For the past 4 decades, I have treated patients who struggle with weight. And I have also identified a subset of individuals who are more tempted by the obesogenic food environment we all live in.
- “I think about food all the time.”
- “As hard as I try, I can’t clear my head from being preoccupied with food.”
- Whether hungry or not, I have trouble resisting tempting food.”
These are some of the comments I’ve heard over the years.
Now, with the advent of the new GLP-1 obesity medications, many patients are voicing something new and exciting: these medications have quieted their “food noise”.
Food noise, defined as the constant inner dialogue of food-related thoughts that are disruptive to daily life, can be considered a symptom of appetite dysregulation that is associated with obesity.
My take on this phenomenon is that food noise was always there in susceptible individuals due to one’s genetics, biology and environmental temptations.
For the first time ever, people are voicing how their lessened food noise is helping them control their eating behaviors.
Whether you’re a patient dealing with food noise or a clinician treating patients with food noise, here are some of my key takeaways on this topic:
1. You Don’t Know What You’ve Got till It’s Gone!
For many patients, having constant food noise and blaming themselves for a lack of willpower to avoid tempting foods, is the only life they’ve ever known.
Having these thoughts quieted with medication has been an “aha” moment as patients come to understand that biology, not willpower has been the real culprit.
2. New Food Noise Tool Developed
A team of investigators funded by a research grant from Weight Watchers just released the first questionnaire to measure and quantify food noise.
This questionnaire consists of a brief 5 item tool that can be used during patient encounters.
I actually had the privilege of reviewing the tool as part of the development process.
We can all look forward to more articles to help us better understand the occurrence and impact of food noise among individuals living with obesity.
3. Medications, Food Noise, and Lifestyle Modification
Patients with food noise on medication therapy will also benefit from lifestyle counseling.
When the medications lessen food noise, it allows patients to follow a healthier diet.
But a healthier eating pattern doesn’t just happen overnight.
In fact, patients can develop nutritional deficiencies without lifestyle behavioral guidance and advance planning.
Even patients who are successful on medications, may find they have to stop or de-escalate dosages due to lack of access, high cost, or onset of side effects.
Since food noise can creep back into one’s life, learning how to use techniques such as stimulus control to decrease tempting food cues is important.
For strategies to deal with tempting food cues, patients can check out my latest self-help book, Six Factors to Fit: Weight Loss that Works for You!
In Spring, my book for health care professionals, Patient-Centered Weight Management: the Six Factor Professional Program and Toolkit, will be published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Through this book, we hope to fill the gap to help more health care professionals with varied backgrounds become skilled in providing effective and efficient patient-centered weight management care within their existing practices. Clinicians will also learn how to help patients with Easily-Enticed Eater tendencies to better control enticing food cues.
RK
Robert Kushner, MD
