Helping Patients Outsmart Overeating

Karen R. Koenig, LCSW, M.Ed., is a psychotherapist, eating coach, blogger, educator, and international author of six previous books on eating, weight and body image. An expert on the psychology of eating, she has been in practice for over 30 years. Her books are popular with overeaters, chronic dieters, and binge-eaters who want to end the diet-binge cycle and make peace with food. She practices out of Sarasota, Florida and her website is www.karenrkoenig.com.Paige O’Mahoney, MD, is a physician, health and wellness coach, certified Intuitive Eating counselor, and founder of Deliberate Life Wellness, LLC, a collaborative coaching and medical education initiative whose mission is to promote compassionate care, highlight resources and experts, and change the conversation about weight and wellness among patients, clinicians, and policy makers. Paige is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) and the Lifestyle Medicine Education Collaborative (LMEd). In addition to her coaching practice, Paige conducts group workshops, develops curricular and continuing medical and health education training materials, and speaks to both professional and lay audiences on topics related to healing overeating and creating a deliberate, satisfying life. Her website is www.deliberatelifewellness.com.

In a caring manner, psychotherapist Koenig and physician O’Mahoney provide insights into the psychological and physiological barriers to weight loss faced by both doctors and patients. This introductory work begins by acknowledging the frustration that medical providers feel about their often limited success in this field. One key issue, according to the authors, is that medical students are seldom trained in how to compassionately approach patients who are struggling to lose weight. A listing of common patient complaints about the medical system’s failings, presented in a balanced manner, will help medical professionals understand that this is more than a matter of patient noncompliance. Discussions of the process of weight loss, insights into the psychological issues behind dysregulated eating habits, and the dangers of yo-yo dieting are supported with cited research. Care is taken to acknowledge that medical providers need support in helping their patients resolve issues that interfere with healthy living.... Health professionals will find this a solid guide; the material is also accessible to non-professionals.

• ForewordPrefaceIntroduction1: Why Doctors Are Frustrated2: Why Patients with Eating and Weight Concerns Are Frustrated3: How Diets Kill Motivation And Make People Fatter4: Introducing The Dysregulated Eater 5: How Dysregulated Eaters Become “Normal” Eaters6: Why Don’t Patients Listen To Me About Eating Better?7: Strategies to Help Patients Achieve their Eating and Health Goals8: Supporting Patients and Providers In Attaining and Maintaining Success Our Stories Resources