Fat Planet

The Obesity Trap and How We Can Escape It

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Summary

Our planet is in the grip of an obesity pandemic.

More than a billion people worldwide are overweight and over 600 million are obese. We live in an obesogenic environment in which it is much easier to get fat than to stay fit. How has this come to be? Who is to blame? What can we do?

In Fat Planet, Dr David Lewis and Dr Margaret Leitch examine the social and psychological causes of the obesity pandemic in order to answer these questions. They use ground-breaking research to highlight the behaviour of corporations that relentlessly promote foods high in sugar, fat and salt, and show that these ‘junk’ foods have shockingly similar neurological effects to hard drugs. They consider the prevalence of food cues which unconsciously stimulate our desire to consume. And they debunk the myths of fad diets and slimming pills, suggesting practical, easily implemented strategies for sustainable weight loss.

The evidence is clear: our problem with obesity must be addressed or we will face catastrophic consequences. It is not too late to change.

Reviews

Fat Planet's authors are distinguished researchers who are masters at describing the latest scientific insights in a simple and engaging way. A must read.
Professor Pierre Chandon, Director, Sorbonne INSEAD Behavioural Lab

About the authors

David Lewis

Dr David Lewis is a neuropsychologist, director of research at Mindlab International, and the author of more than two dozen bestselling books. He is a Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society, a Fellow of the International Stress Management Association, and founder of Action on Phobias and Stresswatch; a non-profit charity advising companies on stress management. He has also been the on-screen consultant to Channel 4's acclaimed Secret Eaters diet programme.

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Margaret Leitch

Dr Margaret Leitch is a research scientist with PhD, MSc, and Honours BA degrees in the field of Experimental Psychology, Research Methods and Statistics, and Honours Psychology. She has conducted research into the psychological and neuroscientific underpinnings of obesity, including three years of longitudinal patient monitoring. She is a specialist in identifying the predictive signs that express a vulnerability for developing overeating habits. She is co-author of the best-selling book Lose It Right.