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The Weight of the Nation: Surprising Lessons About Diets, Food, and Fat from the Extraordinary Series from HBO Documentary Films
People today work harder and take better care of their health than any previous generation. So how could two-thirds of us fail to measure up when it comes to eating right and exercising? HBO and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences have joined together to bring you the nation’s foremost experts and definitive research on weight and weight loss. The Weight of the Nation explains how we got to this unhealthy place and how we can get to a healthy weight by overcoming the forces that drive us to eat too much and move too little.
Three years in the making, The Weight of the Nation answers crucial questions like:
--Is there such a thing as the right diet?
--Am I doomed to yo-yo for the rest of my life?
--How does stress affect my weight?
--Is my slow metabolism making me fat?
--How does carrying too much weight affect my health?
--Why do I eat junk food even though I know it’s unhealthy?
--Is exercise enough to help most people maintain an ideal weight?
--How can I keep weight off forever?
Based on the rich research behind HBO’s documentary series, The Weight of the Nation is the only book that tells it like it is: losing weight is hard, keeping it off is even harder, and there’s no quick fix. Weight loss takes a lot of work and a lifetime commitment, but thousands have done it and this book will show you how.
Three years in the making, The Weight of the Nation answers crucial questions like:
--Is there such a thing as the right diet?
--Am I doomed to yo-yo for the rest of my life?
--How does stress affect my weight?
--Is my slow metabolism making me fat?
--How does carrying too much weight affect my health?
--Why do I eat junk food even though I know it’s unhealthy?
--Is exercise enough to help most people maintain an ideal weight?
--How can I keep weight off forever?
Based on the rich research behind HBO’s documentary series, The Weight of the Nation is the only book that tells it like it is: losing weight is hard, keeping it off is even harder, and there’s no quick fix. Weight loss takes a lot of work and a lifetime commitment, but thousands have done it and this book will show you how.
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2012
10 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
September 27, 2012
**The skinny on weight loss**
Pardon the pun, but this book provides the skinny on weight loss.
After presenting an overview of the current obesity epidemic (did you know over 2/3 of American adults are either overweight or obese?), the book examines the factors and forces contributing to the expanding of America’s waistline. Chapter by chapter, it shows how our evolutionary history, food choices, body, and brain combined with external forces—including fast food, restaurants, big food companies, supermarkets, marketing, the fashion and beauty industries, technology, and limited school budgets—have resulted in the unhealthy state of our nation. The final part of the book offers tips and suggestions on losing weight, and keeping it off.
The book may be a useful introduction to someone just starting to understand the basics of nutrition, weight gain/loss, and healthy living. But, if you’re a nutrition science nerd and know how to work up a healthy sweat, this book will probably not teach you anything new. And, be warned that its (over)-simplified it’s-all-about-the-calories approach may be hard to swallow. (This is exactly the misinformed approach that Gary Taubes attempts to correct in his book Good Calories, Bad Calories.)
So, although the book provides the skinny on weight loss, it’s far from the most nutrient-dense book out there. Appropriately enough, it's kind of a light-weight.
Pardon the pun, but this book provides the skinny on weight loss.
After presenting an overview of the current obesity epidemic (did you know over 2/3 of American adults are either overweight or obese?), the book examines the factors and forces contributing to the expanding of America’s waistline. Chapter by chapter, it shows how our evolutionary history, food choices, body, and brain combined with external forces—including fast food, restaurants, big food companies, supermarkets, marketing, the fashion and beauty industries, technology, and limited school budgets—have resulted in the unhealthy state of our nation. The final part of the book offers tips and suggestions on losing weight, and keeping it off.
The book may be a useful introduction to someone just starting to understand the basics of nutrition, weight gain/loss, and healthy living. But, if you’re a nutrition science nerd and know how to work up a healthy sweat, this book will probably not teach you anything new. And, be warned that its (over)-simplified it’s-all-about-the-calories approach may be hard to swallow. (This is exactly the misinformed approach that Gary Taubes attempts to correct in his book Good Calories, Bad Calories.)
So, although the book provides the skinny on weight loss, it’s far from the most nutrient-dense book out there. Appropriately enough, it's kind of a light-weight.
October 7, 2020
It's a decent primer if you're new to the topic, but I wouldn't recommend it as a keeper if you're looking to expand your resources on the topic of weight loss. My biggest issue with the book is that, even after pointing out the hormonal aspects of weight loss and how it can greatly hinder your efforts, the book still holds onto the "calories in, calories out" approach.
March 28, 2023
this book was an overall decent read- short and sweet. It has some parts that can feel cheesy- but i particularly enjoyed the sections written about how our bodies/brain reacts to certain kinds of food. The book was well researched with references to doctors so I enjoyed that part as well.
November 5, 2017
2.75 stars.
February 24, 2020
Pretty good short read.
November 19, 2022
Eat less, move more. Read the book in two days. Nothing new to see here. Move along. Next.
March 2, 2017
Good info, but certainly nothing new if you're familiar with Michael Pollan's & Mark Bittman's books.
July 19, 2013
Being a Weston A. Pricer, I have some disagreements with the authors about what constitutes "healthy" food (for example, I am not on board with their low-fat dairy recommendations) and I most assuredly have some huge worldview disagreements with them as well since their solution to everything is government regulation at every conceivable turn(industry, retailers, consumers, school lunch programs, etc.), and yet I thought they did a great job of distilling lots of research and data regarding health, diet and fitness trends in this country and offering practical tips for individuals to follow that will improve their overall health.
June 2, 2012
Quick read; good synopsis of weight/health problems plaguing country. It all boils down to the "eat less, move more" refrain we've all heard before. Tough to execute with desk jobs, classroom goals, and commuting times. However, good reminders throughout including: NEVER eat in front of the t.v., practice *mindful* eating, and don't eat foods with a label (as in, eat bananas, spinach etc. which don't have nutrition labels). If you have a pedometer, just wear that and try to log the 3,000 steps/day benchmark, eat whole foods and skip the sitting required to read this book. :)
August 21, 2012
This is a very good book that helps readers to understand why we are having such a health crisis. The message of the book is that we need to "eat a little less and more a little more." A good message but it doesn't even skim the ocean of problems that the authors cover about manufactures of processed foods, fast food availability, etc. I think I need to see the documentary that the book was based on to get a fuller picture. There is so much that we need to do to be more healthy and I think we need to start with good education like this.
September 5, 2012
Interesting book, some info was not new, and the format was a little repetitive, but there were some things that surprised (and horrified) me! Like the effects of 5 days of bed rest, or 2 nights of 4 hours of sleep (uhm...60 days of bedrest and 60 days of 4 hours of sleep...thanks twins!) Oh well. That and the depressing fact of my new higher weight set point means that even if I lose the extra weight I will never be able to behave like I used to at that weight. Bummer, but good to be prepared I guess.
January 11, 2013
This book is based on the documentary series by the same name (so, not a book made into a tv series, but a tv series made into a book, if you're looking at my bookshelves). It summarizes a lot of the current research and thought about obesity, dieting, and nutrition - with which you will probably already be familiar if you've done any other reading/research into this topic. I didn't find anything revolutionary/new here, but it may be a good introduction for someone who is just starting to explore these topics.
May 17, 2012
Good book for those who are relatively new to the health arena; most of the information I already knew. It sure was depressing though! In between the "fat cells don't ever go away, they either shrink or you gain more as you gain weight" and the "folks who have a sedentary job are still extremely suceptible to heart disease, even if they are very active outside of work"--this book got me thinking, what the hell is the point of embarking on a weight loss journey?!
November 7, 2012
A quick and easy read that was packed with information. Although some of the info I had heard many times before, and the format proved a bit repetitive; I felt it was a well researched book overflowing with facts regarding the general health of our society and the food we choose to eat. I was also impressed with the no nonsense approach to achieving better health and did learn a few things regarding metabolism, fat cells and weight loss. A motivating book of practical knowledge!
March 4, 2014
Everyone owes it to themselves to read this book. The DVDs are also amazing. Some good friends of mine gave me the whole deal as a gift, and it has been just that. The book is easy to digest (sorry) and reveals the tricks and advertising ploys used by marketing gurus to get Americans to eat more junk and get fatter and fatter. Read the book! Break the cycle! Get on a cycle! Go for a walk! Good stuff. I just read it a second time...
June 5, 2012
This book is great for someone new to the area of health and prevention. It didn't offer as much about policy issues (health/wellness prevention interventions; health, nutrition, and physical education in schools; and community development) as I had hoped. Overall, it was a good book. I liked it and took away a couple of things related to me personally.
August 18, 2012
I read this book without watching the HBO series it is a companion too, but I didn't feel like I'd missed out on anything. The chapters revealed nothing new in terms of all of the forces working against our expanding waistlines, but it was an interesting read nonetheless. I found the suggestions solid and it inspired me to eat a little less and move a little more!
December 20, 2012
This is a great, comprehensive, accessible overview of the social, biological, political, corporate, and environmental factors that have create and maintain the obesity epidemic. The "solutions" in the final section of the book, while sound and helpful to the individual, miss the opportunity to make a strong call to action to change those external factors. We created them. We can change them.
June 20, 2012
If you have never read anything about weight diet and exercise you might learn something from this books. But most of the information is dumbed down and barely skims the surface. If you really want to understand these issues reading Gary Taubes and Gina Kolata.
April 7, 2013
Great book that was very easy to read. It made me angry though to hear all the things the food industry knowingly does that can cause problems for people down the road. Added more fuel to my fire to continue eating healthy.
June 18, 2013
Granted, this book didn't really tell me much that I didn't already know about nutrition and weight loss, but I hope it puts me back into a proper mindset to keep off the weight I've lost. Food is so good. Willpower is so weak.
June 5, 2012
Should read it
June 29, 2012
An interesting quick read about a growing epidemic in this country. There are some good tips and good science in it to back up a scary problem in this nation.
July 7, 2012
Didn't learn too much. Not helpful to me as I've read about 4 of the suggested readings, and they all covered the same material.
July 25, 2012
Eat less, move more. Now you don't need to read the book.
July 28, 2012
Pretty basic info...however it is really unsettling when you realize how much we are being manipulated. Really makes you think some more about your choices.
August 22, 2012
A mediocre read - mainly serves as a primer on the food industry and its' effect on the country's obesity. No new info here, folks.
November 22, 2012
Nothing new. This book seems like its written for elderly obese people who know nothing about weight loss.
September 3, 2013
I liked the information the book gave. It was used as a text book for an online class I took over the summer and it was a fast read.
July 26, 2014
Great book and documentary. Real insight into a major problem in the US.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews