Another study showing the relationship between chronic lack of sleep and obesity. Shift workers have higher a higher incedence of obesity as well.
There may be a stress connection here. Sleep deprivation increases cortisol, a known appetite stimulant.
Underestimation of calories is one of the major causes for discrepencies between like studies. It seems that larger meals are more difficult to estimate and more likely to be underestimated by both obese and normal weight people. Smaller meals where estimated with a much high accuracy. The researchers concluded that the greater underestimation by obese subjects was a result of their tendacy to eat larger meals.
Obese subjects scored higher in novelty seeking and lower in persistance. Those who were successful in weight loss scored lower in novelty seeking.
To me, this suggests a relationship between obesity and low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine is partially responsible for drive (persistance) and pleasure (novelty seeking). Dopamine is also a known appetite suppressant.
Cissus quadrangularis, a medicinal plant from India, appears to be effective for weight loss.
The following study showed cissus lowered body weight and abdominal fat, as well as in fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and C-reactive protein.