Why Diets Fail (Because You're Addicted to Sugar)

245 Pages·2014·1.91 MB·English

by  Nicole M. Avena

Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the experience and research of
the authors. It is not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician or other health-
care provider. Any attempt to diagnose and treat an illness should be done under the direction of
a health-care professional. The publisher and authors are not responsible for any adverse effects
or consequences resulting from the use of any of the suggestions, preparations, or procedures
discussed in this book.
Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Nicole M. Avena and John R. Talbott
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown
Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House
Company, New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com
Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House
LLC
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Avena, Nicole M., 1978–
Why diets fail (because you’re addicted to sugar) : science explains how to end cravings, lose
weight, and get healthy / Nicole M. Avena, PhD. and John R. Talbott. — First edition.
pages cm
1. Sugar-free diet. 2. Sugar—Physiological effect. 3. Reducing diets. 4. Health.
I. Talbott, John R., 1955– II. Title. III. Title: Why diets fail (because you are addicted to sugar).
RM237.85.A94 2013
613.2′8332—dc23
2013021488
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-60774-486-3
eBook ISBN: 978-1-60774487-0
Cover photography by Katie Newburn
Illustrations on this page: (from left) ©istock.com/gresei, ©istock.com/ansonsaw,
©istock.com/pinstock, ©istock.com/SKrow, and ©istock.com/evemilla; this page: (dog)
©istock.com/alashi, (dog bowl) ©istock.com/HitToon, and (bell) ©istock.com/lushik; and on
this page: (food) ©istock.com/appleuzr and (faces) ©istock.com/PinkTag.
v3.1
To SAB
—NICOLE M. AVENA
To Gary Taubes
—JOHN R. TALBOTT
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART ONE
HOW SUGAR CAUSES YOU TO OVEREAT

STEP 1
Why Your Past Diet Attempts Have Failed
STEP 2
Weigh In on Your Sugar Intake
STEP 3
The New Science of Sugar Addiction
PART TWO
HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR ADDICTION TO SUGAR

STEP 4
The Sugar Freedom Plan for Breaking Your Addiction
STEP 5
What to Eat and What Not to Eat
STEP 6
Managing Your Withdrawal
STEP 7
Managing Your Cravings
STEP 8
Avoiding a Relapse (and What to Do If One Occurs)
CONCLUSION
How to Maintain Your New, Addiction-Free Way of Eating
Appendix: Sugar Equivalency Table
Resources
Endnotes
Acknowledgments
There are many important people to thank and acknowledge in the
development of this book. We especially thank our editor, Julie Bennett,
and the entire team at Ten Speed Press, as well as the folks at the Crown
Publishing Group and Random House, for their assistance and support in
the writing and development of this book.
—Nicole M. Avena and John R. Talbott I would like to thank all of my
colleagues and collaborators for their research as well as the valuable
information that they have produced in the fields of nutrition,
neuroscience, and addiction. There are too many of you to name, but I
value each of your unique contributions to our field. I would like to
thank Bart Hoebel for his mentorship and friendship, and for getting me
involved and excited about appetite research. I would also like to thank
Susan Murray for her invaluable efforts assisting with the research,
organization, and development of this book. She was there at every step
along the way, and her interest in and enthusiasm for this project
significantly contributed to the final product. I would also like to thank
Cindy Kroll and Monica Gordillo for their assistance with researching
various aspects of the contents in this book. In addition, I thank my
friends and family for their help and support along the way. I am blessed
to have an amazing network of loving and supportive friends. I
especially thank Nicole, Nicki, Beth, and Marylynn for their
encouragement while working on this project. I extend my gratitude to
my parents and siblings (both the A team and the B team) for cheering
me on. I also owe an infinite amount of thanks to my husband, Eamon.
You’ve supported me unrelentingly during this project, as well as all of
the other little projects that I have concocted in life and work, which
You’ve supported me unrelentingly during this project, as well as all of
the other little projects that I have concocted in life and work, which
inevitably develop into something much, much bigger than anticipated.
Your advice, levelheadedness, and comic relief provide the glue that
keeps me together. Bert, thanks for staying up late with me all of those
nights. Also, last but not least, thank you Stella for your patience and
understanding and for allowing my work to temporarily encroach on our
playtime. I love you all dearly.
—Nicole
I would like to thank my friends and family who had to put up with my
withdrawal symptoms when I went on this diet. Thanks especially to
Teresa, who was an early guinea pig and who demonstrated that the diet
really did make one feel dramatically better, more at ease, and more
connected with life. I would like to thank Becky for her great job
transcribing and proofing the book, Dottie for delivering on her promises
as always, and Bill, Mario, Roberto, Tacho, Jacinto, Luis, and all the
other usual suspects at K-38 for making the writing of this book as
enjoyable as catching the perfect wave.
—John R. Talbott
Introduction
“Americans have more food to eat than any other people and more diets to
keep them from eating it.”
—YOGI BERRA
Look around you. The vast majority of people in the United States are
overweight, and a growing number are obese. Rich, poor, old, young,
male, female—we see obesity happening across all social domains, races,
and ages. Body-weight problems aren’t restricted to certain groups of
people. Right now, more than 60 percent of Americans are overweight,
and more than 30 percent are obese.1 And these numbers are projected
to continue to rise. In fact, by 2030, researchers have predicted that 42
percent of Americans will be obese.2 This is not just something that is
occurring within the United States either; the obesity epidemic is a
global problem.
Although many of us may want to lose weight simply to improve our
appearance or how we feel about ourselves, there are important medical
reasons for controlling body weight. Excess body weight has been
associated with a number of health risks, including cancer, heart disease,
and diabetes. Despite these potential harmful consequences and public
health warnings regarding the dangers of obesity, many people continue
to overeat. And this isn’t hard to do. High-calorie, high-sugar food is
easily accessible to many people today, and portion sizes have increased