Hi there this is Monica Reinagel the nutrition diva here with your quick and dirty

tips for eating well and feeling fabulous, welcome.

So the question for today is, could the Chinese Thunder God Vine be a cure-all for obesity.

That was the headline of a recent news story

about a Harvard University study

on a Chinese herb called The Thunder God Vine.

Myse, who were given an extract from this herb lost their appetite.

And as a result, they started eating a lot less, and they lost a lot of weight.

Researchers speculate that if this extract had a similar effect in humans, it could be a powerful weapon against obesity.

Except for one thing, hunger is not the only reason we eat.

Sure, we sometimes eat because we're hungry,

but we also eat when we're bored, stressed,

or tempted by appealing food, even when we aren't hungry at all. In fact, I suspect that most of the calories

responsible for excess weight are consumed when we're not actually hungry. And that's why I don't

think that a drug or an herb that reduces our appetite is necessarily going to lead to massive weight loss.

At best, it would make things a bit easier for people who are already resolved to restrict their food intake regardless of their desire to eat.

If committed dieters experience less hunger, they may well find it easier to stick to their plan, but absent the plan and that commitment,

I can't see a drug like that making a big difference for those who are struggling to lose weight.

Look, if you're trying to cut calories,

doesn't it make sense to start with the ones that you eat

when you're not hungry?

Today, I want to highlight some of the most common reasons people eat when they're not hungry,

...