Weight Loss- A Mind Game

We are all familiar with the common scenario of someone loosing weight successfully, however, being unable to keep the weight off. Why does this happen so often?

I read a very interesting interview this week with a clinical psychologist on the cognitive component of weight loss, which may help to explain this frequent, frustrating observation.

Dr Judith s. Beck, PhD, Director of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research, and Clinical Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, advocates a Cognitive Therapy Program for weight loss and maintenance.

So just what is a Cognitive Therapy Program and what would it involve in the context of weight loss/maintenance?

In this form of therapy, it is recognized that, in people trying to lose weight, or maintain weight loss, there can be dysfunctional thoughts that prevent a consistent implementation of a healthy eating and exercise plan.

Identification of these dysfunctional thoughts and formulation of appropriate responses, is the key to being able to consistently implement the behaviours that result in the desired weight loss, and maintenance of this loss.

There are some common patterns of distorted thinking in those who are repeatedly unsuccessful at weight loss. Often these people think differently to those who are able to lose weight and keep it off long term.

There can be all-or-nothing thinking, such as:

· I am “good” if I follow my diet, but “bad” if I make 1 mistake;

· Food is either “good” or “bad”

· Hunger is bad; being full (often overly full) is good

· My eating week was “good” (if they found the whole week relatively easy) or “bad” (if they struggled for only several minutes on several days)

· I’ve eaten something bad now I may as well eat what I want for the rest of the day and start again fresh tomorrow

· People who are a normal weight do not restrict their intake and rarely get hungry

· Once I lose this weight, I can eat normally again

Any of these sound familiar?? I must say they rang bells in my ears :)

So what is it that we can do about these patterns of thinking?

Firstly we need to learn just what it is that we are thinking when we feel hungry and when we are craving. Keeping a diary can help. A simple exercise book with columns for the Time Of Day, Symptom (hungry, craving, etc), Thoughts -can give some real insight into the other reasons why we eat.

Certain emotions can be common triggers for eating at unplanned times, such as loneliness, boredom, tired, stressed, happy, excited. We can confuse these feelings with hunger. Real hunger comes from our belly, not our head!

The next time you feel hungry at an unscheduled meal or snack time, ask yourself "What am I feeling?" Write it down, have a large glass of water, distract yourself with something else (e.g. read, clean the toilet, go for a walk, call a friend, brush your teeth, etc), and really try to decipher if this is true hunger or something else.

There are some realities of healthy eating, exercise and weight loss that people need to accept if they are to be successful at long term weight loss. These are:

· Successful weight loss occurs at a sensible rate, and can be slow
· A healthy eating and exercise regime needs to be for LIFE
· Weight loss will NOT happen every single week- even if calorie intake and exercise is kept constant. Hormonal changes, water retention and other biologic processes can cause weight to vary
· Weight loss WILL plateau once a certain point is reached, unless food or exercise is addressed to create more of a calorie deficit
· Dieting often starts off easy, when motivation levels are high. It is NORMAL for it to get harder, but once the right tools are acquired, it will become easier again.

So what are some of the “right tools” for successfully loosing weight and keeping it off?

· Dietary Coach- Dr Beck recommends that having someone to keep you accountable and to support you is an absolute must. Assistance in solving problems that would otherwise derail you cannot be underestimated. In selecting a coach, she advises the person needs to be “highly supportive and encouraging” and an excellent problem solver. Having a weekly appointment (by telephone, email, or in person) is important.

· List of every advantage to losing weight- Dr S.Beck recommends composing and reading every day a list of every advantage you can think of for losing weight. She advises you will need to read this list for a very long time, so when you face temptation, these advantages are firmly in mind.

· Plan food intake in advance- for those who have struggled with dieting in the past, and chronic dieters, distinguishing between real hunger vs a desire to eat vs a craving, can be near on impossible. Following a sensible, planned intake, with set meals and snacks is best for these types of people. Learning to plan your intake in advance and stick to this without variation, is key. At least until the habit of regular and planned eating becomes a habit, then becoming more relaxed with eating can be experimented with.

· Response cards- these are index cards designed to be used at times when a person may be craving, wanting to eat at an unscheduled time, or when someone is feeling the emotional need to eat. They can contain reasons/advantages for loosing weight, as well as dialogue that talks the person through their particular issue, e.g:

“Even though I really want to eat now, I haven’t planned to. If I eat I’ll strengthen my “giving-in” habit, which makes it more likely that in the future I’m more likely to give in. If I don’t eat, I’ll strengthen my “resistance” habit, which makes it more likely in the future I’ll be able to resist. I can tolerate not eating now. I’ll be very glad in a few minutes when the desire goes away. I shouldn’t give myself a choice about this. After all, I’d rather be thinner. I can’t eat whatever I want AND also be thinner. I have to make a choice. EVERY time matters”.

· List of things to do when feeling tempted- as mentioned before, things like brushing your teeth, taking a walk, calling a friend, cleaning the toilet/bathroom, writing emails, etc. A list of about 20 activities is good. You should try at least 5 each time you are tempted.

· Eat slowly and mindfully- eat only when sitting down and enjoy every bite of food you eat so you feel psychologically satisfied at the end of a meal, and also physiologically full. Remember it takes 20 minutes for the brain to register it has eaten.

· Emotional resilience- people often give themselves permission to stray from their diet for an unlimited number of reasons- they’re upset, its their birthday, it’s a wedding, their traveling, busy, tired, stressed, everyone else is, it’d be rude to say no, its only a small piece, the food is free, I rarely get a chance to eat this kind of food, etc, etc! (sound familiar to anyone?? :)) You need to learn the same skills to avoid straying from your plan, regardless of the circumstances. There are always going to be available reasons. The reality is, you can eat whatever you want, when you want, for any reason OR you can be thinner! It is impossible, however to have it both ways!

· Assertiveness- state your needs, goals and desire for support to your family, friends and co-workers. Many people are reluctant to decline food that others offer, this is a skill that needs to be developed. Ask others to bring only a single serve of tempting foods into the home, at least in the beginning. Ultimately, you would like to get to the point where any type of food can be kept in the home and only small, planned in advance amounts are able to be eaten.

Finally….

· Realise that being hungry is OK- This can be a tough one for many of us! A fear of being hungry is often a reason why some people struggle to loose weight. The simple thought of possibly getting hungry, causes enough anxiety and discomfort in some that they over-eat, or eat when not hungry. Learning how and what to eat in a manner that minimizes hunger is the first important step in dealing with this issue. Then second, is to realize that hunger is not an emergency- it is only mildly uncomfortable compared to other discomforts we have experienced in our lives. Hunger comes and goes. We can tolerate it, no matter what. NB. I am in no way advocating skipping meals here, or teaching yourself to starve. Merely, that hunger between scheduled meals and snacks CAN be dealt with and you CAN wait until the time of that next meal or snack to eat. Furthermore, you CAN eat slowly and mindfully despite being HUNGRY when it is time to eat :)

Anyway, I think that is PLENTY of material to keep you busy and I hope you derived some useful ideas from this post. :)

I would like to take the opportunity at this point to mention that Dietary and Lifestyle coaching is something I specialize in and have an absolute passion for!

If you liked the ideas in this post, and think you would benefit from a highly qualified Dietary Coach, either on-line, face to face, or via phone, please contact me on below details, and we can discuss a suitable program, costs, and details to get you started on the right track today!!

I have just revised program deals and costs and if you mention this blog, you will receive 10% off my usual consulting prices for the month of May only :)

Please feel free to circulate this blog and accompanying offer to friends, family, colleagues.

Contact: bridgetjane@bigpond.com
Mobile 0421 332243
Landline (07) 5479 2283

Please note: There is a limit to the number of private clients I can take on board. I will make very effort to be available for you, however, please be advised in some situations, there may be a wait to start your program.



The information in this article was sourced from www.medscape.com , “A Cognitive Therapy Approach to Weight Loss and Maintenance: An Expert Interview With Judith S.Beck, PhD”, 23/4/07.