The real reason you may have more trouble losing weight than others do

Hunger (the urge to eat or to seek food) and satiation (the feeling that you’re full and don’t want more food) are regulated in the hypothalamus, the most primitive part of the brain.

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The hypothalamus responds to hormonal signals being sent from different organs of the body via various chemical messengers.

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When this system works as it should, our hunger increases when our body needs energy and decreases when it doesn’t. The result is a stable body weight.

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But sometimes, the system goes awry. Dr. Gabriel Smolarz is an endocrinologist specializing in the treatment of obesity. Here’s how he explains it:

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If your brain is getting the wrong signals about whether you need food, this is obviously going to make it much more difficult for you to eat less.

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