Have you ever felt like how you’re feeling affects your weight loss efforts? That’s because it does. Stress, mental health and mood can all impact our weight in different ways, and it’s important to remember it’s normal and you’re not alone.

This week, our host Helen Thorn and resident co-host Dr Sam will be joined by Dr Neera Dholakia, the lead mental health specialist at Boots Online Doctor. Together, they’ll explore how stress affects us and impacts our weight, as well as how food affects our gut and what it does to the brain. Plus, they’ll share tips and advice for managing short and long-term stress, and what we can do to support ourselves on the weight loss journey. Because it’s not just about the physical.

Dr Sam is Lead GP for Lifestyle Medicine at Boots Online Doctor, as well as a coach and mentor, author, and nutritional and yoga therapist. Dr Neera is Lead GP for Depression & Anxiety at Boots Online Doctor, as well as a safeguarding expert. Dr Neera is also clinical governance trustee for mental health and addiction charity We Are With You.

Free resources from Boots Online Doctor:

Weekly live webinars on weight loss from our friendly, expert team https://tinyurl.com/WL-webinars

Online 10-week weight loss programme https://onlinedoctor.boots.com/weight-loss/10-week-weight-loss-programme/

Food and mood diary: https://tinyurl.com/food-mood-diary


Mediterranean diet information: https://tinyurl.com/med-diet-info

Core meal plan: https://tinyurl.com/core-meal-plan

Progressive muscle relaxation hand out here from the NHS: https://www.bsmhft.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Progressive-muscle-relaxation.pdf

The Holistic Anxiety Handbook by Dr Samantha Wellappili: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Holistic-Anxiety-Handbook-Step-Step/dp/173933504X

Your Better Mental Wellbeing podcast: https://onlinedoctor.boots.com/podcasts/your-better-mental-wellbeing/

Credits:

Host: Helen Thorn

Co-host: Ruth Taylor

Special guest: Dr Neera Dholakia

Boots Online Doctor Producer: Leah Sienna Williams

Producer: Oli Seymour

Executive Producer: Izzie Clarke

Music composed by: Leah Sienna Williams

Timecodes:

00:00 Welcome to Weight Loss 360°

00:19 Meet the experts

00:46 Intro to today’s topic

01:56 Helen’s experience with mental health and food

04:07 The gut-brain connection

07:23 A word on inflammation

10:52 What happens when we’re stressed

13:51 The link between mental health and obesity

16:33 Using a food and mood diary

20:40 The importance of relaxation

23:45 How to manage negative thoughts

26:33 How to break the cycle of stress in food and weight management

29:22 Top tips for success

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