There has been plenty of discussion about how adept the new weight-loss drugs are at silencing “food noise.” Patients report, for instance, that they simply no longer feel like mindlessly snacking, and can step back and question themselves about whether the hunger is legitimate. They mention a diminishment in cravings for unhealthful foods, and even for alcohol.
But according to many authorities, there are other ways to make that intrusive voice shut up, no medication needed. Maggie O’Neill names some major fixes: dietary modifications, stress reduction, medication therapy, and behavioral modifications.
Even food itself can help, if the choices are wise. With daily or weekly injections, GLP-1 is the stuff that makes the stomach seem full and makes a person “feel fed.” It turns out that some substances raise the GLP-1 level naturally — namely protein, fat, and fiber. The advice here is twofold: Start a meal with protein and vegetables. But even before that, don’t let yourself get too hungry, because that serves no useful purpose at all.
Endocrinologist Dr. Rekha Kumar is quoted in a Healthline.com article by Cathy Cassata:
Getting adequate sleep will keep appetite-regulating hormones stable and reduce the risk of food noise. Regular exercise, which raises natural endorphins and adrenaline can also help increase fullness.
Nutrition and weight loss coach Christina Brown also recommends alternatives for medication, according to Cassata:
She suggested working with a therapist to determine the reason why you are constantly thinking of food or using food for emotional purposes. “Many of us have an unhealthy relationship with food, which often causes the food noise. We need to heal that relationship in order to truly get rid of the food noise,” she said. “Taking a weight loss drug may help to mute the food noise, but it will not completely silence it.”
Put a sock in it
Psychologist Vivienne Lewis of the University of Canberra also discusses other ways to shush the “internal food monologue,” a problem common not only to people with anorexia nervosa or binge eating disorder. “If we are dieting, undereating, restricting our intake of food or overeating, we can be consumed by thoughts about food.”
The combination of psychological therapy plus guidance from an accredited dietitian can get the job done. The therapist helps the patient get to the root of what drives the food obsession, while the dietitian advises on how to establish regular and adequate eating patterns “so your body and brain are well-fuelled and you can make sensible decisions around the food you consume.”
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Source: “What Is ‘Food Noise’? How Drugs Like Ozempic and Wegovy Quiet Obsessive Thoughts About Food,” Health.com, 07/03/23
Source: “Drugs Like Ozempic and Wegovy Cut Cravings and Turn Down ‘Food Noise’,” Healthline.com, 06/28/23
Source: “Some Ozempic users say it silences ‘food noise’. But there are drug-free ways to stop thinking about food so much,” TheConversation.com, 06/29/23
Image by ben-the-geek/CC BY 2.0
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