I have been working in the field of weight and overeating in various capacities since 1978. I ran courses which included healthy eating and weight control, exercise, relaxation, stress management and lifestyle. It was a powerful combination. What intrigued me was that some people in my classes would lose weight and maintain that weight loss, others would lose weight but regain it after leaving the class and a few would not lose weight at all. I decided there were other influences that determined someone's eating and weight and so when, after brining up my family, I retrained as a Psychotherapist, I determined to research and aim to understand the psychological factors that cause someone to gain weight, maintain that weight, and maybe even need that large size, not just the food that would cause the excessive weight.
Perhaps the majority of adults who are overweight are sufferers of their condition. Some people are OK with being even morbidly obese, at least, this is what we are lead to understand in documentaries and on some websites. Most are not content. In fact many many overweight people are unhappy and yet are unable to resolve the problem. They are not lazy, uneducated, stupid, lacking willpower, they are the victims of their psychological hungers. These hungers arise from their experiences in life. We normally feed biological hunger and biological needs. Obese people eat to feed psychological hungers and psychological needs. And of course such hungers cannot be satisfied with food because they are not about food, they are about deficiencies in some of the most basic of human needs such as love, belonging, security, meaningful social contact, structure, touch and holding, stimulation, self worth and self esteem. My list could go on. There is a significant incidence of childhood sexual and emotional abuse in sufferers, as well as issues of emotional abandonment, early developmental deficit and neglect and premature age-inappropriate responsibility. Sometimes weight can represent a survival issue. Can someone give upher weight if it is the only way she believes she can survive? Can She give up food if it is the only sign of love or caring her mother gave her?
It is wrong to put everyone who is overweight in the same category. Why would someone maintain a high weight when it causes such unhappiness? When it restricts their lives in so many ways? When they feel deep shame when in public places? These people need understanding and compassion, not disgust and prejudicial attitudes. Such prejudice compounds the sense of worthlessness they often carry.
I have had many people write to me after reading my book "The Overweight Patient - a Psychological Approach to Understanding and Working with Obesity" Jessica Kingsley Publishers. The main theme of these letters is that they feel understood for the first time. The letters are very moving. They indicate how misunderstood the overweight person feels.
My 2-day therapy groups help people to understand the psychological reasons for their overeating or need for a large body size.
My courses are well attended by practitioners in the field who want to know more, whether they be psychotherapists, counsellors, doctors, personal trainers, dieticians, osteopaths or alternative therapists. There is much for us to understand. I am still learning.
Kathy Leach TSTA. MSc. BSc. FETC. CSF.
Training and Supervising Transactional Analyst Psychotherapist. UKCP registered. Member of UKATA/EATA and IARTA.
