Bought this book upon recommendation from Amelie Marie in Tokyo. Topic had been a pet peeve of mine for quite some time (2006 on) but especially since I came to japan and have been living in a sharehouse for most of the last 5 years.

Living in a sharehouse for me means having a very limited access to the kitchen. Add to that the oh-so-very convenient proximity of the combinis and you have a recipe for (weight) disaster. Let’s just say that my first 5 years here didn’t convince me of the health benefits of the Japanese diet.

What I thought of the book

Another book for which I have mixed opinions.

It’s a good one as an entry point to take overeating in your hands. Yet, the content itself reads like so many books I have already read. Take it as a mix of The 4-hour body (for the focus on food and taking control of your body) and The Power of habits (for the approach to reversing the habit and building new, healthier ones).

I am also tired of the American way of writing essays, following this overused structure:

  • Here is what I am going to say
  • Here is how I’ll say it
  • Here I say it
  • Here is what I said This book isn’t using it too obviously except in a few less inspired chapters but enough for me to want to throw the book flying through the room at times.

So, if you are looking for a structured way to tackle your overeating habit and are not bothered by this last point, then it’s a good book

Blow by blow

Sugar, fat, salt

Read this chapter a long time ago, my recollection of it might not be perfect

The main culprits of weight gain are well known : too much sugar, fat and salt.

So what is the point of this chapter ? Building on this common knowledge, it goes through well-known US brands products and restaurant chain menu items and present them through this lens. And framing a dish you like as /sugar on fat on fat on sugar/ might be the most powerful idea in this book.

The food industry

How did it come to this?

Long story short: the food industry has become an expert at using these cues to make sure we continue to buy their products. Bonus points if we buy more and more.

Creating unfilling, hyper palatable products

Conditioned overeating emerges

So, from food ratio and hyper palatable unfilling foods to the always touted convenience, overeating emerges.

Conditioned because we are getting more and more into habits to grab for these foods.

The theory of treatment

Be aware of what you eat and what are your triggers.

Food rehab

For people looking to lose weight, this is the main chapter. Except it is short and vague on purpose.

Eat less processed food, more fibres and protein, build habits and reinforcement loops. There, you have the main concepts of the chapter.

But, it works because it builds upon the previous chapters.

The end of overeating

Viva la revolution!

This could be the subtitle of this chapter. The only way to end conditioned over eating is to change the food industry.