Traci Mann runs a lab at the University of Minnesota and is a leading researcher on the psychology of eating and dieting. Her new book is Secrets from the Eating Lab: The Science of Weight Loss, the Myth of Willpower, and Why You Should Never Diet Again.
Jean Fain, a Harvard Medical School-affiliated psychotherapist and the author of The Self-Compassion Diet, interviewed Mann for WBUR’s Health Blog. This piece appeared in NPR’s The Salt.
Mann’s key piece of advice? Stop dieting. She suggests adopting something she terms “Smart Regulation Strategies.” Don’t count calories, and strive to achieve your “leanest, livable” weight.
An observation Mann has made from years of observing others is this:
“Genes,” she writes, “play an indisputable role in regulating an individual’s weight: Most of us have a genetically set weight range. When we try to live above or below that range, our body struggles mightily to adapt.”
A fascinating interview.
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