HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT

A manual offers tips and tricks for losing weight.

Clark and Gibb assert that satiety, or the feeling of fullness, can be obtained not only with the hormones leptin and insulin, but also through social, learned, and environmental factors. The purpose of this book is to reprogram readers’ satiety signals that have been desensitized over time thanks to elements like portion size and advertising. Although the work is well researched and meticulously cites references, neither author is a physician. But what the guide lacks in qualified medical advice it makes up for in comprehensiveness. The volume is almost 800 pages and is the first installment of a three-part series. Because of the length of this tome and the science included, it will appeal to readers who want to achieve that full feeling as well as learn the reasons behind it. For example, there is a section on the causes of overeating that goes into great detail about leptin resistance, sensory inputs, and obesogenic chemicals. There is a lot of eye-opening material here that sets it apart from more run-of-the-mill diet books. For instance, the authors explain why a cluttered home or an open plan living space can spark overeating. While the information about portion size and macronutrients will prove valuable to all diners, the authors also deliver surprising tips. They advise eating purple carrots or Queen Garnet plums because they contain anthocyanins, which helped rats lose weight during clinical trials. There are so many worthwhile tidbits included in the manual that it’s understandable the authors had difficulty paring down the contents. Still, a book of this length should feature an index.

A useful, detailed guide to achieving satiety through reprogramming eaters’ fullness cues.