Fascinating! I can relate to using food as a distraction to avoid feelings and as a reward. It's dissociative. Glad you invited Dr. Brewer on the show.
This was interesting. Thank you Dr. For sharing your knowledge. One thing I have to disagree with is that eating whole foods stops overeating. Even when I eat whole, not over processed foods, I still somehow over eat.....what's wrong with me!
Nothing that is not wrong with me as well. I hear the whole foods claim all the time, and it might well be true for some people, but it most definitely isn't true for me.
Nutrient dense food as close to growing or buying from an organic farmer is going to increase your health odds. Salt and sugar are problematic so how is your salt and sugar habit??? Neither are good for healthy long life odds. We all have freewill to choos and do the right thing. It takes time for body to get use to it...21 days and no excuses. Learn new habits.
Sauce can be hyper palatable as well and lead to overeating. It may seem like a small thing, but a bit of barbecue sauce with chicken or ranch with some veggies isn’t whole foods. Obviously don’t know what your actual meals look like.. just a shot in the dark!
I've maintained 100 lb weight loss for about 15 years. My weight has varied by about 20 lbs up and down but I've never come close to being over 300 lbs again. Also, I went for years abstaining from sugar completely, and I now find that while I do allow myself to eat sugar occasionally, I have developed almost a phobia of it. I know that sugar causes inflammation and negatively affects my insulin resistance So what at one point I was definitely addicted to sugar, I really don't think that I can say that anymore.
@@Gboi8 personally found it much easier to go whole food plant based and just have a policy of yes I can eat it or no I can't rather than an ambiguous how much can I eat - I just find that a slippery slope!
I think willpower does exist in some form but it can't last because it's exhausting. Which means the ability to make permanent change comes down to motivation and personality, in addition to being able to create the right plan and environment to succeed.
I'm not sure of that. Speaking only for myself, I lost over 60 kg and have been keeping them off for the past 5+ years, and there are numerous people who do that. How long will I keep it up? I'll let you know when I'm dead...
@@techidna-h9t Willpower: I never stopped looking for something that made me less hungry, ideally not hungry. Over 40 years in, I accidentally found a way of preparing food that kept me tolerably hungry (which is, sadly, NOT the same as not hungry) and the willpower to not give up. That doesn't mean I never slip up, but it does mean I always return to my pattern when an accident happened. They usually happen when I try out a new idea. Once the experiment is over, I may have gained a kg or 2 and I lose them again over the next several weeks. Another one is if I make the mistake of buying fruit. I love fruit to death but it makes me ravenously hungry. If I have enough, the next day (a.k.a. after sleeping) will be normal again. If I have not enough, I will start to devour just about everything in sight because I am so hungry. As a result, I almost never buy fruit. I live by the German saying that vegetables are the better fruit. I.O.W. I just say no to foods that are not in my best interest. That is willpower, since no one forces me to live that way. I decide to live that way and as long as hunger is tolerable, I don't eat. It works. I lost the weight and am keeping it off while *very* slowly losing a bit more. At my intake, it has to be slow. One cannot reasonably live on an 800 kcal diet for years on end without potentially serious problems and the hunger would not allow me anyway. I tried. That's when I was **begging** for euthanasia. Never again will I do that.
Such a good point! Research I've learned about in the past has shown that willpower wears down when we're exposed to temptation repeatedly. It's like a muscle and it can be strengthened or weakened.
@@techidna-h9t Unless the definition has changed without anyone telling me, it is (in part) the capacity to continue doing something despite temptation to de something else. If that is still true today, then I owe my success to willpower. Nobody forced me to do anything, nobody is keeping me away from anything, nobody cooks for me, nobody shops for me. I am wholly responsible for what I put in my mouth. To the best of my knowledge that is willpower. It is quite possible, and likely, that willpower wanes. But if it does, that doesn't mean it is just a story we tell ourselves.
Interesting. So far, I disagree with the stance on willpower. As Jud Brewer says: "knowing something is not enough". Fair enough, but not knowing it seems worse. Acting on what we know, is where willpower comes in. I know hazelnuts are not great for weight loss and I love them to death, but I decide not to devour them, which is doable because they do not make me hungry. OTOH, I love apples and most/all fruits as well, but something in them is stronger than my willpower: they make me hungry. If I have many apples, I'll devour all of them. If not, I'll start to devour anything else in sight, because I am so hungry it overrides anything else I should be doing. Just because my willpower isn't strong enough in that instance, is not a very good reason to claim it is not important.
This doesn't make sense to me. Yes, we educate ourselves to understand the good/bad of foods. Some of us are more successful in re-orienting our food consumption for health goals. In Simon's example of the maze, we are bombarded with stimuli all the time, so how do the blue zone folk succeed where many of us do not? In your example, what is the difference between controlling excess consumption of hazelnuts and apples? There's a judgement by you based on oil/calories in hazelnuts and for you the same doesn't seem to apply to consumption of lots of apples. At some point the calories of the apples would be equal to your consumption of hazelnuts according to your own description and judgement by eating so many apples. Where is willpower when you consume apples?
@@tosca... Energy could be an element. I am not discarding that possibility, but it is unlikely because our body only "knows" how much energy there is or is expected to be after at least some digestion. Also, these things are highly personal. An effect that **I** experience, is by no means guaranteed to be an effect **you** will experience. It is why I refuse to promote my diet. It was and remains highly effective for **me** but who am I to claim that it will therefore be effective for anyone else? I cannot in good conscience make that claim. Where is the willpower in the case of apples? Simple: it is there, but insufficient because the hunger is unbearable. Think of it: when your gas tank is full, you can drive 200 km easily. If it is empty, you can't even drive a meter. That doesn't mean gas is unimportant.
@@BartBVanBockstaele Lol. That is impossible to deny. The I/you dichotomy exists for sure. I suppose the thing I don't understand, still, is where science is in your scenario and how you apply it. The point of The Proof is to be exposed to scientific knowledge after all, and see where it may apply for the *I* 🍎🌰🍏
@@tosca... There is no science I am aware of and I don't apply it. It is just something I learned by trial and error for **me**. All I do, is stay away from these products because they have an effect on **me** that **I** find undesirable. That is all. Why would I do something that clearly is impeding **my** goals? That would not make any sense.
@@tosca... There is no science here and I don't apply what doesn't exist. All I know is that these products have this effect on **me** and **I** avoid them to avoid that effect.
After listening to its entirety, I disagree with the stance on willpower. Using alternative names for it doesn't make it go away. Why do people choose to lose weight and do it? Because they want to and choose to do what is needed to get there. That is called willpower. Just because failure is common doesn't mean that willpower is a mere story we tell ourselves.
But the emotional motivation to follow through with the actions depends on outside sources. Stress, sleep, perceived benefit, convenience, habit etc. if all of these things affect our willpower, it becomes pretty obvious that our 'willpower' is not really power of will
@@dangallagher6176 They don't affect our willpower. They help determine how far our willpower will go. Compare it to a gas tank. If it is empty, you will go nowhere. If it is full, you can go a certain distance on flat terrain, much less on hilly terrain. The terrain does not affect the gas, but it helps determine how far the gas will allow you to go. The point here is that you make a decision and while the circumstances may limit or expand your options, you are the one choosing and applying them.
@@BartBVanBockstaele The part that affects how far our willpower will go is surely the 'power' of our will though? If you take that out, it sounds like you are just talking about agency/free will.
@@dangallagher6176 Willpower = power of the will As for agency: no one force-feeds you (except in rare circumstances) that is free agency, but can also be part of willpower. The willpower to choose broccoli over ice cream for example. That is not merely free agency. Sure, for some people it is. But is willpower when ice cream is preferred when known that broccoli is better. The willpower you have to say no to the ice cream and yes to the broccoli. If that were not the case, no sane person would go for ice cream. Yet, most (?) people do.
@@BartBVanBockstaele You previously claimed that none of the things I mentioned affected willpower, but in this example you provide, they do. For example, are you extremely hungry and feel the need to eat within the next 5 minutes? Then broccoli takes too long to prepare and ice cream wins. Do you need some energy before the gym? Broccoli doesn't have enough calories, ice-cream does. Have you had a stressful day at work or are sleep deprived? Doesn't matter if broccoli is healthy, you just want the instant gratification of ice cream. These are all examples of situations that heavily influence one's power of will to choose broccoli over ice cream. Also what perceived benefits are there from each? Well if you habitually eat ice cream, the craving for it is stronger. If you are aware of the benefits of broccoli (sulforophane etc.) you will perceive a higher reward from broccoli than an uneducated person. These all influence your emotional drive to choose one or the other, and they vary from person to person. I would call it a mistake to bucket all these variables into the label of willpower, because people will think that the battle is won in the moment of the choice, rather than moving the variables in their favour (like sleeping more, learning about broccoli benefits etc.)
I'm so glad you got him on your show. He's got the missing link for so many of us.
Fascinating! I can relate to using food as a distraction to avoid feelings and as a reward. It's dissociative. Glad you invited Dr. Brewer on the show.
Very interesting and educational, thank you.
This was interesting. Thank you Dr. For sharing your knowledge. One thing I have to disagree with is that eating whole foods stops overeating. Even when I eat whole, not over processed foods, I still somehow over eat.....what's wrong with me!
Nothing that is not wrong with me as well. I hear the whole foods claim all the time, and it might well be true for some people, but it most definitely isn't true for me.
Whole foods make me hungry as does crappy food.
@@Joy80JJ I am sorry for you, but happy to hear I am not the only one!
Nutrient dense food as close to growing or buying from an organic farmer is going to increase your health odds. Salt and sugar are problematic so how is your salt and sugar habit??? Neither are good for healthy long life odds. We all have freewill to choos and do the right thing. It takes time for body to get use to it...21 days and no excuses. Learn new habits.
Sauce can be hyper palatable as well and lead to overeating. It may seem like a small thing, but a bit of barbecue sauce with chicken or ranch with some veggies isn’t whole foods. Obviously don’t know what your actual meals look like.. just a shot in the dark!
Insightful and incredibly actionable! Excellent podcast. Thank you
I've maintained 100 lb weight loss for about 15 years. My weight has varied by about 20 lbs up and down but I've never come close to being over 300 lbs again. Also, I went for years abstaining from sugar completely, and I now find that while I do allow myself to eat sugar occasionally, I have developed almost a phobia of it. I know that sugar causes inflammation and negatively affects my insulin resistance So what at one point I was definitely addicted to sugar, I really don't think that I can say that anymore.
In your experience, is it necessary too completely cut out certain foods too lose weight, or can i still eat the occasional hamburger, candy, etc.?
@@Gboi8 personally found it much easier to go whole food plant based and just have a policy of yes I can eat it or no I can't rather than an ambiguous how much can I eat - I just find that a slippery slope!
I am an addictions counselor and define addiction as a powerful, destructive habit.
Loved all. Of this very satisfied I listened, thankyou.
Good listen! One remark though, his choice at the bakery is most bourgeois choice I ever heard 😂
can i find transcript somewhere?
I think willpower does exist in some form but it can't last because it's exhausting. Which means the ability to make permanent change comes down to motivation and personality, in addition to being able to create the right plan and environment to succeed.
I'm not sure of that. Speaking only for myself, I lost over 60 kg and have been keeping them off for the past 5+ years, and there are numerous people who do that. How long will I keep it up? I'll let you know when I'm dead...
@@BartBVanBockstaele but what do you owe your success to? My point is that willpower is not the answer.
@@techidna-h9t Willpower: I never stopped looking for something that made me less hungry, ideally not hungry. Over 40 years in, I accidentally found a way of preparing food that kept me tolerably hungry (which is, sadly, NOT the same as not hungry) and the willpower to not give up. That doesn't mean I never slip up, but it does mean I always return to my pattern when an accident happened. They usually happen when I try out a new idea. Once the experiment is over, I may have gained a kg or 2 and I lose them again over the next several weeks. Another one is if I make the mistake of buying fruit.
I love fruit to death but it makes me ravenously hungry. If I have enough, the next day (a.k.a. after sleeping) will be normal again. If I have not enough, I will start to devour just about everything in sight because I am so hungry. As a result, I almost never buy fruit. I live by the German saying that vegetables are the better fruit.
I.O.W. I just say no to foods that are not in my best interest. That is willpower, since no one forces me to live that way. I decide to live that way and as long as hunger is tolerable, I don't eat.
It works. I lost the weight and am keeping it off while *very* slowly losing a bit more. At my intake, it has to be slow. One cannot reasonably live on an 800 kcal diet for years on end without potentially serious problems and the hunger would not allow me anyway. I tried. That's when I was **begging** for euthanasia. Never again will I do that.
Such a good point! Research I've learned about in the past has shown that willpower wears down when we're exposed to temptation repeatedly. It's like a muscle and it can be strengthened or weakened.
@@techidna-h9t Unless the definition has changed without anyone telling me, it is (in part) the capacity to continue doing something despite temptation to de something else. If that is still true today, then I owe my success to willpower. Nobody forced me to do anything, nobody is keeping me away from anything, nobody cooks for me, nobody shops for me. I am wholly responsible for what I put in my mouth. To the best of my knowledge that is willpower.
It is quite possible, and likely, that willpower wanes. But if it does, that doesn't mean it is just a story we tell ourselves.
54:21
So, my mother was right after all. I am not human, I am Vulcan ^_^
Whats missing here is that i am really hungry when I binge, its not just a "craving" 🤷♂️ i tried to fight it, but thats very hard.
Interesting. So far, I disagree with the stance on willpower. As Jud Brewer says: "knowing something is not enough". Fair enough, but not knowing it seems worse. Acting on what we know, is where willpower comes in. I know hazelnuts are not great for weight loss and I love them to death, but I decide not to devour them, which is doable because they do not make me hungry. OTOH, I love apples and most/all fruits as well, but something in them is stronger than my willpower: they make me hungry. If I have many apples, I'll devour all of them. If not, I'll start to devour anything else in sight, because I am so hungry it overrides anything else I should be doing. Just because my willpower isn't strong enough in that instance, is not a very good reason to claim it is not important.
This doesn't make sense to me. Yes, we educate ourselves to understand the good/bad of foods. Some of us are more successful in re-orienting our food consumption for health goals. In Simon's example of the maze, we are bombarded with stimuli all the time, so how do the blue zone folk succeed where many of us do not? In your example, what is the difference between controlling excess consumption of hazelnuts and apples? There's a judgement by you based on oil/calories in hazelnuts and for you the same doesn't seem to apply to consumption of lots of apples. At some point the calories of the apples would be equal to your consumption of hazelnuts according to your own description and judgement by eating so many apples. Where is willpower when you consume apples?
@@tosca... Energy could be an element. I am not discarding that possibility, but it is unlikely because our body only "knows" how much energy there is or is expected to be after at least some digestion.
Also, these things are highly personal. An effect that **I** experience, is by no means guaranteed to be an effect **you** will experience. It is why I refuse to promote my diet. It was and remains highly effective for **me** but who am I to claim that it will therefore be effective for anyone else? I cannot in good conscience make that claim.
Where is the willpower in the case of apples? Simple: it is there, but insufficient because the hunger is unbearable.
Think of it: when your gas tank is full, you can drive 200 km easily. If it is empty, you can't even drive a meter. That doesn't mean gas is unimportant.
@@BartBVanBockstaele Lol. That is impossible to deny. The I/you dichotomy exists for sure.
I suppose the thing I don't understand, still, is where science is in your scenario and how you apply it. The point of The Proof is to be exposed to scientific knowledge after all, and see where it may apply for the *I* 🍎🌰🍏
@@tosca... There is no science I am aware of and I don't apply it. It is just something I learned by trial and error for **me**. All I do, is stay away from these products because they have an effect on **me** that **I** find undesirable. That is all. Why would I do something that clearly is impeding **my** goals? That would not make any sense.
@@tosca... There is no science here and I don't apply what doesn't exist. All I know is that these products have this effect on **me** and **I** avoid them to avoid that effect.
Now I want some chips
So do I, but I'm not having them because they are incompatible with my diet.
Wow
I wish I could stop eating. I'd save a fortune
After listening to its entirety, I disagree with the stance on willpower. Using alternative names for it doesn't make it go away. Why do people choose to lose weight and do it? Because they want to and choose to do what is needed to get there. That is called willpower. Just because failure is common doesn't mean that willpower is a mere story we tell ourselves.
But the emotional motivation to follow through with the actions depends on outside sources. Stress, sleep, perceived benefit, convenience, habit etc. if all of these things affect our willpower, it becomes pretty obvious that our 'willpower' is not really power of will
@@dangallagher6176 They don't affect our willpower. They help determine how far our willpower will go. Compare it to a gas tank. If it is empty, you will go nowhere. If it is full, you can go a certain distance on flat terrain, much less on hilly terrain. The terrain does not affect the gas, but it helps determine how far the gas will allow you to go. The point here is that you make a decision and while the circumstances may limit or expand your options, you are the one choosing and applying them.
@@BartBVanBockstaele The part that affects how far our willpower will go is surely the 'power' of our will though? If you take that out, it sounds like you are just talking about agency/free will.
@@dangallagher6176 Willpower = power of the will
As for agency: no one force-feeds you (except in rare circumstances) that is free agency, but can also be part of willpower. The willpower to choose broccoli over ice cream for example. That is not merely free agency. Sure, for some people it is. But is willpower when ice cream is preferred when known that broccoli is better. The willpower you have to say no to the ice cream and yes to the broccoli.
If that were not the case, no sane person would go for ice cream. Yet, most (?) people do.
@@BartBVanBockstaele You previously claimed that none of the things I mentioned affected willpower, but in this example you provide, they do.
For example, are you extremely hungry and feel the need to eat within the next 5 minutes? Then broccoli takes too long to prepare and ice cream wins.
Do you need some energy before the gym? Broccoli doesn't have enough calories, ice-cream does.
Have you had a stressful day at work or are sleep deprived? Doesn't matter if broccoli is healthy, you just want the instant gratification of ice cream.
These are all examples of situations that heavily influence one's power of will to choose broccoli over ice cream.
Also what perceived benefits are there from each? Well if you habitually eat ice cream, the craving for it is stronger. If you are aware of the benefits of broccoli (sulforophane etc.) you will perceive a higher reward from broccoli than an uneducated person. These all influence your emotional drive to choose one or the other, and they vary from person to person.
I would call it a mistake to bucket all these variables into the label of willpower, because people will think that the battle is won in the moment of the choice, rather than moving the variables in their favour (like sleeping more, learning about broccoli benefits etc.)
Totally incorrect