How to Deal With Obesity
Love and accept yourself., Lower your stress., Turn to family and friends for support., Set goals., Make a list of what you’re happy about., Consider counseling., Exercise., Accept setbacks.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Love and accept yourself.
You deserve to be happy and content with yourself, no matter what your size or what number you see on the scale.
You are worthwhile, and you deserve encouragement, security, and love.
Rather than feel badly about yourself, start your journey of dealing with your obesity by accepting yourself and allowing yourself to be loved.Ask yourself questions, such as:
Do I want to lose weight? Why? Does being obese serve me in some way? Asking yourself these questions may help you identify any obstacles you may have. -
Step 2: Lower your stress.
The body responds to stress by storing fat and lowering muscle mass, and that stored fat can lead to a variety of other health complications.Some people also react to stress by stress eating, which is consuming foods to soothe emotions and alleviate stress.Unfortunately, any relief gained by stress eating is temporary, meaning you may continue to stress eat.
In addition, the long-term health effects of coping with stress with food far outweigh the momentary comfort it may provide.
Lowering stress will have immediate mental and metabolic effects and may reduce mindless, high-calorie snacking.
You could take up meditation, learning to calm your mind and control your breathing.
Do you like to do crafts? Crafting has effects similar to meditation, lowering stress while keeping you busy.Take up a relaxing hobby, such as photography or gardening.
Volunteering is a great stress reducer that has wonderful physical and emotional effects.You can volunteer in person, at a retirement home, or online, as a transcriptionist for a museum, for example.
You’ll help your community and lower your stress. , Talk to your friends and family about your goals and turn to them for encouragement, guidance, and reassurance.
Face-to-face support systems allow you to look at the people you’re interacting with and they also encourage a certain level of personal accountability.
Dealing with obesity is a personal process, but that doesn't mean you should do it alone., If plans and diets seem a bit overwhelming, start with setting small, specific, achievable goals.
When we set smaller goals, we tend to be more motivated to meet them, and that the success we feel spurs us on to set and achieve even more goals.Your goals should be forgiving, and don't forget to reward yourself (but not with food).
Some examples of small goals include:
Walk for 30 minutes four times per week Drink eight glasses of water per day — Being hydrated helps with weight loss and sense of satiety Pack your lunch and snacks every day Contribute to an online support group three times per week , Research indicates that those who begin their day focusing on a few positive points in their life have an overall better mood, appear happier to others, and are much more positive thinkers.
A simple way to do this is to make a list – jot down five or so things for which you’re grateful each day, which will shift your focus to the positive.Don’t feel committed to the number five.
Remember that this list is going to change every day, and you want to keep it relatively short and simple so that you can thoughtfully consider each thing.
In the beginning, this list may be a challenge.
You might try listing one thing from each of the following categories: health, family, physical or emotional, living space, professional/academic.
Of course that’s not a comprehensive list of categories, but it might give you a starting point from which to begin. , While obesity definitely has genetic and physiological factors, you can’t forget to consider its emotional components as well.
There is evidence of a strong link between depression and obesity, for example.
Also, some research also suggests that food addiction, a very real addiction, often serves to mask other emotions that are hard to deal with., In addition to supporting any weight loss efforts, exercise can be extremely beneficial for your mental health.
Exercise can be an effective treatment for depression, anxiety, ADHD, and more.
It helps reduce stress, improves memory, and can improve your mood.Even modest amounts of exercise can have far-reaching effects.
The American Heart Association recommends walking at least 30 minutes daily, or aim cumulatively for 10,000 steps throughout the day.
You can use a pedometer to monitor your progress.
If you can't seem to fit it in, try breaking up your exercise into smaller chunks of time.
Go for a 10 to 15 minute walk in the morning and then again in the evening.
A little bit of exercise is better than nothing.
Commit to doing a little activity each day and slowly start working your way up to longer sessions of exercise.
You don't need to work out vigorously to receive the benefits.
Moderate-intensity exercise is just as effective.
Moderate exercise means you are warm but not overheated or sweating profusely and that you can still carry on a conversation with someone (though you should be breathing a little heavier than normal). , You’re a human being living a complicated life, and sometimes things don’t always go according to plan, and dealing with obesity is no exception.
No matter what setback you face, accept that it happened, consider reasons why it may have happened, how you might handle the situation next time, and let go.
Tomorrow is a new day.If you make a plan to lose weight, for example, and you have a day of less-healthy food choices, cut yourself some slack.
Look at the situation as objectively as possible, don’t be derailed, and get back on track right away.
You might decide that you will love yourself no matter what your size, but you have a day that you just feel unattractive and crummy.
Think about what has happened to get you thinking that way, reflect on your list of positives, and rely on your support network. -
Step 3: Turn to family and friends for support.
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Step 4: Set goals.
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Step 5: Make a list of what you’re happy about.
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Step 6: Consider counseling.
-
Step 7: Exercise.
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Step 8: Accept setbacks.
Detailed Guide
You deserve to be happy and content with yourself, no matter what your size or what number you see on the scale.
You are worthwhile, and you deserve encouragement, security, and love.
Rather than feel badly about yourself, start your journey of dealing with your obesity by accepting yourself and allowing yourself to be loved.Ask yourself questions, such as:
Do I want to lose weight? Why? Does being obese serve me in some way? Asking yourself these questions may help you identify any obstacles you may have.
The body responds to stress by storing fat and lowering muscle mass, and that stored fat can lead to a variety of other health complications.Some people also react to stress by stress eating, which is consuming foods to soothe emotions and alleviate stress.Unfortunately, any relief gained by stress eating is temporary, meaning you may continue to stress eat.
In addition, the long-term health effects of coping with stress with food far outweigh the momentary comfort it may provide.
Lowering stress will have immediate mental and metabolic effects and may reduce mindless, high-calorie snacking.
You could take up meditation, learning to calm your mind and control your breathing.
Do you like to do crafts? Crafting has effects similar to meditation, lowering stress while keeping you busy.Take up a relaxing hobby, such as photography or gardening.
Volunteering is a great stress reducer that has wonderful physical and emotional effects.You can volunteer in person, at a retirement home, or online, as a transcriptionist for a museum, for example.
You’ll help your community and lower your stress. , Talk to your friends and family about your goals and turn to them for encouragement, guidance, and reassurance.
Face-to-face support systems allow you to look at the people you’re interacting with and they also encourage a certain level of personal accountability.
Dealing with obesity is a personal process, but that doesn't mean you should do it alone., If plans and diets seem a bit overwhelming, start with setting small, specific, achievable goals.
When we set smaller goals, we tend to be more motivated to meet them, and that the success we feel spurs us on to set and achieve even more goals.Your goals should be forgiving, and don't forget to reward yourself (but not with food).
Some examples of small goals include:
Walk for 30 minutes four times per week Drink eight glasses of water per day — Being hydrated helps with weight loss and sense of satiety Pack your lunch and snacks every day Contribute to an online support group three times per week , Research indicates that those who begin their day focusing on a few positive points in their life have an overall better mood, appear happier to others, and are much more positive thinkers.
A simple way to do this is to make a list – jot down five or so things for which you’re grateful each day, which will shift your focus to the positive.Don’t feel committed to the number five.
Remember that this list is going to change every day, and you want to keep it relatively short and simple so that you can thoughtfully consider each thing.
In the beginning, this list may be a challenge.
You might try listing one thing from each of the following categories: health, family, physical or emotional, living space, professional/academic.
Of course that’s not a comprehensive list of categories, but it might give you a starting point from which to begin. , While obesity definitely has genetic and physiological factors, you can’t forget to consider its emotional components as well.
There is evidence of a strong link between depression and obesity, for example.
Also, some research also suggests that food addiction, a very real addiction, often serves to mask other emotions that are hard to deal with., In addition to supporting any weight loss efforts, exercise can be extremely beneficial for your mental health.
Exercise can be an effective treatment for depression, anxiety, ADHD, and more.
It helps reduce stress, improves memory, and can improve your mood.Even modest amounts of exercise can have far-reaching effects.
The American Heart Association recommends walking at least 30 minutes daily, or aim cumulatively for 10,000 steps throughout the day.
You can use a pedometer to monitor your progress.
If you can't seem to fit it in, try breaking up your exercise into smaller chunks of time.
Go for a 10 to 15 minute walk in the morning and then again in the evening.
A little bit of exercise is better than nothing.
Commit to doing a little activity each day and slowly start working your way up to longer sessions of exercise.
You don't need to work out vigorously to receive the benefits.
Moderate-intensity exercise is just as effective.
Moderate exercise means you are warm but not overheated or sweating profusely and that you can still carry on a conversation with someone (though you should be breathing a little heavier than normal). , You’re a human being living a complicated life, and sometimes things don’t always go according to plan, and dealing with obesity is no exception.
No matter what setback you face, accept that it happened, consider reasons why it may have happened, how you might handle the situation next time, and let go.
Tomorrow is a new day.If you make a plan to lose weight, for example, and you have a day of less-healthy food choices, cut yourself some slack.
Look at the situation as objectively as possible, don’t be derailed, and get back on track right away.
You might decide that you will love yourself no matter what your size, but you have a day that you just feel unattractive and crummy.
Think about what has happened to get you thinking that way, reflect on your list of positives, and rely on your support network.
About the Author
Lisa Hill
Enthusiastic about teaching organization techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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