What are good behavior modification techniques for people who want to lose weight?

Many, here are few..: 1. Stress management. Relaxation techniques; breathing; coping strategies can help minimize stress eating 2. Contingency management: use of rewards for specific actions such as increasing walking time or reducing consumption 3. Cognitive restructuring. Modifying unrealistic goals and inaccurate expectations to realistic options.

A Different Approach: I recommend patients look at food a source of fuel. It is not something to necessarily enjoy and should never be used as a reward. Our society has encouraged this. I will typically sit down with a patient to discuss thier daily requirement of energy and give them a caloric goal as their prescription for food as well as a prescription of exercise.

Step 1-alter stimuli: Uncontrolled eating can be triggered by seeing something "tasty" on tv, the web, etc. So avoiding those visual stimuli can help. Likewise removing from the house (if possible) calorie-laden foods can limit weight gain from eating when vulnerable (eg, bored, sleepy, hungry from skipping meal). On the flipside, placing bathroom scales next to the refrigerator can help avoid temptation. More 2 come!