Are you marinating in an obesogenic environment?

Weight watchers 360 is a new program that claims to incorporate the most cutting edge research on the causes of weight gain and obesity. The plan is based on the problem of “hedonic eating” (aka pigging out on calorie dense food for fun and pleasure). While in some ways this approach seems like a big dose of obvious, there is new, cutting edge brain research that sheds some new light on the problem.  

Weight Watchers Chief Scientific Officer Karen Miller Kovach sites research which uses brain scan imaging to gain insight into the secret motives of appetite. These studies (which are not clearly sited on the Weight Watchers Website) appear to show that seeing highly palatable food can trigger a person’s appetite, in the same way as going without food for hours. These tempting foods, which are usually high in fat and calories, trigger the appetite and pleasure centers in the brain which encourages us to eat, eat, eat; even if we are not truly hungry. Scientists speculate that this system helped our ancestors store enough energy for the lean winter months, but is now sabotaging modern people living in a world full of high calorie temptations.

With this new information Weight Watchers says it will focus less on the psychology of over-eating and more on helping people to create personal environments that encourage healthy eating patterns. “With this new knowledge, and an increased understanding of how the brain and appetite regulation works, we’re able to look for the best strategies that are really helpful for people in the environment in which they live and how our brains respond do these types of food,” said Kovach.  The plan is to give people the tools to create routines and spaces that will help them to make smart choices.

We have yet to see how the 360 program will play out at Weight Watchers meetings and online support system, but it seems like a step in a positive direction.  Instead of beating ourselves up for not losing weight and giving in to temptations, this program will try to help people to control their environment and behaviors through simple technique and strategies. One example sited is asking the wait person not to put bread on the table when you are eating out.

So remember you’re good enough, you’re smart enough and it’s not your fault that you can’t resist ice cream. To kick start your weight loss take some time to make sure your environment is supportive and temptation free.