The main thesis of this article, as stated directly by the subtitle, is that "hunger isn’t in your stomach or your blood-sugar levels. It’s in your mind – and t

The main thesis of this article, as stated directly by the subtitle, is that "hunger isn’t in your stomach or your blood-sugar levels. It’s in your mind – and that’s where we need to shape up". Interestingly enough, the author then proceeds to tell us that he changed his diet to something that looks a lot like a regular low-carb diet, and lost a lot of weight, without having much hunger or cravings. That low-carb diets reduce hunger and thus often bring people to eat less has been known for quite a while. Gary Taubes' NYT article from 2002, "What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?" [1] describes this phenomenon in detail, and tells how it's been known to researchers for already quite some time. The explanation however, doesn't seem to be merely "psychological" but rather physiological: in Taubes' words "[Sugar, starches and floor] are known in the jargon as high-glycemic-index carbohydrates, which means they are absorbed quickly into the blood. As a result, they cause a spike of blood sugar and a surge of insulin within minutes. The resulting rush of insulin stores the blood sugar away and a few hours later, your blood sugar is lower than it was before you ate. As [David] Ludwig [a Harvard endocrinologist] explains, your body effectively thinks it has run out of fuel, but the insulin is still high enough to prevent you from burning your own fat. The result is hunger and a craving for more carbohydrates." Personally, I moved to a low-carb style of nutrition about two years ago and, lost about 8kg over a period of several months and have managed to keep the low weight ever since, without suffering hunger or cravings. It may not sound like much, but I wasn't obese to start with but towards the high end of the normal BMI range, whereas now I'm right in the middle of the range with a weight I hadn't have since my early 20s (I'm 45 now). My nutrition style is like the one explained in this website [2] which, incidentally, looks pretty much like the diet described in the article. [1] http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-been-a-big-fat-lie.html?pagewanted=all http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-... [2] http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb