Satisfying our hardwired instincts has been critical to our survival for as long as we have been human. That’s why we eat when food is available, choose the most calorie-dense foods, and hate the feeling of hunger. Today, these same drives are leading millions down the path of obesity. But Dr. Susan B. Roberts, an internationally recognized nutrition researcher at Tufts University, shows how to turn our food instincts into an engine for permanent, healthy weight loss.

The Instinct Diet—the “I” diet—is a pleasure to follow: a diet based on impeccable research, a diet where the dieter never goes hungry, a diet that’s unequivocally healthy, thoroughly grounded in the metabolic, genetic, and psychological workings of the human body. Essentially, it shows how you can control the controls. Through its focus on delicious, deeply satisfying dishes like Orange Crumbed French Toast, Pork and Lemongrass Soup, Watercress and Citrus Salad with Parmesan Toast, and Chocolate Bread Pudding, plus proven behavioral modifications (Dr. Roberts is a professor of nutrition and professor of psychiatry), the diet is a fat-burning marvel. At Tufts, 85 percent of participants in Dr. Roberts’ research program lost 10 to 50 pounds in the first six months, and 90 percent of them kept the weight off for at least a year. The Instinct Diet shares everything learned by Dr. Roberts over 17 years and more: better ways to lose weight whatever you eat; also a three-stage diet plan; over 100 recipes; eight weeks of menus (with vegetarian and “non-cook” options throughout); and dozens of ideas and strategies for how to retrain our bodies—how to combat the “Gulping Syndrome,” use the “Sandwich Technique,” why tapping your forehead is an emergency measure to reduce food cravings, and more.
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March 11, 2009
Dr. Susan Roberts
Human Nutrition Center on Aging, Tufts University

Obesity, overweight, and related medical problems remain at epidemic levels. Sixty-five percent of the adult population and 33% percent of children are classified as overweight or obese, and approximately 10% of total U.S. medical expenditures are for health problems related to excess weight. Thus, obesity reduction is an urgent national priority from the perspectives of both health and the economy. Weight reduction is also a personal priority for many Americans, with 51% of adults in national surveys reporting efforts to lose weight within the past year.

Dr. Roberts discusses effective and ineffective approaches to weight loss. She highlights widely used gimmicks associated with popular diets that are ineffective for weight loss and hamper individual efforts to prevent weight regain. This presentation focuses on individual decision-making and responsibility in making sensible food and activity choices for weight control.

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