The Secret Life of Fat Quotes

“There’s a difference between science and faith. What you believe belongs in faith and not in science. In science you have to go by data. I have faced people who are skeptical, but when I ask them why, they can’t pinpoint a specific reason. Science is not about belief, it is about fact. There is a saying—‘In God we trust, all others bring data.”
― Sylvia Tara, The Secret Life of Fat: The Groundbreaking Science On Why Weight Loss Is So Difficult

“This finding supports Muraven’s conclusion that practicing small acts of willpower increased subjects’ ability to take on bigger tasks involving self-control.”
― Sylvia Tara, The Secret Life of Fat: The Groundbreaking Science On Why Weight Loss Is So Difficult

“eating anything also increases our levels of fat-burning hormones. Many body builders and work-out enthusiasts swear by intermittent fasting. When blood sugar becomes low, it triggers the release of fat-burning hormones including adrenaline and growth hormone. Growth-hormone release peaks at night and during sleep. Intermittent fasting is powerful partly because it prolongs the overnight fast, extending the release of growth hormone, which burns fat.”
― Sylvia Tara, The Secret Life of Fat: The Groundbreaking Science On Why Weight Loss Is So Difficult

“What we eat and how much also affects our hormone levels. Our growth-hormone levels are naturally reduced by sugars and fats. That means eating a lot of cheesecake or other fatty desserts not only puts more fat into our bodies, but also diminishes our ability to burn it. It is a double penalty in which fat begets fat. Avoiding sugary foods also helps prevent the energy drop and hunger that result from insulin clearing the blood of nutrients. Eating about ten grams of protein after mild exercise, or twenty grams after more strenuous workouts, helps control hunger, as will adding plenty of fiber to one’s diet. Not”
― Sylvia Tara, The Secret Life of Fat: The Groundbreaking Science On Why Weight Loss Is So Difficult

“There is an upside to all of this efficient fat storage for women. Jensen explains, “The good thing about partitioning for women is that it keeps their lipids in the blood low. So their cardiovascular risk factors of high blood lipids are lower. It’s healthier. The thing to tell men is you may be lean when you’re young, but if you start gaining weight as you get older you’re going to be in a lot worse shape than your wife, who might gain similar weight, because her adipose tissue is much more protective than a man’s.”
― Sylvia Tara, The Secret Life of Fat: The Groundbreaking Science On Why Weight Loss Is So Difficult

“lesson is clear: once we enter a specific range of strenuous exercise, the body kicks in to lose fat no matter what our genes want. Bouchard’s groundbreaking work tracing genetic aspects of fat in the 1980s and 1990s depended on observations of physical traits within families; statistical modeling to account for variables such as gender, age, energy intake and expenditure; and human experimentation confined to pairs of identical twins. But new technological advances are now allowing for more specific investigation of”
― Sylvia Tara, The Secret Life of Fat: The Groundbreaking Science On Why Weight Loss Is So Difficult

“Apparently, it is healthier to be overweight and fit than simply to be thin.”
― Sylvia Tara, The Secret Life of Fat: The Groundbreaking Science On Why Weight Loss Is So Difficult

“Lack of sleep is associated with low leptin and high ghrelin levels, a combination that increases hunger, reduces satiation, and leads to obesity.”
― Sylvia Tara, The Secret Life of Fat: The Science Behind the Body's Least Understood Organ and What It Means for You

“Temptation Bundling One approach to fighting wayward urges involves “temptation bundling,” in which subjects couple a “want” activity with a “should.” In one experiment, Milkman divided participants into three groups. The full group was allowed to listen to audio novels of their choice only at the gym; after their workouts, the novels were locked away. The intermediate group was allowed to keep the audio novels but was encouraged to listen only at the gym. The third, unrestricted group was not limited in any way and could listen to novels whenever they chose. At the start of a nine-week intervention, the full group visited the gym 51 percent more often than the unrestricted group. The intermediates visited the gym 29 percent more than the unrestricteds. Meaning: pairing a “want” activity (listening to a juicy audiobook) with a “should” one (going to the gym) was a strong incentive to exercise. The method was so valuable that when the experiment was done, 61 percent of the participants opted to pay the gym to restrict access to their audiobooks. The effect fades over several months, though, so people have to switch the “want” activity to stay engaged. Even so, these results open up multitudes of possibilities. If we pair an unappealing chore with something we like to do, we increase the odds that we’ll perform the challenging task. For example, you could buy yourself an item of clothing every week you lose some weight. This will force you to assess your body and give you a reward for being disciplined. This is temptation bundling, but it’s also giving yourself a break from a constant stream of “should” activities. It recharges your brain and makes you stronger for the next time a little self-control is required (see below, “Don’t Overdo It”). Another method of improving self-control is the use of precommitment devices, which allow you to lock in good behavior tomorrow based on your good intentions today. An example of this is a website called stickK.com that helps people create commitment contracts. On the site you create a contract with yourself in which you set a goal—for example, losing ten pounds by a specified date. You deposit money into an account and then you select a trainer or coach to referee and confirm whether or not you achieved your goal. If you don’t hit your target, you lose that money. The process ensures that once tomorrow becomes today, you’ll feel a strong pinch if you break the contract. For example, you can commit to giving $500 to charity if you don’t achieve your goal by the specified date. Or choose an anticharity, meaning if you fail you must give money to an organization you don’t want to help, such as the opposing political party, which is an extra incentive not to fail. Using precommitment devices is a way of forcing your future self to do what your present self thinks it should.”
― Sylvia Tara, The Secret Life of Fat: The Science Behind the Body's Least Understood Organ and What It Means for You

“This research suggests the usefulness of prediet exercises to first build your self-control “muscles” before addressing bigger challenges such as sustained weight loss regimen. One could start with noneating-related tasks by, for example, committing to make the bed within thirty minutes after waking up, and then take on another task, such as cutting out a type of food, like cookies or chips. Having a successive number of small wins gives a feeling of confidence, which builds over time. Inching your way toward controlling food rather than adopting an all-or-nothing approach builds a foundation for future success.”
― Sylvia Tara, The Secret Life of Fat: The Science Behind the Body's Least Understood Organ and What It Means for You