If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you probably already know what you should eat.
The harder part is often managing hunger, cravings, snacking, emotional eating, and those moments when your appetite seems to take over.
That’s one of the reasons I incorporate ear, or auricular, acupressure with beads into personalized weight-loss programs at The Reset Spot.
Acupressure isn’t a replacement for good nutrition, and I don’t consider it a magic solution for weight loss. Instead, I use it as a supportive tool alongside personalized nutrition and lifestyle changes to help clients better manage hunger and cravings and make their plan easier to follow consistently.
What Is Auricular Acupressure?
“Auricular” simply means related to the ear.
Auricular acupressure involves stimulating specific points on the outer ear. Unlike acupuncture, which typically uses needles, acupressure can use small beads placed on selected ear points.
The beads remain in place so clients can gently stimulate the points throughout the day according to the instructions I provide.
At The Reset Spot, I use this technique primarily to support appetite, hunger and craving control as part of a broader personalized weight-loss program.
How Can Ear Acupressure Support Weight Loss?
Weight management is about much more than simply telling someone to “eat less.”
A successful plan also needs to consider appetite, food cravings, eating patterns, stress, habits, sleep, metabolism, body composition and other individual factors.
This is where acupressure can complement a personalized nutrition program.
Research has explored auricular acupressure as a complementary approach to weight management, with some studies reporting improvements in measures such as body weight, BMI, waist circumference or appetite. However, research methods and results vary, and acupressure should not be viewed as a stand-alone weight-loss treatment.
I think of it as one tool within a much bigger picture.
Why I Use Beads Instead of Focusing on Willpower
One of the things I’ve learned from working with weight-loss clients for more than 16 years is that willpower alone is rarely a sustainable strategy.
Someone can have the perfect meal plan and still struggle if they are constantly hungry, experiencing strong cravings, eating from stress, or finding it difficult to stay consistent.
The beads give clients something they can actively use between appointments.
When hunger or cravings become difficult, they can stimulate the designated points as instructed. The goal is not to eliminate normal hunger. It is to provide another supportive strategy while we work on the nutrition and lifestyle factors influencing their eating patterns.
Acupressure Works Best as Part of a Personalized Plan
This is important: I don’t use acupressure by itself.
At The Reset Spot, weight loss is personalized because two people can struggle with their weight for completely different reasons.
Depending on the individual, we may look at nutrition and meal structure, protein intake and muscle preservation, hunger and craving patterns, food inflammation, gut health, body composition and visceral fat, lifestyle and metabolic factors, and nutrition support for clients using GLP-1 medications.
Ear acupressure with beads can then be incorporated as another layer of support.
The goal isn’t simply to make the number on the scale go down. It’s to understand what may be getting in the way of your progress and create a strategy you can realistically maintain.
What Does an Acupressure Appointment Feel Like?
The process is simple.
Small beads are placed on selected points of the outer ear. I explain how and when to stimulate them at home, particularly during times when hunger or cravings tend to be strongest.
There are no acupuncture needles involved in the bead technique.
The specific approach can vary depending on the individual and the program we are working on together.
Can Acupressure Help With Cravings?
This is one of the main reasons I use it in my practice.
Clients frequently tell me that cravings—not lack of nutrition knowledge—are what make weight loss difficult.
Acupressure may be used as a complementary strategy for appetite and craving management, but individual responses vary. It works best when combined with an eating plan designed to provide adequate protein, nutrients and satiety rather than simply trying to suppress hunger.
That distinction matters.
The goal isn’t “How little can I eat?” It’s “How can we make healthy eating easier to maintain?”
What About Weight Loss After 40 or During Menopause?
As we get older, weight management can become more complicated.
Changes in body composition, muscle mass, activity, sleep and hormonal status can all affect how the body changes over time. That’s why I don’t believe in giving every client the same diet and expecting the same result.
For women struggling with weight changes in their 40s, 50s and beyond, acupressure may be one supportive component, but maintaining muscle, eating adequate protein, understanding body composition and creating an individualized nutrition strategy become especially important.
This is also where tools such as InBody 580 body composition analysis can give us information that a regular scale cannot.
What If You’re Taking a GLP-1 Medication?
If you’re using a GLP-1 medication such as Wegovy, Zepbound, Ozempic or Mounjaro, nutrition and muscle preservation remain important even when your appetite is reduced.
I also work with clients who, together with their prescribing healthcare provider, are preparing to reduce or discontinue a GLP-1 medication. One of the concerns during this transition can be the return of hunger and food cravings.
This is where I may incorporate ear acupressure with beads as an additional supportive tool for hunger and craving management. Along with personalized nutrition, adequate protein, meal structure and ongoing accountability, it gives clients another strategy to use as their appetite changes.
The goal is to help clients develop sustainable eating habits that don’t depend solely on appetite suppression from medication and to support them nutritionally through the transition.
Any decision to reduce, change or discontinue a GLP-1 medication should be made with the prescribing healthcare provider. Acupressure does not replace medication or medical care.
A Different Way to Think About Weight Loss
After more than 16 years of working with clients, I don’t believe sustainable weight loss comes from finding another restrictive diet.
It comes from understanding the individual.
Why are you hungry? What triggers your cravings? Are you getting enough protein? Are you losing fat or muscle? Could inflammation or digestive issues be contributing to the bigger picture? What makes it difficult for you to stay consistent?
These are the questions I want to answer.
Ear acupressure with beads is one of the tools I use to support that process—but it is the combination of personalized nutrition, accountability, appropriate testing and ongoing support that creates the foundation of the program.
Ready for a More Personalized Approach to Weight Loss?
If you’ve been struggling with hunger, cravings or weight loss and feel like you’ve already tried every diet, a more personalized approach may help you understand what to work on next.
At The Reset Spot in Westport, Connecticut, I combine personalized nutrition with tools such as ear acupressure for appetite and craving support, InBody 580 body composition analysis, Food Inflammation Testing, gut health testing and GLP-1 nutrition support based on each client’s individual needs.
This is not a diet. It’s a reset.