It’s easy to discuss who is to blame for obesity but it is harder to no blame an individual. We are quick to look down upon those who are overweight and think they are weak and lazy. In reality we all have our own vices and reasons behind them. People who suffer from obesity are no different.
Depression: If you are fighting sadness overeating can be a sign. Food tastes good and you feel good when you eat it. If you are depressed and want to feel better you will eat more to feel good for a time. You may feel bad about gaining weight but the only thing that makes you feel good is food.
Control: The truth behind a lot of people who over eat is that they want to control some aspect of their life. If there is nothing else in control in their life controlling what they eat and how much can be their saving factor in a world of chaos. Like anorexia it is not healthy but it is their little way of controlling something in their life.
Learned behavior: Coming from a family that does not eat healthy and there is nothing wrong with that is a learned behavior. There is not issue of eating the wrong foods, the wrong portions and the wrong time of day is standard. No one is to blame as it is generational and no one sees that perhaps it is causing the obesity because they are a happy family.
Protection: Many people who have been sexually abused cover up their bodies by gaining weight. There is the feeling that if they are not attractive then they cannot be hurt sexually again. It is their protection and safety net from pain.
You can easily look at an obese person and think they have no self control. But you need to see the passion behind what is eating them. By knowing why a person is feeding themselves more than they need it means they are starving for something else they desperately want. Knowing this can start a road to understanding not only for the obese person but for us as well. It’s probably not the other person’s fault that they’re obese.