It's not about being overweight. Psychology of fat people.

You obviously don't understand what your real problem is. You think you want to change your weight. Let's take a person who is addicted to smoking. He says to you: “I cough very badly, what can I do to stop coughing?” You delicately hint to him that he needs to quit smoking, he replies that he understands this perfectly well, but he needs good cough medicine. It's the same with people who drink. A drinker may complain that he gets into car accidents all the time and therefore wants to take a driving course. You say that it would be good to quit drinking, but the drinker starts using public transport instead.

This way of thinking in psychology is called “denial of facts”, and in jurisprudence it is called “denial of involvement”, since people do not want to admit their problem. Drug addicts, smokers or drunks eventually recognize their addiction and begin treatment. However, what people who are overweight usually don't realize is that they are focusing on the result - the extra pounds - instead of focusing on the cause - overeating. The fat man looks at himself in the mirror and says: “I need to lose 20 kilograms. How can I do this? They answer him that he needs to eat less, and he nods his head in agreement: “Yes, yes. I know. We need to go to the weight loss club.”

Attention, excess weight is not a problem, but its consequences. You are consuming more food than your body needs! This is the result of extra pounds!

The more you focus on losing weight, the more difficult it is to control your excess food intake. Scientists have concluded that the more a person is dissatisfied with his appearance, the less likely he is to achieve his desired weight. Why is this so?

Focusing only on losing pounds can lead to the following:

Eating in fits and starts, alternating fasting and overeating with weight gain. You can lose weight on short-term diets, but this will not solve the underlying problem. If you only think about losing kilos, then once you lose a few kilos, you will lose all motivation to maintain that weight, and then you will start gaining it again. It will resemble walking in a circle;

Poor quality food. If you're only focused on losing those extra pounds, you'll forget to consider the nutritional value of foods. Instead of eating healthy beans (because beans make you fat), you can eat a piece of cake for dinner (it seems like it’s small, or you didn’t eat anything for lunch, or worked out at a fitness club, etc.);

Feeling of guilt from any piece eaten;

Bad consequences for the body. When losing weight, people often lose more muscle mass than pounds. You can lose three sizes, and the scale will reflect that you have lost only one and a half kilograms, and when you concentrate only on weight, you cannot adequately evaluate the results achieved. If you lose too much weight, it will undoubtedly harm your health;

Bad motive. Even if you have managed to lose weight, there will come a day when you will have some problems or you will get off on the wrong foot and you will feel like you are like a hippopotamus, since there are no limits to perfection in losing weight. And if you're focused on losing pounds, no matter how much you've already lost, you may forget that you're harming your mental and physical health.

Food intake control

Some people, desperate to lose weight, stop thinking about how to lose weight and remain fat. You need to realize the benefits you will get if you start to control yourself and not overeat. You need to change your thinking, change your priorities and values, and think not about how much you weigh, but about how you eat.

Such control over overeating can save us from psychological dependence on food. But we must remember that anorexia is also a loss of control over food.

It is necessary to understand that health is more important than appearance, and there is no need to strive for slimness at any cost.

What you need to do to avoid overeating when you experience psychological rather than physical hunger:

“I allow myself to eat” (when you accept psychological hunger, when you do not forbid yourself to eat, then you have a feeling of freedom of choice, the effect of the forbidden fruit disappears, and you will no longer overeat)

OR

“I am free to satisfy psychological hunger”, or “I am free to eat”

You need to allow yourself to eat, because when there is an internal prohibition, a feeling of guilt appears, and you eat more than your body needs, and, therefore, you cannot lose weight.

This article is not about those who need to lose a couple of pounds. And not even about those who need to lose a couple of dozen of them. We will look at life from the perspective of those whose weight is “well over a hundred.”

"You're fat!"

Being overweight causes a lot of inconvenience in everyday life for its owners. These include problems with clothing, and problems with movement, excessive sweating, and moving in transport. Clothing for fat people (especially women) is more difficult to find and sells more expensive, seats on public transport are designed mainly for slender people, and you need to buy stronger chairs.

This is not to mention the health problems that arise from being overweight. Shortness of breath, problems with the cardiovascular system, high blood cholesterol, etc. - these are the consequences of excessive fatness.

But these are not the most “terrible” problems associated with obesity. Much more often, fat people are brought to the hospital not by health problems due to excess weight, but by social complexes. Fat people are often embarrassed by their fatness. They do not like their reflection in the mirror, they are embarrassed to undress on the beach or meet the opposite sex.

The constant fear of becoming the object of jokes and ridicule, or problems in their personal lives force them to starve for days, spend money on food, or go on all sorts of strict diets.

Often, such methods (due to the fact that they are done spontaneously, without consultation with specialists) do not bring the desired result. Which further aggravates the psychological problems of obese people. In the West, fat people often become clients of psychologists and psychotherapists. In Russia and other countries of the former CIS, this practice is still not widespread; as a result, people keep all their problems and complexes to themselves, which is even worse.

Why do people get fat?

Extreme cases of the fattest people on the planet are usually associated with endocrine system disorders combined with an insatiable appetite and consumption of huge amounts of calories. According to statistics, the most obese people on the planet consume from 10,000 to 20,000 kcal per day, with the norm being 2000-3000 kcal. It is not strange that even after liposuction and gastric reduction surgery, most of them quickly regain their previous weight due to an insatiable appetite. Obesity is also common among fast food lovers and.

Overweight people usually lead an inactive lifestyle and/or have a sedentary job. A little physical activity contributes to a significant predominance of calories coming from the diet over those spent during the day. This type of diet and lifestyle slows down your metabolism, making fat gain even faster.

Biographies of the fattest people on the planet

(1960-1994) - has the unspoken title of “the fattest man in history.” According to some reports, her peak mass reached 727 kg with a height of 170 cm. Her weight at death (at the age of 34) was 544 kg. However, there is no reliable data documenting its record mass.

The fattest woman in history

Carol could not walk or stand on her own, so she was cared for by doctors, friends and her daughter Heather. According to Carol, she suffered from an insatiable appetite since childhood after experiencing sexual abuse. Although, later, she stated in an interview that this was far from the only reason that determined her taste habits and, ultimately, her fate.

Famous nutritionists tried to treat her several times, but all attempts ended in failure. Yeager had to be hospitalized very often, which required the efforts of 15-20 firefighters per hospitalization. Ultimately, the cause of death was several reasons: kidney failure, high blood sugar, and heart failure. Carol was buried in a private cemetery with 90 friends and family members in attendance.

(1941-1983) - officially holds the title of “the fattest man on the planet” (Carol Yeager’s weight has not been documented). He weighed 635 kg with a height of 185 cm in 1979. Just to turn him over in bed required the efforts of 13 people. Minnoch suffered greatly from severe edema, which is common to all extremely overweight people - at his maximum weight there was at least 400 kg of water in his body!

John Minnoch is officially the fattest man in history.

Already at 22 years old, Minnoch weighed 181 kg. While he was still able to move, John worked as a taxi driver. One hospitalization allowed him to lose weight to 216 kg in 1981 (mainly due to fluid loss). However, later that year, he was readmitted to hospital after gaining 91kg in a week. Despite the efforts of doctors who treated him with a low-calorie diet, John died in 1983. His age at that time was 42 years. By the way, his wife Janet weighed only 50 kg.

The fattest man in the world

Mexican Manuel Uribe Garza(born 1965) is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as “the fattest man in the world” (living). His peak weight reached 560 kg. According to him, he suffered from excess weight as a child, but the problem was far from global. By the age of 18, his weight was 121 kg.

In 1987, he moved from Mexico to Dallas (USA), where he took a position as an auto parts sales manager. The work was sedentary, and life was more than comfortable. This lifestyle led the already obese Manuel to rapidly gain weight. At 30 years old, his body weight was 245 kg. Realizing the global nature of the problem, Manuel turned to doctors. He had liposuction and excess skin removed. As a result, he lost weight to 160 kg.

Manuel Garza - former holder of the title of "world's fattest man alive"

But, as a result of complications after the operation, the lymph nodes in his legs became inflamed and he was bedridden for three whole years. During this time, he recovered to 560 kg and entered the Guinness Book of Records. Currently, he has again started losing weight (with the help of doctors, diet and basic exercise) and has already lost weight to 300 kg. He lost weight thanks to a low-carbohydrate diet developed by doctors. According to his doctor, Manuel was lucky to avoid diabetes, kidney or heart failure - typical diseases that affect very fat people. The doctor also assured that in 2 years Manuel would weigh “only” 150 kg.

G. Hopkins, who lived in Wales at the end of the 18th century, weighed 445 kg (according to the 19th century medical encyclopedia). He made his living performing at the fair. Hopkins was shown to the public in a stall next to prize pigs that were so fat they could not stand up. The huge Welshman amazed everyone with his inhuman appetite and phenomenal body weight. One day, after a hearty dinner, Hopkins tried to pick up a piece of food that unexpectedly fell onto his cart. As a result, the fat man fell on the nursing sow, killed the poor animal and flattened her piglets like herring. Through the efforts of 15 people, they managed to return it back to its place. This happened with great difficulty, since his stomach was filled with food so tightly that the skin on his stomach was stretched better than on a drum, and no one could grab hold of his belly. Hopkins' weight (measured on a wagon scale) was 445 kg. Unfortunately, his photo has not survived.

Joseline da Silva(1959-1996) - this Brazilian woman weighed 406 kg with a height of 160 cm. Like many overweight people, she began to gain weight as a child, eating huge quantities of pies, sweets and soda. She eventually became so heavy that it required the help of a dozen firefighters to keep her body clean. When the press found out about her weight, a local plus-size fitness center, Chakara, offered to help her lose weight in exchange for using the results of the weight loss program for advertising purposes.

Joselina Da Silva is another record holder for extreme weight gain.

Silva was subjected to surgery and a harsh diet. As a result of liposuction and diet, she lost weight to 159 kg. However, a few months after finishing the program, she gained 90 kg. In September 1996, she was hospitalized and died in the hospital from bilateral pneumonia.

Fat celebrities

Some fat people, despite their weight, achieved success in life and became famous. Moreover, they did this in a discipline that would seem to be incompatible with being overweight - sports.

Eric Butterbean Ash is a famous boxer and MMA fighter.

Eric "Butterbean" Ash. A boxer and mixed martial arts fighter, with a height of 182 kg, he weighs 170-200 kg (at the weigh-in before the fight with Mariusz Pudzianowski, his weight could not be measured because the scales designed for a maximum of 200 kg were broken). He had 89 fights in the professional ring, of which he won 77. Despite the huge weight for a fighter, “Butterbean” has good manual speed and a strong knockout blow. Currently, Ash has finished his boxing career, focusing on his performances in MMA.

Fat people

Psychology and life of obese people

VES.ru – website – 2007

Factors that cause obesity

Personal factors of obese people

Studies of the personality structure of obese people have not provided much clarity (Pudel, 1991), nor have they identified a psychological cause of obesity.

Regarding the personality of such a person, there is some agreement on the following: such people have addictions, fears, and increased levels of depression (Frost et al. 1981, Ross 1994). On the other hand, there are works that directly contradict this. Thus, according to Hafner, 1987, people with obesity have low levels of depression.

Aspects of the psychology of development of obese people

Psychoanalysis blames the earlier childhood of such patients when they become “extremely depraved” with regard to “oral disturbances.”

With regard to intra-family relationships, we can reveal one striking detail, namely that obesity develops significantly more often if the child was raised by a single mother. This is confirmed by another study where such people often did not have a father in the family (Wolf, 1993).

Herman & Polivy (1987) showed that such a child is often made a scapegoat in the family. Compared with the control group, family relationships in such children can rarely be called open, warm and cordial (Pachinger 1997). In contrast, Erzigkeit (1978) found that such a child is often spoiled and spoiled in the family. But in general, such a child in the family too often faces extremes, receiving both “too little love” and “too much.”

A study by Hammar (1977) found that such children are often rewarded during childhood by giving them sweets. Pudel & Maus (1990) found that during childhood, adults often develop certain behavioral stereotypes in such children, for example: “Everything that is put on the table must be eaten,” or put hidden pressure on them: “If you eat, Mommy will eat.” happy,” or they try to induce imitative behavior in them: “Look, your brother has already eaten everything.” It is suggested that such imposed eating behavior may ultimately suppress an adequate physiological satiety response in a person.

External factors are also important (Pudel, 1988). Life events such as marriage, pregnancy (Bradley 1992) or leaving a job may reduce the remaining levels of eating self-control.

Aspects of social psychology of obese people

Insecurity, hypersensitivity and isolation are prevalent among obese people. Sometimes among them there is feigned self-confidence, supported by internal fantasies that he is “the greatest” (the best, the smartest), has “the strongest control over his emotions,” and so on. These fantasies are inevitably, again and again, broken by life, and appear again, creating a vicious circle (Klotter, 1990).

Monello and Mayer (1968) found that there are similarities between being overweight and discrimination on other grounds. The picture has changed, the image of the “happy fat man”, which still remained in public opinion in the 70s of the last century, for example, in Germany ( Ernährungsbericht 1971), has now been replaced by negative images of fat people as “weak”, “dumb” and “nasty” (Bodenstedt et al. 1980, Wadden & Stunkard 1985, Machacek 1987, de Jong 1993). Women suffer more from such prejudices. On the other hand, men, even after successfully losing weight after surgery, behave more passively. Obese people show less interest in sex both before and after surgery; this applies to both men and women (Pudel & Maus 1990).

It is important to distinguish between obesity in adults and obesity in children and adolescents. In children and adolescents, psychological factors play a much more important role. To simplify the problem, children suffer much more and are discriminated against much more (Gortmaker 1993, Hill & Silver 1995). For example, a study by Klotter (1990) showed that when normal children were shown photographs of disabled children and fat children, they rated the fat children as less attractive than the disabled children.

A study of the social contacts of obese people has shown that such contacts are much more limited compared to people of normal weight. Such people can name very few people who love them, who give them practical support or who can lend them money. Obese women report having far less contact with men than with women.

Psychological outcomes after surgical weight loss

Among scientists who have studied the results of weight loss, there is no complete convergence of opinions. There are significant positive personality changes towards stabilization and greater openness (Stunkard et al. 1986, Larsen & Torgerson 1989). There are also positive changes in emotional background, a decrease in feelings of helplessness, etc. (Castelnuovo & Schiebel 1976, Loewig 1993).

On the other hand, there are reports of negative personality changes after surgery if the patient underwent surgery for psychosocial reasons rather than for medical reasons. Bull & Legorreta (1991) report negative long-term psychological effects of weight loss surgery. According to their data, the psychological problems that patients had before surgery remained in half of the patients 30 months later. Several other studies also confirm this phenomenon. Based on these studies, a psychological “list of indications” was compiled (Misovich, 1983). In other words, if a person did not have any specific psychological problems before surgery, such patients are more suitable for weight loss surgery.

Such contradictions are not surprising. For half of his life, such a patient lived with a disturbed sense of self-confidence, or there was none at all. He constantly dreamed of a body that would be admired, highly valued, or, in extreme cases, just ordinary. And then suddenly a person realizes that there is a real way to fulfill his dream. And then the question suddenly arises: WHO, exactly, and for what, will be adored and highly valued? At best, external changes will help a person change their behavior, or understand that while appearance is important, “inner values” are equally important. In the worst case, developing a healthy sense of self-confidence fails at all, in which case a new vicious circle is formed.

Information about weight loss surgery

Statistics say that only 10% of patients learn about the operation from their doctor, the rest learn about this opportunity from friends or from the media. Our data confirms these statistics. Decision theory tells us about the existence of the so-called primary effect, which means that the primary information about something is retained the longest, and, as a rule, a decision is made taking into account this primary information.

Elisabeth Ardelt

Psychological Institute, University of Salzburg, Austria

You may rightly be surprised and say: “What is the connection between character traits and fatness?!” I answer.

The fact is that obesity is a psychosomatic disease. In simpler terms, excess weight is just the tip of the iceberg, an external manifestation of special personality traits and its deep internal problems. These problems are reflected in the behavior, character, thoughts, attitudes and worldview of a person, his relationships with people around him, and, perhaps most importantly, in the person’s relationship with himself.

Obesity is a physical manifestation of a serious psychological and even social disease - addiction, in this case, food addiction. And of course, the personality structure of an overweight person will have much in common with the personality structure of an addicted person. But in this article we will not delve into such a global problem as addiction; we will only talk about a specific aspect - personality traits with excess weight.

From experience working with overweight people, I can confidently say that the psychology (i.e., in this context, the inner world and behavior) of an overweight person is very different from the psychology of a slim person. From the same work experience and observations, it became clear that the fight against excess weight will be successful only when the psychological causes of excess weight gain are identified and resolved; when a person rebuilds his consciousness, thinking and behavior in a new way: into the consciousness, thinking and behavior of a slender person.
How is the psychology of a fat person so different from the psychology of a slim person? In fact, there are many characteristic, distinctive features, and they are very closely interrelated with each other (which often complicates the psychological restructuring of the personality).

The first thing that catches your eye is that extra kg is a kind of armor, protection from the outside world. An overweight person seeks to protect himself from its effects with the help of such a fat pad. This tells us about excessive sensitivity, receptivity and fears, while a fat person had not yet gained his extra pounds, he was too vulnerable and vulnerable to the outside world, and he did not know how to cope with excessive sensitivity, protect himself from fear and external influences, and... gaining extra pounds. For example, I noticed that many girls and women begin to gain weight after marriage and especially after moving into the house of their husband’s parents (regardless of pregnancy and childbirth!). Perhaps there is a connection here with the ban on the expression of negative emotions, emotions in general and whims.

And as a result, a characteristic feature of an overweight person then becomes a certain “thick skin,” callousness, and insensitivity.
This insensitivity then manifests itself everywhere, and first of all in dealing with oneself, in relationships with oneself: a person does not feel hungry, does not feel full, he does not feel himself, is not aware of his body, his extra pounds (after all, if a fat person felt them , then he would not be able to wear them for such a long time!!!).
In the language of Gestalt, since a person does not feel his body, then he does not feel the boundaries, his own, the boundaries of the people around him, he does not understand where HE ends (i.e. his psychological territory) and other people begin, and then he easily violates foreign borders, invades them, seeks to occupy and control them.

Therefore, overweight people often take on a lot of someone else’s responsibility, not their own, they believe that without them, without their participation, work will stop, everything in the family will collapse, and if you do something, then only do it yourself, and the performers-subordinates must needs to be redone, etc...
In a family, for example, there are often mothers who overly control their children, do not give them freedom, and try to live their lives.
And the body increases its size (physical boundaries), as if in response to the fact that a person increases psychological boundaries: his sphere of influence, control over others.

The desire to control, by the way, is a childish, infantile reaction, which also stems from excessive vulnerability, a feeling of defenselessness, and instability of life. Adults, mature people realize and accept that they can only control themselves and their own actions (not even their entire lives, but only their actions!). Therefore, an important point in psychotherapeutic work is the awareness of one’s powerlessness in something and one’s “non-omnipotence”, and accepting responsibility only for oneself and one’s actions, because only they can and should be controlled.
Another important feature of overweight people, associated with their attempt to live someone else’s life, which was already mentioned earlier, is their dislike for themselves. They don’t know what to do with themselves, they don’t know what THEY want. But they know very well when and how others should act correctly. They don’t know where their own place is in this life, what they want for themselves, for themselves personally, but they think a lot and decide for others, they know better than themselves what will be good for them - that is, in some way in a sense, they are authoritarian.

They often suffer from inner emptiness and try to eat and fill it. This is the paradox that arises: external fullness as a result of internal emptiness!
Yes, about emptiness, I think that it can arise as a result of monotony and boredom that appear due to restrictions. They limit themselves (no, not in nutrition, or rather not only and not always in nutrition), they limit themselves in receiving pleasure. The only accessible and understandable pleasure for them is food. (Note that this is also a child's way of comforting: when a small child cries, an adult usually offers candy.)

Overweight people also have such qualities as: clumsiness and rigidity. They are heavy, both physically (overweight) and psychologically (it is difficult to convince them, to turn their thinking around; often they themselves have difficulty formulating their thoughts, they are even almost unable to hear any new thought for themselves, a thought that does not fit into their usual framework, into their picture of the world).
And one gets the impression that they have lost freedom, freedom in everything: in movement, in flexibility, in the ability to adapt, in their desires and in satisfying them.

On the other hand, they are often too hasty and impatient: they rush through a lot of feelings, sensations, and do not notice themselves and others; They don’t know how to have fun and savor food. In general, all the described features and manifestations fit into the clinical picture of any addiction, but make it difficult to communicate with such clients, establish contact and trust between the client and the therapist.

So, we found out that a person who is overweight has a certain set of psychological traits (characteristics). Perhaps you agreed with some things, but not so much with others, and some things seemed completely incomprehensible or unfair to you... Well, of course, each person is unique and different from the rest. These are observations, sketches, a kind of template that allows you to highlight the most common features found in people with the same problem.
But what to do next, can this information be used profitably?
Of course yes! This connection has a two-way influence: on the one hand, if a person begins to lose weight, then his character and outlook on the world will change, on the other hand, if a person tries to change himself, his behavior, his thoughts and attitudes, then this will promote better weight loss and will not allow the lost kg to come back.