Dr. Linda Mintle

Tag: fat

  • Why Do I Overeat?

    Question: I know that when I overeat, I gain weight but I can’t seem to stop. I hate how I look and am embarrassed to have people see me in a bathing suit. Why do I keep overeating? I don’t want to but I do it anyway.

    Dr. Linda: First of all stop saying you can’t stop. You can. It just takes becoming a mindful eater–the subject of my book, PRESS PAUSE BEFORE YOU EAT. An eating problem is not like a drug or alcohol problem. You can’t abstain from food and you aren’t physiologically addicted when you eat. But food can become a psychological addiction.

    Let’s face it. Food is soothing and tastes good. Some people feel there is nothing better than food! It is always available, not illegal, can’t talk back, provides immediate gratification, gives pleasure, smells good, tastes good and is enjoyable.

    People overeat for many reasons. A small percentage of people have medical problems that relate to overeating and obesity. Most people, however, overeat out of emotional distress.  You may eat when you are bored, stressed, sad, depressed, anxious, angry, hurt, happy or for any other emotional reason. Food can be a way to celebrate or soothe and numb you from a bad experience.

    Many of my clients overeat when they face conflict and don’t know how to handle it. They are unassertive and swallow their upsets. They might agree to a resolution but secretly be unhappy or upset.  Their low self-esteem leads them to believe they can’t handle problems or stress. Sometimes they lack the skills necessary to do so.

    Sometimes people overeat to protect themselves from trauma. If they have been raped, sexually hurt or deeply rejected, eating may be used to cover up the wounding or ward people off. Perhaps when they were thin, someone traumatized them and now they associate thin with trauma.

    Men and women sometimes overeat to deal with sexual impulses. Unconsciously, they may be afraid that if they had a trim body they would act out sexually, or be the target of sexual advances. Fat can serve as protection and is often blamed for other undeveloped parts of our self. For example, maybe I’m a critical person and that’s why people stay away from me. As long as I’m fat, I can blame their avoidance on my weight.

    Most people aren’t aware they use food to cope with emotional issues. When I ask, “Why did you overeat”, the typical answer is, “I don’t know.” If you think about it hard and long enough, there was a reason for overeating.

    Next time you find yourself overeating, think about what happened before you ate. Were you upset, angry, bored, excited? See if you can identify an emotion that may have led to overeating. The first step in breaking a compulsive pattern is to recognize what sets it off. Then force yourself to substitute some other activity for eating.

    PRESS PAUSE WEEK Introduction

  • The Social Stigma of Obesity

    “She’s fat.” “He’s fat.” “You’re fat!” “I’m so fat.” How many times have we heard or said these phrases in our lifetime?

    America’s obese are subject to tremendous psychological burdens. Obesity may be a medical state but people create the psychological burden associated with it. Often, the pain involves self-hatred that can lead to depression and anxiety, social isolation and alienation.

    There is unbelievable social bias toward the obese. Obese people are stereotyped and often viewed as ugly, lazy, unwanted, unhealthy, weak-willed, uncontrolled, etc. If you are obese, you are less likely to marry and more likely to fall in social class. You are likely to be discriminated against concerning jobs, college entrance and be stereotyped by your physician. Basically you are stigmatized by an unsympathetic society; we’re “allowed” to discriminate against you. Fat jokes abound.  But what does it mean medically to be obese?

    Obesity is an excess of body fat. Little agreement exists on just when body fat and weight become a health issue. (Opinions range anywhere from 5% to 30% above ideal weight.) And to make matters worse, a variety of tables are used to measure ideal weights.  Researchers use the body mass index (BMI) as a measure of body fat and health risk. BMI is weight in kilograms per height in meters. The National Center for Health Statistics defines overweight as a BMI of 27.3 in women and 27.8 in men. Obesity is a BMI of 30 and over. Obesity is referred to as a public health issue because of the associated medical complications leading to morbidity and mortality.

    Obesity is not a psychological condition. It’s a medical condition that has multiple causes, consequences, and treatments. However, obesity can cause or be caused by psychosocial problems. So to ignore these issues is irresponsible.

    Moreover, the stigma against obese people must be attacked. The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance is one advocacy group trying to do this. Other programs focus efforts on recognizing the stigma, preparing obese people to respond to it, and repairing the damage to self-esteem.

    The next time you are tempted to make fun of someone obese, think about the incredible complexity of his condition and your role in reducing social stigma. You don’t know an obese person’s life story or unique medical make-up. You don’t know how much he may struggle to be accepted.  Stop judging and adding insult to injury. People need to be encouraged to make better choices, not ridiculed. Weight loss is hard work . So next time you see someone overweight, be kind and know that plenty of people will give them a hard time. You do not need to be one of them.

  • Losing Pounds or Your Money?

    Sandy is typical of someone trying to lose weight. When she opens her medicine closet, weight loss products abound. There is a cream to rub on the thighs to make cellulite disappear. So far, not much has disappeared. Three herbal products promise to make fat melt away. Nothing has melted yet. There are more creams, more vitamins, more supplements. I had to ask how much Sandy paid for all this stuff. She didn’t know, but at an average price of $20.00 a product, the money was significant.

    Sandy is not a stupid woman but she hates being overweight. Always hoping the next product will make good on its weight loss claims, she willingly lays out the cash. Now she has a closet full of weight loss products and hasn’t lost a pound. She’s frustrated and feels misled by false claims.

    Closets like Sandy’s exist all over America. Yes, people are ultimately responsible for buying weight loss products, but the weight loss industry needs to regulate itself much more than it does.

    Partnership for Healthy Weight Management is a group comprised of people from industry, public advocacy organizations, government agencies, scientific associations and academia. Its mission is to provide sound guidelines for achieving and maintaining healthy weight. It, like other groups, has published voluntary guidelines designed to help consumers compare products and services.

    The former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher said, “…with the profusion of products and services available to assist them [consumers] in these efforts [weight loss], consumers must be adequately informed of what realistic results, risks and costs they can expect from using these products and services.” The problem is that consumers are not always informed.

    A coalition of the Partnership wants mainstream media to demand proof of advertising claims before they accept ad copy. The intent of this and other similar strategies is to create media responsibility. Nice idea, but the dollars speak louder than voluntary responsibility. Call me cynical, but I have little faith that media will do the right thing.

    Look to consumer advocacy groups for information. You might find what you need to make an informed decision. However, there are still a number of products claiming to do what they ultimately can’t. My advice is to steer clear of the “it’s too good to be true” products because they probably are. Instead, find hospital-based, university-linked programs that have a commitment to scientific discovery and data. Follow the research before you jump on a bandwagon. Otherwise, you’ll have end up like Sandy with a closet full of wishful thinking.