Biopsychology of Eating and Drinking; Research Proposal

A dieter must come to know when he or she is most 'weak' in terms of binging, whether that is after a stressful day at night, or when in close proximity to food at the employee break room. Weight loss is a permanent lifestyle change, not a transient event like the word 'diet' sometimes suggests. Whether the triggers are emotional or physical, the dieter must develop coping mechanisms to wean him or herself away from fattening comfort foods. Having other, healthy foods on hand or developing new habits like going for a walk to deal with unpleasant situations can reconfigure a dieter's obesegenic environment and routine. Switching to smaller plates at home, stocking the refrigerator with healthy food, making exercise part of daily life rather than a rare occurrence, are all effective ways to slowly tone down the cues to overeat in the individual's environment.The problem with set point theory in today's world is that the 'set point' of far too many individuals has been exceeded -- the rise in diabetes and heart disease is not due to people trying to get below their set point, rather their bodies are crying out for relief at being set 'too high.'

References

Set point theory. (2009). The Center for Health Promotion and wellness at MIT Medical Center.

Retrieved October 20, 2009 at http://medweb.mit.edu/pdf/set_point_theory.pdf.....