WTOP News published a radio and online piece highlighting Kassie Barnes, a busy professional, great mom, and NCWW patient.  Psychologist and assistant director Robyn Osborn was quoted.

While it’s a great article, we take issue with a particular part: A personal trainer was quoted saying, “This is [just] old-fashioned…hard work.”  

To be sure, kudos to Kassie for her hard work and diligence. But it’s not all “old-fashioned hard work.”

Kassie works hard, but she also works smart. She’s focused on numerous areas of weight management that, on the surface, seemingly have nothing to do with weight, but we argue may be most important.

Dr. Osborn was quoted, “Unless we target what we are thinking and feeling, the behavioral changes that we make are fleeting and temporary” and that she “has changed the way that she talks to herself and the way she views herself.” Dr. Osborn also discussed that she changed her relationship with food (a cliche, but a good one), her outlook, and more.

This is emblematic of a common misconception, that we all just need to “eat less and move more.” Most of us, and essentially every patient we work with, are hard working; if it were all about hard work, there wouldn’t be >200 million Americans who struggle with weight.