My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Due to the happenstance of my personal journey as an individual who has struggled with eating choices (and overeating in particular), and reading this book 9 years after it was written, I was not unfamiliar with many of the ideas presented by Dr. Kessler. I have read various articles in the last several years that discusses our brain's programming and susceptible to diets high in salt, fat, and sugar. What was particularly eye-opening on reading this is the manner in which the food industry capitalizes on the evolutionary weaknesses our bodies will have to the combination salt, fat, and sugar in our foods.
From a personal sense, the book highlights for me how simple it is to lose weight/maintain a healthy weight - it truly comes down to what, and really how much, you eat; there is no substitute for simply eating less calories than you burn and, generally speaking, exercise isn't going to burn enough calories to make a difference for most people. But it also highlights how complicated it is - while the science is the same, each path is individual. Understanding the "eatertainment" culture and the reward based psychology of so much of our food culture can help; but how on changes habits, establishes work arounds for triggers, what rules are created to be followed - those will all differ for everyone.
From a non-personal, simply book reading perspective...the book is informative, with various references to scientific studies to support the author's perspective. That said, its not overly technical or dry, and the conciseness of the chapters makes it very readable.
But due to the personal reasons, its a book that I will be thinking about for awhile.
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