Refuse To Regain

The Judicious Use of Addiction: The Positive Pleasure Experience

by Barbara Berkeley, MD We are all addicts. Our brain works by a system of rewards that are mediated by chemicals like endorphins, enkephalins and endocannabinoids. Pleasurable experiences "hit" these systems and provide a nice jolt; one we want to repeat. Thus, craving the experience of playing music, running or watching Dancing With the Stars (my personal yen) is a kind of addiction, especially if we feel withdrawal when we don't do these things or only feel "normal" when we... Read more →

Dietary Tribalism: Factionalism Goeth Before the Fall

by Barbara Berkeley, MD I started blogging about 3 years ago. At the time I was a naive, starry-eyed newbie who couldn't wait to share my experiences and opinions with the world. I had just written a book based on the experiences I'd had with patients over a period of nearly 20 years. As I sat, fingers poised over the keyboard for my first foray into the internet world, the prospect of getting my message out to a larger audience... Read more →

Are You Hormonally Destined to Regain? Don't Believe It!

by Barbara Berkeley, MD The longer I hang around the weight loss field, the more I am impressed by successful weight maintainers. Obviously, I have a major interest in the factors that contribute to permanent weight stabilization...since I've devoted a book and a blog to them. Over the past 10 years, the number of people who have figured out maintenance seems to have grown. Perhaps this is just because we can speak to one another more readily via the internet.... Read more →

Halloween to New Year's Day: Joy, Anxiety and Overeating

by Barbara Berkeley, MD Why do we eat? In the America of 2011, we eat for the same reasons we buy new TVs, redo our kitchens or replace our perfectly functional cars. We eat not because we need to, but because we can. Eating is cheap, pleasurable and soothing. It's kind of an adult "blankie". With that in mind, let's look at when we need a blankie most. We want to be soothed when we are stressed, when we are... Read more →

Getting Fat: What You've Been Told Is Wrong

by Barbara Berkeley, MD If you listen to the loudest voices repeating the most conventional wisdom, getting fat means that you simply eat too much. It also means that you are a slovenly slug, sitting around when you should be doing something strenuous. In addition, you are psychologically damaged and using food to salve your painful problems. Finally, you are a weak-willed incompetent who can't control a simple thing like food. What does getting fat mean? If you believe what... Read more →

This response from Alexie deserves a place in the main blog. I agree with this so completely that it really struck a chord. Thanks so much Alexie. "This is slightly tangential to your point, but I read a lot of blogs where the idea of restricting food in any way is anathema and people talk about HAES and following body cues etc. One thing I think we've missed in all the discussions is the collapse of social rules around eating.... Read more →

Binge Eating: Eat Without Restriction or EWI?

Here's a question I ask all of my new patients: "Are you a binge eater?" About 80% of the men and women I see have to stop and think, yet they do not have anything resembling binge eating disorder. Many of those who eat the SAD (Standard American Diet) feel that they are under the control of food. Despite their best efforts, they may find themselves at the other end of an entire bag of Fritos or a full pint... Read more →

Chris Christie's Weight: We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us

by Barbara Berkeley, MD The past week has seen a (dare I say it?) feeding frenzy around the issue of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's weight. With a possible presidential bid in his future, Christie's size has become the topic du jour. Is a corpulent candidate less fit for office than a lean one? Does an overweight president better reflect who we are as a country in 2012? While you'd have to be blind not to notice that Christie is... Read more →

A Calorie Just a Calorie? No Way

by Barbara Berkeley, MD A calorie is a calorie. This is my least-favorite dietary mantra. Why? Because in the real world of real people and real weight loss, it isn’t true. In scientific terms, a calorie is a specific measure that refers to the amount of heat needed to raise the termperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree centigrade. We can measure the amount of heat contained in any substance by burning it in a machine called a calorimeter.... Read more →