Key West Wellness Center

Author: Dr. Ashley Hoyt, A.P.

The Biggest Obstacle to Weight Loss

Every few years a new study or news article comes out telling us the biggest obstacle to weight loss. Often it’s something that seems obvious like lack of exercise or a poor diet. But did you know that these are secondary to the main challenge everyone faces?

What is the biggest obstacle to weight loss?

The truth is that what’s holding us back is our own mind.

According to a survey commissioned by Orlando Health, the most overlooked factor in weight gain is psychological. Big surprise, right? (Maybe not.)

A press release at the time stated:

“A recent national survey of more than a thousand people commissioned by Orlando Health found that 31 percent of Americans think a lack of exercise is the biggest barrier to weight loss, followed by those who say it’s what you eat (26%) and the cost of a healthy lifestyle (17%). Another 12 percent said the biggest barrier to weight loss was the necessary time commitment. Only 1 in 10, however, thought psychological well-being was a factor.”

Modern American society often seems preoccupied with only what’s observable, the external things. If this survey is any indication, we might want to look closer at what’s going on inside us. In this case, we have to look deeper into the mind.

Another article in the Huffington Post cites several experts on the link between the mind and eating. In it, obesity psychologist Jim Keller explains that, “the human body and brain are designed to eat.” Dr. Howard Rankin follows up saying, “What drives our behavior is not logic but brain biochemistry, habits and addiction, states of consciousness and what we see people around us doing. We are emotional beings with the ability to rationalize — not rational beings with emotions.”

If emotions are in my mind, don’t I just have to manage my mood to lose weight?

In the last blog, Dr. Ashley gave us some insights into emotional eating and how treatments like acupuncture can help people beat it. Emotional eating is an outward response to an inward struggle.

However, this is only a symptom of what lies beneath the surface. Emotions that drive us to eat originate from somewhere or something. Eating is a habit that is learned or adopted as a coping mechanism.

It’s important to recognize the relationship between eating and the mind.

Does acupuncture really help me overcome mental barriers to weight loss?

The mind is a finely tuned machine that needs to be looked after as much as our bodies. There are a lot of ways to keep it in great shape, and yes, acupuncture is one of them.

Acupuncture authority AcuFinder writes this:

“Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can help optimize your brain power through a treatment approach that incorporates different modalities, including nutritional support…Disharmony of the mind often manifests as anxiety, insomnia, muddled thinking, forgetfulness and chronic restlessness.”

Keeping mentally healthy is a gift to ourselves that keeps on giving. And it doesn’t stop with acupuncture and a healthy diet. It also includes good sleep hygiene, conscious stress management techniques, making social connections and, yes, exercise.

When we build the strength of our mind, we give ourselves the means to overcome our biggest obstacle to weight loss. What’s more, we can achieve our most cherished goals. That includes weight loss, and that’s only the beginning.

Sharpen your focus and find your inner discipline to lose weight through acupuncture. Contact us to book an appointment with Dr. Ashley Hoyt. Your free consultation can set you on the path to weight loss.

January 12, 2017
4 Ways to Beat Emotional Eating with Acupuncture

Emotional eating is a problem facing many Americans struggling with weight gain. The causes are many — unawareness, boredom, addiction and, chief among causes, stress.

Each of these issues poses a particular challenge. Likewise, each of them has a solution found through acupuncture therapy.

Emotional Eating Caused By…

Unawareness

One of the things our brains are programmed to do is act without thinking. Repetition leads to habits that allow us to live without having to think about every little thing. But this is also a vulnerability. If we’re not thinking then we’re not paying attention to important details like what we’re eating, how much or for how long.

Boredom

This is different from being unaware because we’re not on autopilot here. We’re making an intentional decision to eat because we want to be entertained. Our brains are bored and are putting our bodies on the hook for it.

Addiction

The complete opposite of unaware eating is addictive eating. We’ve discussed this before, but it fits here because addiction manipulates our minds into serving a small part of the brain and not our whole selves. We don’t simply go on autopilot here. With addiction, we’re actively pursuing food however, whenever we need a fix.

Stress

According to the American Psychological Association, 27% of Americans report eating to manage stress. This is just one figure among many that have been surveyed which show that eating and overeating are common responses to stress. Food may be a pleasant distraction, but it’s not an answer to our lives’ problems.

How Does Acupuncture Help Beat Emotional Eating?

Restores Focus

Modern Reflexology has a brilliant article outlining various acupressure points which we also use in acupuncture to help improve focus and concentration. This is a valuable treatment for anyone who finds that eating without purpose is a regular habit. Reclaim your focus and you’ll find that food becomes less interesting. Instead of reaching for a bag of chips, you just might start reaching for your goals.

Stimulates Muscles

Boredom is a reaction against inactivity. But rather than going to food to activate your inner body, we should be activating our outer body to raise our energy levels, improve our mood and clarify our motivation. Because acupuncture helps unlock stores of energy that are sometimes lying dormant in our own bodies, we actually have access to a lot of potential we never knew we had!

Inhibits Addiction

While acupuncture can stimulate our bodies, it can also restrain them. Acupuncture at the appropriate points in the body can block signals that drive us to addictive behaviors. The National Institutes for Health have already explained how acupuncture can relieve withdrawal symptoms of opiate abuse. It’s the same way with food addiction — an acupuncture practitioner accesses the points of the body that control hunger in order to inhibit addictive eating.

Relieves Stress

Finally, the big one — acupuncture relieves stress. This article in the Huffington Post is just one example of how scientists have come to realize the effect of acupuncture on stress. Acupuncture stimulates glands to release hormones that help both our minds and bodies feel good, putting us in a relaxed state that helps us better manage stress.

Is emotional eating a persistent problem in your life? Call 305-296-5358 and book an appointment with Dr. Ashley Hoyt. Your free consultation can set you on the path to weight loss.

December 6, 2016
How Acupuncture Decreases Cravings to Lose Weight

You might be surprised to learn that acupuncture decreases cravings.

One of the fundamental keys to weight loss is the ability to manage cravings. For many of us, those moments of temptation come too frequently. After a while our resolve wears down and that voice in our head that encourages us to stay on track starts to sound more and more distant.

So, it makes sense to go right to the source of our appetite and start to stop cravings before they begin.

What causes cravings?

Before we can talk about how acupuncture decreases cravings, we need to figure out where those cravings come from.

Habit

A habit is any regular tendency or practice in our behavior, especially one that’s hard to quit. But why are habits so hard to give up?

One reason is that habits get us through the day. You’ve often heard that “we’re creatures of habit.” It’s true! Ian Newby-Clark of Psychology Today has written extensively on how we rely on habit for lots of reasons. Says Newby-Clark:

“Habits help us through our day…consider making breakfast in your own kitchen on any given weekday. You grab the milk out of the fridge, turn toward the counter and give the door that little nudge you with your foot that you know it needs. If something is on your mind, you might not notice that you’re sitting at the table and munching on your second piece of toast until you’re halfway through it.”

Secondly, habits create comfort. The predictability of how something will turn out, knowing exactly what to expect, lets us relax.

When we take these two types of habit to the extreme, they start to affect us mentally. Control becomes an issue. That leads to a different kind of behavior.

Addiction

Addiction is a serious issue no matter what the substance or behavior. Addiction is destructive.

Cravings can be a strong sign of an addiction. The difference between a person with cravings and an addict are how we react to the cravings. And these days addictions are so easy to come by. Alcohol and drug use are the ones we talk about, but there are many kinds. By the way, since we mentioned alcohol, what makes it so addictive? If you answered “sugar”, you’re right! Sugar is probably the most common culprit responsible for problem eating. Sweets give us a boost (kind of like nicotine and other drugs), and if we consume enough of it we can become addicted very easily.

Humans have evolved to want sugar, and it’s not a bad thing! Sugar is a source of quick-release energy that can help us in the short term. But, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. You can read much more about how sugar cravings affect us

Salty foods work just the same way. We want salt because we need salt, but too much salt creates problems with blood pressure, cholesterol, heart health and, yes, weight loss.

Acupuncture decreases cravings so that you can beat addiction before it ever becomes an issue.

Trauma

Trauma is often a reason for problem eating. It comes in so many forms. Physical trauma and emotional trauma are both responsible. A person may break their leg which causes their activity level to drop. The boredom or the distraction of pain may cause a person to eat through it.

Likewise, an emotional trauma causes negative feelings, and we want something to cheer us up. Comfort food can be okay once in a while, but too much of it can lead to problem eating. Soon our bodies learn that to fix our physical or emotional feelings we need to eat. Now we’re feeding an addiction.

The Way Acupuncture Decreases Cravings

We don’t want to give you the impression that controlling cravings is easy. Anyone who tells you otherwise isn’t being honest with you.

That said, acupuncture is an important part of the process.

What to do…

Make the decision.

Decide to do something about your cravings. If you’re routinely eating outside of regular mealtimes, or eating to excess, you have to choose to want to control cravings.

Get acupuncture.

When you decide to resist cravings, you need to support yourself as you get past withdrawals. Acupuncture stimulates points in the body to release endorphins that help offset negative effects of cutting back. You’ve heard of the DT’s when it comes to alcohol or other substances. It’s exactly the same with food.

There’s more. Acupuncture decreases cravings by recalibrating organs in the body through the release of chemicals. Endorphins that were previously blocked by dependence on food can now flow freely. The Spleen is one organ that needs to hit the reset button. It wants sweet flavor to balance itself, but too much creates weakness.

The Kidney is also a sensitive organ for balancing cravings. When the body doesn’t get the nutrients it needs, the Kidney starts to cause problems that throw the Spleen out of balance. Our bodies beg us for food it doesn’t need because it’s trying to use what it knows to fix itself. But we know better. We know that acupuncture decreases cravings by unblocking the endorphins we need to feel good and keep our bodies working efficiently.

Work with a nutritionist.

In addition these steps, we advise that you research a reliable nutritionist. A certified nutritionist can help you balance our diet in a way that fits your needs while making sure you continue to manage cravings. If you need help finding out, just ask Dr. Ashley Hoyt.

Need help decreasing cravings? Call 305-296-535 and book an appointment with Dr. Ashley Hoyt. Your free consultation can set you on the path to weight loss.

November 14, 2016