Weight Gain and the Brain

How important is it to know the brain’s role in weight loss?

Your brain plays an influential role in your weight loss journey. Acknowledging this is important because your brain can go from being your weight loss cheerleader to your biggest weight loss obstacle.

Austen Smith, D.O., weight loss specialist at Firelands Center for Coordinated Care, states, “You can view the brain essentially as a thermostat for your weight. There are a lot of inputs that go into this thermostat, such as markers from your gastrointestinal tract and your fat tissue, also known as your adipose tissue, muscle, liver, etc. Nonetheless, the appetite-regulating pathways are found in your brain, and you can view this as a thermostat for your body weight.”

Your brain regulates your appetite and cravings, which means it plays a role in weight loss (and weight gain). Your brain influences your eating and drinking behaviors. By understanding the psychological aspects of weight loss, you can better incorporate strategies you intend to use to help you lose weight.

Does your brain want you to lose weight?

Absolutely not. Your brain fights weight loss and defends against it. Our ancestors experienced feast and famine, so food was hard to come by. Traits and genes that allowed our ancestors to overeat and store calories as fat promoted the species’ survival. Over time, these traits have been selected for and ingrained into our genetics. Unfortunately, our genes haven't changed much, but our environment has changed drastically.

Our brains not only resist weight loss, but they will fight you. If your brain thinks you're losing weight, your brain thinks you're starving, and it will slow your metabolism and increase your appetite to return to the weight that you once were.

How do you trick your brain into losing weight?

Trick isn’t the right word, but you work with your brain to lose weight. Here are some things Dr. Smith recommends to maintain a healthy weight and achieve weight loss:

• Control your food environment. Don't tempt yourself. If it's in the house, you'll likely eat it because you're fighting your brain.
• Focus on foods that promote a feeling of fullness, also known as satiety. These are protein-rich foods and foods high in fiber.
• Get quality sleep. If you have healthy, high-quality sleep, you will limit the amount of stress hormone, or cortisol, that's released during the day.

Are weight loss drugs an effective way to lose weight?

Very effective. Newer drugs on the market have shown a 25% baseline body weight reduction. But just because a weight loss drug is effective doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s safe or what’s best for each person. Firelands Center for Coordinated Care can do specialized testing to see which drug will work best for your body.

Dr. Smith advises you to “view these medications as chronic therapies for a chronic disease, just as you would high blood pressure medication or even cholesterol medication.” When you stop taking the medication, you can regain the weight. Typically, you will return to your baseline body weight years after stopping the medication.

Well-rounded approach

A healthy, well-balanced diet and regular exercise are always the most effective approach for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. If you need help with weight loss, make an appointment with one of Firelands Center for Coordinated Care's weight loss specialists. They will give you additional information about weight loss, including safe strategies tailored to your health needs and weight loss goals.