For
a long time physiology has been the lead science in combating
obesity. To achieve weight loss, diets like Low Carb Diets,
Glycemic Index Diet and even Very Low Calories Diets (VLCD) are
designed to primarily effect physiological results.These include
control of glucose assimilation and reduced calories intake.
Another major and complementing physiological effect sort after is
increased weight loss expenditure. Particularly, physical activities as
well as thermogenic agents that target to increase fat metabolism are
used to increase calorie expenditure.
Indeed the combination of weight loss diets and exercise regimes
designed for weight loss have proven to be superior that either
technique alone. But with years of physiology, permanent weight loss is
still elusive, many have given up along the way and for the persistent
it is a yoyo journey.
Deeper insight into causes of obesity could as well be pointing to a
new weight loss science to compliment physiology. As opposed
to
physiology which is the study of the science of life, psychology is the
study of mind, behavior and attitudes. With the redefinition of obesity
by World Health Orgnaisation (WHO) as a multi factorial disease;
attitude, state of mind and behavioral studies have been making inroads
to try and find a lasting solution for the obesity epidemic.
Studies are showing that only 60% of weight lost is maintained in one
year. Even in cases of extreme intervention like weight loss surgery,
you are easily back to where you came from in about five years.
The most promising solution yet to long term weight loss is change in
lifestyle. This then has created quite some room for
psychology
in dieting.
Already studies that include behavioral treatments have shown promising
results. Compared to diets, exercise programs as well as
diet-exercise programs, inclusion of a behavioral treatment results to
improvement to any of these techniques. This has a simple explanation.
As much as weights loss involves calories reduction, weight maintenance
requires a zero-calories balance. With diet and exercising techniques,
introduction of negative calories balance or calories reduction has
been achieved. But the zero calorie balance to maintain
weight
has not. This is because particular lifestyle habits need to
be
changed.
If one is going to go into a weight loss program, lose some weight,
then go right back to the same lifestyle that got them overweight in
the first place; it doesn’t require a lot of imagination to
project that it is just a matter of time before they are back to where
they started.
Enter a new problem, how do we effect change of lifestyle?
A lifestyle is a collection of habits. Habits are based on frequent
practice of particular decisions. The science of decisions, habits and
behaviors is a challenge way off the abilities of physiology, the
science of life system.
Already weight loss programs merging both psychological and
physiological tactics are in use. One such diet would be a Dr Phil Diet
by the celebrity motivational speaker Dr Phil McGraw. With the entry of
psychology we look forward to tools, tactics ad techniques to help
individual change their lifestyle to result to permanent weight loss.
This
content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new information on weight loss becomes
available. The information is intended for
educational purposes only. Please
consult your healthcare provider before beginning
any kind of weight loss program
