Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss--And the Myths and Realities of Dieting

by Gina Kolata

Book Overview

"In this eye-opening book, New York Times science writer Gina Kolata shows that our society's obsession with dieting and weight loss is less about keeping trim and staying healthy than about money, power, trends, and impossible ideals." "Rethinking Thin is at once a story of the place of diets in American society and a critique of the weight loss industry. Kolata's account of four determined dieters' progress through a study comparing the Atkins diet...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374103984
• ISBN13: 9780374103989
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 257 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent new perspective on weight control and obesity

The book challenges many widely established beliefs on dieting, controlling weight, and obesity on the basis of a review of research on the topic (some of which has not received as much attention as it deserved because it did not fit current expectations and industry interests). The book does not suggest a path to shed any extra pounds, but makes you think about your personal and our societal relationship with weight, obesity and thinness.

Eye opening for people of all sizes

Earlier this evening I finished Rethinking Thin by Gina Kolata. Kolata presents a history of dieting in America from about the 1800's to present while interspersing the comments of several participants in a recent study comparing Atkins to a program called LEARN (basically the type of calorie counting, measure everything diet your doctor would give you). There is something sad about the book in some ways, because dieting is ultimately a series of false hopes. Interesting, this is something I have been thinking is true but then the next diet comes on the market and if you aren't "thin" you feel you have to try it. This time it will be different. This time it will work. What is that quote that they attribute to Einstein?: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. While overall the book makes me feel a bit sad because there is no magic solution it also gives me a little sense of peace. I know I am a very successful person in pretty much every area of my life, except for weight loss, and I'm not the only one. I won't give away everything in the book, but it is definitely worth a read for the "overweight" and the "normal size." Maybe especially for the thin people to see how tough it really is to have gained wait, how frustrating and defeated you can feel. Also, the book is very well written. Kolata has an easy straightforward style that balances presenting factual/scientific details w/ anectodal information so that her reporting does not become just boring and didactic. Very much enjoyed :)

Read this -- regardless of your weight

I just read this book last week, and I am recommending it to everyone -- especially anyone who is interested in this question of thinness and body image (which, the last time I checked, is pretty much everyone). The main point of this book -- which is very well-researched and scientifically-based -- is that people, contrary to the popular thinking in our society, are not fat because they are lazy or lack willpower. In fact, there is little evidence to support the common notion that people, through diet and exercise, can lose mass quantities of weight and KEEP it off. The best research shows that our overall size/weight (which is related to our hunger) is genetically and chemically determined. So basically, yes, oftentimes fatter people eat more (though not always), but their hunger is not something that can simply be overcome through "willpower" -- at least, not for a lifetime. It would be like resisting the urge to breathe -- that's how primal it is. All this may seem very discouraging to the average person (who is bound to be discontent with their current weight, thanks to modern ideals), but Kolata poses the question we may have forgotten to ask: Who says we all have to be skinny anyway? When the research shows that the highest life expectancy belongs to the slightly "overweight" (extremes of thinness and obesity still are not as "healthy"), why do "health scientists" still insist that the majority of us need to be thinner, for our health? The answer, of course, is that our society does not accept fatness. Kotala's anecdotes illustrate the pervasiveness of this belief. But could it be that, just as people are taller on average now than they were 100 years ago -- a phenomenon that is commonly accepted as a sign of increased nutrition and prosperity -- that humans are evolving to be heavier as well? After all, in some epochs and societies, extra weight is considered a sign of health and wealth. Some readers may be frustrated because Kotala does not draw a neat conclusion at the end of this book, but she should be respected for not resorting to the sweeping generalizations made in so many "health books." The author cannot be discredited because she does not answer all of our questions about weight loss -- the topic is simply too vast to address scientifically. As Kotala notes, there is already a myriad of quality research on nutrition and exercise, so she does not discuss it further. Her book is meant to be considered in conjunction with this knowledge. Kotala's message is NOT, "Since weight is largely hereditary, you shouldn't even bother to watch your diet or to exercise." Taking Kotala's contribution to the research on weight loss and health into the broader perspective, a more suitable conclusion is: Eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly, for the proven health benefits of both; but accept the fact that the state of `optimum health' comes in many different shapes and sizes. "Overweight" does not necessarily mean

Fascinating Reading

I actually found this book extremely good reading, and couldn't put it down! It's not that Kolata presents anything earth shatteringly new, but she does a great job of compiling a lot of fascinating information about studies and attitudes that most of us would probably never get a chance to read through our usual casual reading. Kolata has done a LOT of research here and it's a great read! We have been led to believe that obesity is a relatively recent development in U.S. society, but this apparently is not the case. The stories of weight loss strategies and weight attitudes from even 100+ years ago are fascinating to read about. Discussion of our past attitudes about what is fat and what is a desirable weight shows that these attitudes have changed substantially through the years: for example, flappers of the 20's, who most of us vaguely recall to have been quite thin, would actually be considered overweight by today's extreme standards. The "Gibson Girl" ideal of the early 1900's would be considered absolutely obsese today. Studies and experiments which have been done to figure out the "why" of overweight show that everything is still not well understood about weight gain, obesity, and weight loss. There are still more questions to be asked and not yet enough answers, and to complicate things each person is unique in physiology. Genetics is thought to play a strong role, and studies of twins and adopted children reveal the genetic component plays a strong role in your weight and how easily you can gain or lose excess weight. Don't read this book expecting to find some new weight loss miracle. There are no real solutions in this book, but rather, it can give you a more realistic and educated understanding of what you are up against in the weight loss wars. Being realistic is half the game. As studies continue and knowledge increases, this book is necessarily "unfinished". But it gives you a good perspective at this point in time. The information presented will be viewed by some as discouraging, especially those who are searching for a quick and sure-fire weight loss plan. This book makes it fairly obvious that may never happen. And one good thing you realize after reading this is the extent to which we are all manipulated by those who profit from the weight loss industry. You come away from this book with a "buyer beware" attitude which will serve you well in not being duped into yet another weight loss product that doesn't work.

A must read...

Gina Kolata's "Rethinking Thin" deserves a place on the best-seller list. It is a comprehensive and highly readable examination of why most diets fail. Her thesis is rooted in science and research dating back as far as the 1940s. Many of her findings will be no surprise to people who have struggled with their weight. Kolata's bottom line: genetics play a far bigger role in weight than will power, exercise, or food choices. The book begins with details of a University of Pennsylvania study. A group of obese volunteers are divided into two groups (one using the Atkins diet, the other a low calorie diet) and agree to have their progress monitored very closely over a two year period. Most lose some weight (typically 10% of their body weight) before hunger takes over and they find themselves backsliding. The chapters about this U Penn study alternate with others in which Kolata examines the science of why it's so hard to lose weight and keep it off. The short version: once a body begins to lose weight, it switches into a kind of starvation mode. It wishes to hold onto the fat it has and tricks the person into thinking they're hungrier than they actually are. These two things combined make it an uphill battle. Kolata cites a University of Minnesota study in which normal sized men suddenly ate half their usual calories. They lost weight, but soon began behaving bizarrely. They became obsessed with eating, consuming up to five times their usual amount of food. Others showed strange mood swings. This goes a long way in explaining why the weight comes back for those who have the obesity gene. This book highlights studies that many people ignore. For instance, an eight year, $20 million study done by researchers at Johns Hopkins which attempted to stave off the obesity crisis in children. The reserachers deliberately selected high risk schools, where children were getting two meals a day. The program adjusted the fat content in food the children were being served (by about 10%), introduced more daily exercise, and educated the children about nutrition. These measures were not enough to lead to any weight loss. Anyone who has ever lost weight knows why: it takes a lot of effort to lose even a little bit of weight. Light exercise does very little (although it may have other health benefits) and hunger is a very difficult thing to ignore. Kolata pushes for a more tolerant society, that accepts that weight loss is very difficult to maintain, and asks for an end to the inaccurate idea that weight loss is totally within everyone's control. Genetics are different, she concludes, and some people will have an easier time losing weight than others. There really is no reason why these findings need be controversial. And, yet, they will be. The same day I finished the book, two national magazines came out with cover stories about women losing over 100 lbs each. These types of pieces are very popular -- profiles of shiny happy weight loss success stories. The fa