The Centers for Disease Control provides the most accurate estimates of obesity prevalence in the US, based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. They just released data for the 2015-2016 survey period, and it doesn’t look good.
The impact of weight loss on the drive to eat
Weight loss engages a “starvation response” that acts to regain the lost weight, and this is a key reason why weight loss is difficult and often temporary. This starvation response includes an increase in the drive to eat and a decrease in calorie expenditure. Using a clever study design, Kevin Hall and colleagues recently quantified the contribution of eating drive to this starvation response. The results suggest that increased eating drive is the primary way in which the starvation response opposes weight loss.
Book Update
Hello, folks. My book, The Hungry Brain: Outsmarting the Instincts that Make Us Overeat is due to be released on February 7, and I’m very excited about it. It’s substantially different from any other book on overeating and weight management, and I believe it will inject much-needed information into the public discourse on obesity. Given that the brain governs all behavior including eating, it’s remarkable that no other general-audience book has looked broadly at its role in overeating and body weight (to my knowledge). The Hungry Brain is based on thirty-six expert interviews, hundreds of scientific papers, and my own scientific expertise. My goal is to give you the best that neuroscience, obesity research, and my noggin have to offer.
The Hungry Brain has received outstanding reviews from The New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and many knowledgeable individuals. You can read excerpts on my book page.
I’ll be doing a book reading and signing at The Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle on February 8 at 7:00 pm. Come hear me read a bit from the book, expand on one of the topics in it, and take questions.
Behind the scenes, my publicist and I are cooking up a few strategies to help get the word out. In the coming weeks, I’ll be appearing in a number of interviews. I may do a Reddit AMA. If you think my work is valuable, please spread the word!