<P>Thinking in Circles about Obesity: Applying Systems Thinking to Weight Management</P>
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<P>Tarek K.A. Hamid, Operational and Information Sciences, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California</P>
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<P>Low-carb…low-fat…high-protein…high-fiber…Americans are food-savvy, label-conscious, calorie-aware—and still gaining weight in spite of all their good intentions. Worse still, today’s children run the risk of a shorter life expectancy than their parents.</P>
<P><EM>Thinking in Circles About Obesity </EM>brings a healthy portion of critical thinking, spiced with on-target humor and lively graphics, to the obesity debate. Systems and medical physiology scholar Tarek Hamid unites systems (non-linear) thinking and information technology to provide powerful insights and practical strategies for managing our weight and our health. Hamid’s clear insights dispel dieters’ unrealistic expectations and illuminate dead-end behaviors to tap into a deeper understanding of how the body works, why it works that way, and how to better manage it. Included are innovative tools for:</P>
<P>• Understanding why diets almost always fall short of our expectations.</P>
<P>• Assessing weight gain, loss, and goals with greater accuracy.</P>
<P>• Abandoning one-size-fits-all solutions in lieu of personal solutions that do fit.</P>
<P>• Replacing outmoded linear thinking with feedback systems thinking.</P>
<P>• Getting the most health benefits from information technology.</P>
<P>•Making behavior and physiology work in sync instead of in opposition.</P>
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<P>Given the current level of the weight crisis, the ideas in <EM>Thinking in Circles About Obesity </EM>have much to offer clinical and health psychologists, primary care physicians, public health professionals, parents, and lay readers. For those struggling with excess weight, this book charts a new path in health decision making, to see beyond calorie charts, body mass indexes, and silver bullets.</P>