Characteristics of Obesity
What are the characteristics of obesity? A Harvard medical school professor of medical sociology, Nicholas Christakis states that if your friends are obese, then you have a good chance of being fat yourself. This was from a study that lasted thirty-two years.
This makes you wonder if your own personality is contributing to your own obesity. When examining the personality of an obese person, it has been discovered that there is a distinct personality of an obese individual.
It has been determined that our psychological makeup, and psychological factors play an important roll in either promoting, or preventing obesity.
Characteristics of an Obese Person
The characteristics of people who are obese are pretty much accepted as:
- lack of self worth
- lack of self control
- emotional ups and downs that are experienced often
- tendency to be depressed
Lack of Self Worth
It has been theorized that a lack of self worth that an obese person displays can be the result of how long a person has been fat. If they have suffered with obesity since childhood, then the time spent as a youth was really hard, because of the teasing they would of gone through with their peers.
Children are down right mean to others when another child is different. An obese child suffers from the teasing, and torment of other children during their developing years, and this effects their self esteem
People who lack self worth often regard themselves as failures, and usually seek out the comfort food gives them. They also give up their struggle to lose weight by eating healthy foods, and exercise before they have even started.
Lack of Self Control
There are several overweight people who cannot stop making poor choices as far as food is concerned. This applies to the quantity or the quality of foods they are consuming.
A morbidly obese person knows that their actions are slowly killing them, yet they cannot stop compulsive behavior, or exercise any self control.
There is even one group of researchers that believe obese people feel in control when they eat large portions of food.
People who lack self control also tend to benefit from diet clubs, and organizations like Medifast, Nutrisystem, and Weight Watchers. The reason why joining one of these organizations may work is because there is a need for strictness, and discipline.
Severe cases of eating compulsion require treatment by a specialist like a psychiatrist, and a dietician. If you suspect you are a compulsive eater, please see a qualified doctor, or a dietician.
Emotional Possibilities
Obese people tend to stay away from social settings. They have been falsely lead to the reasons of why they are fat. The list of reasons can be long, and very revealing. Parents may have nagged them for their eating habits. Friends could of been unkind, and strangers may have belittled them in public.
Overtime any person treated badly would start to wonder if everything that was said, and done is true, this usually starts an emotional roller coaster, and they really start to question themselves. Then one day the wave of humiliation, and self doubt sets in, which causes them to seek comfort in food.
If you are that person who seeks comfort in food to retreat from meeting friends, being in public places, then you should see out a support group, or a clinical psychologist.
Your not crazy, or a loser, actually you are quite normal. You are the product of your life, and society has helped you get to where you are now. You must just get a new map to learn your way back to a healthier lifestyle.
Depression
Depression has the ability to cause a person to gain a huge amount of body fat. When a person gets depressed they stop all activities. Being inactive causes a person to gain more weight which allows for the depression
It would be very difficult to treat obesity before treating the depression that goes along with it. Just beware though, doctors are quick to write a prescription for depression, sometimes these pills will cause you to gain more weight. Get some help for your depression while focusing on your weight loss.
In the long run the weight loss will help you help you get over your depression by making you feel good about yourself.
In conclusion
The characteristics of obesity does not refer to all obese people. Do not think that all obese people can be crammed into any of the above categories like a letter in a mailbox. Everyone is different, and unique. It would be possible to continue the dissection of personalities into many different directions.
What is definitive is that anyone is able to reflect inwards, see themselves, and start to make a change. Everyone is in control of their own life, and if your personality is assisting you in being obese, then realize that you can change yourself through inner reflection. There is no secret in the inner power one holds within themselves. Seek help if you need it, but make the change one way or another. Reflect upon yourself, and impact your life in a positive way. Countless others have done so. There is no one that can help you, but yourself.
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