Why Diets Fail (Because You're Addicted to Sugar): Science Explains How to End Cravings, Lose Weight, and Get Healthy

307 Pages·2013·2.14 MB·English

by  Nicole M. Avena Phd

Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the experience and research of the authors.
It is not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician or other health-care provider. Any
attempt to diagnose and treat an illness should be done under the direction of a health-care professional. The
publisher and authors are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of
any of the suggestions, preparations, or procedures discussed in this book.
Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Nicole M. Avena and John R. Talbott
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown
Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House
Company, New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com
Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Avena, Nicole M., 1978–
Why diets fail (because you’re addicted to sugar) : science explains how to end cravings, lose weight, and
get healthy / Nicole M. Avena, PhD. and John R. Talbott. — First edition.
pages cm
1. Sugarfree diet. 2. Sugar—Physiological effect. 3. Reducing diets. 4. Health.
I. Talbott, John R., 1955– II. Title. III. Title: Why diets fail (because you are addicted to sugar).
RM237.85.A94 2013
613.2′8332—dc23
2013021488
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-60774-486-3
eBook ISBN: 978-1-60774-487-0
Cover photography by Katie Newburn
Illustrations on this page: (from left) ©istock.com/gresei, ©istock.com/ansonsaw, ©istock.com/pinstock,
©istock.com/SKrow, and ©istock.com/evemilla; this page: (dog) ©istock.com/alashi, (dog bowl)
©istock.com/HitToon, and (bell) ©istock.com/lushik; and on this page: (food) ©istock.com/appleuzr and
(faces) ©istock.com/PinkTag.
v3.1
To SAB
—
NICOLE M. AVENA
To Gary Taubes
—
JOHN R. TALBOTT
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART ONE
HOW SUGAR CAUSES YOU TO OVEREAT

STEP 1
Why Your Past Diet Attempts Have Failed
STEP 2
Weigh In on Your Sugar Intake
STEP 3
The New Science of Sugar Addiction
PART TWO
HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR ADDICTION TO SUGAR

STEP 4
The Sugar Freedom Plan for Breaking Your Addiction
STEP 5
What to Eat and What Not to Eat
STEP 6
Managing Your Withdrawal
STEP 7
Managing Your Cravings
STEP 8
Avoiding a Relapse (and What to Do If One Occurs)
CONCLUSION
How to Maintain Your New, Addiction-Free Way of Eating
Appendix: Sugar Equivalency Table
Resources
Endnotes
Acknowledgments
There are many important people to thank and acknowledge in the development
of this book. We especially thank our editor, Julie Bennett, and the entire team at
Ten Speed Press, as well as the folks at the Crown Publishing Group and
Random House, for their assistance and support in the writing and development
of this book.
—Nicole M. Avena and John R. Talbott
I would like to thank all of my colleagues and collaborators for their research as
well as the valuable information that they have produced in the fields of
nutrition, neuroscience, and addiction. There are too many of you to name, but I
value each of your unique contributions to our field. I would like to thank Bart
Hoebel for his mentorship and friendship, and for getting me involved and
excited about appetite research. I would also like to thank Susan Murray for her
invaluable efforts assisting with the research, organization, and development of
this book. She was there at every step along the way, and her interest in and
enthusiasm for this project significantly contributed to the final product. I would
also like to thank Cindy Kroll and Monica Gordillo for their assistance with
researching various aspects of the contents in this book. In addition, I thank my
friends and family for their help and support along the way. I am blessed to have
an amazing network of loving and supportive friends. I especially thank Nicole,
Nicki, Beth, and Marylynn for their encouragement while working on this
project. I extend my gratitude to my parents and siblings (both the A team and
the B team) for cheering me on. I also owe an infinite amount of thanks to my
husband, Eamon. You’ve supported me unrelentingly during this project, as well
as all of the other little projects that I have concocted in life and work, which
inevitably develop into something much, much bigger than anticipated. Your
advice, levelheadedness, and comic relief provide the glue that keeps me
together. Bert, thanks for staying up late with me all of those nights. Also, last
but not least, thank you Stella for your patience and understanding and for
allowing my work to temporarily encroach on our playtime. I love you all dearly.
—Nicole
I would like to thank my friends and family who had to put up with my
withdrawal symptoms when I went on this diet. Thanks especially to Teresa,
who was an early guinea pig and who demonstrated that the diet really did make
one feel dramatically better, more at ease, and more connected with life. I would
like to thank Becky for her great job transcribing and proofing the book, Dottie
for delivering on her promises as always, and Bill, Mario, Roberto, Tacho,
Jacinto, Luis, and all the other usual suspects at K-38 for making the writing of
this book as enjoyable as catching the perfect wave.
—John R. Talbott
Introduction
“Americans have more food to eat than any other people and more diets to
keep them from eating it.”
—YOGI BERRA
Look around you. The vast majority of people in the United States are
overweight, and a growing number are obese. Rich, poor, old, young, male,
female—we see obesity happening across all social domains, races, and ages.
Bodyweight problems aren’t restricted to certain groups of people. Right now,
more than 60 percent of Americans are overweight, and more than 30 percent are
obese.1 And these numbers are projected to continue to rise. In fact, by 2030,
researchers have predicted that 42 percent of Americans will be obese.2 This is
not just something that is occurring within the United States either; the obesity
epidemic is a global problem.
Although many of us may want to lose weight simply to improve our
appearance or how we feel about ourselves, there are important medical reasons
for controlling body weight. Excess body weight has been associated with a
number of health risks, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Despite
these potential harmful consequences and public health warnings regarding the
dangers of obesity, many people continue to overeat. And this isn’t hard to do.
High-calorie, high-sugar food is easily accessible to many people today, and
portion sizes have increased dramatically over the years. Food is also a big part
of our social lives and, as you will read in later chapters, has taken on a new role
in our society.
It didn’t used to be this way. Fifty years ago, it was much less common to see
fat people and usually a rarity to see fat children. So, what happened to cause
such an abrupt and dramatic change in the waistline of society? Certainly, social
factors made it easier to stay slim fifty years ago. There were more stay-at-home
moms to prepare healthy, wholesome, homemade meals; more people smoked
cigarettes (which are appetite suppressants); and, importantly, there weren’t as
many food choices or the large portions we have today.
Despite these societal changes, lots of things have happened in the past fifty
years that would lead one to think that we should be healthier, not heavier. There
have been dramatic advances in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, like
cancer and heart disease. We have learned an incredible amount from scientists
about ways in which we can live healthier, longer lives. And we have so many
luxuries that should make losing weight and staying well easy: We have twenty-
four-hour gyms, a variety of health food stores and healthy food choices, and
even an array of “diet” foods and programs that are supposed to help us keep our
body weight in check. Low-fat, lowcarb, no-carb—there are so many different
plans out there that you could spend a lifetime trying them all. Dieting is a
multibillion-dollar industry. With all of the books, magazine articles, and
television programs focused on weight loss, it is really a wonder how overeating
could be such a looming problem, not only in the United States but throughout
the world.
Why is this happening? Why can’t people just stop eating so much and lose
weight? Many possible culprits have been identified. Sure, people are stressed
and lead relatively sedentary lifestyles, and this undoubtedly contributes to the
problem of overeating. Also, genetics play a role; overweight people will give
their genes (and thus perhaps a tendency to be overweight) to their children, and
they might also raise them in a home that promotes excess food intake or
unhealthy eating habits. But there is more to it than just these factors.
Science has told us that the answer is simple: exercise, minimize stress, and
eat right. It’s the eating right part of the solution where things get complicated.
In response to the public interest in being healthy and losing weight, a plethora
of diet books and programs were developed. Many of these offer sound, practical
advice that, on paper, looks great. Many of the diet programs out there should
work, but they don’t. People go on a diet and then quit; weight regain and yo-yo
dieting have become a common, vicious cycle for too many Americans. The
problem is adherence. People just can’t stick to the prescribed plan, whatever it
may be.