Being Thin – Do You Fear It?

I came across a very interesting article by Dr Matthew Anderson, from Total Health Breakthroughs, where he discusses his belief that many overweight and obese people fail to lose weight, not because they are undisciplined, but because they have a fear of becoming thin.

Dr Anderson describes it as the ‘The Gain-Lose-Gain Again Cycle.’ What does he mean? Well, he suggests that the weight loss cycle begins when:

• You get sick of being overweight and decide to diet.
• For a while you drop pounds.
• Then without warning you lose control and begin to gain again. You feel possessed by a drive to eat and you cannot stop even though you know you are re-gaining all that weight you worked so hard to lose.
• You hate and blame yourself.
• Eventually you get sick of being overweight and you begin the cycle all over again.

I have heard about this cycle before, however it is true that almost all dietary plans have no understanding of the fear. Unfortunately, I also suspect that most doctors, nutritionists and dietitians are unqualified in such matters. It does seem truly unfair that overweight and obese clients fail to receive the necessary support, counseling or tools to overcome this problem.

Dr Anderson states that the situation is not hopeless! If you have recognised these traits in yourself, what can you do? Firstly, you need to overcome fear if you identify it, and then confront it with appropriate support.

Dr Anderson provides some examples of the fears many people have:

1. You may feel that, “If I stay obese men will not pursue me and I will be safe.”
2. Your self-esteem may be very low and you might actually feel undeserving of weight loss.
3. You may believe that losing weight will require you to make other painful choices and changes (divorce, change jobs, lose friends).
4. Weight loss may require that you accept more challenges or responsibilities. Staying fat then becomes a form of safety.
5. You may fear being seen and therefore judged.
6. You may fear the loss of food as a drug and a hiding place from the difficulties of your life.

If you relate to any of these fears, he suggests writing down 25 different answers to the following sentence:

“I am afraid to be thin because…”

By completing this exercise you may discover something about yourself, which you were previously unaware of. Dr Anderson stresses the important of continuing until you reach 25, as this will push you past the easier, more superficial answers. He strongly believes that this exercise can help people understand themselves better, and in the end will make weight loss easier.

For more information check out Dr Anderson’s brilliant blog. You may also want to read his article Are You Afraid to be Thin?