Solutions for Hunger and Regulating Eating

ROC is based on the Behavioral Susceptibility Theory and designed to incorporate psychoeducation, cue-exposure treatment, appetite awareness training, coping skills, and self-monitoring of satiety and cravings to treat high Food Responsiveness and low Satiety Responsiveness. BWL and ROC will be integrated for this arm, to capitalize on the strengths of both treatments. All participants will be taught to decrease caloric intake and increase physical activity, and to use all of the behavioral skills provided in BWL. However, they will also be taught models of hunger and satiety and about food cue reactivity, and will learn skills to manage these. This arm will include an experiential component, including hunger monitoring during dinner and participating in exposure exercises.

The BWL program includes dietary, physical activity, and behavioral change recommendations. All participants will be instructed on how to consume a balanced deficit diet of conventional foods; individual goals for energy intake will be based on initial body weight. Participants will be instructed in measuring portion sizes, counting calories, and self-monitoring food intake. The physical activity program will focus on increasing both lifestyle activity and structured exercise programs. Behavior change recommendations include stimulus control, self-monitoring, goal setting, managing high-risk situations, meal planning, slowing eating, problem solving, social support, cognitive restructuring, lapse and relapse prevention skills, and maintaining weight loss.

Topics included will be stress management/relaxation, social support, and nutrition education. There will be a strong mindfulness component to this group.