Mind-Body Connection?

[vlpaige]

Hi there!
     My question has to do with the mind-body connection.  I am curious about the relationship between our mental state, beliefs, etc on weight loss.  The reason I ask is that I notice a quick weight loss having changed my relationship to my body and food and an excruciatingly slow weight loss when my focus was on appearance and working out 'hard.'

I know I gained weight because I would overeat in response to my emotional state.  I began eating better and working out (circuits) for an hour a day and eating better.  I lost one pound over the course of 2 months and did not notice a difference in my clothing or how I felt.  However, after some therapy and changing my relationship to food and myself, I have lost over 11 pounds in 2 weeks simply walking 5-6 times per week and being aware of my food choices.  I am not restricting the type or amount of food I eat, but paying attention to how my body feels.  

Is there any research on this?  I am so curious.  Experience tells me there is a relationship, but I have a background in research and data and I can't bring myself to make that claim unless there is data to back it up.  Do you have any personal experience with this?  Have you read any studies in this area?

[Jaquta]

The former expert on the emotional eating expert forum was predominantly concerned about emotional health and well-being and the effect that had on weight and other lifestyle choices.

You might like to check out his website (www.shrinkyourself.com).

[James G Beckerman, M.D.]

Such an interesting question - there actually has been a lot of research into emotional state, eating behavior, etc.  Check out www.pubmed.org and you can have some fun putting in search terms and I bet you'll find some cool research studies about this topic.