Slowing down your eating helps control obesity
7 February 2003
People who are overweight or obese should focus more on how they eat rather than what they eat, according to Dr Rick Kausman, a Melbourne GP.
Dr Kausman, principal of the Weight Management and Eating Behaviour Clinic, said empowering people to implement healthy behaviour such as reducing the speed of eating and only eating when hungry was more effective than focusing on losing kilos.
An audit of 75 consecutive patients from his clinic showed that people's weight stabilised or decreased, physical activity rose, they felt less guilty about eating and more confident of maintaining dietary changes up to 12 months after such a programme (Australian Family Physician 2003; 32: 89-91).
Dr Kausman said, 'A key thing is that it's possible to help people lose weight without dieting. This study shows that we empowered people to be able to make changes when they were ready by giving them a few tools.'
These measures included:
- ascertaining the reasons for eating quickly, and working on slowing eating down;
- helping people become aware of non-hungry eating;
- addressing emotional happiness and physical activity.
Dr Kausman concedes that long consultations — one hour initially and up to half an hour for follow-up visits — are a vital part of his programme.
Last Reviewed: 07 February 2003
- 1. Medical Observer Weekly 7/02/03
