JANUARY 2020 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 39
WEIGHT LOSS
that stress results in biological, psychological
and social mechanisms that maintain weight
gain, including increased appetite.’Guilt is a no-win game
This means feeling ashamed of your weight
could actually be making it harder for you to
eat less. A study by behavioural scientists at
University College London found experiencing
stigmafrom those around you only compounds
theproblem. So, rather than encouraging people
toloseweight, fat shaming was found to lead
people to put on more.
HFGexpert Tracy Kelly explains why this has
suchan impact. ‘Imagine trying to win at
something when it feels like everyone and
everything is telling you that you aren’t good
enough. When a person hears that enough, they
starttobelieve it,’ she says.
‘Deep down there may be a real lack of belief
thatlosing weight is even possible. Learning to
tameyour inner critic will help you change this
trajectory. You can then rely on why-power rather
than willpower and start building new
neural pathways to new habits.’Begin the self-care cycle
How can you tame your inner critic and
break out of this cycle? Well, for one
thing, don’t be fooled into thinking that if
obesity is not a choice, then your weight
is out of your control. In fact, Jane Ogden,
professor in health psychology at the
University of Surrey and author of
The Psychology of Dieting, believes
thatfeeling like a victim of your biology, society,
orthefood industry can be just as bad for your
self-esteem as fat stigma.
‘Youare not defined by your body weight,’
shesays. ‘You have body weight that you can
manage and take control of. You shouldn’t feel
ashamed of your weight, but you should
recognise the role of behaviour in your weight
gainand then feel empowered that as an
individual you can make choices that will help
youtoself-care in a positive way.
‘Ifyou’re feeling guilty or shameful because
you’vegained weight, you’re not going to feel
deserving of self-care so it’s going to be harder to
takethat positive step to look after yourself.’
Tomake a change, you need to stop viewing
healthy eating and exercise as something you
shoulddo to be a better person, and start
thinking about it as a form of self-care, which you
deserve because you ARE a good person.Feeling bad about your
size may be sabotaging
your attempts to shape
up. Ellen Wallwork
speaks to the experts about why
weight loss begins in the mindT
AKE A SECOND TO THINK ABOUT
YOUR BODY. Are you happy in your
skin? If you’d like to lose weight,
thinking about your figure may be an
uncomfortable experience. Being
reminded that your waist is wider than you’d
like or the number on the scales is higher than
you want can sap your confidence and lead to
feelings of failure and shame.
You may have internalised stereotypes about
‘fat people’ being lazy and lacking in self-
control, and so you believe that being
overweight is a reflection on your character.
But according to a new report from the
British Psychological Society (BPS), we
must learn to let go of such harsh views
because obesity is not simply down to an
individual’s lack of willpower.
‘While obesity is caused by behaviour,
those behaviours do not always involve
“choice” or ‘‘personal responsibility”,’
states the report, which argues that
people become obese because of
a combination of factors, including
genetics, responses to childhood
trauma, a lack of available healthy food
and sedentary lifestyles.
Harmful stereotypes
‘The common view that the cause of obesity
resides within an individual has created negative
stereotypes that have allowed weight bias and
discrimination to go unchallenged,’ write the
authors of the report, adding that people
living with obesity should not be made to feel
ashamed, as feeling guilty for having put on
weight can lead to a vicious circle, resulting in
further weight gain.
‘Being stigmatised is stressful. It can lead to
feelings of distress, shame, guilt and failure,’ the
report continues. ‘One way of coping with this
stress is to use food to distract, soothe or
anaesthetise uncomfortable feelings, but relying
on this coping strategy increases food
consumption and weight. Evidence has shown
❛Stop viewing
healthy eating and
exercise as
something you
should do, and start
thinking about it as
a form of self-care❜