http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/perso...ead/index.html
In the battle against fat, the heroes achieve what most of us only long
for -- lasting weight loss. They're so unusual, they've become the
subjects of ongoing research by scientists trying to finger just what it
is that makes them stand out from the rest of dieting humanity.
The project is called the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) and
was created in 1993 by researchers at Brown University and the
University of Colorado in the face of the well-known and defeating
statistic: Ninety-five percent of dieters gain their weight back.
Registrants -- some 4,500 -- must have dropped at least 30 pounds and
kept them off for a year or more, though the average member has lost
twice that much and maintained it for about five years.
In one of the latest studies, Inga Treitler, Ph.D., a cultural
anthropologist, and a fellow researcher intensely interviewed and
observed 10 of the registrants, focusing not on what they ate or did for
exercise but on how they lived -- the books they read, the photos they
kept, their pets, careers, friends and hobbies -- before and after the
weight loss. The question, again, was basic: What had enabled them to
triumph where so many others falter?
One of Treitler's aha moments came after the study subjects took a
120-item multiple-choice questionnaire that assesses thinking styles,
called the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI).
Simply put, the theory behind it goes like this: We all naturally tend
to process information, solve problems and relate to others in a
particular way, and such inclinations roughly correspond to four
different quadrants of the brain -- two on the right, two on the left.
These preferences are like mental defaults your brain automatically
resorts to when evaluating the world unless otherwise prompted and most
people employ some combination of quadrants.
• "A" quadrant (upper left): People who favor this area are analytical,
mathematical, logical problem solvers. Drawn to statistics and the
workings of machinery, they can overanalyze a situation so much they
have trouble taking action.
• "B" quadrant (lower left): These people are controlled, methodical,
disciplined sticklers for structure and routine. Punctual and neat, they
always have a plan, timetable and calendar with appointments penciled
in.
• "C" quadrant (lower right): Lower-right thinkers are emotional,
spiritual and focused on people and human connection.
• "D" quadrant (upper right): "D" types are strongly visual and easily
bored, attracted to new ideas, fun and risk taking.
Which quadrant makes a successful dieter?
"We found that those with the most dramatic losses scored noticeably
higher in favoring 'B,' the lower left," says Treitler.
This makes sense to her, having observed many people struggling with
weight. Someone inclined toward plans and routines, who sees life
through methodical eyes, would be the most comfortable with the mundane
details of calorie counting and portion control. She would also be more
able to coolly observe herself and catalog obstacles and failings
without succumbing to an emotion like self-hatred.
Breakthrough number two occurred during another study with the NWCR
volunteers.
When Treitler listened to subjects' stories, something stood out. They'd
all gone through an inner transformation almost like those celebrated in
traditional rites of passage. Each had found a coach, mentor or guide
for the journey; had pulled back and separated somewhat from his or her
old environment; and then was "reborn" into a different way of life. The
newly thin person became a leader rather than a follower, a change that
opened the door to further goals and achievements, often in fields
completely unrelated to weight loss.
One subject asked a chef at the university where he worked to develop an
aggressive diet for him and dropped nearly half his body weight. Then he
took a leave from his job to help start a law school in Africa and
became a passionate long-distance walker and bird-watcher.
"All the subjects had incorporated some meditative element into their
lives," Treitler says. "It might have been walking or yoga, but it was
self time, a white space where they could disengage from the old,
obsessive behavior." This transformation of identity appears crucial in
keeping weight off. Without a new self who's clearly different from the
old, overweight one, it's too easy to revert to former unhealthy habits.
While most of us can't remove ourselves from daily life as radically as
that man who went to Africa, we can create the conditions that make
rebirth possible. Based on Dr. Treitler's observations, she can suggest
concrete steps to change a habit that have nothing to do with food or
exercise or any other behavior you're wrestling with.
The fact is, no matter which cognitive type you are, you can "learn to
shift to another mode of thinking," to "stretch" the brain quadrant
boundaries in which you feel at home, says Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, CEO of
Herrmann International, which developed the HBDI. So for people who have
no natural inclination to be systematic and detail oriented ("B"
strengths), Treitler says the goal is to build up familiarity and
comfort with those approaches.
According to Herrmann-Nehdi, simple activities practiced over a period
of about three weeks can bolster your inner bookkeeper. They can be done
in stages, she says.
• Organize. Alphabetize your CDs. Then, a few days later, your spices. A
few days after that, rearrange your closet, then your tax papers.
• Timing. Keep a time log of your daily activities and start being
punctual for every appointment.
• Plan. Sit down and map out a week in advance. It's also helpful to
follow a routine jogging a certain course every other day, balancing
your checkbook once a week.
• Step-by-step thinking: Cook from a recipe exactly as it's written,
knit from a pattern, learn a computer program by following a tutorial or
manual.
If these activities seem grating, you can make them more appealing to
your naturally dominant brain type, Herrmann-Nehdi says: "A 'D'
[conceptual, risk taking] could dream up something she wants to achieve
in a year's time, then, working backward, create a timeline and
checklist of what needs to be done."
A "C"---emotional, people-oriented--- could teach her niece to balance a
checkbook.
Think of these activities as physical workouts, suggests Treitler: "When
you practice them regularly, it trains your brain to become accustomed
to new ways of thinking." Later, when an actual diet plan requires
steadfastness and attention to detail, the effort won't feel so alien.
The most important aspect of redefining yourself is "doing something
empowering," says Treitler. "It may be teaching, volunteering --
anything that allows you to take on new status and to be in the position
of helper rather than one who needs help." From this strengthened
position, you go forward, not back.
To learn more about the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) visit
http://www.hbdi.com/.
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Can you spot the key item between the article and this one:
http://tinyurl.com/29yl4s ?
Weight loss is all in your head 
Linear Mode
