Cognitive Remedies For Obesity

Cognitive remedial therapy may be the solution to the problem of the number of obese or overweight people continuing to rise worldwide. This is a historic period in which society is paying more attention to the body and nutrition than ever before. Diets and exercise programs often seem to fail in the long run.

The suitability of therapy as a fundamental element in the management of obesity is due to its ability to improve executive function. Current research shows that those who suffer from obesity have difficulty making good decisions in certain areas.

For example, they may have difficulty making good health decisions. This may be because their executive functions are different from those of the non-obese.

Experts have not yet identified the source of the executive profile for people with obesity. Nevertheless, there is undoubtedly a two-way link between changes in executive functions and obesity:

• People suffering from obesity have abnormalities in their metabolism related to glucose and cellular inflammation. These adversely affect the executive functions.
• Similarly, researchers have found that overweight people have higher stress levels. These are also related to changes in these features.
• At the same time, the change in executive functions generates more obesity. This is because it makes it more difficult to make optimal decisions about the quantity and quality of the food they eat. They also find it difficult to control when they eat.

These points require a way of dealing with the problem which essentially goes beyond conventional methods. Some examples of such conventional methods are dieting and physical exercise. This is where cognitive remedial therapy can contribute significantly to achieving therapeutic goals.

Cognitive remedial therapy

Cognitive remedial therapy includes psychological interventions based on mental exercises. The goal is to improve cognitive strategies, thinking and processing information. You can achieve this through consistent practice with its techniques.

This therapy stimulates reflection on your own thoughts. Its proponents argue that this creates room for healthier behavior. Thus, its main goal is specifically to strengthen altered cognitive abilities.

In the case of obesity, people need to direct cognitive remediation towards improving executive functions.

Cognitive remediation therapy for obesity

Cognitive-relief therapy for obesity (CRT-O) is a face-to-face treatment. Its goal is to optimize executive function. This, they say, can improve people’s thought patterns in terms of eating disorders and exercise habits. The goal is to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

CRT-O was designed to provide obese individuals with tools to help them think differently. It consists of a series of mental exercises that improve the cognitive strategies. They do this through the exercise of information processes and skills.

Research shows that “weight loss” programs that include CRT-O get better results. This means that there is greater weight loss, a healthier lifestyle and less overeating. People who participate in this therapy also experience a higher quality of life and a reduction in inflammatory factors.

Various studies suggest that CRT-O can improve weight loss even when patients are not exercising or following a diet. Of course, the results in this case are usually not as good as for those who do. In the rest of the article, we will show you some activities you can use to train your executive function.

Activities that can improve your inhibitory control

Inhibitory control refers to a person’s ability to inhibit automatic responses. Thus, it allows them to generate other responses that change attention and reasoning.

Gaining greater inhibitory control requires that you first and foremost avoid intentional behavior. Then you need to reflect on the thought that leads to the behavior. The goal is for you to become aware of your own thoughts. You can then analyze them before embarking on the action that the thought encourages.

Maybe it’s best to give you an example. Let’s say you’re done eating dinner and you suddenly get the irresistible urge to eat candy. Before you pick it up, reflect on the content and meaning of your own thoughts :

• Why should I eat like this?
• Is it hunger?
• Could it also be that I did not eat enough carbohydrates?
• Am I trying to regulate one of my emotions? Which one? Does this really help me? Do I need to remove anything?
• Will I feel better after eating candy?
• What are the possible consequences of this behavior?
• Can I do anything else to get better?

Interventions to improve working memory

Working memory refers to a person’s ability to remember the things needed to perform a particular action.

Understanding and experience are perhaps the best tools to improve your memory. Therefore, it is important that patients understand the cause of each intervention. They must also participate in strategy development as well as experiment with and adapt to changes in their own lives.

Activities for training cognitive flexibility

The term “cognitive flexibility” refers to a person’s ability to modulate their thoughts and actions in certain situations. It specifically refers to situations that may be new, constantly changing, or unexpected.

To train cognitive flexibility, you must learn to face old situations with new tools. The goal is also to force your brain to develop alternative strategies to achieve a specific goal.

Some good examples of this are: Using different routes to get to work or changing the order of your morning routine. You might be able to talk to an acquaintance about a work project, in your own words.

Meeting new people is also a way to do this. As a more specific activity, you can try to adhere to your eating plan in different environments (work, restaurants, at home, etc.).

Another example related to eating could be working on an open eating plan. In this exercise, you need to combine food types.

Training of central consistency

You may define central consistency as the ability to provide a complete and realistic perspective of a particular situation. During the consultation, it is also a good idea to reason conflict situations out loud. You also need to keep in mind the context and all the related ideas as a whole.

Similarly, it is a good idea to ask for a brief summary after a complicated detailed reading. This can be a verbal or written summary. As a consequence, this can help improve the ability to develop and understand a general idea without going into detail.

Without a doubt, cognitive remedial therapy is a critical tool for improving your executive thinking skills. This is especially true for people who suffer from obesity. It can even, in the long run, help them effectively manage their condition.