FACING FACTS: Hunger

TV. The Internet. Even the radio stations I work for. They are all full of ads promising weight loss without hunger and THAT”S CRAP!

Now I am not advocating slashing calories below 1000 or anything drastic. But you have to look at what hunger is. Our bodies are set up with warning signs. If you’re sick, you feel bad. That lets you know things are out of balance. If you’re not taking in enough calories to maintain your weight, your body lets you know. You feel hungry. This is not bad … a little uncomfortable, but not a big deal. You can not lose weight without taking in fewer calories than you burn up, so occasionally feeling hungry is just part of it. Man up and move on.

This is the lecture I’m giving myself. I was extremely overweight in the beginning – 270 pounds. I’ve gradually cut back and gradually lost. I haven’t been really hungry very often … until recently. Now I’m closer to a healthy weight, so I’m feeling hunger more.

CBS Sunday Morning on FAT

CBS Sunday Morning was on obesity yesterday. I really don't like that word. I've made myself face the F word, but obese bothers me. Anyway, here's some of what I learned.



There are over 1 billion overweight adults in this country. 1/3 of American are overweight. Another 1/3 are obese. That's 2/3s of us that are unhealthy.


Food affects the same areas of the brain, the same “circuits” in the brain, as recreational drugs.


The new “Axis of Evil” is salt, sugar and fat.


25% of all meals are eaten in restaurants


Several 100 genes contribute to body mass, so there is no single “fat gene.”


McDonald's was the first restaurant to make, fat, sodium and calories available to the public.