If you or your child has strong physiological or emotional responses to food, our weight management program can help. The overall goal is to emphasize ways to engage and react to the environment. This program teaches specific strategies that have proven effective in helping substance abuse patients overcome cravings. Many people have strong responses to triggers such as food, emotions, and certain situations. To help you or your child respond in a healthier way to these types of cues, this program provides behavioral training that helps patients regulate their responses. For instance, it may be helpful for you or your child to be exposed to these cues over and over. After repeated exposure, you may well find that you no longer have the same strong psychological and emotional responses.

At the Center of Excellence in Eating and Weight Disorders at Mount Sinai, we use a weight management approach called LEARN. The name is an acronym that represents the five essential components of the program:

1. Lifestyle: Helping you or your child make lifestyle changes that support weight loss and ongoing maintenance.
2. Exercise: Learning that movement is a positive and enjoyable activity to help you or your child feel well.
3. Attitudes: Shifting attitudes helps you or your child manage triggers to overeating by reducing blame and eliminating the stigma that has been associated with body weight.
4. Relationships: Supporting positive attitudes and lifestyle changes so you or your child can nurture healthy relationships.
5. Nutrition: Learning how food can be a source of nutrition rather than a source of upset that may lead to overeating empowers you or your child to eat in ways that are healthy.

The program uses a collaborative approach. It brings together helpful aspects of psychotherapy and education. During program meetings, we alternate short periods of instructional learning with periods of discussion and problem-solving. We offer this program both in group and one-on-one settings.