When What You See IS NOT What You Eat!

A new study shows that remaining on a diet and maintaining weight loss may have more to do with our brain waves than the growling in our tummy! Here's what you need to know .

By Colette Bouchez

Have you ever struggled to lose weight ...only to gain it back again, sometimes even adding extra pounds?

If you've been blaming your downfall on a lack of will power , give yourself a break! Some new research suggests it just might be your brain waves sabotaging your skinny-jeans plan!

Indeed, new research, just published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that it could be a sort of “glitch” in the way our brain responds to not just the food we eat but the food we see that actually tempts us into going off the track of healthy eating and back to our old evil high-calorie ways!

“Our findings shed some light on the biological factors that may contribute to weight loss maintenance ….and [providing] an intriguing complement to previous behaviorial studies that suggest people who have maintained long term weight- loss monitor their food intake closely and exibit restraint in their food choices”, says lead author Jeanne McCaffrey of Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Dibetes Center where the research was conducted.

Experts say the new findings suggest that the brains of people who successfully keep weight off may respond differently to outside eating cues – including the sight of food - than the brains of people who either can't maintain their weight loss, or are unable to even stay on a diet at all.

It is those brain responses, says McCaffrey, that appear to play a role in controlling our appetite and our desire to eat. More importantly, they can also become the source of the “impulse” that leads us to over eat - and the trigger that can make it so difficult for many people to maintain their weight loss, even after they achieve their goals.

Indeed, studies show that while those of us brave enough to tackle a weight loss diet frequently lose up to 10 percent of our body weight within 6 months, only two-thirds of us maintain that loss after a year. Morever, in 5 years, most of us return to our original weight – and sometimes more.

How The Study Was Done

The research involved 51 people, divided into three groups. The first group of 16 were obese and unable to successful control their weight; the second group of 17 had maintained a weight loss of 30 pounds or more for a minimum of three years; the final group of 18 were of normal weight and had no problems maintaining that weight.

To conduct the study, members of each group were shown images of various types of food – including low calorie “healthy” meals such as whole grain cereal fruits and vegetables, as well as high calorie foods such as cheeseburgers, desserts, and french fries. Acting as a control, the three groups were also shown images of non-food items such as bricks, plants and flowers.

After exposure to the various images, the researchers used an MRI to measure brain responses of each member of each group.

The result: When viewing the food photos, the brain wave activity in those who either had no weight problem, or who had maintained their weight loss was markedly different than in those unsuccessful dieters who remained obese. This, they researchers suggests that how our brain responds when we we view food may play a role in not only our food choices, but in how hard or easy it is to change our eating habits.

“It is possible that brain responses may lead to preventive or corrective behaviors – particularly greater regulation of eating”, says McCaffrey.

Indeed, experts say that when it comes to controlling our appetite, the mind may be even more influential than that growling tummy!

What the reseaerch didn't tell us : Whether or not these brain waves can be changed and if so – how we can go about changing them. That said, an editorial that accompanied the article suggests they can be changed, suggesting that the new research can lead to the development of more useful behaviorial therapies to help change our mental attitude towards food.

In the meantime, taking just a moment to stop and think before you eat could be all you need to interrupt that decision to take a bite ...or walk away!

You may also be interested in reading:
Sweet Fiber Curbs Appetite Boosts Weight Loss
Eat This and Burn More Fat!

Or visit RedDressDiary.com - THE SOURCE for health & beauty over 40!

Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2009 - All Rights Reserved.
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