Psychology of weight loss: thin and fat
But, and this is known to many, as soon as you let go of the reins a little, the weight immediately begins to increase, and sometimes even so quickly that we realize when we weigh even more than at the beginning of our weight loss.
The statistics are inexorable: only 5% of those who lose weight manage to maintain the achieved result over the next 12 months.
Causes of failures in weight loss
The causes and mechanisms of these failures are discussed. The versions they call are absolutely fantastic. Like, somewhere inside we have a kind of clock/scale hidden that has lost its settings and now perceives this obviously excess fat mass as normal. And they are trying their best to hold on to it and restore it. I wish we could identify these clocks/scales, understand how they work and “reconfigure” them!
But maybe everything is much simpler? Maybe overweight people DO NOT KNOW how to live the easy, cheerful life of a slim person? They know how to lose weight, but they don’t know how to live as they should. So they take back everything that was thrown away!
And I like this idea much more than fantastic assumptions about built-in regulators. After all, if I turn out to be right, all that will be necessary is to notice the differences in the diet and behavior of slim people, learn to behave the same way, and at least there will be no problems with maintaining weight, and perhaps with losing weight too.
Of course, if these differences were obvious, we would have identified and corrected them long ago. For example, if everyone fat everyone would be gluttons or lazy, then there wouldn’t be a problem: get up, go for a run, don’t eat anything, and you’ll thin!
But firstly, if there is among full people are gluttonous, then there are no more of them than among thin. This is confirmed by serious statistical studies.
Secondly, thin For the most part, they eat quite a lot and don’t particularly exhaust themselves with training. And they don’t go on diets, and they haven’t weighed themselves for years. However, this does not prevent them from remaining year after year. thin.
Thirdly, and from fat Many people try to fast and run, but even if they lose weight, it most often does not last long. So if they are different thick from slim, then these differences are by no means obvious.
From what other direction should we come? Yes, even with this one! A person’s given weight is most often the result of his given lifestyle in a very broad sense of the word. And the way of life consists of a whole mass of elements that are sometimes in rather intricate interaction with each other.
Lifestyle components can be divided into those related to nutrition (more or less fatty meals, frequent or rare, plentiful or not, rich in spices and delicacies or not, with or without alcohol, and so on), related to the image of mobility (physical or mental work, the presence and nature of loads, their nature, intensity, duration...) factors of a psychological nature - temperament (excitable, fast or, on the contrary, slow, phlegmatic), character (irritable, conflictual or, on the contrary, flexible), attitude to health, your appearance, etc.).
What is the interaction between these factors? Look! The person has had enough sleep, his mood is rather good and he needs much less food. And you can tell the fat person all you want about the diet, what he can and can’t do, but if he doesn’t get enough sleep, following any diet will be painful for him. After all, with food he will “treat himself” from depression associated with lack of sleep.
One moves a lot, plays sports, and he likes it. The other moves even more, spends even more time on training and his training is much more intense. But he doesn't like it at all. He is forced to force himself, to overcome. And it seems that we already understand why he struggles and struggles every day, but cannot lose weight - a constant background of bad mood, anxiety, despair, breakdowns...
Now, without forgetting for a minute about the complex nature of the interaction of factors related to nutrition, physical activity and the psycho-emotional background of a person, let’s try to conduct a comparative analysis thin And full of people. Maybe we'll find something?
The role of nutrition and food in weight loss
The eating behavior of people has been studied quite thoroughly. So far, science tells us that thin and fat people eat about the same things in approximately the same quantities. And there is not a single convincing fact that fat people eat more. Gluttonous and small-fed ones are found equally often, both among those and among them.
However, the very formulation of the question, do they eat full more than thin, seems to me methodologically incorrect. Full even if they eat no more than thin people, they clearly eat more than they need, given their tendency to be overweight! Otherwise, we will not explain in any way why they have this excess weight, and we will not understand how they can get rid of it. The main thing here is not to rush to conclusions, not to rush to accusations of gluttony. The so-called positive energy balance in people prone to obesity may not occur every day, but only in short periods of life, and not only (and not so much) due to overeating, but also due to lack of energy expenditure.
Conventionally, we can say that full people are either too gluttonous for their given energy expenditure (maybe even relatively large), or they spend too little energy for a given (sometimes very moderate) food consumption.
How to fix the situation? So far, two exits are being looked at. The first, for the gluttonous, is to get used to eating little, to become a little eater. The second, more suitable for fat little ones, is to get used to moving more.
But how can you determine what type of nutrition you are?
I suggest the following - for one to two weeks we carefully keep a food diary. Then we calculate the calorie and fat content of the daily diet, and at the same time note the frequency of meals and the difference in calorie content between individual meals.
If it turns out that the calorie content of your diet is on average more than 2800-30002, the fat content exceeds 50 grams per day, you eat less than 3 times a day, your diet contains meals (say, dinner) that account for more than half of the daily calorie content, for You are characterized by so-called food excesses, when for several days under stress or under the influence of reasons unknown to you, you consume an unnatural amount of food, then you need to spend more effort on correcting your diet.
How to reduce its calorie content? It is better to approach this issue without fanaticism. Remember slim The people we strive to become, most often do not go on any diets and do not exhaust themselves with prohibitions. So we shouldn't. It will be enough to make meals more frequent, reduce portion sizes, redistribute foods so that there are more low-fat foods than fatty ones, treat treats wisely, at least try to eat them after meals, and not instead...
If the calorie content of your diet does not exceed 2000 - 2200 kcal, you do not particularly abuse fatty foods, eat at least 4 times a day, and food excesses are not particularly typical for you, then you should not particularly worry about your nutrition. Most likely, the matter is not in relative overeating, but in some lack of physical activity.
Of course, some principles of rationalization of nutrition will not hurt you, but you should not especially nightmare yourself with diets - this is not your case. The most common reaction of your body to a half-starvation diet will not be weight loss, but an even deeper suppression of energy expenditure.
If the prevailing tendency cannot be identified, then correction must be carried out in both directions - both activating mobility and learning to eat little.
Physical activity and weight loss
Now let's talk about how to increase your physical activity. I would advise everyone to get active. Especially when you consider that nutrition and mobility are related in a rather bizarre way.
For example, under conditions of physical inactivity, food consumption increases. This can be confirmed by a phenomenon known to many - on weekends, the calorie content of our diet is on average 20-25% more than on weekdays.
But excessive activity, the so-called high-intensity training, which leaves behind a long trail of fatigue, also contributes to overeating.
It turns out that moderate-intensity exercises are optimal for losing weight and maintaining weight - walking, recreational walking. After such exercises, muscle tone increases, and, therefore, the consumption of nutrients, including fat, increases.
What healthy walking helps you lose weight much better than intense running, is now being confirmed by more and more scientific studies. And this is good: we will walk, especially since it is much more pleasant than running.
But I would like to draw your attention to the following circumstance: I have often noticed that thin people, unlike fat, seem to be such fidgets. They move and make a lot of small movements. They will stand up, sit down, stand up again, rearrange something on the table, adjust it... And even when they sit, they are also in motion: they gesticulate animatedly, sway, they have an active posture, they don’t spread out in the chair, their face is filled with facial expressions...
Of course, such “groovy” people can be found among full, but, it seems to me, still less often than among thin. But we don’t say that the overweight people are all couch potatoes. In our case, we are not talking about laziness, but about an imbalance between consumed and expended energy. A person can be short-lived but still spend energy very sparingly. If only he could become such a fidget! But how, how?!
I assure you, it is not difficult - in the arsenal of each of us there is a complete set of all behavioral programs characteristic of people - from the quiet “quieter than water, lower than the grass” to the fire-breathing dragon “just touch it!” It’s just that in our daily lives we use a very limited set of programs.
So, feel free to turn on your “fidget.” Sit with your back straight, maintain tension, rock back and forth or side to side, shake your head, move your arms. Do this whenever you remember that you should do it. Of course, at first it will be unusual and awkward, but gradually you will get used to it.
I recommend the following as exercises. Surely you have a girlfriend, a kind of fidget. Wonderful! Chat with her, visit her, take her to the cinema or to the shopping center. And while she goes about her business, try to copy her posture, gestures, and repeat movements. This is probably how, or something like this, the artist gets used to his new role. Speaking of actors, try playing the role of, say, Julia Roberts or Julia Rutberg for a few days. But these are very lively, active and slender people!
Some of my patients were helped to rebuild their motor image by a technique that can roughly be called “Live by dancing!” They imagined that nearby there was music suitable for a fast dance, say rock and roll, and they seemed to be listening to this music dancing. And indeed, at the same time, their gait changed, it became more springy, their posture changed, and their tone increased.
Finally, the psycho-emotional sphere of a person and weight loss
No one disputes the fact that the anxiety we feel can prompt us to consume more tasty foods in order to calm down. Indeed, treats are comforting. And since these are mainly excess fatty and excess fatty foods, it becomes clear that the more anxiety, the greater the likelihood of being overweight.
However, according to science, overeating during anxiety is not typical for all people. There are also those who, under the same conditions, on the contrary, eat less, but move more, fuss, run from corner to corner. As we say, they can’t find a place for themselves.
And we can hear a story about how a girl changed jobs and ended up in such a quarrelsome team that she ate and ate due to constant stress, and gained 10 kilograms in a year. And then another girl will tell us that, having found herself in the same conditions, she completely lost her appetite and lost the same 10 kilograms from her worries. What I mean is that the point is not in the nature of the conflict that generates anxiety, but in the nature of the response. Under the same conditions, some eat more, others eat less.
But if you have problems with weight and also overeat when anxious (even if not every time), or, which is also important, you feel increased anxiety when you try to “go on” a diet, you need to take action. Which? Or worry less or use “sedatives” not related to food. Or somehow combine the first and second. Regarding the first, the most effective advice looks like this.
If you are haunted by conflicts, if anxiety and depression interfere with your life, it’s time to work with a psychologist. Mental pain is, in principle, not much different from toothache. Both of them spoil your mood and prevent you from sleeping. But for some reason, if something happens to our teeth, we don’t run to a friend and tell her for hours how painful it is and how bad we feel. Because we know that with a toothache you need to go to the dentist. But when we experience mental pain, instead of turning to a specialist, we start calling our friends and complaining about those around us: how callous and heartless they are, how they don’t love us, don’t appreciate us, but only offend and frustrate us.
And of course, you should remember that not only food, but also a good bath, a walk and good sleep protect against stress. Try doing tonic exercises or dancing when you're nervous! You will see - the anxiety has decreased. Why? Because the brain is saturated with nerve impulses from working muscles, from moving joints. These impulses increased tone, improved mood, and gave rise to more pleasant thoughts.
These are the tips we got. We agree that they are not yet in the mainstream. More often than not, to lose weight, people figure out what they can and cannot eat, and how long (and at what intensity) they should exercise. However, for most, all these diets and workouts do not help. So let's try to get closer in nutrition and lifestyle to those we are trying to be like.
Some of us will become more moderate in our eating, others will be more active and fussy, others will learn “non-food” techniques for getting rid of stress, and others will gradually gain a little from both nutrition and mobility. In any case, it seems to me that they will benefit from this much more than from newfangled diets and grueling workouts.
Excess weight is not only a physical problem. Its cause is often psychological problems, blocks and attitudes implanted in childhood. Without dealing with this baggage, it is very difficult to lose unnecessary pounds.
Zoya Bogdanova, psychotherapist and weight management specialist, author of the book "Eat Read Lose Weight" will help you figure out how to come to harmony with yourself and your own body.
The psychology of thinking is a subtle, individual thing and is similar to a dish that everyone prepares according to their own recipe - as they know how or want, and at the same time they hope that it will be tasty.
Excess weight here acts as an additional ingredient, and which one specifically depends on the person and the psychological problem that led to the gain of kilograms. What could it be? Let's take a closer look!
1. Fat people need “armor,” but thin people can handle it on their own.
In this case, obesity acts as a kind of protective shell, which is designed to protect against the negative impact of the surrounding world. The need for such a fat shield suggests that deep inside a person is filled with fears, he is too vulnerable and sensitive, and extra pounds are his way of coping with his own vulnerability. The reasons for the occurrence may be a lack of support, cruelty from loved ones, or a ban on expressing negative emotions.
2. Fat people don’t feel boundaries, but thin people have found them.
Overweight people often have a certain thick skin - they can show callousness and insensitivity, not only towards others, but also towards themselves. This attitude leads to the fact that a person cannot control his feeling of hunger and satiety; it is difficult for him to assess his weight and the boundaries of his body in principle.
That is why such people easily invade someone else’s space and strive to take control of it. This can be expressed in overprotection, attempts to limit the freedom of loved ones, to live the life of children, and not their own. In response to the expansion of the sphere of influence, that is, the psychological boundaries, the body also increases in size, expanding the physical boundaries.
3. Fat people feel empty, thin people enjoy it
One of the psychological reasons for completeness may be the desire to fill an internal emptiness. Feeling bored and suffering from the monotony of his life, a person eats to feel a feeling of fullness.
Usually the problem appears when there is a restriction on receiving pleasure. As a result, food becomes the only option to experience joy. The roots of this behavior usually go back to childhood, when adults, in an effort to console or please the child, give him candy.
4. Fat people deny facts, while thin people see reasons.
A characteristic way of thinking of overweight people is to deny the very fact of having a problem. In the case of drug addiction or alcoholism, those seeking recovery eventually come to admit their addiction and begin treatment. But with obesity, people miss an important point: they focus not on the cause of the disease, but on its results - the occurrence of excess weight. To shift the emphasis in the right direction, it is worth attending psychotherapy sessions.
5. Fat people are embarrassed, but thin people flirt.
Fear of relationships can trigger weight gain. We are talking about a subconscious decision to become fat in order to protect oneself from male attention. The reason for this choice may be violence, quarrels between parents, jealousy of the husband, personal negative experience of family relationships, when after a painful separation a woman does not want to go through such psychological tests again. Having extra pounds is a good explanation for yourself why you have to avoid men.
In addition, weight gain can provoke a feeling of revenge against a spouse who cheated on or left his wife. This gives a reason to shift the blame for what happened onto your body, which has lost its attractiveness in the eyes of your husband.
At the same time, serious efforts may be made to ensure that the figure complies with the canons of beauty, including constant diets and visits to fitness centers, but it will be extremely difficult to control the appetite, because it is influenced by subconscious attitudes and beliefs.
If you want not only to lose weight, but also to achieve sustainable results, do not rush to run to a nutritionist - make an appointment with a psychologist or psychotherapist. It will help you change your thinking in the right direction and figure out what exactly is preventing you from losing excess weight!
Photo: gallerydata.net, shkolabuduschego.ru, stihi.ru, spimenova.ru
You may rightly be surprised and say: “What is the connection between character traits and fatness?!” I answer.
The fact is that obesity is a psychosomatic disease. In simpler terms, excess weight is just the tip of the iceberg, an external manifestation of special personality traits and its deep internal problems. These problems are reflected in the behavior, character, thoughts, attitudes and worldview of a person, his relationships with people around him, and, perhaps most importantly, in the person’s relationship with himself.
Obesity is a physical manifestation of a serious psychological and even social disease - addiction, in this case, food addiction. And of course, the personality structure of an overweight person will have much in common with the personality structure of an addicted person. But in this article we will not delve into such a global problem as addiction; we will only talk about a specific aspect - personality traits with excess weight.
From experience working with overweight people, I can confidently say that the psychology (i.e., in this context, the inner world and behavior) of an overweight person is very different from the psychology of a slim person. From the same work experience and observations, it became clear that the fight against excess weight will be successful only when the psychological causes of excess weight gain are identified and resolved; when a person rebuilds his consciousness, thinking and behavior in a new way: into the consciousness, thinking and behavior of a slender person.
How is the psychology of a fat person so different from the psychology of a slim person? In fact, there are many characteristic, distinctive features, and they are very closely interrelated with each other (which often complicates the psychological restructuring of the personality).
The first thing that catches your eye is that extra kg is a kind of armor, protection from the outside world. An overweight person seeks to protect himself from its effects with the help of such a fat pad. This tells us about excessive sensitivity, receptivity and fears, while a fat person had not yet gained his extra pounds, he was too vulnerable and vulnerable to the outside world, and he did not know how to cope with excessive sensitivity, protect himself from fear and external influences, and... gaining extra pounds. For example, I noticed that many girls and women begin to gain weight after marriage and especially after moving into the house of their husband’s parents (regardless of pregnancy and childbirth!). Perhaps there is a connection here with the ban on the expression of negative emotions, emotions in general and whims.
And as a result, a characteristic feature of an overweight person then becomes a certain “thick-skinnedness,” callousness, and insensitivity.
This insensitivity then manifests itself everywhere, and first of all in dealing with oneself, in relationships with oneself: a person does not feel hungry, does not feel full, he does not feel himself, is not aware of his body, his extra pounds (after all, if a fat person felt them , then he would not be able to wear them for such a long time!!!).
In the language of Gestalt, since a person does not feel his body, then he does not feel the boundaries, his own, the boundaries of the people around him, he does not understand where HE ends (i.e. his psychological territory) and other people begin, and then he easily violates foreign borders, invades them, seeks to occupy and control them.
Therefore, overweight people often take on a lot of someone else’s responsibility, not their own, they believe that without them, without their participation, work will stop, everything in the family will collapse, and if you do something, then only do it yourself, and the performers-subordinates must needs to be redone, etc...
In a family, for example, there are often mothers who overly control their children, do not give them freedom, and try to live their lives.
And the body increases its size (physical boundaries), as if in response to the fact that a person increases psychological boundaries: his sphere of influence, control over others.
The desire to control, by the way, is a childish, infantile reaction, which also stems from excessive vulnerability, a feeling of defenselessness, and instability of life. Adults, mature people realize and accept that they can only control themselves and their own actions (not even their entire lives, but only their actions!). Therefore, an important point in psychotherapeutic work is the awareness of one’s powerlessness in something and one’s “non-omnipotence”, and accepting responsibility only for oneself and one’s actions, because only they can and should be controlled.
Another important feature of overweight people, associated with their attempt to live someone else’s life, which was already mentioned earlier, is their dislike for themselves. They don’t know what to do with themselves, they don’t know what THEY want. But they know very well when and how others should act correctly. They don’t know where their own place is in this life, what they want for themselves, for themselves personally, but they think a lot and decide for others, they know better than themselves what will be good for them - that is, in some way in a sense, they are authoritarian.
They often suffer from inner emptiness and try to eat and fill it. This is the paradox that arises: external fullness as a result of internal emptiness!
Yes, about emptiness, I think that it can arise as a result of monotony and boredom, which appear due to restrictions. They limit themselves (no, not in nutrition, or rather not only and not always in nutrition), they limit themselves in receiving pleasure. The only accessible and understandable pleasure for them is food. (Note that this is also a child's way of comforting: when a small child cries, an adult, as a rule, offers candy.)
Overweight people also have such qualities as: clumsiness and rigidity. They are heavy, both physically (overweight) and psychologically (it is difficult to convince them, to turn their thinking around; often they themselves have difficulty formulating their thoughts, they are even almost unable to hear any new thought for themselves, a thought that does not fit into their usual framework, into their picture of the world).
And one gets the impression that they have lost freedom, freedom in everything: in movement, in flexibility, in the ability to adapt, in their desires and in satisfying them.
On the other hand, they are often too hasty and impatient: they rush through a lot of feelings, sensations, do not notice themselves and others; They don’t know how to have fun and savor food. In general, all the described features and manifestations fit into the clinical picture of any addiction, but make it difficult to communicate with such clients, establish contact and trust between the client and the therapist.
So, we found out that a person who is overweight has a certain set of psychological traits (characteristics). Perhaps you agreed with some things, but not so much with others, and some things seemed completely incomprehensible or unfair to you... Well, of course, each person is unique and different from the rest. These are observations, sketches, a kind of template that allows you to highlight the most common features found in people with the same problem. 
But what to do next, can this information be used profitably?
Of course yes! This connection has a two-way influence: on the one hand, if a person begins to lose weight, then his character and outlook on the world will change, on the other hand, if a person tries to change himself, his behavior, his thoughts and attitudes, then this will promote better weight loss and will not allow the lost kg to come back.
Fat people
Psychology and life of obese people
VES.ru – website – 2007
Factors that cause obesity
Personal factors of obese people
Studies of the personality structure of obese people have not provided much clarity (Pudel, 1991), nor have they identified a psychological cause of obesity.
Regarding the personality of such a person, there is some agreement on the following: such people have addictions, fears, and increased levels of depression (Frost et al. 1981, Ross 1994). On the other hand, there are works that directly contradict this. Thus, according to Hafner, 1987, people with obesity have low levels of depression.
Aspects of the psychology of development of obese people
Psychoanalysis blames the earlier childhood of such patients when they become "extremely depraved" with regard to "oral disturbances."
With regard to intra-family relationships, we can reveal one striking detail, namely that obesity develops significantly more often if the child was raised by a single mother. This is confirmed by another study where such people often did not have a father in the family (Wolf, 1993).
Herman & Polivy (1987) showed that such a child is often made a scapegoat in the family. Compared with the control group, family relationships in such children can rarely be called open, warm and cordial (Pachinger 1997). In contrast, Erzigkeit (1978) found that such a child is often spoiled and spoiled in the family. But in general, such a child in the family too often faces extremes, receiving both “too little love” and “too much.”
A study by Hammar (1977) found that during childhood these children are often rewarded by giving them sweets. Pudel & Maus (1990) found that during childhood, adults often develop certain behavioral stereotypes in such children, for example: “Everything that is put on the table must be eaten,” or put hidden pressure on them: “If you eat, mommy will eat.” happy,” or they try to induce imitative behavior in them: “Look, your brother has already eaten everything.” It is suggested that such imposed eating behavior may ultimately suppress an adequate physiological response to satiety in a person.
External factors are also important (Pudel, 1988). Life events such as marriage, pregnancy (Bradley 1992) or leaving a job may reduce the remaining levels of eating self-control.
Aspects of social psychology of obese people
Insecurity, hypersensitivity and isolation are prevalent among obese people. Sometimes among them there is feigned self-confidence, supported by internal fantasies that he is “the greatest” (the best, the smartest), has “the strongest control over his emotions,” and so on. These fantasies are inevitably, again and again, broken by life, and appear again, creating a vicious circle (Klotter, 1990).
Monello and Mayer (1968) found that there are similarities between being overweight and discrimination on other grounds. The picture has changed, the image of the “happy fat man”, which still remained in public opinion in the 70s of the last century, for example, in Germany ( Ernährungsbericht 1971), has now been replaced by negative images of fat people as “weak”, “dumb” and “nasty” (Bodenstedt et al. 1980, Wadden & Stunkard 1985, Machacek 1987, de Jong 1993). Women suffer more from such prejudices. On the other hand, men, even after successfully losing weight after surgery, behave more passively. Obese people show less interest in sex both before and after surgery; this applies to both men and women (Pudel & Maus 1990).
It is important to distinguish between obesity in adults and obesity in children and adolescents. In children and adolescents, psychological factors play a much more important role. To simplify the problem, children suffer much more and are discriminated against much more (Gortmaker 1993, Hill & Silver 1995). For example, a study by Klotter (1990) showed that when normal children were shown photographs of disabled children and fat children, they rated the fat children as less attractive than the disabled children.
A study of the social contacts of obese people has shown that such contacts are much more limited compared to people of normal weight. Such people can name very few people who love them, who give them practical support or who can lend them money. Obese women report having far less contact with men than with women.
Psychological outcomes after surgical weight loss
Among scientists who have studied the results of weight loss, there is no complete convergence of opinions. There are significant positive personality changes towards stabilization and greater openness (Stunkard et al. 1986, Larsen & Torgerson 1989). There are also positive changes in emotional background, a decrease in feelings of helplessness, etc. (Castelnuovo & Schiebel 1976, Loewig 1993).
On the other hand, there are reports of negative personality changes after surgery if the patient underwent surgery for psychosocial reasons rather than for medical reasons. Bull & Legorreta (1991) report negative long-term psychological effects of weight loss surgery. According to their data, the psychological problems that patients had before surgery remained in half of the patients 30 months later. Several other studies also confirm this phenomenon. Based on these studies, a psychological “list of indications” was compiled (Misovich, 1983). In other words, if a person did not have any specific psychological problems before surgery, such patients are more suitable for weight loss surgery.
Such contradictions are not surprising. For half of his life, such a patient lived with a disturbed sense of self-confidence, or there was none at all. He constantly dreamed of a body that would be admired, highly valued, or, in extreme cases, just ordinary. And then suddenly a person realizes that there is a real way to fulfill his dream. And then the question suddenly arises: WHO, exactly, and for what, will be adored and highly valued? At best, external changes will help a person change their behavior, or understand that while appearance is important, “inner values” are equally important. In the worst case, developing a healthy sense of self-confidence fails at all, in which case a new vicious circle is formed.
Information about weight loss surgery
Statistics say that only 10% of patients learn about the operation from their doctor, the rest learn about this opportunity from friends or from the media. Our data confirms these statistics. Decision theory tells us about the existence of the so-called primary effect, which means that the primary information about something is retained the longest, and, as a rule, a decision is made taking into account this primary information.
Elisabeth Ardelt
Psychological Institute, University of Salzburg, Austria
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There is only one reliable way to combat obesity, excess or overweight - bariatric surgery. Modern surgeries for weight loss: |
The problem of obesity is complex, it depends not only on the functioning of the body, but also on the psychological problems of the individual, on how a person perceives himself, what his psychological appearance is.
Research by psychologists shows that a person with a clear tendency toward obesity should be classified as a special psychological type; often it is personality traits that contribute to weight gain. Among the reasons that have a negative impact on weight, the first place is low self-esteem, low level of self-control or obsessive behavior.
It can be extremely difficult for a person to change (break) the habitual stereotype of his reaction to problematic situations when the problem “gets stuck” and a pathological circle is formed: stress, leading to food intake and extra pounds, increasing stress. The emotional state of such a person is characterized by instability, a tendency to, he is different low stress resistance. Food allows you to give back what you need state of mental harmony or psychological comfort. At the same time, extra pounds are gained.
Overeating is associated with a lack of self-control - a person does not feel in moderation, completely forgets that it is worth monitoring our health, which is directly related to how much we weigh. Many overweight people honestly admit that at the sight of food their self-control disappears somewhere, and their will is not enough to lead an active lifestyle, burning off the extra pounds they have gained.
Often, excess weight acts as a kind of protective shield when a person is afraid of communication, afraid of members of the opposite sex, is not happy with his social status, etc. There are studies showing how 84% of people responded by overeating to psycho-emotional stress associated with conflicts in the family or at work, or domestic dissatisfaction; 72% noted an increase in appetite when seeing tasty food; In 32%, overeating was provoked by drinking alcohol. Emotional stress and the desire for self-compensation are more typical for heavier people.
Personality profiles of surveyed overweight people (MMPI method) characterize them as neurotic, indecisive, emotionally immature and dissatisfied with interpersonal contacts. In obese patients, pronounced emotional tension, high levels of anxiety and stress, aggression directed at oneself (autoaggression) and at others (heteroaggression), isolation, distrust, restraint, a tendency to easy occurrence of frustrations (dissatisfaction of needs), the predominance of negative emotions over positive in combination with a strong commitment to achieving high goals.
This allows us to talk about psychological problems of the individual, who use overeating (hyperalimentation) and physical inactivity as a compensatory and socially acceptable source of positive emotions. Accordingly, the system of goals and objectives of psychocorrectional work for obesity depends on age, personality, socio-psychological and motivational factors and is based on the identification and correction of those personal characteristics that contribute to overeating and physical inactivity as a form of pathological response to psychotrauma.
The work of a psychologist is focused on elucidating the role of psychosocial factors in the development of obesity, the formation of adequate mechanisms of mental adaptation, and teaching patients more constructive behavior. A psychologist will help a person who wants to get rid of extra pounds to perceive the diet not as a restriction, but as an image of proper eating behavior.