"Hi, I have had a weight problem all my life. But I think it is more
of a pleasure problem It is also a self esteem of issue. Food was
always a reward or "to keep me happy" kind of thing. Food is a happy
gathering kind of thing... holidays.. going out to eat..sweet cakes on
my birthday. Even as a baby I am sure that I was given food when I
wasn't given personal attention. Diet's are a form of restrictions. When a person is on a "diet" it is
like a statement to everyone around them that they are trying to lose
weight. They are telling the people around them they can only eat a
certain foods... That food is the food that is on the diet. It is a
form of restriction on a loved one. They now have to show their love
by helping me stay on a diet. With a "diet" it seems easier for a
person to watch me sweat and work out harder to obtain that new weight
that I have set for myself. I seem to think that being one of the reasons for me being fat. As a
baby, a child is given a bottle to drink to make them happy and stop
crying. Even I give myself pleasure with food. I have learned to have
pleasure from food. Now diet, is a plan of food a person eats for life to keep a certain
weight. OK.. the rules change, and now my self esteem is up and I am
worth surviving. Yes, it is a survival issue. Eating too much can kill
me. Of course the story of being fat isn't that easily answered or talked
about. There are many other factors on the way I think about this
issue. There is much more to it. Much, much more. And this wonderful web site and you wonderful gals are helping me.
Women need more self esteem on many issues. Women can and deserve to
be happy."
- Peggy (WSE member)
Thank You Peggy for allowing me to share your post in my blog.
For people with an emotional addiction for food, losing their extra
weight is a lot harder than eating less food and getting on the
treadmill. Many people are over weight because they are suffering with
an inner issue. They will use food as an emotional void filler. The
only reason they are hungry is because they are sad. They have
confused hunger with sadness. They use food as their drug to feel
calmness. They will eat and space out as an addict does after a fix.
They will also fall into the roller coaster of self-loathing. Loathing
the fact that they once again fell into the unnecessary need for food.
People that are obese and actually have lost weight, are of two minds.
They feel like they are someone else when they are thinner and live a
life where they fear that they could fall into that food addiction at
any second. The other mind is the one that is consumed with self-
disgust and a weakness for the addiction of food. People with eating
addictions love and hate food. Again being of two minds. They try to
justify themselves, by criticizing people without food addictions.
They will drive by fast food restaurants and debate within themselves,
only to increase the need for food. Which only causes them to devour
even more than usual. They are in a constant battle with, should I or
shouldn't I. I know I shouldn't but I so want to. It's a viscous
circle for them.
One of the hardest things for obese people to deal with is the
whispers and snickers from other people as they pass by them. They
know well enough that they disgust people just by watching their
reactions, yet is is not enough to make them stop eating. Obese people
are ridiculed in public all the time and they loose out on many
relationships because the other person cannot understand their
addiction for food. Food addicts will even ignore that they are
literally killing themselves with every bite that they do not need.
They choose to not think about it, as any addict does.
Some will say that solving food addiction is as easy as just telling
people to stop being lazy, to exercise and to stop over eating. For
them, food means so many things besides fueling their bodies with
nutrients. Their addiction will totally over rule their nature to
protect themselves, health wise or society`s concerns about
appearance.
Depression, low self-esteem, history of abuse, poverty, family obesity
and emotionally troubled childhood upbringings are a few of the
greatest causes that trigger off food addiction. As I said earlier in
this article, people are desperate to fill an emptiness. Food is the
easiest route to reaching that full feeling they desire. Emotional
emptiness is the monster that creates the addiction in obese people.
You would think that with all the methods that have proven to help
people with their weight issues, there would not be a single
overweight person, but the numbers are growing faster every day.
Obesity is one of the only health issues the we know how to battle and
prevent, yet we fail to do so.
Why is that?
Is it because FAT is one of those HUSH words?
Do we ignore the overweight issues of others, so not to hurt their
feelings?
Are we doing them any favours by pretending it is OK to be
dangerously overweight?
Do we feel that if they like themselves like that, who are we to
judge them?
Do we think to ourselves, better them than me?
People that are addicted to the food drug are just as imprisoned as
any other addict. There is only one way to get off the drug, and that
is to seek help. Also they must want to get off this drug, for
themselves. They must want to feel good about themselves. To be able
to get to that point, they must build their self-esteem and address
the skeletons in their closets. This is why I created
womensselfesteem.com. This is one road to an addiction-free place in
your mind.
As you read in Peggy`s post, she has finally begun her climb up the
mountain to a better feeling person. She wanted to share this with
other women that are behind those bars of food addiction. It is
beatable. You just have to want to begin the battle.
Again HUGGZZZZ Peggy.
About the Author
Dorothy Lafrinere Owner/Operater Website- http://www.womensselfesteem.com Weblog- http://www.justblogme.com/Dorothy Forum- http://womenselfesteem.proboards29.com email- dorothy@womensselfesteem.com