Too many clinicians look at obesity as a personal failing—self-indulgence, a lack of willpower, or a lack of self-control. They see obesity as related to a mental problem—an addictive personality, anxiety, or depression—the list goes on and on. Many clinicians are very judgemental when it comes to patients who struggle with weight. The best analysis of the evidence says that is wrong and that is a major problem. Because we have failed to develop an approach to obesity that addresses the real root cause of the problem, there are all kinds of extreme solutions being offered to Americans. Some are having major surgery to bypass their stomach. Some are buying medicines that cost a thousand dollars a month. It is crazy. Most of us are overweight today and there are ten times as many Americans with type 2 diabetes as 70 years ago for a very simple reason. We changed what we eat!
Dr. David Kessler is a physician who also has a law degree. His medical and law degrees are both from Harvard. He was head of the FDA for 7 years and he was the one who held the tobacco companies accountable for the death and disease caused by their products. He is a highly capable individual with a long list of accomplishments. He has plenty of self-control and willpower. He is an outstanding individual. Despite that impressive resume, he has been as much as 70 pounds overweight, and he had real difficulty losing the extra pounds. That really puzzled him.
He is one of those individuals who I admire most. He uses science, facts, and evidence to arrive at his conclusions. His work on food and the root cause of the twin epidemics of diabetes and obesity is some of his best. You can learn about the details in his great book The End of Overeating. This interview and this video are also great. Here is the short version. Restaurant chains, fast food outlets, and processed food manufacturers have learned a way to increase sales. Combining sugar, fat, salt, and carbs in products like donuts, chips, soda, fries, hamburgers etc. produces food that is so delicious many of us will eat it when we are not hungry and the more we eat the more we eat the more we want. It activates the same areas of the brain as cocaine. When we ate real food at home obesity was rare. Now obesity and type 2 diabetes are epidemic. It is just that simple.
The answer is equally simple. You can’t lose weight permanently eating fast and processed food. Eat real food— lean meat, eggs, seafood, fruit, vegetables, beans, peas and nuts. I have lost 70 pounds and kept it off for over 15 years. Dr. Kessler lost 70 pounds and he has kept it off. My brother in law lost 70 pounds and he has kept it off. Two thirds of my diabetic patients lost weight based on this advice and by cutting way back on sugar and carbs. The average loss in one year was 13 pounds and at two years fifteen pounds. Four lost over 100 pounds. It was very interesting. I treated many couples. If the husband lost weight, the wife lost weight in most cases. If the husband gained weight, the wife gained weight. It is very hard to eat real whole food when everyone else in the family is having ice cream and cake. The family food culture makes a huge difference. In my experience, very few people really want to be fat or sick. If your doctor gives you the feeling that your excess weight is because you don’t have willpower, find someone who understands how this all works and will support you in changing what you eat. You are not defective and you don’t have to be fat or sick.
I agree wholeheartedly with this article. The foods most people eat cause hormonal changes in our bodies that have us store fat and make it inaccessible to use for energy, making it very difficult to lose stored body fat, even with cutting calories. Eating real foods is a must although I would suggest that for weight loss an intermittent fasting program is also a big help as it's a very good method for restoring insulin sensitivity.
Thank you for sharing this 🙏.