How Not To Think

There's probably few areas in contemporary life that are as beset by myths, stereotypes, binary thinking and fake news than weight loss. With the majority of people in the US and most of the western world (not to mention some of the poorer countries) struggling with excessive weight and the associated co-morbid conditions like diabetes, heart disease, stroke and dementia, we desperately need to view this issue critically and with clarity.

Barbara Cady is a former President of the non-profit weight loss support group Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) and currently an advisor with tears of experience and wisdom on this topic. TOPS is a non-profit organization that focuses on the why and how of  weight loss, not just the what. Uncontaminated by the need for profits and driven entirely by efficacy and the goal of providing support, TOPS, and Barb in particular, can tell us a lot about how not to think about weight loss. 

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In this special episode of How Not To Think, behavior change expert and podcast host Dr Howard Rankin interviews "experts" from all over the world who  give their informed opinion on what it really takes to change habits. From memory expert Ivor Gotten to self-control guru Avan Other to anger management authority Drew Ire, the experts provide amazing insights into the hidden processes behind behavior change and what it means for anyone making New Year's Resolutions.  

"Humor is just another way of being serious" -- Peter Ustinov

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"Prediction is easy unless it is about the future," said Danish physicist Niels Bohr. Yogi Berra apparently said something similar so it's unclear who was the original source of the quote. Regardless, the fact is that predictions are crucial in helping us deal with almost every aspect of life. 

In the last few years, there has been increasing interest and research in how human beings really think. Cognitive biases and other tendencies show a major subconscious effect of thinking, perception and decision-making. Now, a company has incorporated these tendencies into their predictive analytics with great success. IntualityAI has shown superior long term success with its predictive analytics in various fields specifically in financial markets, sports, elections and health. 

In this episode, Founder and President of IntualityAI Grant Renier discusses the theory and application of analytics that simulates the human thought process.

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Dr David Katz is a leader in the field of lifestyle as medicine and nutrition. In this episode Howard and David discuss  what is truly known about nutrition, including the healthiest diets, and how this information is often distorted to create unnecessary 'dietary confusion'. The massive implications of such misinformation include major increases in various health risks and all cause mortality. Questions answered in this episode include what is the best diet for humans: how and why did this information get so distorted: what are the implications for you.

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