Refuse To Regain

Diet Books of 2014: "What Are You Hungry For?" Disappoints Me

by Barbara Berkeley, MD The beginning of each year brings a new crop of diet books. Publishers aren't stupid. They know that the most common New Year's resolution is the vow to lose weight. And since none of the thousands of other books already written on this topic were strong enough to get the job done, it's time for a whole new table of tomes---purposefully displayed right at the front of the book store. Hah, you may be thinking, she's... Read more →

Foie Gras---Human Style

by Barbara Berkeley, MD It's an expensive delicacy that appears on the menus of fine restaurants world-wide. Foie Gras is goose liver, but not just any old liver. Specifically it is the super smooth and tasty liver of geese or ducks which have been overfed with carbohydrates until their livers fill with fat. The translation of Foie Gras is pretty blunt. It means Fat Liver. Since geese will generally avoid eating until they are sick, the fattening process is accomplished... Read more →

A Too Fat World: One Symptom of Systemic Cultural Illness?

by Barbara Berkeley, MD When I recently had the sobering task of visiting a friend in the midst of her severe clinical depression I was struck by one thing. My friend was visibly ill, not just mentally, but physically. Even before medications were started, her skin was sallow, her weight had ballooned up and she looked like someone with a devastating bodily problem. In western medicine, we are taught to view the body as distinct from the mind. Psychological illness... Read more →

Why Am I Regaining My Weight?

by Barbara Berkeley, MD Every once in a while, I feel the need to write a post about the basics and I think today is the day. Have you lost weight only to find that it is piling back on again? Let me try to give some help. As always, I want to offer the following disclaimer. I am not suggesting that what you are about to read is gospel. It is my opinion based on my experience with overweight... Read more →

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 →

The Addictive Power of Food

By Barbara Berkeley Here’s my question: why is there still any debate about whether some foods are addictive? As you know, I’m a big fan of empowering POWs (those who have been Previously OverWeight) to rely on the knowledge they’ve gained over years of experience dealing with weight control. Believe me, you, our readers, know more about the intricacies of fat loss and regain than many experts. For that reason, you’ve earned the right to trust your own judgment about... Read more →