Sustainable weight loss is a locked door beyond 5 years for most that achieve initial weight loss, but the key may not be as elusive as you think…

Mindfulness: The Missing Link to Sustainable Weight Loss

    The typical weight loss process is designed for short-term results without regard to long-term maintenance. According to a study by the Medical Clinics of North America on 29 long-term weight loss studies, Dr. Kevin Hall writes, “more than half of the lost weight was regained within two years, and by five years more than 80% of lost weight was regained” (Hall, 2018). The weight loss process is missing a piece. That piece is mindfulness.   

The process matters to weight loss in both the short and long-term. An incomplete process leads to incomplete results, or in the case of weight loss, temporary results. When an individual experiences weight loss with the help of a health professional, a void can be created when the partnership ends. Without mindfulness, that void may be filled with old habits leading to weight regain. With mindfulness, there is no void, and the weight stays off. 

The results of such a process can be seen from a clinical trial that was conducted at The University of California San Francisco. In this study, over the course of 5.5 months, scientists observed the effects of integrating mindful-eating and stress management practices to one out of two groups of obese individuals participating (Daubenmier, 2016). According to Dr. Jennifer Daubenmier’s report on this study, participants in the mindfulness group experienced greater weight loss than the participants in the non-mindfulness group. At the 18-month assessment, those in the non-mindfulness group had regained 20% of the weight that they had lost at the end of the program, while the mindfulness group had regained less than 5% (Daubenmier, 2016).     

The roots of obesity are the initial, and continuous decisions made to consume an excess of low-nutrient foods and engage in sedentary behavior. Many of these decisions are automatic and are made with one’s unconscious mind. In a nutrition review, cognitive scientist, Caroline Jacquier reports, “People make over 220 food decisions a day; they are frequently unaware of these decisions and how their environment influences them” (Jacquier, 2012). The goal is for people to make mindful and conscious decisions.

    To illustrate this, picture a man who keeps getting cavities. This man has a sweet tooth. Every six months he needs to have a cavity filled. The reason is that he continues to eat the same amount of candy that he had been eating prior to getting the cavity. Even though the man’s problem appeared to be solved with each filling, only part of the problem was solved. The root of the problem was not addressed. The man continued to eat the candy that caused the problem, and by not changing his behavior, the same outcome was always bound to happen. 

Exercise and nutrition are the fillings of a cavity for weight loss. They will fix the problem every time but are not enough to prevent the problem from recurring. By adding mindfulness to nutrition and exercise, a sustainable solution is created. Mindfulness practice pertaining to food and exercise empowers one to be present and conscious of their own thoughts, and emotions; consequently, by being in control of their decisions, those attempting weight loss by practicing mindfulness in addition to nutrition and exercise will experience greater short-term and long-term weight loss than those only practicing nutrition and exercise.

References

1. Daubenmier, J., Moran, P. J., Kristeller, J., Acree, M., Bacchetti, P., Kemeny, M. E., Dallman, M., Lustig, R. H., Grunfeld, C., Nixon, D. F., Milush, J. M., Goldman, V., Laraia, B., Laugero, K. D., Woodhouse, L., Epel, E. S., & Hecht, F. M. (2016, March 9). Effects of a mindfulness‐based weight loss intervention in adults with obesity: A randomized clinical trial. Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/oby.21396.
2. Hall, K. D., & Kahan, S. (2018, January 1). Maintenance of lost weight and long-term management of obesity. The Medical clinics of North America. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5764193/.
3. Jacquier, C., Bonthoux, F., Baciu, M., & Ruffieux, B. (2012, February 1). Improving the effectiveness of nutritional information policies: Assessment of unconscious pleasure mechanisms involved in food-choice decisions. OUP Academic. https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/70/2/118/1896340?login=true.