Scientists are working to understand what hormonal and
physiological cues in the body lead the brain to respond to food
emotionally. Scientists are working to understand what hormonal
and physiological cues in the body lead the brain to respond to
food emotionally. iStockphoto.com Willpower plays a role in
dieting. But keeping the weight off after you've lost it? This
is where our physiology can get in the way. Research suggests
that hormone shifts that follow weight loss play a role in
changing the way our brain responds to food. "After you've lost
weight, you have an increase in the emotional response to food,"
says Columbia University Medical Center researcher Michael
Rosenbaum, who studies the body's response to weight loss. He
says you also see "a decrease in the activity of brain systems
that might be more involved in restraint." And there's another
factor making weight loss maintenance tough, too: a slower
metabolism. When you lose weight, the body adapts to conserve
energy, so it just doesn't need as