Avoiding "Snaccidents" and building healthy habits
Published 5.27.2025: This talk from the vegan seminar, "The Truth About Weight Loss," was more interesting to me. It was presented by Dr. Laurie Marbas, who has a podcast. I listened to it, but it turned out that she was in the process of changing it, and it didn't interest me.
Dr Marbas is a believer in food addiction, though really we're talking about an "addiction" to ultra-processed, hyper-palatable foods. No one gets "addicted" to broccoli. So is it really food addiction? or is it an addiction to food stuffs or food-like substances? I am not a believer in food addiction, so that is my bias. I think I could be convinced if the concept were limited to hyper-palatable ultra-processed foods (UPF).
Marbas believes that giving into cravings creates the brain conditions seen in addiction, whether the cravings start with a negative, neutral or positive trigger. Habits, according to her, take 66 days to establish, which is 45 days longer than the habit forming myth that was part of someone's (I don't remember who) program. But the reality is that habits take much longer than 21 days to establish, and to be honest, going back to them is probably more common than doctors and researchers want to admit.
Perspective, she says, is the key. This is the "don't think of it as a diet, it's a lifestyle change" argument. And while I will agree that any short term change isn't likely to do squat— lifestyle changes are not easy to accomplish. Have a made lifestyle changes? Sure I'd say so. I have started working with a trainer and now work out five days a week. Changes to my diet are harder, especially as I realize that fasting is not for me.
She views glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs as a tool, which are best used after the habits have been changed. This, I think, is not the view of physicians who actually prescribe the drugs. The drugs make habit changes possible, is what they say. GLP-1s might not be a long term solution, but their presence is certainly altering how obesity experts practice.
Her point is that GLP-1s don't stop cravings. They suppress appetite, but the craving is still there. People just can't act on it because they aren't hungry. Her position is that to avoid "snaccidents" or mindless eating (I'll admit that "snaccidents" is clever) something has to change in the brain— but I thought that what GLP-1s were doing… changing the brain.
She doesn't seem as doctrinaire as some of the other physicians. As I say, I was inspired by this talk to listen to her podcast, it's too bad that she was in the process of changing it. Overall though, a lot of the talk wasn't anything new.
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT any sort of medical professional. This notes are based on my personal opinions and biases. Do NOT take medical advice from me!!
Dr Marbas is a believer in food addiction, though really we're talking about an "addiction" to ultra-processed, hyper-palatable foods. No one gets "addicted" to broccoli. So is it really food addiction? or is it an addiction to food stuffs or food-like substances? I am not a believer in food addiction, so that is my bias. I think I could be convinced if the concept were limited to hyper-palatable ultra-processed foods (UPF).
Marbas believes that giving into cravings creates the brain conditions seen in addiction, whether the cravings start with a negative, neutral or positive trigger. Habits, according to her, take 66 days to establish, which is 45 days longer than the habit forming myth that was part of someone's (I don't remember who) program. But the reality is that habits take much longer than 21 days to establish, and to be honest, going back to them is probably more common than doctors and researchers want to admit.
Perspective, she says, is the key. This is the "don't think of it as a diet, it's a lifestyle change" argument. And while I will agree that any short term change isn't likely to do squat— lifestyle changes are not easy to accomplish. Have a made lifestyle changes? Sure I'd say so. I have started working with a trainer and now work out five days a week. Changes to my diet are harder, especially as I realize that fasting is not for me.
She views glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs as a tool, which are best used after the habits have been changed. This, I think, is not the view of physicians who actually prescribe the drugs. The drugs make habit changes possible, is what they say. GLP-1s might not be a long term solution, but their presence is certainly altering how obesity experts practice.
Her point is that GLP-1s don't stop cravings. They suppress appetite, but the craving is still there. People just can't act on it because they aren't hungry. Her position is that to avoid "snaccidents" or mindless eating (I'll admit that "snaccidents" is clever) something has to change in the brain— but I thought that what GLP-1s were doing… changing the brain.
She doesn't seem as doctrinaire as some of the other physicians. As I say, I was inspired by this talk to listen to her podcast, it's too bad that she was in the process of changing it. Overall though, a lot of the talk wasn't anything new.
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT any sort of medical professional. This notes are based on my personal opinions and biases. Do NOT take medical advice from me!!