How Your Brain Responds to Dieting

Dieting can be difficult, but it may be “all in your head.” The truth is that willpower isn’t enough to see you through to lasting weight loss. In an effort to stamp out obesity, many experts agree that it’s important to focus on how the brain responds to the food you eat rather than willpower. This issue is important because many obese patients have brains that are hardwired to overeat. This approach to losing weight can be more successful over time than traditional dieting, and it may help obese patients avoid surgical weight loss procedures, such as lap band surgery.

In a recent study, researchers examine three important brain processes that are commonly associated with obesity and overeating: rewarding oneself with food, eating in moderation and time discounting.

Rewarding oneself with food, or food reward, has two aspects, which includes being motivated to eat and taking pleasure from eating. The same brain processes used in food rewards are also associated with sexual urges, substance abuse and gambling. People who are more sensitive to food reward usually have stronger cravings for food, especially sweet and/or fatty foods.

Eating in moderation, or inhibitory control, is affected by the portion of the brain that also controls planning and self-control.

Time discounting is what enables a person to look forward to long-term benefits instead of living in the moment. In the case of dieters, time discounting has to do with choosing between the present pleasures that are associated with eating unhealthy foods compared to the benefits of forgoing things that aren’t conducive to weight loss.

Researchers agree that these brain processes, in conjunction with today’s food environment, which includes a plethora of tempting, tasty high-calorie, junk foods, lead to obesity. Understanding these processes and working to control them may lead to more successful diets with long-term weight loss success.

Here are some strategies that can help in your weight loss journey:

• Remove high fat food choices from your home and work.
• Compile a list of healthy foods, and shop from that list while at your local Sarasota grocery store. Better yet, shop online so you don’t have to contend with unhealthy choices while at the store.
• Reduce the stress in your life; stress frequently triggers overeating.
• Don’t visit restaurants, such as buffets, that cater to overindulgence.
• Have short-term goals, which make it easier to keep up your momentum when beginning a weight loss regime.