Why diets don't usually work

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Our brain has its own opinion about how much we should weigh - this is called a "control point" (range of 4-9 kg). And no matter how hard we try, he will very persistently return us to "ideal weight" again and again. When we go on a diet and start fasting, the defense mechanism turns on, and then breakdowns and new weight gain occur. It turns out a vicious circle. Neuroscientist Sandra Amodt suggests switching from diet to a smarter and more meaningful approach to what we eat.

Today I want to offer you a TED talk about a hot topic - diets and why they rarely work. But this time, the problem will not be addressed by a nutritionist, but by a neuroscientist.

It turns out that our brains have their own opinion about how much we should weigh. This is called the “reference point” (4-9 kg range). And no matter how hard you try, he will still persistently return you to his "ideal". In addition, once upon a time, when we were still running after mammoths, excess weight was our salvation, because if there was no food for a long time, our body reacted to the lack of food and tightened the screws (reduced energy consumption). As soon as food appeared, we turned on at full power again. Evolution is a very slow process, and it is not able to change our bodies as quickly as the fashion for the external parameters of a person changes. So it is very difficult to deceive nature. And instead of cheating, we can learn to control ourselves and what we eat, but not go on a diet.

Sandra Amodt invites us to switch from diets to a smarter approach to food intake.