Why Diets Make Us Fat

Buchzusammenfassung

Sandra Aamodt is a neuroscientist and popular science writer. She is the former editor-in-chief of Nature Neuroscience and coauthor of the books Welcome to Your Brain and Welcome to Your Child’s Brain.

Weight loss is often celebrated, but the body sees it as a threat, striving to maintain a stable weight range through a balance of calories consumed and burned. This balance is disrupted by the body’s reward system, which once aided survival but now drives overeating in a world of abundant high-calorie foods. Dieting can worsen this cycle by reinforcing the reward response, making indulgence harder to resist. Self-control, while effective for short-term goals, is limited and unreliable for long-term challenges like resisting cravings. Building healthy habits proves more sustainable, as habits require less willpower over time. Weight discrimination, such as fat shaming, often leads to unhealthy behaviors and weight gain, particularly in children, while media-driven body ideals exacerbate mental health issues. Physical activity, not weight loss, is the key to health, as shown by studies like Jeremy Morris’s research on London bus workers, where active conductors had better health outcomes than sedentary drivers, regardless of weight. For older adults, being slightly overweight can offer protection against illness-related weight loss. Establishing positive routines, rather than relying on willpower, helps create lasting change, though forming habits takes time. Weight gain’s evolutionary roots and genetic factors further complicate weight loss, as even small genetic differences can significantly impact outcomes. Instead of following diet trends or influencers, mindful eating—paying attention to hunger cues, eating slowly, and avoiding distractions—can help individuals make healthier, more instinctive food choices.

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