Hertfordshire group to adopt a new approach to weight loss

A new group which will help women who are seriously overweight to lose weight and keep it off run by the University of Hertfordshire will start in Stevenage in January.

The group, which has been formed by Professor Julia Buckroyd, the University’s Professor of Counselling, and will run for 12 months, and invites women who have serious weight problems, are over 18 and are not involved in any other treatment for weight loss to attend.

Professor Buckroyd, who has proved in recent research that therapy has a role in enabling some women to lose weight and keep it off, believes that eating behaviour is determined in part by emotional states and that therefore presenting women with just a diet will not work.

She commented: “Our research has shown that some of those at risk of serious obesity-related diseases continue to eat chocolate bars so purely putting them on a diet is not an effective treatment. In fact, there is a general despair about the possibility of losing weight through dieting.”

Professor Buckroyd believes that a complete change of lifestyle which leads to new eating behaviour is needed if weight loss is to be achieved and maintained.

She commented: “There needs to be an inner change and our group will help these women to address emotional issues which lead to over-eating as well as focusing on their eating behaviour and activity levels so that they can begin to manage them effectively.”