How many times have you dieted and lost weight only to gain it back again? What makes some people able to keep the weight off while other people continue to struggle? The answer appears to lie in the brain.
According to a study using a brain-imaging technique called functional magnetic resource imaging, there is a difference in brain activity patterns in people who successfully maintain weight loss and those who don’t. The study appearing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed images of high-calorie and low-calorie foods as well as nonfood objects to three groups of individuals: people who had lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for at least three years, obese people, and normal-weight people.
Compared to the obese and normal-weight groups, the successful dieters were more likely to engage areas of the brain involved with inhibitory control and visual attention while viewing the images. This indicates that being able to control behavior and exhibit restraint when eating may be keys to long-lasting weight loss.
In my experience, you can boost your frontal lobes through physical exercise, meditation, hypnosis, and goal-setting exercises.
Change your brain, change your body. It will be a theme for my work in the coming years.
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7 Comments
I enjoy reading the information in your news letters but I find they don’t have any follow up recommended resourses included.
I would like more information on where I could go to take some of these classes or imaging sessions (are these medical related specialist? Are they widely available?. More details please.
I am currently doing research on the “Green Tea diet.” You’ve mentioned several times that green tea is very helpful in brain health. My question is “Could Green Tea’s brain healthy attributes be the basis for this diet?”
Mmmm, so I need a brain transplant, always figured that was the answer (to a lot of other problems as well). Hypnosis sounds like a viable option…but then, I’d be afraid I’d act like a bird or a dog if I looked at a hot dog. I’m joking of course (?), but the brain is obviously a powerful organ and controls so much, so it’s kind of obvious that it would control how we eat as well. Need more info on the control aspect though.
Thanks for educating others about the benefits of hypnosis. As a board certified hypnotist I enjoy helping others develop their brains ability to achieve wellbeing.
I would theorize that variations in cortisol, leptin, ghrelin, and other biomarkers, e.g., serotonin, underlie the observations made re. brain function in this study. Just as it exerts such a negative effect on brain function in general,
stress — regardless of its cause plays a tremendous role in promoting obesity/weight gain.
I would also predict that those subjects demonstrating positive control over their dietary habits/preferences, likewise, exhibit positive control in other areas of their lives.
Susan Kross, DVM
Kross Consultative Health & Fitness Services
Ellenville, NY
Iamm on your e mail list. My husband has a tremor in his right arm and hand. He has had it for about 3 years and no medication seems to help. Is it possible that hypnosis may help him? I remember seeing that on the PBS channel some time ago. Thank you
What about Dyslexia. I struggle with this problem and want to know if there is anything that will help this disorder?