This episode is recorded by me because it’s a topic which is very close to my heart. Anyone listening who has ever struggled with their weight, would be able to understand what a really difficult process it can be.
The episode is based on a book I have been listening to called ‘Why we eat too much’ by Dr Andrew Jenkinson. it’s an absolutely excellent book which he encourages you to listen to from beginning to end. There’s a very good reason for that. Each chapter plays a part in explaining why we are wired the way we are and how food has changed our size, appetite and eating habits. It also explains why we’re seeing the typical illnesses we now experience as a result.
The book begins with a scientific explanation for how the body works. Although we take much of it for granted, our breathing, sweating, and maintenance of our bodies, is complicated and carefully regulated. If we take in too much salt for example our body tries to combat that.
If we are self-regulating like this, then Doctor Jenkinson tries to explain why we put on weight. The answer is clear; our body and mind work together to continually judge our circumstances. Our brains judge our environment, and the quality of the food we eat. So, some of the immediate answer comes from the quality of the food we eat and this he feels has fundamentally changed over the last 30 to 40 years.
What else did I cover?
The second most important point is that we have an internal regulator called a set point. This if you like, is a form of internal thermostat. So, as we eat more, our thermostat is turned up to try to bring our weight down in the face of overeating. Equally, if we eat less, our thermostat is turned up to try to return us to our set point.
Many of us will have experienced low-fat eating or any other type of weight loss diet and found that it works initially. It rarely seems to last. We now have our explanation for that. Our weight loss may be genuine, although initially made-up of water lost from the cells. But, then only determination keeps us going. We may lose whatever we set our mind to eventually. However, our bodies adapt and our setpoint tries to increase our appetite in an effort to return us to this balanced weight. The key is in understanding why which I’ll get to
So sadly, many of us end up returning to that higher weight or even higher! We try to carry on for a few weeks or even months getting more and more unhappy. We do this until the whole cycle starts again. This yo-yo dieting does even more damage according to Dr Jenkinson.
It’s in the interests of food manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and sugary food producers to do this – they spend 100 times more on advertising, than the Government does on healthy eating campaigns. Eating natural foods, is the solution, but it relies on many of us deciding to do this ourselves for now
Some of the points you will hear in this episode: –
- You will not need a new miracle diet book if you learn what your body and your brain really need
- Saturated fat does not cause heart disease as further evidence has subsequently discredited the study conducted by Ancel Keys.
- Where countries eat large quantities of sugar there is a significant problem with weight but we are not taught this
In conclusion, feed your brain not your body and you will be on the right track to being the right weight for you
You can find this book on audible, hardback, paperback and Kindle
