Weight Loss Counseling  The rate of obesity has soared in the past 20 years. While many people are able to make behavioral changes and lose weight, very few are able to maintain their weight loss. A cognitive approach may make it much more likely that people will be able to sustain lifetime changes in their eating.
People need a great deal of education about dieting, food, eating, and maintenance. They have to choose a highly nutritious diet program and learn to plan and self-monitor their intake. They need help in solving problems that would otherwise derail them. They need to find someone to keep them accountable and to support them. Behavioral experiments are important to decrease their fear of hunger and cravings and increase their tolerance for these uncomfortable states. Finally, they need to learn how to identify and respond to dysfunctional thoughts that get in the way of consistently implementing a diet and exercise programs.
Those who fail to lose weight or fail to maintain their weight loss think differently from those who are able to lose weight and keep it off long term. They have a lot of all-or-nothing thinking:
Being full (often overly full) is good; hunger is bad
They're good if they follow their diets, but bad if they make 1 mistake
Their eating week was either good (relatively easy) or bad (even if they only struggled for several minutes on several days)
Food is either good or bad even though we recommend that dieters plan in advance to modify their diets so they can eat small portions of whatever food they want as often as once a day Without exploring the psychological issues that may be triggering weight problems, most people will be doomed to repeat a pattern of self-defeating behavior. We must understand that we are more than the pleasure center of our brain. We are much more than the darkest side of our soul. Many may say that if I am not intolerant of my mistakes, how will I learn to motivate myself to change? However, real change only occurs when we learn to respect and value who we are with all of our faults. Because of its value in dealing with an individuals thinking, distortions, and beliefs, cognitive therapy is the most effective therapeutic treatment for those who seek to lose and maintain weight. Cognitive therapy helps people make rational assessments of their weight, and assists people in responding with self-affirmation to their maladaptive thinking about eating and body perception. Whatever one's demons happen to be, people need to move forward and treat themselves as if they deserve the best things to happen in their life.  If you are struggling with losing weight, we are here to help. Please contact us today for a free consultation and ask to speak with Kimberley Harris, Ray Robinson, Jennifer Reed, or Chris Berger. |
