Wait-Am I on the right road?

Eating Behaviors:

Emotional Eating

Emotional eating is when one is motivated to eat because of unpleasant emotions or to increase already pleasant emotions.

See also:

 

What is “Emotional Eating?”

The following are examples of emotional eating behaviora:

Depression

    • When I am feeling “down” or “blue” a little snack will lift my mood.
    • When I’m depressed I have more desire to eat.
    • If someone disappoints me I want to eat something.

Anxiety/Stress

    • When I am pressured or working under a deadline I have the urge to snack.
    • I eat more when I am stressed than when I am calm.
    • If I am worried or afraid of something I tend to eat.

Anger

    • Sometimes when people irritate me I want to get something to eat.
    • I have had something to eat “just to teach him/her a lesson”.
    • When I get angry, eating will make me feel better.

Boredom

    • I look forward to eating something when I’m bored.
    • I eat more than usual when there is nothing to do.
    • If time is passing slowly, I look forward to having a snack.

Loneliness

    • Being alone increases my appetite.
    • I am less likely to eat when other people are around as I am when I’m by myself.
    • Eating makes me feel better when I am lonely.

Happiness

    • I celebrate with food when I’m in a good mood.
    • If I’m feeling really good, I don’t worry about my diet.
    • When I’m happy, having a favorite snack makes me feel even better.

 

Where does emotional eating come from?

Childhood eating behaviors 

    • Taste preference before birth or shortly after 
    • Food used as comfort or reward
    • Food – control for kids

Family Relationships

    • Perfectionism with parents
    • Preoccupation from parents re: their own weight/diets
    • Parenting styles (Authoritative vs Authoritarian)

Relationship Issues 

    • Marital stress and weight gain
    • Avoiding sexual temptations
    • Avoiding sexual situations all together

Adverse Sexual Experiences/History of Trauma

    •   Low self esteem and body dissatisfaction

Social and Cultural components

    • Cravings can be a result of learned experiences (i.e. chocolate) and cultural experiences (fried chicken).

 

How do you manage emotional eating?

Emotional eating is more likely to happen in the afternoon and evening and more likely when you’re alone.

Pause for personal reflection:

    • Are you having a meal or a snack?
    • Are you hungry?
    • Are you upset about something that happened recently?  (A conversation, song, circumstance, thoughts in general)
    • What circumstances are going on that may be triggering you to eat?

 

Identifying & coping with emotions:

    • Depression: physical activity
    • Anxiety: breathing, relaxation, distraction, stretching, yoga
    • Anger: breathing, relaxation, stretching, cleaning, assertiveness training
    • Boredom: productive activities vs leisure
    • Loneliness: e-mail, calling a friend, etc
    •   – Learning to develop relationships with other people, not food
    •   – Increased social interaction
    •   – Improving/nurturing of current relationships

 

Find altenative comforts, take care of yourself (simple pleasures count!):

  • Planting a garden Going to church Singing in a choir
  • Reading Riding a bike Taking a bath
  • Listening to music Aromatherapy/candles Meditate
  • Taking a walk watch the clouds Get a massage Call a friend
  • Volunteering Sit outside Watch a movie
  • Watch a sunrise Play with a pet Get a new hairstyle
  • Attend a play/concert Have a good laugh Deep breathing
  • Journaling Do a puzzle Sew, Crochet, Knit

 

Tricks your mind will play (Watch out!):

Permission-giving thoughts:

    • “I had a hard day I deserve to celebrate”
    • “I’m not going to be able to do this. I could never keep the weight off in the past.”
    • “I can’t turn the food down, it’s here. I’ll huty his/her feelings”
    • “I really shouldn’t have this but…”

Self-sabotaging thoughts:

    • It’s alright if I eat this…
    • It’s just one piece, it’s not the whole thing.
    • I’ll just eat it this once.
    • It can’t be that fattening.
    • I’ll eat less later.
    • It’ll go to waste if I don’t eat it.
    • I’ll disappoint someone if I don’t have this.
    • It was free.
    • It’s a special occasion. I’m treating myself.
    • I’m craving it and I’ll end up just eating it later; I might as well eat it now. I don’t care.

Sabotaging your spouse:

    • Comparing his/her body weight to other /men/women
    • Negative comments about other men/women who are overweight
    • Complaining about expenses of health clubs, healthy foods, other weight-loss efforts
    • Offering to go grocery shopping and buying wrong foods
    • Demanding that unhealthy, fattening meals be prepared
    • Complaining when he/she goes to exercise or group meetings
    • Pressuring him/her to lose weight
    • Partnering in breaking your diet (don’t tempt, don’t succumb)

Resources

The following list includes resources that may be helpful in coping with being overweight as well as facilitating weight loss.

www.nutrition.gov

Nutrition.gov provides easy access to vetted food and nutrition information from across the federal government. It serves as a gateway to reliable information on nutrition, healthy eating, physical activity, and food safety for consumers.

Providing science-based dietary guidance is critical to enhance the public’s ability to make healthy choices in the effort to reduce obesity and other food related diseases. Since dietary needs change throughout the lifespan, specialized nutrition information is provided about infants, children, teens, adult women and men, and seniors.

Users can find practical information on healthy eating, dietary supplements, fitness and how to keep food safe. The site is kept fresh with the latest news and features links to interesting sites.

 

www.naafa.org – National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance

Founded in 1969, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) is a non-profit, all volunteer, civil rights organization dedicated to protecting the rights and improving the quality of life for fat people. NAAFA works to eliminate discrimination based on body size and provide fat people with the tools for self-empowerment through advocacy, public education, and support.

 

www.obesityaction.org

The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) was born with the goal that the organization could create needed change for those who are living with and/or are affected by the disease of obesity. The OAC is a more than 85,000 member-strong 501(c) national nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the needs of every individual affected by obesity.

 

List of Weight Loss Programs

 

Phone Apps

 

Other Resources for Help

 

References

NEW ARTICLES

  1. Association of Obesity With Prescription Opioids for Painful Conditions in Patients Seeking Primary Care in the US – PMC – 2020
  2. Chronic pain management in the obese patient- a focused review of key challenges and potential exercise solutions – 2015
  3. Chronic Stress, Cortisol Dysfunction, and Pain_ A Psychoneuroendocrine Rationale for Stress Management in Pain Rehabilitation – PMC – 2014
  4. Clinically Combating Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) with Dopamine Agonist Therapy as a Paradigm Shift- Dopamine for Dinner? – 2015
  5. Effects of changes in sleeping behavior on skeletal muscle and fat mass- a retrospective cohort study – 2023 Leptin and Inflammation – 2008
  6. Sleep Deprivation_ Effects on Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance – 2022
  7. The role of insufficient sleep and circadian misalignment in obesity – 2023

 

Obesity – Visceral Fat

Visceral Fat – Overviews

  1. Pathophysiology of Human Visceral Obesity – An Update

Visceral Fat – Biomarkers

Biomarkers – Adinopectin

    1. The role of fat topology in the risk of disease. – PubMed – NCBI

Biomarkers – IL-6

    1. Metabolic obesity: the paradox between visceral and subcutaneous fat. – PubMed – NCBI

Biomarkers – Hypertriglyceridemia

    1. Hypertriglyceridemic waist – a useful screening phenotype in preventive cardiology? – 2007

Visceral Fat – Exercise

  1. Effect of exercise training intensity on abdominal visceral fat and body composition

Visceral Fat – Genetics

  1. Genetic and behavioral influences on body fat distribution. – PubMed – NCBI
  2. The genetics of fat distribution – 2014

Visceral Fat – Stress

  1. Interleukin-1 beta – a potential link between stress and the development of visceral obesity – 2012

 

Obesity – Comorbid Conditions

Obesity – Fatty Liver

    1. The role of visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue fatty acid composition in liver pathophysiology associated with NAFLD. – PubMed – NCBI
    2. What non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has got to do with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome and viceversa? – PubMed – NCBI

Obesity – Kidney Disease

    1. Association of visceral fat area with chronic kidney disease and metabolic syndrome risk in the general population

 

Obesity – Metabolic Syndrome

    1. Association of visceral fat area with chronic kidney disease and metabolic syndrome risk in the general population
    2. Abdominal Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome – Contribution to Global Cardiometabolic Risk – 2008
    3. Metabolic syndrome and adipose tissue: new clinical aspects and therapeutic targets. – PubMed – NCBI
    4. Subcutaneous and Visceral Adipose Tissue: Their Relation to the Metabolic Syndrome: Endocrine Reviews: Vol 21, No 6

Obesity – Oxidative Stress

    1. Oxidative stress drivers and modulators in obesity and cardiovascular disease: from biomarkers to therapeutic approach. – PubMed – NCBI

Obesity – Sleep Apnea

    1. Visceral fat and respiratory complications – 2004
    2. What non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has got to do with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome and viceversa? – PubMed – NCBI

Wt Loss Program

Wt Loss Program – Body Composition Analysis (BCA)

  1. Body Composition Analysis – Patient Preparation handout
  2. Measurement of visceral fat by abdominal bioelectrical impedance analysis is beneficial in medical checkup. – PubMed – NCBI
  3. The clinical importance of visceral adiposity – a critical review of methods for visceral adipose tissue analysis – 2012
  4. The use of bioelectrical impedance to detect excess visceral and subcutaneous fat – 2007

 

Wt Loss Program – Appetite Suppressants

Appetite Suppressants – Prescription Medication List

  1. Adipex (Phentermine)
  2. Belviq (Lorcaserin)
  3. Bupropion
  4. Contrave (Bupropion/Naltrexone)
  5. Invokana (Canagliflozin)
  6. Naltrexone
  7. Orlistat (Xenical, Alli)
  8. Qsymia (Phentermine and Topiramate)
  9. Saxenda (Liraglutide)
  10. Topamax (Topiramate)
  11. GLP-1 Receptor Agonists
  12. Wegovy (Semaglutide)

 

Appetite Suppressants (Rx) –  Semaglutide

    1. Semaglutide Medications – Information
    2. Ozempic Information
    3. RYBELSUS Information
    4. Wegovy Information
    5. Effect of Continued Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide vs Placebo on Weight Loss Maintenance in Adults With Overweight or Obesity – PMC – 2021
    6. Review Wegovy (semaglutide)- a new weight loss drug for chronic weight management – 2022
    7. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity – 2021
    8. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity – PubMed – 2021
    9. Effect of semaglutide and liraglutide in individuals with obesity or overweight without diabetes- a systematic review – 2022
    10. GLP-1-Medications-Article-References-and-PubMed-Links
    11. Sublingual Semaglutide Supportive deposition
    12. The Impact of GLP1 Agonists on Bone Metabolism: A Systematic Review.- 2022
    13. Efficacy and safety of dulaglutide 3.0 and 4.5 mg in patients aged younger than 65 and 65 years or older: Post hoc analysis of the AWARD‐11 trial – 2021
    14. Safety of Semaglutide – 2021
    15. Semaglutide for the treatment of overweight and obesity_ A review – 2023
    16. Two-year effects of semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity_ the STEP 5 trial 2022
    17. Semaglutide for the Treatment of Obesity – 2021

 

Appetite Suppressants (Rx) – Wegovy (Semaglutide)

    1.  Effect of Continued Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide vs Placebo on Weight Loss Maintenance in Adults With Overweight or Obesity – PMC – 2021
    2. Singh G, et al. J Investig Med 2022;70-5–13. doi-10.1136 jim-2021-0019525 Review Wegovy (semaglutide)- a new weight loss drug for chronic weight management – 2022
    3. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity – 2021
    4. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity – PubMed – 2021

Appetite Suppressants –  CAM

    1. Appe-control and Hunger Block

 

 

Wt Loss Program – Diet

Diet – Guidelines

 

Diet – Fasting

  1. Calorie restriction increases life span: a molecular mechanism. – PubMed – NCBICalorie restriction increases muscle mitochondrial biogenesis in healthy humans. – 2007
  2. A double-blind, placebo-controlled test of 2 d of calorie deprivation – effects on cognition, activity, sleep, and interstitial glucose concentrations – 2008
  3. Fasting and refeeding differentially regulate NLRP3 inflammasome activation in human subjects – 2015

Diet – Foods

  1. Chia Seeds
  2. Pistachios
  3. Fiber

 

Diet – Supplements

Supplements – Vitamins

Vitamins – Overviews

    1. Vitamin status in morbidly obese patients – a cross-sectional study – 2008

Vitamin C

Vitamin D

    1. Decreased bioavailability of vitamin D in obesity – 2000
    2. Higher visceral fat area increases the risk of vitamin D insufficiency and defic
      iency in Chinese adults – 2015
    3. Obesity and vitamin D 2004
    4. Rising serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D levels after weight loss in obese women correlate with improvement in insulin resistance. – PubMed – NCBI
    5. The Effect Of Vitamin D Supplementation On Serum 25OHD In Thin And Obese Women – 2012
    6. The Longitudinal Association of Vitamin D Serum Concentrations & Adiposity Phenotype – 2013
    7. Vitamin D and Its Relationship with Obesity and Muscle – 2014
    8. Vitamin D supplementation enhances the beneficial effects of weight loss on cardiovascular disease risk markers – 2009
    9. Update on vitamin D – pros and cons – 2015

Diet – CAM Supplements

  1. Multi-Nutrient Supplements
  2. NRF2 Activators
  3. CoQ10
  4. Nicotinamide Riboside (NR)

 

 

Wt Loss Program – NLAL Lipolysis

NLAL Lipolysis – Handouts

  1. NLAL Lipolysis
  2. NLAL – Patient Treatment Info

NLAL Lipolysis – References

  1. Fat Liquefaction – Effect of Low-Level Laser Energy on Adipose Tissue
  2. Application of low-level laser therapy for noninvasive body contouring. – PubMed – NCBI
  3. Body contouring using 635-nm low level laser therapy. – PubMed – NCBI
  4. Efficacy of low-level laser therapy for body contouring and spot fat reduction. – PubMed – NCBI
  5. Independent evaluation of low-level laser therapy at 635 nm for non-invasive body contouring of the waist, hips, and thighs. – PubMed – NCBI
  6. Low-level laser therapy as a non-invasive approach for body contouring: a randomized, controlled study. – PubMed – NCBI

 

 

Maladaptive Eating

Eating Behavior – Emotional Eating

  1. Emotional Eating

Eating Behavior – External Eating Cues

  1. External Eating Cues

 

Eating Behavior – Cravings

  1. Food craving – new contributions on its assessment, moderators, and consequences – 2015
  2. Pickles and ice cream! Food cravings in pregnancy – 2014
  3. Relationship of cravings with weight loss and hunger – Results from a 6 month worksite weight loss intervention – 2013
  4. How Relevant is Food Craving to Obesity and Its Treatment? – 2014

Cravings – Treatment

Cravings Treatment –  CAM Supplements

    1. Quercetin
    1. Synaptamine

Eating Behavior – Binging  (BED)

BED – Overview

    1. Binge Eating Disorder – Recognition, Diagnosis, and Treatment

BED – Dopamine </sp an>

    1. Binge eating disorder and the dopamine D2 receptor: genotypes and sub-phenotypes. – PubMed – NCBI
    2. Dopamine for “Wanting” and Opioids for “Liking” – A Comparison of Obese Adults With and Without Binge Eating-2009

 

BED – Treatment

BED – Treatment, Overview

    1. Current and Emerging Drug Treatments for Binge Eating Disorder – 2014
    2. Pharmacological management of binge eating disorder – current and emerging treatment options

BED -Treatment, Bupropion

    1. Bupropion for Overweight Women with Binge Eating Disorder – Randomized Double-blind Placebo-controlled Trial – 2013

BED -Treatment, Chromium

    1. Chromium Picolinate – Summary
    2. A Double-blind, Randomized Pilot Trial of Chromium Picolinate for Binge Eating Disorder – Results of the Binge Eating and Chromium (BEACh) Study – 2013
    3. Dietary chromium supplementation for targeted treatment of diabetes patients with comorbid depression and binge eating. – PubMed – NCBI

BED -Treatment, Contrave

    1. Treatment of Binge Eating Disorder in Obesity: Naltrexone: Bupropion Combination Versus Placebo – Full Text View – ClinicalTrials.gov

 

Maladaptive Eating – Reward Deficiency Syndrome

  1. Clinically Combating Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) with Dopamine Agonist Therapy as a Paradigm Shift- Dopamine for Dinner? – 2015

“Dopamine for Dinner” by Joan Borsten, 2014

Avaliable online at Amazon.com: Kindle subscriber: free;  Kindle book: $9.95  Paperback: $149.00

“Dopamine for Dinner,” is the first Malibu Beach Recovery Diet Cookbook, based on their famous low-glycemic diet. The recipes developed by four accomplished chefs are both pleasant eating as well as healthy. Based on the use of low glycemic index foods, the recipes emphasize nutritious eating in a manner that promotes maintaining high brain levels of dopamine and serotonin as a means of supporting healthy brain chemistry.

Emphasis on Education

 

Accurate Clinic promotes patient education as the foundation of it’s medical care. In Dr. Ehlenberger’s integrative approach to patient care, including conventional and complementary and alternative medical (CAM) treatments, he may encourage or provide advice about the use of supplements. However, the specifics of choice of supplement, dosing and duration of treatment should be individualized through discussion with Dr. Ehlenberger. The following information and reference articles are presented to provide the reader with some of the latest research to facilitate evidence-based, informed decisions regarding the use of conventional as well as CAM treatments.

 

For medical-legal reasons, access to these links is limited to patients enrolled in an Accurate Clinic medical program.

 

Should you wish more information regarding any of the subjects listed – or not listed –  here, please contact Dr. Ehlenberger. He has literally thous
ands of published articles to share on hundreds of topics associated with pain management, weight loss, nutrition, addiction recovery and emergency medicine. It would take years for you to read them, as it did him.

 

For more information, please contact Accurate Clinic.

 

 

.