“Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days”
“The Weight Loss Cure”
“Eat Fat, Get Thin”
There is no shortage of bad advice about how to lose weight. You’ll find bad advice on the internet, in books, and even from some “medical experts.”
In fact, some have suggested that all of this bad weight loss advice is part of why we find ourselves in the midst of an obesity epidemic. Research suggests that dieting is statistically likely to lead you to gain weight more often than lose weight!
And yet, because everyone eats, everyone seems to think they are an expert when it comes to what to eat, when, and how. People trust their “gut” (pun intended) and feel equipped to judge weight loss advice that will work for them. But it rarely does.
The truth of the matter is that scientists really don’t have a good handle on how to help people lose weight – at least not easily and without surgery. I’ve written an entire book featuring some of the best advice science has to offer, but none of my advice is revolutionary. Most of what scientists know boils down to the well-known mantra, “eat less; exercise more.”
However, I believe that being a good scientist means admitting when you know you don’t know something. And, realizing that the more you know, the more you have to learn.
We are not winning the war against obesity. More than 78 million adults in the U.S. are obese. Over 12 million children are obese. The medical cost of obesity is estimated to be over 100 billion dollars annually. It’s time to admit that diets don’t work. We need to figure out what does. We need good science.
![March for Science webpage March for Science webpage](https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/styles/article-inline-half/public/field_blog_entry_images/march-for-science-logo.png?itok=ugWbstUJ)
This Saturday, I’m heading to Washington D. C. to participate in the March for Science. It’s not just because I’m a scientist invested in improving people’s health. There are so many medical, social, and cultural problems that need solving. And, facts have a much better track record than fads when it comes to solving important problems.
@Copyright Charlotte Markey 2017
Smart People Don’t Diet (Da Capo Lifelong Books and Nero) by Dr. Charlotte Markey is available now, here. You can follow Dr Markey on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and on her website Smart People Don’t Diet.