We continue discussing Dr. James V. Neel’s thrifty gene hypothesis and the notion of “starvation mode” that grew from it.

The thrifty gene hypothesis, introduced in 1962 originated as an effort to explain diabetes, and then expanded to potentially account for obesity as well.

A vivid example of fatsploitation is a TV show about Connor McCreaddie, a British boy who, at age eight, weighed more than 200 pounds.

One method of exploiting people is to use their issues as leverage to sell them things. Here are some troubling aspects of the plus-size clothing business.

Now when it tends to reinforce the constant tendency to compare bodies, and even contribute to the increase in eating disorders.

If the reality show called “More to Love” wanted to help humanize plus-size women, it has failed. Here’s why.

The show has been called unusually honest about mental health problems, as well as uplifting and perfectly cast.

Part of addiction is that people get hooked on the stories they tell themselves and others. Addicts can talk themselves into anything.

Here is a shoutout to someone who has been an integral part of Dr. Pretlow’s projects for a long, long time, Carly Hurt.

People are able to retrain their brains to accept, and work with, alternative displacement mechanisms that are less harmful and more helpful than eating.

Why is the food addiction so difficult to control? People threatened by an unfaceable situation will eat, both the wrong stuff and a lot of it.

Most obesity triggers are found in the brain, lying in wait to trip us up and urge us to consume. The BrainWeighve app can help fight against compulsion.

How could we convince the brain to stop telling us to eat, and stop telling us to desperately hang onto body fat?

Researchers try very hard to identify each and every contributing factor to obesity, including residential density and even air quality.

Many have the impression that rural residents in the USA are in great shape, because of all the physical labor that country living implies. But no.

The BrainWeighve app points out that overflowing brain energy is likely to be burned off in a useless and even harmful way, like overeating.

People like to help other people. Even if your cases are not the same, with BrainWeighve you can get ideas, or at least a useful notion that coping is possible.

Clinical trials of the BrainWeighve phone app are being organized at the University of California, Los Angeles. Stay tuned!

Educational institutions are rife with psychological trauma as part of the daily background stress, sometimes resulting in depression and emotional eating.

Food in schools has always been a fertile area for teasing, and a potential source of shame.

There are some very good reasons to switch over to non-food treats for Halloween. Learn more.

How do you deal with children who possess piles of candy on Halloween night?

Halloween goals are to minimize the amount of junk the kids collect, how much they hold onto, and how much of it they ultimately consume.

The Switch Witch has been around for a while, swapping sweets for gifts, and incidentally, for a childhood with fewer dentist visits.

As well as being low on carbohydrates, some Halloween food creations are gluten-free, paleo, and even adaptable to be totally vegan.

In this season, the goal is to minimize the acquisition, retention, and consumption of candy. Mainly, the first.

Because individuals and families vary greatly, nothing works for everybody, but it is definitely worth trying some ideas to lessen the holiday stress.

The whole idea here is to create absorbing activities that a child can take part in, and fill the weeks that lead up to the holiday with these activities.

The sad reality is that most holiday treats are composed of the same ingredients, rendered into different shapes and dyed with holiday-specific colors.

For children who are either already overweight or obese, or at risk for those conditions, this holiday can be a special kind of ordeal.