Do You Suffer from the Condition of Mental Obesity?
Posted on December 22, 2008
Filed Under Lose Weight | Leave a Comment
I was surprised to learn that the words mental obesity had been ascribed as the intellectual laziness and disinterest resulting when children’s minds are addicted to junk information at the time that I was coming up with a name for my article. This could include such things as video games, chat rooms and text messages. I use the term mental obesity to refer to something else entirely; a very common phenomenon that I myself have experienced.
People who were once overweight or obese often retain a mental image of themselves as obese. They may have lost fifteen, thirty, forty pounds or even more. It doesnt matter. A once overweight or obese woman who wears a size six dress is often, in her mind, still obese. This is the condition called mental obesity.
Once it has taken root, it is very difficult to shed this belief. It is also something the mentally obese person is often ashamed to admit, embarrassed to say aloud. On one level, the now slim person is perfectly aware that she or he is no longer obese. Scales and clothing sizes will certify this evidence. Higher energy levels and new physical prowess confirm it every day. Yet on a completely other, irrational, level the mentally obese person knows he or she is still obese, still overweight.
If you are mentally obese you understand that you have physically lost the weight, however you still feel as though you’re obese. In addition you realize quickly that you can’t express this feeling. More than likely when the people around you are overweight and you aren’t. You know you are being ridiculous. You realize others will think you are fishing for compliments. You might make the same accusation if the roles were reversed. It is important to hold your tongue. However, in your mind your obesity is still there.
Nowhere to turn, mentally obese persons have. Obese people have to be cautious for selection of their clothing. The skimpy new clothes stay at home, in the closet. It is difficult for mentally obese people to dance in public. For photographs, they still prefer to pose sideways. They are still terrified of looking at photos or home videos of themselves.
Perhaps the hardest aspect of being mentally obese is the loneliness that comes with it. Oh yes, you can be just as lonely if your obesity is in your mind as you were when you used to gasp for air on your way up one flight of stairs, trying not to show your malaise to others running past you up the steps. If you are mentally obese, you’ll probably be walking up the stairs alone, tugging at your shirt to pull it down over your behind.
Losing a considerable amount of weight necessitates a period of adjustment and the adoption of a new life style is not a simple matter. However, if you feel that you just can’t see yourself as a non obese person and you know you are no longer overweight, don’t try to live with your secret mental obesity. Find the correct person to speak with about your problem, for example your family doctor.
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