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.
Many people who have previously been overweight or obese continue seeing themselves as such in their mind. Their weight loss could be 15, 30, 40 pounds and maybe more. It doesn't matter. A once overweight or obese woman who wears a size six dress is often, in her mind, still obese. This is the phenomenon that I call mental obesity.
It is a feeling and a conviction that is hard to shake and extremely difficult to get rid of. It is also something the mentally obese person is often ashamed to admit, embarrassed to say aloud. On a certain level the currently slim person is totally aware that he is no longer overweight. Scales and clothing sizes will certify this evidence. Greater levels of energy and renewed physical stamina provide evidence of it daily. However on a separate, irrational plain the person who is overweight in their mind knows that he or she is still obese, they remain overweight
If you are mentally obese you understand that you have physically lost the weight, however you still feel as though you're obese. One learns quickly not to share that feeling, that knowledge. More than likely when the people around you are overweight and you aren't. You're aware that you're being ridiculous. You realize others will think you are fishing for compliments. You know that this is a reasonable accusation; one that you would make if the roles were reversed. It is important to hold your tongue. Although mentally your obesity will always be there.
Nowhere to turn, mentally obese persons have. Despite buying new clothes, they tend to continue to dress as they did before losing the weight. In the closet is where the skimpy new clothes stay. Mentally obese people have trouble getting up to dance in a crowded room. A side view is still preferable for photographs. 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.
Many people who have previously been overweight or obese continue seeing themselves as such in their mind. Their weight loss could be 15, 30, 40 pounds and maybe more. It doesn't matter. A once overweight or obese woman who wears a size six dress is often, in her mind, still obese. This is the phenomenon that I call mental obesity.
It is a feeling and a conviction that is hard to shake and extremely difficult to get rid of. It is also something the mentally obese person is often ashamed to admit, embarrassed to say aloud. On a certain level the currently slim person is totally aware that he is no longer overweight. Scales and clothing sizes will certify this evidence. Greater levels of energy and renewed physical stamina provide evidence of it daily. However on a separate, irrational plain the person who is overweight in their mind knows that he or she is still obese, they remain overweight
If you are mentally obese you understand that you have physically lost the weight, however you still feel as though you're obese. One learns quickly not to share that feeling, that knowledge. More than likely when the people around you are overweight and you aren't. You're aware that you're being ridiculous. You realize others will think you are fishing for compliments. You know that this is a reasonable accusation; one that you would make if the roles were reversed. It is important to hold your tongue. Although mentally your obesity will always be there.
Nowhere to turn, mentally obese persons have. Despite buying new clothes, they tend to continue to dress as they did before losing the weight. In the closet is where the skimpy new clothes stay. Mentally obese people have trouble getting up to dance in a crowded room. A side view is still preferable for photographs. 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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To Read about the effects of obesity and it how to cope, visit Fact About Obesity.
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