Therapy for Managing Weight in Raleigh, NC—Counselors
Standing on the scale, Monica sighed. Ever since she was a kid, her weight had been a sore subject. The names kids would call her at school still rattle around her head, and the tough part is that Monica has tried. She eats good foods and avoids bad ones. She is pretty active and exercises when she can. A few times, she has gone on fad diets that are highly restrictive. Monica lost weight when she was on the diet, but she was miserable. As soon as she stopped eating restrictively, she gained it all back. Mostly, Monica just wants to feel good about herself and her body. Monica’s struggle is not unique. There are many people who just want to feel comfortable in their own skin. Often, they have tried fad diets and exercise programs, but they are finding that what they need for long-term weight management is not physical, it is emotional. Many people are also finding the help they need for weight management through therapy.
“I keep telling myself that I’m a human being, an imperfect human being who’s not made to look like a doll, and that who I am as a person is more important than whether at that moment I have a nice figure.” —Emma Watson
Well-being and health are not just physical. What people eat and how active they are matter, but weight management is more than calories eaten and calories burned. Health can also be measured by how much an individual accepts their body and works with it instead of against it. This emotional aspect of weight management is where therapy may help. When people have a peaceful relationship with their body, they often have a strong foundation for managing their weight.
The therapists at Thriveworks in Raleigh offer therapy for weight management because we know that mindset matters. We have many clients who are tired of fad diets that may work for a while but do nothing to help them in the long-term. Instead, we focus upon helping our clients think about their health holistically—both emotionally and physically.
Weight Management in America
If weight management has been a struggle for you, you are in good company. Many others are struggling as well. The Centers for Disease Control has found that…
- Among adults, age 20 and older
- 20 percent are obese.
- 20 percent overweight.
- Among children
- Ages 12-19: 20 percent are obese.
- Ages 6-11: 17 percent are obese.
- Ages 2-5: 9 percent are obese.
In many ways, health can be measured in numbers: weight, cholesterol level, waist size, blood sugar, and more. However, the numbers do not tell the whole story. Weight management is also about mental health.
Counseling and Holistic Well-being
Thinking of weight management in a more holistic way can help people in a number of ways. First and foremost, a number of mental illnesses can have devastating effects on the body. When people are struggling to maintain a healthy weight, a mental illness is not always fueling that struggle, but if it is, treating that illness should be a priority.
Eating disorders can develop in people of every shape and size, and they can be deadly. If an eating disorder is present, it will undermine an individual’s efforts to maintain a healthy weight, and it will create a contentious relationship between an individual and their body. Eating disorders, however, have effective treatments that can be pursued, and often, skilled therapists can help their clients who are struggling with an eating disorder find the treatment they need.
Similarly, many depressive disorders and anxiety disorders can disrupt an individual’s appetite. Sometimes, these disorders increase the appetite. Sometimes, they decrease it. In either case, they make maintaining a healthy weight difficult and undermine an individual’s relationship with their body. If an anxiety or depressive disorder is plaguing an individual, treatment may be a part of a holistic weight management plan.
Therapy may also equip people with the emotional skills they need to maintain their weight. Restrictive diets outline strict rules that are broken easily. Therapy approaches weight management differently. It focuses instead on helping people learn how to live in a way that is healthy and sustainable. One of the many ways it does that is by teaching emotional skills like self-awareness.
Self-awareness can aid people in their weight management journey. For example, a number of negative thoughts can sabotage an individual’s health. People may tell themselves untrue things like…
- Feeling secure in my own body is impossible.
- Overeating needs to be punished with deprivation.
- Food is a reward.
Overtime, therapists can guide people on how to become aware of these thoughts and how to focus their attention elsewhere. Counseling may help people…
- Learn healthy forms of motivation.
- How to listen to what their body needs (and ignore other voices).
- Coping skills that do not involve food.
Appointments at Thriveworks in Raleigh for Weight Management Counseling
If you are ready to meet with a therapist, the mental health professionals at Thriveworks Counseling in Raleigh, NC are ready to meet with you. We have appointments for weight management available. When you contact our office, a scheduling specialist will help you make an appointment. New clients often meet with their therapist the following day. We do not keep a waitlist, but we do offer evening and weekend sessions. We also accept many different insurance plans. Let’s work together.
