Obesity Questionnaire

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Do you have Trouble Losing Weight?
Questionnaire by Dr. Lance Levy ¹⁵

If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you may have trouble losing weight. In some cases, the relevance of the question to the issue of weight control is obvious. Click on or scroll over your answer to reveal more information to further clarify Dr. Levy's explanation. There are 29 questions in total.

Questions 1 through 10 below.

NOTE: (You will need to be viewing this page using Internet Explorer browser in order to see the small information boxes when you scroll or click on the buttons).

1. Do you miss meals?

A habit of missing meals may reduce your ability to sense adequate fullness. A person who misses breakfast will typically become increasingly preoccupied with food later in the day, lose the ability to sense fullness correctly, and hence be prone to overeat from about 4:00 p.m. onwards.

A habit of missing meals may reduce your ability to sense adequate fullness. A person who misses breakfast will typically become increasingly preoccupied with food later in the day, lose the ability to sense fullness correctly, and hence be prone to overeat from about 4:00 p.m. onwards.

2. Do you eat quickly?

If you do, you lose the benefit of the feedback mechanism between your stomach and your brain that is used to sense fullness. When you eat slowly, your brain has more time to sense fullness and perhaps to register signals from hormones released in the upper small intestine indicating adequate food intake. You are more likely to

If you do, you lose the benefit of the feedback mechanism between your stomach and your brain that is used to sense fullness. When you eat slowly, your brain has more time to sense fullness and perhaps to register signals from hormones released in the upper small intestine indicating adequate food intake. You are more likely to

3. Is your sleep disturbed?

Tiredness will lessen your ability to regulate food intake, be active, and maintain a stable weight. Tired people frequently eat in order to lessen their sense of fatigue. They also generally accomplish less physical activity due to being tired. If you are often tired and also overweight, find out why you are sleepy.

Tiredness will lessen your ability to regulate food intake, be active, and maintain a stable weight. Tired people frequently eat in order to lessen their sense of fatigue. They also generally accomplish less physical activity due to being tired. If you are often tired and also overweight, find out why you are sleepy.

4. Do you wake in the morning having less energy than you think you should?

See question 3 above. Sleep that is non-restorative predisposes you to overeating.

See question 3 above. Sleep that is non-restorative predisposes you to overeating.

5. If you had to rate your overall mood, with 10 representing your best continuously experienced mood and 0 your lowest continuously experienced mood, are you less than 6-1/2 out of 10 most days of the week?

Clinical experience indicates that if you rate your mood as usually below 6-1/2 on the 0 to 10 scale, your ability to control food is less than average and you may have trouble losing weight.

Clinical experience indicates that if you rate your mood as usually below 6-1/2 on the 0 to 10 scale, your ability to control food is less than average and you may have trouble losing weight.

6. If you rate your level of day-to-day anxiety on a 0 to 10 scale, are you more than 5 out of 10? (A "0" indicates no worrying, a "5" means you worry a lot of the time, and a "10" means worrying is so intense you have panic attacks.)

If your anxiety level is above 5, you may be less able than average to regulate your food intake. Anxiety can consume a lot of energy and preoccupy you to the point where sticking to a diet is very difficult. One person in five has an anxiety disorder, and abuse of food and alcohol may occur in an attempt to lessen the anxiety.

If your anxiety level is above 5, you may be less able than average to regulate your food intake. Anxiety can consume a lot of energy and preoccupy you to the point where sticking to a diet is very difficult. One person in five has an anxiety disorder, and abuse of food and alcohol may occur in an attempt to lessen the anxiety.

7. Using the same scale as above for "anxiety," is your level of irritability greater than 4 out of 10? (A "0" denotes no sense of irritability, a ""5" means you are edgy or irritable much of the time, and a "10" means you are barely able to control yourself).

Irritability is a very unpleasant sensation. You may try to mask it with food or other agents such as alcohol.

Irritability is a very unpleasant sensation. You may try to mask it with food or other agents such as alcohol.

8. Do you experience binge eating?

A binge experience is defined as follows: You have an urge to eat, and eat with an out-of-control feeling. You stop only when you are painfully full, fall asleep, vomit spontaneously due to nausea, run out of food, or are interrupted. (If you answer yes to this item, please discuss this problem with your doctor.) Binge eating, whether accompanied by the rest of the bulimic symptoms or occurring on its own, is a neurological problem - that is, the binges reflect an imbalance in brain biochemistry.

9. Can you see a direct link between eating and emotional events?

In other words, will stress provoke you to eat when you are not hungry? Emotionally-based eating will definitely make you consume calories that you don't need nutritionally.

In other words, will stress provoke you to eat when you are not hungry? Emotionally-based eating will definitely make you consume calories that you don't need nutritionally.

10. Do you eat a low-fat diet and feel hungry an hour after a meal?

I believe that because the very low-fat diets that have been advocated for the past decade are unsatisfying, they are causing some of the obesity we now see. A low-fat diet will leave you hungry, and you may end up consuming more total calories than with a diet that is moderate in fat.

I believe that because the very low-fat diets that have been advocated for the past decade are unsatisfying, they are causing some of the obesity we now see. A low-fat diet will leave you hungry, and you may end up consuming more total calories than with a diet that is moderate in fat.

Great, proceed to question #11 on the next page

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