Trying to manage our weight is a complex task, physically and psychologically, and so whether you are approaching this through dietary and lifestyle changes, weight loss medication and/or bariatric surgery, adding in psychological support can make a big difference to understanding why we have developed habits and to change the way we approach food for the long term.
For example, where overeating is concerned, I always ask people what purpose the food or eating habits are serving them. This is a trickier question than it seems because almost everyone will think that overeating doesn’t benefit them in any way, but actually it is likely to be doing something for you. It will be your brilliant brain’s way of trying to cope with a situation. This might be compensating for missed meals, or disrupted sleep, or stress. It might be a way of procrastinating or avoiding things. Often, we use food as a way of unwinding, for example after a long day at work, or once we’ve put the children to bed. It may also be to soothe or ignore uncomfortable feelings. And for most of us, food will be part of our socialising, be it during celebrations or a regular catch up with friends and family.
Eating habits are never ‘just’ psychologically driven or ‘just’ influenced by our body, they are always both.
Helping you to stop repeating the same mistakes
If we only focus on changing our dietary intake, we ignore the way that food has become a coping strategy.
We might be able to follow a diet for a short while but old habits creep back. This is likely to start with a physiological process (a change in your gut hormones) which activates thoughts and feelings. If you have dieted repeatedly and regained weight over the years you are likely to recognise those old feelings of failure and so thoughts like ‘what’s the point?’ will trigger a return to old eating patterns. The more we repeat this cycle, the more frustrated and despondent we become.
The diet industry and past messages in healthcare of weight loss being as simple as ‘eating less and doing more exercise’ has a great deal to answer for. If we believe this then struggling to manage our weight becomes our fault, building a sense of shame and desperation. In fact there are over 100 different factors contributing to weight and obesity, many are either partially or completely out of our control. A clinical psychologist can help to unpick internalised thoughts and beliefs which may be inhibiting and detrimental to success.
Psychological support alongside your weight loss intervention therefore helps you to make changes which are more sustainable for the longer term.
What to expect from clinical psychology support for weight management with Verve Health Group
All work starts with an assessment. A clinical psychologist who is expert in weight management will ask you about your experience of food and weight from childhood, as well as key events in your life that may have impacted on habits. Then the approach of your work with the clinical psychologist will depend on your goals and if you are also having another weight loss treatment alongside (e.g. weight loss medications or bariatric surgery). Different focuses for treatment include identifying:
- your experience of weight loss treatments which may include diets, medication and/or weight loss surgery
- your relationship with food, mood and habits
- your childhood experiences of food and weight
- past and current disordered eating patterns
- the relationship between mental health, weight and coping strategies
- the impact of trauma and stress on weight
- body image and how this is linked to confidence and self-esteem
- weight-related shame and internalised weight-stigma
- the way physical health and pain impacts on weight
- thought patterns and their impact on behaviour
- barriers to making change
- self-critical and self-sabotaging internal chatter and the way this can undermine progress
- the impact of family relationships and social support
Not all of these will be relevant for each person and so your assessment with the clinical psychologist will be tailored to help you to recognise the issues that could most usefully be addressed.
Depending on what you need, weight management support from a clinical psychologist will help you to learn:
- mindful eating
- stressmanagement
- how to build sustainable routines
- boundary setting
- emotion-regulation strategies
- self-soothing techniques
- the importance of self-care and how to integrate it into your life
- strategies for managing cravings
- eating patterns that make weight management more successful
The team at Verve Health Group work closely together so you can feel confident that your work with the clinical psychologist will link with other Verve Health Group clinicians to ensure an approach that best fits your needs.
If you are interested in working with a clinical psychologist, you can find out more about me, and my colleague Dr Emma Shuttlewood or let us know if you have any questions before making your decision.
If you are already working with the Verve Health Group, you can also talk to your clinician for further information on how clinical psychology can help.
Or send us a message