Willpower is NOT the Problem— The Body’s Fat Thermostat Part 4
“Obesity is a disorder which, like venereal disease, is blamed upon the patient” Astwood 1962
The energy balance equation, which is always true says
If you don’t think about it too hard, it seems that to lose body fat, you only need to eat fewer calories or exercise more. That’s only been tried about a few million times and fails just about always.
The reason is that Body Fat is regulated like a thermostat — as we discussed in Part 1. If the fat thermostat is set too high, then your body will change the hormonal profile to either reduce energy expenditure (Calories Out — see Part 2) or increase hunger (Calories In — see part 3).
Thinking deeper upon the problem of excess calories, ask not “IF Calories In> Calories Out” but “WHY are Calories In> Calories Out?” The simplistic answer is that people choose to eat more or exercise less. But that’s completely wrong. Nobody who is obese chooses to eat more.
People eat more because they are hungry.
Hunger, which is a hormonal state and not a choice, drives eating behavior (as we discussed here in my article on What Ozempic teaches us about Weight Loss). If your hormones increase hunger, you’ll eat more. You…
