Spa Solutions to End Overeating

Spa Solutions to End Overeating

Susie Ellis, SpaFinder Insider

In my last post I raved about Dr. Kessler’s New York Times Best Seller’s book, The End of Overeating. A variety of people posted comments including Jeff Butterworth, Wellness Director for the Jumeriah brand and Deborah Szekely, founder of Rancho La Puerta and the Golden Door spas. Both also enthusiastically recommended the book. They too felt that Dr. Kessler’s book brings important new ideas and solutions to the conversation about overweight and overeating. I think it is a good fit to incorporate in any spa (even if only recommending the book) and know of one spa that is considering adding an entire curriculum based on this program.

Ok..I promised some solutions from the book in this blog. Here are a few that resonated with me:

• Planned eating – have structure, set meals. It’s better for your body and for your brain as it signals satisfaction which grazing all day does not. One of the reasons so many are overweight is because food, for most of us, is available all day everyday everywhere. (except on airlines as I have found out flying from NY to California frequently)
• Don’t ‘overserve’ yourself. You can’t count on getting a full signal from your brain anymore…it’s broken.
• Eat foods that satisfy you – the ones you like – or you’ll set yourself up for temptation. Will power doesn’t work when tempted by hyperpalatable foods.
• Stop yourself at the earliest thought regarding overeating or eating unhealthfully. If you entertain the thought even for a little while, you won’t have the will power to resist.
• Engage in competing behavior – substitute something you enjoy at the point of temptation.
• Detox from the hyperpalatable foods (this is where I think going away to a destination spa is best). There you will start training your body and brain to become healthy again and your brain once again shuts off the desire to eat more when you have had enough.
• Support from others always helps.

I know these tid-bits might sound familiar…however if you read the book, you will see that the brain chemistry issue (which Dr. Kessler explains far better than I did) underlies it all. If you have ever struggled with weight issues, this book is worth reading.

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