Focusing On Neurobehavioral Processes, Not Personal Choice, May Improve Obesity Counseling

Not in a million years.

(Here is the explanation for why diets fail.)

Current approaches to dietary counseling for obesity are heavily rooted in the notion of personal choice and will power - the ability to choose healthy foods and portion sizes consistent with weight loss while foregoing sweets and comfort foods.

According to preventive medicine and behavioral experts at Rush University Medical Center, research supports a new counseling approach that views obesity as a result of neurobehavioral processes - ways in which the brain controls eating behavior in response to cues in the environment.

The new, proposed neurobehavioral model is highlighted in an article in the August issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

"Typically, overweight and obese patients receive education about dietary contributions to weight gain, and they are simply encouraged to fight the powerful urge to eat the delicious foods that are available almost everywhere in the environment, and instead, make dietary choices consistent with weight loss," said Brad Appelhans, PhD, clinical psychologist and obesity researcher in the Rush University Prevention Center and lead author of the article. "Yet, we know this approach rarely works. Even highly motivated and nutritionally informed patients struggle to refrain from highly palatable foods that are high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats."

So what do these morons suggest?

A few strategies recommended by the researchers include:
In order to combat food reward, patients can remove high fat foods they crave from personal environments such as the home and workplace to prevent the activation of the reward circuitry.

Limit the impact of reward on food choice by shopping with a grocery list or using online grocers.

Practice stress management techniques since stress promotes overeating and obesity by enhancing food reward processing.
Avoid situations such as buffets and restaurants that challenge inhibitory control.

Focus on achieving short-term behavioral goals, such as cooking a healthy dinner on three nights of the week rather than focusing on long-term weight loss goals.

Ways to "... fight the powerful urge to eat the delicious foods that are available almost everywhere in the environment, and instead, make dietary choices consistent with weight loss..."

Idiots.