Emotional conflicts, stress and painful life
situations---many times you want to pretend these aren’t happening to you
because of the misery they cause. But denying their existence only leads you to
revert to your old coping mechanisms. For many of you that is to overeat in
search of comfort. Then you deny that
you are using food to attempt to feel better! The initial short term denial can
produce a good thing; it gives you time to adjust to a painful or stressful
issue. It might be a precursor to making some sort of change in your life that
you needed to make for a long time. However, the denial has a dark side.
Remaining in denial for too long can prevent you from
dealing with issues that require action such as trying to get your weight under
control. If you refuse to acknowledge that something is wrong with the way
you’re coping, you will only continue to overeat to block out the painful
thoughts, threatening information or feelings of anxiety. Denial is understandable as these negative
occurrences in life might make you feel vulnerable or threaten your sense of
control. You feel you have no control over illness, addiction, financial
problems or dealing with relationship conflicts. Denial is understandable but
not productive. You don’t want to feel the bad feelings so you overeat to stuff
them down. Then you deny you are overeating, and your weight continues to
increase. Something has to stop the dark side from taking over!
A team of researchers from the University of Illinois
recently asked 3,622 young men and women in Mexico to estimate their body size
based on categories ranging from very underweight to obese. People who were in
the normal weight range selected the correct category about 80% of the time.
However, 58% of the overweight students incorrectly described themselves as
normal weight. And among the truly obese, 75% placed themselves only in the
overweight category; only 10% accurately described their body size as obese!
You are not alone in denying you have a weight problem!
The tendency of patients to underestimate their body sizes,
according to studies done in the United States, Canada, Europe and elsewhere,
is remarkably consistent across all culture lines in all age groups. So why are
so many people overweight and how did this happen? A group of scientists are
only now beginning to understand the complicated process in which the brain--
in particular the posterior parietal cortex-- integrates signals from all the
senses to form our image of ourselves. Many scientists believe this internal
calibration system sometimes goes haywire.
Researchers do admit that some denial may simply have a lot
to do with personal embarrassment.
Researchers at the University of Texas Medical School found that one in
three women did not know they had gained five pounds, and only about 15% were
aware when they had gained 10.
Some of our patients live on the dark side of reality. We
have patients now that have volume III charts. This means they have filled up
three charts with restarts, returns, and more restarts! And yet never once
would many of them admit that they failed to follow what we asked them to do.
They denied the obvious. And the obvious is only a precursor to their severe
health problems. The University of Illinois showed in a study group that most
obese people don't think that they are fat enough to experience any
weight-related health issues.
An extreme example of denial gone wild, takes place today in
India. This country has seen close to a 20% increase in weight in the
population between the years 1998 and 2005.
A study recently found serious health complications there. One in five
men and one in six women are currently seriously overweight. In some urban
areas those rates are even higher. A leading cardiologist in New York, Dr.
Seth, explains that in India, obesity is synonymous with prosperity. "The
paradox here is that that these people are considered healthy. Thin people are
considered weak in India. Most of my patients who lose weight after a heart
attack come to me thinking they have become weak. Once the perception of being
fat relates to good health, overweight people don't think of themselves as fat.
They are like everybody around them! So it's a blending of the masses. Obesity
is one of the most important causes of heart attacks. As the excessive body
mass index increases, your chance for coronary artery disease also increases,”
explains Dr. Seth.
One of my favorite authors is Dr. Steve Phinney from UC
Davis. Dr. Phinney did a study showing that it was fat that supplied almost all
of the energy used by high-caliber cyclists after adaptation to the ketogenic
diet. These guys had no problem performing a high level of exercise with very
little dietary carbohydrate intake. So don't buy into the clever marketing
scams of manufacturers who tote those sugary sports and energy drinks. The
reality is you can exercise just fine without them once you have adopted the
experience of ketosis adaptation. This comes from several weeks of a very low
carbohydrate diet, which is what the Weigh Station promotes. And yet, despite
all that overwhelming data, some patients still refuse to admit that a low
carbohydrate diet will help them lose weight.
Living in denial has never contributed to one positive
aspect of your life. I have patients who
back onto the scale; they will not face what their true weight is. This is the
epitome of denial. So how do you help yourself get out of the dark side? One
option is to honestly examine what you fear. Think about the negative
consequences of not taking any actions. Instead, allow yourself to express your
fears and emotions in a journal, to a friend, or to a medical person. This will
benefit you if the truth comes out. There's something about being truthful with
yourself that makes all the difference in your weight-loss success. Open up
yourself to be truthful in every aspect.
Don’t buy into the lie of denial.
We are here to help you face whatever you are dealing with
so you can win the weight battle once and for all. We do not deny that you have
a weight problem. We're here to help you solve it. For God did not give us the
spirit of fear, but one of love, patience, and a sound mind. (II Timothy 1:7)
Blessings to all,
Chuck Shaffer MD