Why Diets Make Us Fat: The unintended consequences of our obsession with weight loss - and what to do instead

(Paperback)

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In Australia, two out of every three adults is overweight. We think we know the answer- cut calories; eat less. We conclude that being fat is a failure of willpower, perhaps supplemented by a quirk of genetics. Yet research shows that losing weight by willpower alone is almost guaranteed to fail in the long run. In fact, there is no evidence that dieting improves long-term health, and some that suggests yo-yo dieting is more dangerous than being overweight. Combining deep research and brutal candour about her own experience as a yo-yo dieter, neuroscientist Sandra Aamodt explains the science of the obesity epidemic, including new findings about gut bacteria, why bariatric surgery works (it has more to do with your brain than your stomach), and what a real alternative to dieting and weight cycling might look like.

Reviews

'In this deeply researched book, Aamodt demolishes the conventional wisdom on dieting, building a compelling case that if we want to be healthier, we should diet less, not more. Essential reading for today's weight-obsessed culture.' - Traci Mann, PhD., author of Secrets from the Eating Lab;'Finally, a scientist who bridges the gap between the emerging behavioral theories of weight loss and our current disastrous attempts to diet our way thin! I can't wait for this to be published so I can give it to patients.' - Dr. Henry S. Lodge, professor at Columbia University Medical Center and co-author of Younger Next Year;'This important book sounds a much-needed alarm about the long-term damage that dieting does to our bodies and minds. Highly recommended for chronic calorie counters and anyone trying to raise healthy, sane children in an insane food world.' - Jonathan Bailor, author of The Calorie Myth and founder of SANESolution.com

Author Bio

Sandra Aamodt received her undergraduate degree in biophysics from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Rochester, and went on to work as editor-in-chief of Nature Neuroscience. She is co-author (with Sam Wang) of Welcome to Your Brain and Welcome to Your Child's Brain. Her science writing has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, El Mundo, and The Times, among others. Sandra lives with her husband on eight acres in Northern California with a dog and two cats.