Obesity and Food Addiction: It's Not About Willpower

While it's nationally recognized that we are in the midst of an "obesity epidemic," our response remains gravely inadequate. Imagine handling the ebola epidemic by saying to those who contracted the disease, "Try harder not to get sick." Despite what our culture, exercise and diet industries would have us believe, there's growing evidence that combatting obesity is not about willpower. And while our society is indeed structured to make lack of exercise an easy default, and high-calorie, low-nutrition products ever-present, the fact is that people are addicted to food in a way that is killing them. To gain a deeper understanding on the causes and cures of obesity, I interviewed author and cognitive hypotherapist Dawn Walton, who has had surprising success in helping people kick their addiction to food. Her new book, The Caveman Rules of Survival, provides a new approach and new hope for individuals dealing with obesity. Question: Dawn, how much of your work is with people dealing with obesity, and what do you tell them when they come to you of help? Walton: About 50 percent of the clients who come to me are for eating disorders and weight loss. I get a lot who are considering a gastric band and decide to "risk" a slightly different approach first. When they come to me I tell them I don't care how much they weight. Their size is none of my business. What they eat is none of my business. How much they exercise is none of my business. All I care about is giving people the fre...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news