6.      Behavioural methods:

 

Food diaries

Awareness of cues or trigger factors that set off the eating pattern

Teach new eating patterns

 

De-emphasise weight loss with obese patients. Create structure, e.g. three meals a day and strike the word diet from any communciation with them! Encourage them to learn to listen to their body signals.

 

The input-output theory obviously holds here in that there is a lack of exercise and excessive food intake. The pattern of excessive eating has probably continued for a number of years. At the point at which they decide to change their behaviour, they may not be eating very much at all. Obese individuals have moved from one weight loss programme or diet to another, and usually end up getting larger and larger. The importance of prevention is therefore imperative. If you are weighing approximately 20kgs over your recommended weight, then try and find someone who will help in a holisitc fashion. Do not try and address your eating, exercise or psychological aspects in isolation. If you attempt to change only one aspect, you may be disappointed and will end up moving from one programme to another.

 

I am not being negative, simply a realist. I believe there is a point at which it becomes incredibly difficult to change obesity. There are numerous new medicines out, such as fat inhibitors, fat burners, etc, but these do not always work. I think that once you have been obese for a certain amount of time you identify with that obese personality and it becomes very difficult to change the picture. Prevention is better than cure!

 

The following are tell-tale signs to watch for if you are struggling to lose weight on a particular programme or regime:

 

1.      You are not losing weight.

2.      You have gained weight.

3.      There are weight fluctuations.

4.      You are losing motivation.

5.      You start to miss training sessions, feel like

         “cheating” on your diet, etc.

6.      You are feeling depressed or lethargic.

 

**Remember:

 

Obesity that has commenced in childhood (i.e. juvenile onset obesity) is more difficult to change than adult onset obesity.