Food Addiction

Welcome to the Neuro- Metabolic Method, a program that will give you tools to lose weight and keep it off for life. I am a psychiatrist and psychopharmacologist in private practice on the Upper East Side of New York for over 20 years. For many years, I have dealt with the frustrating effects of impulsive and compulsive overeating and have helped patients lose up to 100 pounds, and keep it off. Extensive scientific knowledge underlying weight loss exists but is not readily available to the public.   The difference between the Neuro-Metabolic Method and other diets is that it pulls together existing science with advances from the Neurosciences. The brain is the most important organ when it comes to weight loss and maintenance.

You will learn how to eat to be thin and healthy as part of your lifestyle. Being overweight is unhealthy, both physically and mentally. Physical consequences are well known, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and increased risk of cancer, to name a few. The mental health consequences are often not addressed by medical professionals. The impact on self-esteem and self-image can actually be debilitating.

Patients will undergo a comprehensive assessment to develop an individualized weight loss program suited to their unique needs and eating habits. Some patients will require medications that facilitate weight loss. Cutting edge pharmacological interventions for weight loss are available as part of the program.

All patients will be given a science-based plan that will promote optimal loss of weight. Overeating and obesity are not just a matter of will power or heredity. They are caused by many factors that need to be addressed and treated.

Our food choices affect brain circuits. Certain foods signal the brain to make us feel either satisfied or leave us craving more food. Patients will learn the underlying causes of cravings and how to deal with them. In addition, patients will learn how to deal with overeating when they are not even hungry. The brain is involved in every phase of eating, from before you eat, to thinking about eating,  starting and continuing eating, and to long after you finish eating. Understanding how to affect brain activity and not automatically follow it’s programming is entirely possible, and you will learn how.

Compulsive overeating is now considered an addictive behavior and can control an individual’s entire life. Eating and weight become the primary focus of life for many people, not just those diagnosed with Eating Disorders.  When this occurs, individuals feel completely out of control and can experience despair. Understanding and treating compulsive overeating is not the typical focus of most diet programs that only address food itself.  Again, this behavior is controlled by the brain and if not addressed, any diet will eventually fail.

Our food choices not only affect the brain in ways that contribute to overeating; in addition, these choices also affect our Metabolism. Signals from metabolic factors communicate with the brain and give very specific instructions involving weight gain or loss...Metabolism is the process by which our bodies convert what we eat and drink into energy to fuel our lives.  It can be increased or decreased by the foods we eat. Calories from the three food groups, (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) have different effects on metabolism; some foods increase it, and some decrease it making it more or less difficult to lose weight. This is also why counting calories is not the best method to maintain optimal weight in the long term.

At our program you will undergo a comprehensive evaluation to determine your specific and individualized weight loss needs, including assessment of the psychological, physiological, and behavioral factors underlying your eating behavior  The need for weight loss medication will be also be determined and thoroughly discussed.  A subsequent session will provide the tools for your personalized weight loss program. Patients will also have the option of accessing a readily available and highly trained weight loss coach for everyday help with food choices, cravings, and out of control eating.