than a 200-calorie serving of nuts.
But most importantly, and perhaps the most harmful misconception about weight loss, is that you can’t lose weight by eating less. You don’t gain weight when your cells have too many calories. You gain weight when your organs aren’t getting enough nutrients from your blood.
If your organs are low on nutrients, a calorie-restricted diet only makes the problem worse. It slows your metabolism and increases your appetite – so a simple weight-loss plan won’t get you very far.
Want to see all full key ideas from Always Hungry??
Key ideas in Always Hungry?
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
Who should read Always Hungry?
- People looking to lose weight and feel healthier
- Nutritionists and lifestyle coaches
Categories with Always Hungry?
Books like Always Hungry?
What our members say
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
Start growing with Blinkist now
25 Million
Downloads on all platforms
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
91%
Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
*Based on survey data from Blinkist customers