Rewiring the brain

Program teaches people how to rethink their relationships with food


As an information technology guy, Jon Backus has spent the majority of his career around wires.
Backus, a Hagerstown resident, is IT manager for Covenant Health System in Bethesda, Md.
But lately, Backus has set his sights on a different kind of wiring - the hard wiring in his brain - with hopes that it will lead to weight loss.
Backus is one of nearly 100 participants in Wired for Joy, a program that attempts to help people lose weight by changing how they think.
"It made sense to me," said Backus, 49, who said he's lost a few pounds since he started last year.
"Wired for Joy" is the introductory course in a series built around making people more psychologically resilient to stress.
Researchers have identified stress as a trigger for overeating. It's a concept referred to as emotional brain training, or EBT, said Tammy Thornton, a registered dietitian with the Washington County Health Department and a workshop leader.
Washington County Health Department has offered the Wired for Joy and EBT courses since the fall of 2009. Workshop leaders are hoping to drum up publicity for the health department's next round of classes during an event at Borders on Thursday, June 17. The event is tied to the release of "Wired for Joy," written by Laurel Mellin.
A new approach
Up until recently, many of the approaches to weight loss homed in on eating and exercise habits.
But EBT aims to work out the brain, too, said Lisa McCoy, a registered dietitian with the health department.
"We have wired our brains for stress," said McCoy, who also leads workshops.
McCoy said when people face stress, they often seek external sources such as food to ease the stress. Repeating the habit of eating when stressed from an early age hard-wires the message that food can be a source of comfort and safety, she said.
Backus said he thinks that might be why diets and exercise alone weren't working for him.
"Throughout my whole life I've struggled with weight," he said.
He said he had already developed an interest in the concept of emotional intelligence, but said it wasn't until two or three weeks ago that he made the connection between his eating habits and what was going on in his head.
"I tend to be even-keeled or upbeat most of the time," Backus said.
He said he wasn't eating when he was stressed. Instead, he rewarded himself with food.
"I had that wiring to eat when I wasn't hungry," he said.
'Wired' tied to a statewide effort
Health officials consider obesity to be a public health issue because it increases the risk for heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other health problems.
In Maryland, 26 percent of the population was considered obese in 2008, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Physicians use body mass index, or BMI, as an indictor for body fat and weight. A person's BMI is calculated using the person's weight and height. The CDC defines obesity as having a body mass index or BMI of 30 or greater.
Combating obesity is tied to a broader statewide effort aimed at chronic disease prevention.
"We've seen a 47 percent increase in the prevalence of obesity in 10 years in Maryland," said Audrey S. Regan, director for the office of Chronic Disease and Prevention, part of the state's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The state's Office of Chronic Disease and Prevention used $1.4 million in federal funds for evidence-based health initiatives tied to preventing chronic disease.
Regan said Washington County Health Department was one of the 13 health departments statewide to receive the competitive grant.
Regan said Washington County Health Department received a three-year grant totaling $525,000 for its Wired for Joy and EBT programing.
Learning to check-in
Backus said daily "check-ins" help him become more aware of his triggers or overeating.
McCoy began the June 9 Wired for Joy class with a check-in drill at the Western Maryland Hospital Center. Seven seated participants closed their eyes and listened to McCoy, who instructed them to relax focus on their breathing. The idea was for the participants to become more in tune with their emotional state at that moment.
"Find your own rhythm and notice that your body begins to relax," McCoy said, urging the participants to connect with their inner sanctuaries, or "that place they can go to at any time."
McCoy said participants are encouraged to have five mini check-ins throughout the day: once in the morning; once before breakfast lunch and dinner, and once before bed.
Backus said now that he's aware of his trigger, he said he's better able to seek out healthier rewards. So instead of rewarding himself with a candy bar and soda, he said the reward can be straight forward - such as simply accepting that he's happy and unstressed.
The idea is that over time, this mental process will happen subconsciously - thanks to a rewired brain.
"Time will tell whether I've been rewired," Backus said.