Your body isn’t a calculator. It’s a survival machine—with its own rules.
Summary
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Your body actively resists weight loss—it’s a survival instinct, not laziness.
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Calorie counting is deeply flawed and often misleading.
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Some people are genetically wired to gain weight more easily.
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You can’t change your genes, but you can change your environment.
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Sustainable fat loss starts with understanding how your body actually works.
This post is a detailed summary of the video “The Weight Loss Scientist: You’ve Been Lied To About Calories” from The Diary of a CEO with Dr. Giles Yeo. It unpacks how our biology—not willpower—drives weight gain, why calorie counting is misleading, and what truly sustainable fat loss looks like. All scientific explanations and insights are based on Dr. Yeo’s expert commentary and are presented here for clarity and accessibility.
Why "Eat Less, Move More" Doesn’t Work
We’ve all heard it:
“Just eat less and move more.”
And yet—for millions of people—it doesn’t work.
You try. You count calories. You hit the gym.
But the fat clings on. And the worst part? Everyone assumes you’re just not trying hard enough.
But what if the problem isn’t you?
What if your body is doing exactly what it was designed to do…
even if it’s working against your goals?
Let’s talk about it.
The Most Shocking Truth: Your Brain Hates Weight Loss
According to Dr. Giles Yeo, a geneticist at Cambridge University who studies obesity, the real reason people can’t lose weight has nothing to do with willpower.
“Your brain doesn’t want you to lose weight.
It will fight you—hard—every step of the way.”
Why?
Because biologically, weight loss looks like starvation to your body.
As soon as fat stores start shrinking, your brain flips into survival mode:
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It increases your hunger hormones
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It decreases your metabolism
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It makes you obsessed with food
Your body doesn’t want to be lean—it wants to be safe.
In evolutionary terms, that meant having extra fat in case of famine.
So if you’ve been stuck in a cycle of dieting and regaining, it’s not because you’re broken.
It’s because your biology is trying to protect you.
Calorie Counting? Mostly a Lie
Dr. Yeo also tears down another popular belief: that calories are reliable.
They’re not.
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Calorie values on labels are based on burning food in a lab, not digesting it in a human body.
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Different people absorb calories differently depending on genetics and gut health.
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The same food affects your body differently depending on how it's prepared, what it's eaten with, and how processed it is.
“Calorie counting treats the body like a math equation.
But bodies aren’t spreadsheets. They’re ecosystems.”
Bottom line?
You can eat 1,500 calories and still gain weight—or eat 2,000 and lose it
—depending on what you eat and how your body handles it.
Do You Have the “Fat Gene”? (And What That Actually Means)
Here’s a question many people wonder (and you probably have too):
“Is it possible that I’m just genetically unlucky?”
Short answer: Yes.
But also: That doesn’t mean you’re doomed.
Dr. Yeo explains that certain genes—like the FTO gene—are associated with:
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Increased appetite
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Lower satiety (it takes longer to feel full)
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Greater fat storage efficiency
You don’t need a genetic test to suspect you might have these tendencies.
If you gain weight more easily than others—even with the same diet and lifestyle—your genes might be playing a role.
But here’s the empowering part:
“You can’t change your genes. But you can change your environment.”
Let’s talk about how.
What to Do If You’re Genetically Prone to Weight Gain
If your body is wired to resist weight loss, here’s how to stop fighting it—and work with it instead.
1. Eat Less Often, Not Less Food
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Give your body longer breaks between meals (12–14 hours overnight, minimum)
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Ditch constant snacking—it keeps insulin high and fat locked in
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Try time-restricted eating before jumping into full intermittent fasting
2. Build Meals Around Satiety
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Prioritize protein and fiber at every meal
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Avoid naked carbs (eat bread with eggs or nuts, not jam)
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Drink water before eating—thirst is often misread as hunger
3. Track “Why” You Eat, Not Just What
Instead of logging calories, try logging this:
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What did you eat?
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Why did you eat it? (Hunger, stress, habit, boredom?)
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How full did you feel afterward?
You’ll quickly see patterns—and gain control.
4. Remove Environmental Triggers
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Don’t keep snack foods in plain sight
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Don’t eat in front of screens—your brain won’t register fullness
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Make healthy food the default, not the effort
5. Sleep, Stress, and Movement
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Poor sleep makes you hungrier—fix your bedtime first
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Walking helps regulate appetite more than high-intensity exercise
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Strength training (even 2x/week) helps preserve metabolism as you lose weight
Stop Blaming Yourself
The most important takeaway?
If your body is resisting weight loss, it’s not a moral failure.
It’s biology.
Yes, some people can cut carbs for a week and drop 5 pounds.
But others? It takes a slower, smarter approach. And that’s okay.
When you understand your body—your real body, not the one fitness culture promises—you can finally stop chasing shortcuts and start building something sustainable.
Final Thought
You’re not weak.
You’re not broken.
You’re just operating with a different set of variables.
And once you understand those variables,
you’ll stop asking:
“What’s wrong with me?”
And start asking:
“What kind of environment does my body thrive in?”
That’s the real weight loss question.