One of the issues that has been emphasized for a long time is excess weight. Excess weight also causes mood changes in people, whether of psychological or physiological origin.
What are the psychological difficulties experienced by overweight people? First of all, other people's reactions can be cruel. When you meet an acquaintance, the first thing you say is "Oh, have you gained weight?" or "You should lose that weight", or a desired outfit is not in a suitable/large size or does not look good in that size when worn; As a result, shopping adventures that end in disappointment, people's condescending/cynical looks, constant advice to lose weight (go on this diet, go to that specialist, etc.), exclusion and ridicule in social environments such as school and work, pressure to lose weight from family and spouse, not being able to move freely. / negative emotions caused by physical restriction... The decrease in self-confidence that comes with these, feeling ugly and inadequate, moving away from people, decrease in work-school performance, not wanting to leave the house, deterioration of relations with the spouse, coping with the physical diseases that come with excess weight, problems experienced after eating Regret and anger at oneself lead to psychological diseases such as anxiety and depression.
If the weight problem occurs as a result of a physiological problem (thyroid, diabetes, etc.), these situations are accompanied by a feeling of helplessness. A weight problem that is not related to overeating or being inactive becomes even more saddening and damaging when other people do not know the physiological problem and describe the person as someone who eats too much and is inactive.
Apart from this, eating also has a psychological dimension. Eating is a physical task, but it is also an emotional one. Some people say that the more they eat, the happier they are. In times of stress, they tend to eat and their appetite increases. Eating actually involves suppressing underlying problems. In people who cannot cope with stressors, reasons such as relaxing by eating, using food as an escape-avoidance behavior, and the fact that some high-calorie foods increase the secretion of happy hormones also cause the individual to gain rapid weight. Some people experience emotional and psychological dissatisfaction. He can relieve his pain through physical satiation without being aware of it. As a result of the research, it has been found that people with weight problems learned to eat as a way of coping with stress in their childhood, remained more passive, were prone to addiction (person-food, etc.), and mostly the period of breastfeeding deviated from the average. In addition, the mother constantly feeding the child, forcing him to eat, and feeding him high-calorie foods are also factors in the child's weight problems in the future.
When these people go on a diet, they become depressed. They feel unhappy and tense. These people should also receive psychological support during the weight loss process or if they cannot stop eating. Otherwise, even if they lose weight, they will return to their old eating patterns and gain the weight back after a period of time that will not be permanent.
People who believe that the things they eat make them gain weight and that they cannot lose weight, and who constantly express this, gain weight more easily and lose weight much more difficultly because they put this in their minds.
Not being overweight in order to be beautiful and handsome. In fact, a perception has been created that it is necessary to be thin. Therefore, losing weight has become something to look beautiful rather than for health. Obsessively counting calories and grams, trying dangerous methods (using drugs, etc.), inappropriate and wrong diet practices, and the rate of developing psychopathologies that are likely to result in death, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, have increased. Most people who want or need to lose weight want it to happen in a short time and without difficulty. However, such a thing is not possible.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder. They lose weight through strict diets, reducing food intake, and heavy/intensive sports programs, but their weight loss gets out of control and their body perception deteriorates. Even though they have lost a lot of weight, they see themselves as overweight, they receive warnings to stop because they are too thin, but they do not pay attention to these warnings and experience intense anxiety about gaining weight. As a result of losing a lot of weight and not getting the necessary nutrients, problems begin to occur in all organs. If the treatment of anorexia nervosa is not started on time, it will result in death.
Bulimia nervosa is also an eating disorder ur. It is similar to anorexia nervosa. The difference: There are eating tantrums. They consume large amounts of high-calorie foods uncontrollably, in a short time, and while alone. After this binge eating, they experience feelings such as self-disgust and shame, and they try to get rid of what they eat by vomiting.
Eating disorders were referred to as mannequin disease in the society. It was stated that it was seen in young women who had professions where appearance was very important. However, it is now seen in every profession, both in women and men, although it is less common. Adolescence and the beginning of adulthood are critical periods.
In short; Eating, being overweight and losing weight have psychological patterns. It is very important to gain awareness about what we feel while eating, how we eat with what emotions, the meaning we attach to food, the difficulties we experience if we are overweight, the feelings and thoughts we have when we enter the weight loss process, and what is the reason if weight cannot be lost.
Help should be sought from experts regarding weight, and the psychological aspect should not be ignored.
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