How the Food and Mind Connection Holds the Secret to Successful Weight Loss

The concept of food as a reward has long been explored by the likes of luminary Ivan Pavlov, whose dogs learned to salivate whenever a bell sounded by the persistent partnering of bell chimes and the serving of food.

Neuroscience professor Alfredo Kirkwood of Johns Hopkins University goes in-depth with his colleagues into this connection, finding that brain cells learn when neurochemicals associated with reward is activated. The team likens the chemicals to water that creates cement out of cement powder, which otherwise will remain just powder. Kirkwood says learning occurs after the brain receives confirmation that the reward has been received.

In the practical world, food is no longer a basic response to hunger but has come to mean many different things. Case in point, the prevailing 'food porn' that saturate both traditional and social media.

Occasions and milestones are celebrated with food. Achievements are marked by the sharing of a good meal. Gatherings in a social setting almost always involve food.

This subtle yet reinforced association of food with pleasant, even happy, situations makes the behaviour of seeking comfort and assurance from food an expected behaviour. What creates the breakdown is when individuals begin to respond to each experience of pain, trauma or disappointment with food rather than with proper processing.

Food stops being physical sustenance and becomes both emotional and mental surrogate. Mayo Clinic says: "Sometimes the strongest food cravings hit when you're at your weakest point emotionally."

Neuropsychologist Diane Robinson, who is also program director for Integrative Medicine at Orlando Health, explains further: "When you talk to anyone about weight loss, they will tell you they don't exercise enough and that they eat poorly. But we also need to understand why we're eating."

Taking the issue from this point of view, the cure to obesity and any other addiction may come from addressing the root rather than the symptom. When diets and exercise regimes fail, assessing psychological wellness is a good place to start.

Dr. Robinson says further: "If you want to make a real resolution, resolve to get to know yourself better...It's hard for us to label emotions and realize it's the emotion that's driving a thought or behavior. We don't want to piece that together because it makes us uncomfortable."

Understanding therefore that the work needed for the internal self holds the key to making the external self healthy and attractive is what will make any effort toward external improvement be that much more effective.