Weight Management

What is weight management?

Overweight conditions and obesity are experienced by a growing number of people of all ages. If you find yourself in the vicious cycle of attempting to diet only to fall off the wagon several days or weeks later, then you’re not alone and weight management can help!

It is recognised that losing weight is often very difficult and there can be important psychological components to eating that are overlooked. Psychological problems can affect an individual’s ability to make and sustain the behavioural changes that lead to weight loss. Such difficulties may require management.

What symptoms indicate you might need help?

If difficulty in losing weight and keeping it off sounds familiar, then you may well benefit from one-to-one weight management sessions.

If you have a severe weight condition (a Body Mass Index of above 40, or 35 with co-existing health conditions such as diabetes) then you may be considering bariatric (weight loss) surgery. There are various surgical options and there is clear evidence that gastric surgery for obesity can result in weight loss. However, it is known that weight regain after successful loss typically occurs when behavioural changes slip and emotional eating becomes difficult to manage.

How can therapy help?

Therapy sessions typically incorporate basic cognitive restructuring and problem-solving skills to help you…

Reframe faulty thoughts about food, eating, your body and yourself
Establish a regular pattern of eating
Learn about self-care
Set clear limits with oneself and with others, and maintain clear boundaries
Understand the basic principles of healthy eating, including the consequences of food deprivation
Understand the basic principles of habit formation and habit change
Replace negative eating habits with other, more pleasurable activities
Adopt a lifestyle consistent with long-term weight loss maintenance
Manage stress effectively

If you are considering weight loss surgery it is important to meaningfully address any underlying emotional eating or eating difficulties prior to surgery. Some weight loss surgery candidates also have psychological difficulties that are not related to their weight and that may complicate and outlast successful surgical treatment. In such cases, it may be helpful to seek therapy before and after weight loss surgery in order to maximise weight loss and minimise relapse.

Pre-surgery psychological assessment

We offer a free 15 minute private and confidential telephone consultation.

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