Maintaining a healthy weight can help prevent or delay the onset of health conditions like heart disease and diabetes. It also improves mental well-being.
Psychologists are experts in helping people make behavioral changes to assist with weight management. They can work independently in private practice or as part of a medical team.
Obesity
Obesity is a chronic condition that affects your body’s ability to function. It can lead to a variety of health problems, including high blood sugar, heart disease and some cancers. It also can cause joint pain and osteoarthritis. It increases the risk of respiratory and digestive disorders, such as heartburn and irritable bowel syndrome.
You can control obesity by eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of physical activity. You can also use psychological techniques to reduce your stress levels and anxiety. These strategies can help you overcome feelings of depression and low self-esteem.
The conditions in which you live, learn, work and play influence your weight, according to experts. These are called social determinants of health and include factors such as access to healthy foods, community design and social support systems.
Psychologists
Psychologists study human behavior, including mental states, perceptual and cognitive processes, and emotions. They also research the development, testing and application of psychological tools and techniques to promote health and overcome disorders.
Psychotherapists can help you identify your eating triggers and learn to control them, whether they are emotional or behavioral. They can teach you to monitor your behaviors, challenge old beliefs, and build new coping skills.
They may work independently or as part of a larger health care team. In many cases, psychologists work with patients referred by physicians or dietitians. They usually spend the first few sessions analyzing a patient’s diet and lifestyle, discussing previous attempts to lose weight and identifying any medical conditions that may contribute to their problems. They will often ask a patient to record and analyze their eating habits.
Weight loss surgery
If you are severely overweight and can’t control your weight through diet and exercise, your doctor may recommend surgery. This procedure can help you lose a significant amount of weight quickly and improve conditions that result from obesity, including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and sleep apnea.
The gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy procedures work by making the stomach smaller. With this surgery, swallowed food goes into a small upper section of the stomach and then directly to the lower portion of the small intestine. This shortens the digestive process, so you eat less and lose weight. These operations also change the way that bile and other digestive juices break down food, so you absorb fewer calories. The procedure has a good track record of producing sustained weight loss.