Therapy
Mind & Body Health
Healthy Weight Control
Have you ever been on a weight loss diet? If you are an adult, chances are you’ve been on at least one weight loss diet in your lifetime. Unfortunately, for many of you the first diet was the beginning of a roller coaster of weight loss and weight gain. You’ve probably experimented with several weight loss diets. You know a lot about how to lose weight. The problem is you don’t know how to keep it off.
There are many unpleasant side effects from dieting off and on most of your adult life. For one thing, dieting causes emotional stress. Constantly having to watch what one eats leads to irritability, headaches, insomnia.
Secondly, unsupervised dieting can lead to serious physical complications. Certainly, any weight loss program should be approved by your physician.
Thirdly, excessive dieting leads to a backlash known as compulsive eating. Because the dieter is depriving him or herself of food that they enjoy or that their body needs, they tend to psychologically crave those foods even more. Often these cravings are satisfied by binging, or eating an inordinate amount of the craved food.
The scenario seems to be diet – lose weight – develop cravings- eat compulsively – gain weight – diet again, and so on.
In order to become and stay slender for life, this pattern has to be broken. Significantly, your attitudes and eating behaviors need to change. A mental health professional trained in the area of weight control can be helpful in re-educating your habits. They can assist you in getting over the rough spots and redirecting your thinking. They can also help you determine if there may be medical reasons for being overweight.
Essentially, in order to become and stay slender for life, you need to begin thinking and acting like naturally slender people do. Have you ever noticed that naturally slender people eat what they want to, when they want to?
The differences between you and the naturally slender person are:
1. They never go on the dieting roller coaster in the first place, and
2. They follow these four basic principles:
· • Eat only when you’re hungry;
· • Stop eating when you’re not hungry;
· • Eat only what you’re hungry for;
· • Get plenty of exercise.
You need not be doomed to a lifetime of dieting to be slender. However, in order to change a lifetime of bad habits, you will have to work hard. After getting a physical form your doctor, request the assistance of a mental health professional whose trained in methods of permanent weight control.
Dr. Kathy Marshack can help you. She is accepting new clients and has two office locations for your convenience. If you live in the Portland, Oregon or Vancouver, Washington area (or can drive to these locations) please call to set up your first appointment. See Therapy FAQs for more information. If you live elsewhere, we can arrange telephone consultation or we are happy to advise you on how to locate a qualified mental health professional in your area. Please give us a call at (360) 256-0448 or (503) 222-6678 or email us at info@kmarshack.com.
Kathy J. Marshack, Ph.D., P.S.
Licensed Psychologist & Family/Business Consultant
PO Box 873429
Vancouver, WA 98687-3429
(360)256-0448
info@kmarshack.com
