The Pleasure Trap of Food: Or Why Saying No Doesn't Work

[elkpark]

You could have made your (good) points about healthy diet habits without lapsing into discredited junk science.

The tide is turning against the notion of willpower as depletable in other ways, too. A meta-analysis published in July in the journal Psychological Science examined the question of whether glucose limits willpower. Queen Mary University of London's Osman and her colleagues used a new statistical method called p-curve analysis to re-examine studies in the field. In statistics, a p-value is the likelihood that a finding occurred by chance. Most of the time, psychologists consider findings to be significant if the p-value is less than 0.05, meaning there's a 95 percent chance the finding is real and a 5 percent chance it's a fluke.

Osman and her team plotted out the p-values of several previous studies of glucose and willpower, and found that the distribution of these values was flat, rather than skewed toward smaller p-values, as they would be if the effect was real. In other words, the published findings linking glucose to strength of will were likely just showing things that happened by chance.

The New Science of Willpower: Can Self-Control Really Get Used Up?

One of the reigning theories of willpower is what's called the energy model of self-control. According to this model, the brain is like a muscle, with a limited supply of strength, which can be depleted through exertion. Nobody is disciplined all the time; we all have lapses. And according to the energy model, these lapses occur when one act of self-control weakens our resolve, leaving us "fatigued" as we face another challenge. Many studies have demonstrated that an act of mental exertion can compromise subsequent acts of discipline. What's more, proponents of this theory have reported evidence that the brain - again like a muscle - is fueled primarily by simple carbohydrates, like sugar, and that depleted willpower can be replenished simply by refueling.

This model of self-control has been tremendously influential, but not all scientists are convinced it's the whole story. Northwestern University's Daniel Molden is among the skeptics. He and a team of colleagues have been using new laboratory methods and novel experimental designs to reexamine the role of carbohydrate metabolism in self-discipline - and to offer a competing theory of how willpower plays out in the brain.

The Physiology of Willpower: Where Does Discipline Come From? | HuffPost

In short, the idea that more sugar is consumed when exerting "self control" is wrong. Actually, Hockey (2011) would say that the emphasis on glucose as the fuel for self control is not just wrong, but destructive of progress, writing:

Remarkably, given that fatigue has been studied formally for well over 100 years, there is still no scientifically mature theory of its origins and functions.

One part of the reason for this lack of progress, he suggests, is that there is an "irresistible tendency to think of it in terms of a loss of energy resources," but that there is "no evidence" for the claim that "fatigue is the result of glucose depletion." Hockey concludes that "there is little doubt that the energy-depletion perspective has been a source of distraction in the search for a theory of fatigue" (p. 167). Van den Berg (1986) pointed this out more than a quarter of a century ago.

Glucose Is Not Willpower Fuel | Psychology Today

A psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania refutes the claim that the brain consumes extra glucose, a simple sugar, when people exert self control ...

Brain's willpower not fueled by glucose - Futurity

Moreover, brain experts have known for quite some time that the brain does not consume more blood sugar when working on difficult tasks. The brain is an organ, not a muscle, and thus does not consume extra energy the way a muscle would. Your brain uses the same number of calories per waking minute whether you're working on calculus equations or watching cat videos.

Have We Been Thinking About Willpower the Wrong Way for 3 Years?

And more:

Bad Request

Stanford scholars say willpower is in your mind, not in the sugar

[sasera]

"700,000 million people are overweight

108,000 million children are overweight"

Seven hundred thousand million people?

I don't think these numbers are correct...

[Emergent, RN]

I'm doing Keto now. Eliminating carbs is key. It gets rid of all cravings. You only need to eat once or twice a day. Your blood sugar stays even and low all the time since your body has adapted to burning fat as fuel.

[Oldmahubbard]

I have been a life long problem eater, apparently, because I was slightly over weight as a teen and young adult, although I exercised intensely on a daily basis.

I did everything I could think of to lose or even maintain my weight. I wanted to be sexy and attractive so desperately, I ate almost nothing for 6 weeks at the age of 14.

Yes, I lost 20 pounds.

I resumed eating so very cautiously, and tried to work off calories.

Before long, exercise consumed a minimum of 2 hours a day.

Over many years, in many different situations, it became clear to me that most women who maintain a healthy body weight eat very little.

Practically nothing, in fact. I have repeatedly observed it over many years.

There is no pleasure trap of stuffing my face, which I find offensive.

I must respond to physical hunger by eating small amounts of food throughout the day.

I have arthritis, and can't run 5 or 10 miles a day anymore.

People's metabolic rate varies widely, and many people cannot maintain the weight they lose over time.

Eating mostly salad for lunch is somewhat effective for some people, but it doesn't carry me through the afternoon.

I end up feeling weak and dizzy.

Rant over.

[Carol Ebert, MSN, RN]

"700,000 million people are overweight

108,000 million children are overweight"

Seven hundred thousand million people?

I don't think these numbers are correct...

Clearly I did not proof read those numbers carefully as there are certainly more zeros than there should be. Those numbers were from the notes I took listening to the Webinar. Here is the latest data from WHO to clear it all up. Thanks for noticing that.

WHO | Obesity and overweight

Key facts

Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975.

In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these over 650 million were obese.

39% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight in 2016, and 13% were obese.

Most of the world's population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.

41 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2016.

Over 340 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 were overweight or obese in 2016.

Obesity is preventable.

[Carol Ebert, MSN, RN]

I have been a life long problem eater, apparently, because I was slightly over weight as a teen and young adult, although I exercised intensely on a daily basis.

I did everything I could think of to lose or even maintain my weight. I wanted to be sexy and attractive so desperately, I ate almost nothing for 6 weeks at the age of 14.

Yes, I lost 20 pounds.

I resumed eating so very cautiously, and tried to work off calories.

Before long, exercise consumed a minimum of 2 hours a day.

Over many years, in many different situations, it became clear to me that most women who maintain a healthy body weight eat very little.

Practically nothing, in fact. I have repeatedly observed it over many years.

There is no pleasure trap of stuffing my face, which I find offensive.

I must respond to physical hunger by eating small amounts of food throughout the day.

I have arthritis, and can't run 5 or 10 miles a day anymore.

People's metabolic rate varies widely, and many people cannot maintain the weight they lose over time.

Eating mostly salad for lunch is somewhat effective for some people, but it doesn't carry me through the afternoon.

I end up feeling weak and dizzy.

Rant over.

Thanks for sharing.

[Oldmahubbard]

I heartily disagree that obesity is entirely preventable.

[Carol Ebert, MSN, RN]

I heartily disagree that obesity is entirely preventable.

That is the opinion of the World Health Organization not mine. I agree that it is a very complex issue and there is more to be learned in the future. But right now there is alot we can do ourselves to stay as healthy as we can.

[Emergent, RN]

I heartily disagree that obesity is entirely preventable.

In Western societies, with the constant supply of pre-made, high carbohydrate food, obesity is a natural outcome. The car culture and labor saving devices also are strong factors.

[NurseCard, ADN]

I have been overweight or obese my entire life. Sadly, so has my daughter.

You are correct that diets do not work, due to the fact that people go on diets,

lose the weight, then go back to eating just the way they did before. I know

from my own experience that the weight piles back on almost literally

before you know it.

I am on a diet right now, however I have come to realize that I have to

treat my obesity like a disease, and from now on I have to EACH and

EVERY DAY, monitor what I eat. Just like for instance, a diabetic must

monitor their blood sugar throughout the day.

I keep a food journal, and I make wise choices. It is something that

I'm going to have to do for the rest of my life.

[Carol Ebert, MSN, RN]

I have been overweight or obese my entire life. Sadly, so has my daughter.

You are correct that diets do not work, due to the fact that people go on diets,

lose the weight, then go back to eating just the way they did before. I know

from my own experience that the weight piles back on almost literally

before you know it.

I am on a diet right now, however I have come to realize that I have to

treat my obesity like a disease, and from now on I have to EACH and

EVERY DAY, monitor what I eat. Just like for instance, a diabetic must

monitor their blood sugar throughout the day.

I keep a food journal, and I make wise choices. It is something that

I'm going to have to do for the rest of my life.

That is a great approach because it gives you more control over your condition.