Why the brain gets in the way of dieting and weight loss, according to a nutritionist
Nutritionist Jo Furlan explains the difference between physical and emotional hunger, the role of immediate pleasure and why restrictive diets often fail.
BY THE X-TRADER NEWS NEWSROOM · REPORTING FROM REVISTA OESTE · 2 MIN
According to Revista Oeste, nutritionist Jo Furlan participated in the program A Força do Agro, presented by Joice Maffezzolli, to address an obstacle that is usually overlooked by those trying to lose weight: hunger that does not come from the stomach.
The report separates two types of hunger. Physics appears little by little and can be satisfied with various foods. Emotional manifests itself as a desire for specific products, such as chocolate and sweets.
Memory also comes into play. According to the publication, childhood memories, such as family meals and grandparents' recipes, create emotional associations with certain foods. Furlan states that eating habits are formed in childhood, with the participation of parents, and associates ultra-processed foods with childhood obesity.
Behind desire there is a biological mechanism. According to Furlan, sugar, fat and salt stimulate the brain's reward system, and he uses the concept of bliss point to describe the combination that makes a food difficult to give up. Immediate pleasure, followed by guilt and sadness, favors repetition of the behavior.
The doctor's personal account adds weight to the argument. He claims to have weighed around 148 kg and had bariatric surgery, but maintains that the operation alone does not resolve behavioral factors. He also warns about weight regain after very restrictive diets and says that maintenance requires lasting changes, with physical activity, self-knowledge and reduction of ultra-processed foods.
What changes for the investor
If Furlan's vision gains ground, the topic could influence the reading of companies in the food, nutrition, health and bariatric surgery sectors. A debate that places behavior at the center of the problem tends to pay more attention to individual choice and continuous monitoring than to short-term solutions, which can favor services and products aimed at maintaining habits. Companies whose model depends on ultra-processed products, with a strong appeal for immediate pleasure, may now face more scrutiny. The report does not contain market data, prices or projections on sugar, fat or other commodities, so any effect on prices would only be a hypothesis. The reading is for a scenario, not a buy or sell recommendation.
Automatically translated from Portuguese.
