Top reasons for being overweight


When people come to me for Weight Loss help I often ask them what the benefits of being their weight is. The standard reply is there are no benefits for being overweight. If this was really the case there would be no one that was overweight. So what reasons are being overlooked?
• If you look at the diets of 17st people and the diets of 12st people the food intake of the 17st people will be more. Therefore a benefit of being overweight is you can eat more. Eating is a pleasure. It is genetically engineered by evolution to be a pleasure. We need to eat to survive. We needed to store foods as fat for times, in the past, when we would have experienced famines. With modern society this is no longer a requirement for most of us but it is still the way our bodies are wired. As I thought how to write this point I had pictures of people saying “I only have to look at cake and I put weight on”. I understand that some people have slower metabolisms than others. I have a good friend that can seem to eat all he wants and yet he remains thin. There will be special reasons for this. People with slow metabolisms often have them because they have been on diets. Their bodies thought they were in a famine so they slowed things down to survive and the metabolism has never been reset to the more active state.
• Similar to the first point you can’t drink as much. Either fizzy drinks or Alcohol.
• Being overweight is often associated with being a fun bubbly personality. This perception is often in the eyes of others so when you slim down people start reacting to you differently. Perhaps because you aren’t able to eat or drink as much and you aren’t seen as you were. You are normally comfortable being you even if it has some side effects but side effects are not as strong as your desire to consume short term.
• The benefits of consuming food and drink are short term. The problems they cause are long term therefore you are able to enjoy the instant gratification now. Only when that buzz is gone do you feel guilty but you can override that feeling by more food. It is fascinating watching “Supersize vs. Superskinny” and seeing how this cycle continues with some people until they are so big the physical health issues then become a short or medium term problem and then they are so far down the path they are not sure how to stop the cycle.
• Often you are the size your partner is comfortable with. Men don’t necessarily want super-attractive partners because they might worry they will leave them for someone “better”. If your partner enjoys food you often want to enjoy food with them. Again humans a genetically engineered to be social and in social situations we tend to eat more or eat less depending on the situation.
• Sex drive comes into the weight equation. Not everyone wants to have sex. If you are overweight you often feel less attractive and therefore you might shy away from sexual situations and avoid having sex.
• In a related point overweight people that slim down to a typical size often don’t like the change of attitude of opposite sex. Woman might slowly start to feel invisible because men are talking to their breasts and not their faces. This can feel uncomfortable.
• When we are looking for a partner we often feel we have to compete with others on shape and size. We therefore hope we are beautiful or handsome and we often try to enhance how we look. Which group is likely to spend more time considering their looks and beauty the 12st group or the 17st group? I suspect most people going for cosmetic surgery will be on the thinner end of the spectrum. Therefore being overweight is a possible means of avoiding those issues.
• As you increase your weight it is more and more tiring to do things. So a 17st person will almost certainly be less active than a 12st person (unless they are something like a rugby player or weight trainer and the extra weight is muscle and not fat). As weight increases you can do less and less and therefore you do less. Less is expected off you and others start to support you weight either directly (getting your shopping for you) or indirectly (by allowing you not to play with the children because you get too tired). Therefore it could be argued that being overweight allows you to avoid doing things you don’t want.
The good thing about these points is while they can be common factors none of them is something that will prevent someone becoming a happy fit healthy individual with the right help.
If you are overweight and don’t wish to be please get in touch with me, Jon Hinchliffe on 01857 600708 and let’s discuss how you can enjoy food, enjoy life and have none of the side effects of being overweight.