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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Why Diets Make Us Fat summary
The Unintended Consequences of Our Obsession With Weight Loss
18 mins
Brief summary
Why Diets Make Us Fat by Sandra Aamodt challenges the effectiveness of traditional diets by exploring the science behind weight gain and loss. It highlights the importance of listening to our bodies and promoting healthy habits over restrictive diets.
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Why Diets Make Us Fat
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Key idea 1 of 7
Why do you gain weight again after losing it? Because your brain thinks you’re starving.
If a woman of average height who weighs 110 pounds lost 30 pounds, most people would agree she was too skinny and possibly malnourished. Yet if a woman who weighs 230 pounds lost 30 pounds, many people would congratulate her for shedding the excess weight.
To society, there’s a big difference in experience between these two women on a diet. Yet to the human brain, these scenarios are interpreted as dangerous: in both cases, the body thinks it’s starving.
Your body has evolved to keep your weight within a defended range; that is, your average weight plus or minus 10 or 15 pounds.
It’s relatively easy to achieve weight changes within your defended range through modifications in diet and exercise. The range itself can also shift, but it’s important to keep in mind that it’s far easier to raise the range than it is to lower it.
So while you can lose weight, once you drop below your defended range, your body will work hard to get you back to that level.
Why is this the case? Your brain maintains a highly effective energy-balance system, which automatically keeps your weight in its defended range by keeping the calories you burn close or equal to the calories you consume.
This energy-balance system, however, can easily be upset by the body’s reward system. When you do something that helps you survive – for example, eat a calorie-rich hamburger – your body sends your brain a shot of the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine.
Such a system was beneficial for our hunter-gatherer ancestors. When they found a stash of honeycomb or made a big kill, for instance, the body’s reward system compelled them to overeat, which made sense for survival, as the next meal might not come for a while.
Today, however, this system doesn’t work in our favor. With constant access to high-fat, sugary foods, we can too easily overeat, which pushes our bodies’ reward system into a feel-good loop.
As a reaction to our overeating, we often put ourselves on diets. Yet, research suggests that if we diet repeatedly, it can cause changes in the brain, making the reward response even stronger, and resulting in even more indulgence.
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What is Why Diets Make Us Fat about?
Why Diets Make Us Fat (2016) demolishes many popular myths about diets and the relationship between weight and health. These blinks explore the science behind claims that dieting just doesn’t work and offer alternatives for people seeking to shed a few pounds and live more healthily.
Why Diets Make Us Fat Review
Why Diets Make Us Fat (2016) explores the paradox of why diets often lead to weight gain in the long run. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- The book challenges the traditional belief that restricting calories and following strict diets are effective weight loss methods, providing insightful research and alternative approaches.
- Backed by scientific evidence and the author's expertise in neuroscience, it offers a fresh perspective on the complex relationship between our bodies, diets, and weight.
- With its engaging storytelling and real-life examples, the book tackles an important issue in an accessible and relatable way, ensuring readers are captivated from start to finish.
Best quote from Why Diets Make Us Fat
A woman would need a rib removed to achieve the waist-to-hip ratio of the current Barbie doll.
—Sandra Aamodt
Who should read Why Diets Make Us Fat?
- Anyone struggling to lose weight
- People interested in the science behind eating healthily
- Individuals wanting to develop better eating habits
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Why Diets Make Us Fat FAQs
What is the main message of Why Diets Make Us Fat?
The main message of Why Diets Make Us Fat is that traditional diets often lead to weight gain and have a negative impact on our overall health.
How long does it take to read Why Diets Make Us Fat?
The estimated reading time for Why Diets Make Us Fat is several hours. But you can read the Blinkist summary in just 15 minutes.
Is Why Diets Make Us Fat a good book? Is it worth reading?
Why Diets Make Us Fat is worth reading for anyone who wants to understand why diets often don't work and learn about healthier approaches to weight management.
Who is the author of Why Diets Make Us Fat?
Sandra Aamodt is the author of Why Diets Make Us Fat.
What to read after Why Diets Make Us Fat?
If you're wondering what to read next after Why Diets Make Us Fat, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Feeding You Lies by Vani Hari
- Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
- Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink
- Body Kindness by Rebecca Scritchfield
- The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
- Eat It! by Jordan Syatt and Michael Vacanti
- The Inner Clock by Lynne Peeples
- The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taubes
- No Ego by Cy Wakeman