The bad news? There are no quick fixes for being overweight - or for
the stresses of modern life.
Although obesity is partly genetic, the basic cause is the
intake of more calories than we use up.
Some people gain weight when their lifestyle or job responsibilities
change, perhaps they eat more, or do less exercise and sports - but
for many overweight people stress plays a major role.
Research shows that the best way to lose weight permanently
is to persist until you find reasonably healthy, balanced diet and exercise
routines that you can stick with until they are a habit. The best rate
of weight loss is about one pound per week which means taking in about
250 calories less per day and using up 250 calories more through exercise.
This sounds easy, and it often is - at the beginning, but when people
feel stressed, maintaining a change in lifestyle can be very hard. Many
experts think that it's just as important to consider our adjustment
to life's problems as it is to plan an eating or exercise program.
Eating can help ease tension and anxiety - it's a distraction when
you're nervous, a comfort when you're feeling lonely or down, and a
pleasure when you're bored or frustrated. And when you're overloaded,
if do you have some spare time it's easier to sit and watch TV than
to get out and exercise. In addition, being very overweight creates
stress not only by increasing rates of high blood pressure, diabetes,
and other illnesses - but also by lowering self-esteem and making daily
activities more difficult.
If stress makes weight loss difficult, start keeping
track of when you overeat or don't exercise and try to get
in touch with the feelings
you have at the time. Does eating relieve painful feelings
such as anxiety, anger, loneliness, boredom and depression?
Low self-esteem, self doubt,
and problems with relationships and sexuality also affect our
ability to change habits, and so do early life experiences
such as abuse, or
the simply the way we learned about eating and food.
Sometimes we overeat automatically - while reading, cooking, watching
TV. Sometimes there's a mental 'tug-of-war'. You might say: "I
should lose weight....but right now I need to feel calmer, more comfortable,
or .... " : "Oh, who the hell cares anyway" - not realizing
the emotion behind the craving - and with no other way to soothe
feelings and urges which play on your mind until they're satisfied.
People under stress often eat past the feeling of pleasure - to the
point of discomfort and even nausea . Then they feel guilt
and regret, and criticize themselves, saying "I'm weak", or "I'm
useless" which is untrue and unfair. The person who regularly overeats
may be coping with serious emotional pain - it's not a matter
of 'self-control' or 'willpower'.
The good news is that becoming aware of your stresses and feelings
gives you the chance to find ways to manage them more effectively. Losing
weight permanently often takes hard work, lots of mistakes, and perhaps
more time than you wish, but what you learn makes you stronger and more
able to achieve your life's goals.
