How to lose weight without feeling hungry - the best method for fat loss without dieting and counting calories | Prof Giles Yeo & Dr Federica Amati

Why are you not losing weight? 

Many of us ask this, and the advice on how to lose weight often leaves you feeling hungry. We’ve been told weight loss means eating less, moving more, but for lasting fat loss dieting, calorie counting, and willpower may not be the answer. In today’s episode, Professor Giles Yeo, who has spent his career decoding the biology of appetite and body weight. and Dr Federica Amati explain how to lose weight in a healthier way, and why it’s harder for some people than others.

You’ll learn how more than 1,000 genes shape the way your brain responds to food, and whether there’s really an ‘obesity gene’. 

We also explain why a calorie deficit stops working over time and how your gut microbiome affects your weight. We also ask: Can you lose weight without exercise, and are weight loss drugs an easy fix?

The episode provides simple steps for healthy weight loss that lasts.  And, by the end, you’ll know which foods to reach for to help keep you fuller for longer. 

If you can’t stop snacking, even when you want to diet, this episode will help you lose weight while eating MORE. 

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Timecodes

00:00 Intro 

01:46 Is losing weight just about willpower? 

04:04 Why you can’t stop thinking about food

11:22 Real hunger or just cravings? The 2 types of hunger

13:05 Why does obesity carry so much shame?

18:14 How much of your weight is down to your genes? 

19:29 Is there one obesity gene? 

21:43 Why fast food "shouts" at some brains

23:25 Why obesity rates have doubled

25:45 Are your genes stopping you from losing weight?

28:14 Gut health and weight loss: the microbes that "eat" 100 calories a day

31:55 Is celery actually a negative calorie food? 

33:18 Same calories, more weight loss?

35:29 Why counting calories is NOT the answer 

38:27 How you can start losing weight by eating more food

40:02 The simple belly fat test anyone can do

42:26 How fibre boosts your natural GLP-1 and keeps you full

44:47 Does exercise actually work for weight loss? 

46:30 Ozempic for weight loss: the easy option?

47:29 How to lose weight: start by looking at your parents

49:05 The breakfast rule behind sustainable weight loss 

50:31 Is obesity really a choice?

52:05 Why one meal won’t ruin your week (or your weight loss)

54:05 How fast should you lose weight? 

55:47 One-word tip for lasting weight loss

📚Books by our ZOE Scientists

The Food For Life Cookbook

Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati

The Appetite Reset by Dr Federica Amati

Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector

Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector

Good Mood Food by Prof. Tim Spector

Free resources from ZOE

The Smart Snacking Guide: How to feed your gut, fuel your day, and snack without guilt

The Hormone Harmony Guide: Tuning Your Body’s Internal Orchestra  

Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint

How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health

Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition

Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks 

Better Breakfast Guide

Mentioned in today's episode

A Matter of Fat with Rose Stokes & Professor Giles Yeo

Gemini Study

Host-diet-gut microbiome interactions influence human energy balance, Nature Communications⁠ (2023)

⁠Can ZOE help people lose weight?

Episode transcripts are available here.