Talk It Out — Therapy

Have you ever:

  • Gone on a diet and lost weight only to have it come back?
  • Thought, “I’ll join a gym, but I need to lose some weight first”?
  • Experienced a level of anxiety, stress, or depression that led to feasting on a pile of ice cream followed by a plate full of cookies at three in the morning?
  • Have you ever had a New Years’ resolution to lose weight that didn’t last beyond the first or second week?
  • Passed the breakroom vending machines only to have them tease you every time you walk by them?

Losing weight is sometimes more than just nutrition and exercise. While eating better and burning calories are keys to helping you lose weight, taking better of yourself requires lasting behavior changes that can lead you down the pathway to better emotional and physical health for the long haul.

In the WEll-Being Program, we have developed a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) process that focuses specifically on the behavioral part of weight management, that, when employed with better nutrition and exercise — even a little exercise — will help you not only lose weight but help keep it off and feel better for doing it.

If you find that you are having a hard time identifying, implementing, or maintaining your dietary and exercise goals, CBT for weight management can be incredibly helpful.

While it is often tempting to change everything at once, this can be overwhelming and set you up for failure. Instead, it is important to focus on goals that you can actually achieve, and CBT can help with that.

“We change our behavior when
the pain of staying the same
becomes greater than the pain
of changing.” – Henry Cloud

How It Works

CBT focuses on the interaction between thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and physical sensations. When focused specifically on the emotional factors that contribute to weight gain, you are likely to lose more weight and keep it off when used in conjunction with a nutrition and exercise program.

The 12-Week WEll-Being CBT Process

WEEK 1

We will talk about your goals and desires, and you get an introduction into the program while beginning to learn the basics of being mindful.

WEEK 2

Looking at your emotional triggers and begin to lay the groundwork for helping you manage them.

WEEK 3

Discovering your interpersonal triggers and how to control the impulses that may lead to over-eating.

WEEK 4

Dealing with body dissatisfaction and enhancing your well-being.

WEEK 5

Changing behaviors to support body dissatisfaction.

WEEK 6

Looking into shame-based behaviors and turning them around into acceptance.

WEEK 7

Focusing on self-soothing with the five senses.

WEEK 8

Creating preventative action steps to help you stay focused and minimize triggers.

WEEK 9

Managing emotions that can lead to poor food choices and lack of motivation.

WEEK 10

Setting limits and boundaries with yourself.

WEEK 11

Setting limits and boundaries with others.

WEEK 12

Review and wrap-up.

NOTE: While covering these topics over the course of 12 weeks is ideal, that doesn’t mean you can’t take these therapy steps at your own pace. However, one of the reasons we stress 12 weeks is that it keeps you accountable and focused. If you allow too much time between sessions, the impact of your previous session can wane, which can limit the results you’re looking to achieve. Talk to your therapist and discuss creating the right WEll-Being CBT program that fits your schedule and needs.

Research clearly indicates that cognitive processes play an important role in maintaining excessive and dis-regulated eating habits, making healthy eating difficult.