Continuing Lifestyle Intervention, Part 8

When a person has lost a fair amount of weight, or is still in the process, to have some kind of structure can be very useful, which is why Childhood Obesity News frequently recommends BrainWeighve. It offers a multifaceted array of helpful ideas, particularly for accountability, which is the type of support system a lot of us seem to need.

We like knowing that we are not alone in the struggle; and that others face the same challenges. We feel good about cheering them along while they in turn wave their imaginary pom-poms for us.

Of course, there are many programs. The Delight Medical and Wellness Center strongly makes the point that mutual support is healing. Sure, everybody needs to implement the obvious dietary changes, and to move around more. However, continuing lifestyle intervention is not just for people who need to be fixed, but for everybody all the time. Health requires:

Psychological changes: This includes changes to your attitude, your mood and the way you manage stress.

Some techniques have proven to work beautifully, over the centuries. Joining a support group helps you to stay connected with other people, and writing a journal keeps you in touch with yourself. Also, these wellness experts say,

Behavioral changes: While all lifestyle changes are technically behavior, this category refers to things like your sleeping habits, activity level and planning efforts.

This circles back to another reason to praise BrainWeighve: It is very big on planning. Making a plan is always good. That doesn’t mean you can’t revise it, put it off, or sometimes even abandon it if a better plan comes along. A plan is one of those things we recognize as “better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.” A plan can be shared with others who seek inspiration, or with one’s own accountability partner.

Getting back to the words of wisdom from the Wellness Center, they suggest that one type of plan a person can make is, to carry out an effectiveness review of our habits:

This includes approaching each habit you have and evaluating the way it is impacting your lifestyle… Changing just one behavior at a time can lead to lasting changes in your life, and is much less intimidating than attempting to completely overhaul your current lifestyle.

Do our habits serve us? If not, out with them! The part of the mind that adopts habits does not really care if they are good ones or bad ones, it just likes the sense of order. So, might as well turn over the job to some smarter brain cells, the ones with the power to cultivate good habits. (More about habit gardening can be found here and here.)

The long and short of it is, there are very few people who would not benefit from continuing lifestyle intervention at any stage of their existence. That concept is, or should be, just as much about the mental and emotional stuff, as it is about the physical adjustments involved in losing weight or fending off its return.

Your responses and feedback are welcome!

Source: “Lifestyle Changes for Improved Health,” DelightMedical.com, undated

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OVERWEIGHT: What Kids Say explores the obesity problem from the often-overlooked perspective of children struggling with being overweight.

About Dr. Robert A. Pretlow

Dr. Robert A. Pretlow is a pediatrician and childhood obesity specialist. He has been researching and spreading awareness on the childhood obesity epidemic in the US for more than a decade.
You can contact Dr. Pretlow at:

Presentations

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the American Society of Animal Science 2020 Conference
What’s Causing Obesity in Companion Animals and What Can We Do About It

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the World Obesity Federation 2019 Conference:
Food/Eating Addiction and the Displacement Mechanism

Dr. Pretlow’s Multi-Center Clinical Trial Kick-off Speech 2018:
Obesity: Tackling the Root Cause

Dr. Pretlow’s 2017 Workshop on
Treatment of Obesity Using the Addiction Model

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation for
TEC and UNC 2016

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the 2015 Obesity Summit in London, UK.

Dr. Pretlow’s invited keynote at the 2014 European Childhood Obesity Group Congress in Salzburg, Austria.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2013 European Congress on Obesity in Liverpool, UK.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2011 International Conference on Childhood Obesity in Lisbon, Portugal.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2010 Uniting Against Childhood Obesity Conference in Houston, TX.

Food & Health Resources