Am I Hungry?

Multidimensional Weight Management Program

Problem

Sixty five percent of the adults in the United States are overweight or obese, contributing to significant health risks, lost productivity and burgeoning health care costs. Obese employees cost an additional $460 to $2,500 each annually in medical expenditures and work absences compared with normal-weight workers, according to a report published in the American Journal of Health Promotion. Overweight employees cost employers 30% more on average than healthy weight employees.

Solution

Am I Hungry?® is a rational and effective solution to this critical threat to the health and well-being of many employees. While there are many weight loss programs available to consumers, very few focus on long term, sustainable lifestyle changes.

Winner of the Excellence in Patient Education Innovation Award, Am I Hungry?® delves far beyond the obvious advice of “eat less, exercise more.” This comprehensive weight management program guides participants to re-establish hunger as their primary cue for eating, recognize their triggers for overeating, meet their bio-psycho-social needs more effectively, learn to balance eating for enjoyment and health, and discover vitality and joy in physical activity. Participants are encouraged to find their own internal motivators. They are led through a unique process to increase self-efficacy and healthy behaviors from physical activity to healthier eating without requiring a rigid, unsustainable routine.

Features

  • Dynamic, fun and interactive workshops designed by Michelle May, M.D., author of the award-winning book, Am I Hungry? What To Do When Diets Don’t Work
  • Comprehensive step-by-step process for losing weight, increasing self-efficacy and building optimal health
  • Simple, yet powerful tools for recognizing when, what and how much to eat without restrictive dieting
  • Practical nutrition education without confusing, arbitrary rules
  • Positive approach to fitness that overcomes barriers to physical activity, encourages a more active lifestyle and provides sustainable, evidence-based exercise recommendations
  • Meaningful and sustainable changes in attitudes and health behaviors
  • Life-management tools to increase long-term success, improve productivity and create more satisfying, fulfilling lives

Program Overview

Workshop Results

A study of 229 participants in 8- or 12-week Am I Hungry?® Workshops showed a completion rate of 90%. Those that completed the program lost 0.5 pounds per week and showed improved self-efficacy. Although participants are not given rigid rules to follow, the majority of the participants reported significantly increased activity and more healthful eating. Nearly all of the participants said they would recommend the program.

A randomized, controlled trial in a corporate setting with a one year follow-up is currently in progress. Past participant comments are also available for review.

Customized Programs

Your Am I Hungry?® Facilitator will work with you to tailor the workshop format and schedule to meet the needs of your organization. They will handle program customization, integration, administration, marketing, service delivery and general client relations.

Measurement and Evaluation

Various outcomes can be measured as determined by the needs of the organization. A customized aggregate report will be delivered at the completion of each Workshop. Confidential workshop assessments may include:

  • Level of participation and attendance
  • Health Survey
  • Intuitive Eating Scale (to assess changes in motivation for eating)
  • Behavior change report
  • Participant satisfaction and employer evaluation of the program
  • Physical measures including weight, BMI, blood pressure, waist-to-hip ratio and correlation with other available data can be provided for an additional charge

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Am I Hungry?® Weight Management Workshops

All workshops are conducted by trained and licensed Am I Hungry?® Facilitators using tested techniques and materials. Ideally workshops are offered as 60-minute sessions over the lunch hour at a location convenient for your employees. Additionally, workshops can be conducted by Teleconference to accommodate remote employees.

Each Am I Hungry?® workshop consists of an overview of the week’s topics and an opportunity for the participants to share their experiences, ask questions and establish a concrete action plan for the week ahead. During the week, participants will receive motivational emails, use their Workbook and Journal, and access online tools to maintain the momentum created during the live session.

The comprehensive workshops include three components: Think, Live and Eat

Think: Am I Hungry?

  • Interactive 8-week series that lays the foundation of the Am I Hungry?® program.
  • The focus is on the development of lifelong weight management skills.
  • Engaging program materials include a copy of the book, Am I Hungry? What to Do When Diets Don’t Work and the companion Stop Dieting, Start Living Workbook.

Eat: Essentials of Nutrition

  • Participants will learn about nutrition principles from an “all foods fit” perspective and learn to use balance, variety and moderation to guide their choices.
  • Workshops feature practical strategies and hands-on activities for understanding the essentials of carbohydrates, protein, fat and micronutrients.
  • Materials feature easy to use charts and delicious nutritious recipes.

Live – Exploring the Essentials of Fitness

  • Each session addresses important aspects of fitness including: lifestyle activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, strength and flexibility.
  • Sessions include participation in simple exercises that can be done at home without equipment.
  • Participants will write their own weekly activity goals using a Fitness Prescription

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Brief Workshop Overview

Workshop 1: In Charge, Not In Control
Finally understand why diets don’t work in the long run and learn how to develop a healthy relationship with food and physical activity for weight management without yoyo dieting.

Workshop 2: Trust Your Gut Instincts
Hunger is a primitive yet reliable means of reaching and maintaining a healthy weight without dieting. Learning to recognize hunger and satisfaction cues will guide your food choices and portion sizes and give you the foundation for natural lifelong weight management.

Workshop 3: It’s Not About the Food
When a craving has nothing to do with hunger, eating will never satisfy it. Environmental and emotional triggers often lead to overeating; new patterns not only help you manage your weight but help you meet your true needs in more productive ways than eating.

Workshop 4: Head Hunger
Discover dozens of triggers that have kept you from reaching and maintaining a healthier weight and what to do about them

Workshop 5: Goodbye Guilt
Eating is a pleasurable experience while meeting your body’s needs for energy and nutrients. Experience a powerful strategy for getting rid of guilt over eating the foods you love.

Workshop 6: Mindful Eating
Eating “mindfully” allows you to get more enjoyment from less food - without feeling deprived. This workshop will be followed by the popular Mindful Eating Potluck experiential that allows you to practice your new skills while sharing a meal.

Workshop 7: Just Right
You’ll learn how to eat the perfect amount of food that leaves you feeling comfortable and satisfied. You’ll also learn what to do on those occasions when you eat too much.

Workshop 8: Self-Care Buffer Zone
Start investing your energy in ways that address your health in body, mind, heart and spirit.

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1Reichard, G., May, M., Krepcho, M.. Kohlerman, N. (2006, April). Am I Hungry? A preliminary investigation of an innovative and promising non-diet weight loss program. Poster session presented at the annual conference of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, San Francisco, CA.