So with this new, improved me, I have been more open and honest about things than ever before in my life. Tonight I figure, why stop there? Let's go ahead and lay bare the rest of it. In many people, overeating is an addiction; it's how they cope with stuff. Some people drink, some do drugs, some indulge in porn, others are addicted to gambling or violence. But us? We eat, but why? Is it because we're hungry, are we fattening up for the winter? Perhaps we're bored or grabbing a bag of chips instead of a cigarette. The most important thing to remember is that overeating is a symptom of a bigger, and deeper psychological issue, not the underlying cause.
Each of us has to determine our own issues but I'll list some of the most common and let you guess which one is mine:
- Self Esteem: Rather than believing a high self-esteem stems from feeling good about the way we look, the low self-esteem fat person is unhappy with himself and shows it outwardly thru a poor or shabby exterior.
- Emotional Suppression: Many people use drugs to dull their senses or to self-medicate; food is often viewed as the "drug of the poor". According to Reginald B. Humphreys; “What are the feelings that people commonly suppress through overeating? Anxiety and nervousness are common reasons...Many eat to suppress anger or frustration, and food is often a dear friend to those who are alone and lonely. Unwanted or unfulfilled sexual feelings may be the target of suppression by overeating, as well as feelings of career or relationship unfulfillment. Suppression of any feeling or conflict that has been chronically present, for a period of years or even over the course of one's entire lifetime, may be the cause of chronic overweight or obesity."
- Social/Cultural Norms: Some cultures heavily emphasize eating large, drawn out, extravagant meals (ever seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding?), thus, for many men, having second, a third or even fourth helping is the norm -- and even a sign of respect for the cook.
- To Please Women: For many men, this starts off as trying to please their mom, and show her that they enjoy her cooking. Guys are often urged to take a second helping, and many do, just to avoid insulting the chef. When it comes to their own relationships, many men want to please the women who cook for them by eating very heartily, so the women in question won't feel that their efforts have gone unappreciated.
As you can see, I've only listed a few here and the interwebs are rife with more examples and discussions. The fact that there is $30 billion dollars spent every year on weight loss products and solutions in this country is evident that this is growing problem and I'm glad you're joining me on my quest to be shut of it. This is going to be like an epic saga, a LOTR trilogy, maybe I'll even have time for a prequel but regardless, I'm going to beat it, or I will have to look each and every one of you in the eye and explain why not.
Speaking off, I have joined www.sparkpeople.com, a free website with a nutrition and fitness tracker, meal planners, recipes, forums, lots of great info and motivation to be shared with others. Look me up on there with the username of "Thimecules". Anyway, on the nutrition tracker, you enter everything you eat for the day, and it counts calories for you, it also shows other nutrient information that's handy and I'm not ashamed to share my progress.
So my first day on the website is the day I cracked, the day that I knew something was going to have to change or I'd be soon beseech a ride towards Night's Plutonian shore. I think I did OK the next day but this weekend has been a bear. To much time on my hands is my only excuse, I need to get into a pattern. I spent today cooking and preparing meals for the rest of the week. I broke out the scale measured serving sizes (did you know one serving size of chips is about nine of them? I used to eat those SOB's by the bag...).
That's all for tonight, I have a big week coming up, have to prove myself worthy of myself.
