In this post, we will take a look at the psychological
aspects contributing to a person being overweight. A woman in her mid 20’s
spoke to us about the traumatic experiences which happened to her as a child at
the hand of a “trusted” family member, this “nightly abuse” to put is mildly
occurred over many years while a much intimated Mother did nothing but to
painful ignore what this family member was doing. The woman will never get over what this
closest of family members did to her, food became her comfort. With no brothers
or sisters to confide in, food also became a trusted friend.
Food became her comfort through out much of her childhood;
she was finally removed from her home when a concerned school counselor
discovered what this male was doing.
Science shows us that food is a delight to the brain, food
is a pleasure and certain food cause the brain to release feel good hormones. Physical,
verbal, and sexual abuses may all leads to PSTD and obesity is related to these
abuses; this is a subject that is very much ignored when ignorant people speak of
the current obesity crisis. How many of our current obesity studies explore the
fact that million of people are living lives deeply affected by PTSD, we are
obsessed with a reduced calories solution that often fails.
As one woman
explained to us, “I will take the food and obesity, over the memory of what
happened to me” We are a much abused people today and our appetites have
been affected. The “Biggest loser” and
other reality TV shows are simply entertainment, these shows are not about real
people battling obesity, and this is Hollywood
at its best. These shows are complete with a once heavy person appearing from
behind a curtain to reveal a slim person….the audience gasps and applaud.
There is not one real
“reality TV” show, all of these programs are actually hundreds of hours
scripted and edited down to 45 minutes(minus commercials).
Depression, Stress, Obesity
A new research finding provides insight on how a mental
health issue may trigger obesity among adolescents. In the study, researchers
discovered depression raises stress hormone levels in
adolescent boys and girls. And, among girls, the stress hormones may lead to
obesity.
Accordingly, early treatment of depression could help
reduce stress and control obesity.
“This is the first time cortisol reactivity has been
identified as a mediator between depressed mood and obesity in girls,” said
Elizabeth J. Susman, the Jean Phillips Shibley professor of biobehavioral
health at Penn State .
“We really haven’t seen this connection in kids before,
but it tells us that there are biological risk factors that are similar for
obesity and depression.
The facts are there if
we choose to see them, we can be ignorant and blame all overweight people for
sitting in McDonald’s all day or we can understand that being overweight is a
complex issue which deals with many individual factors. I would venture that at least 10% or at least
30 million in the United States have been abused in some way and many of these people
respond with one of life’s greatest gifts which are food.
This site is popular in
over 10 countries in less than 1 year month because we show that it is possible
to be as thin as you like by using a science diet (based on a diabetic diet)
but the popular is also because we do not blame the victims. Most people who
are overweight have tried dieting and failed, others simply don’t know that a
science based diet causes weight loss. Regardless of the reasons for being
overweight we must understand that each person has a different experience, we
each arrive at being overweight for different reasons. We must respect each person and remember that
many of us are secretly carrying our own post traumatic stresses.