Weight Loss - Why is Weight Loss So Hard?

The western world seems to be in the grip of an obesity epidemic. Everywhere you look there seems to be news articles and television programmes about how many people there are who are overweight, what causes people to gain weight and the health problems that they are risking, and the many different methods and programmes that people can follow to lose weight. There is a mountain of statistics and information about the dangers of being overweight, but still people find it very difficult to lose weight and then maintain that weight loss.

Over half the UK population is either overweight or obese, in 2002 it was 70% of men and 63% of women. Currently, one in five adults is obese. Obesity in 2-4 year olds almost doubled from 5%-9% from 1989-1998 and in 6-15 year olds trebled from 5%-16% between 1990 and 2001. Overweight children have a 50% chance of being overweight adults and children of overweight parents have twice the risk of being overweight themselves compared to those of healthy weight parents. If the current trends continue, conservative estimates are that at least one-third of adults, one fifth of boys and one-third of girls will be obese by the year 2020.

‘Obesity causes 19,000 cancer cases every year’ screamed a headline from the Daily Mail this week (May 2009). A new analysis by the World Cancer Research Fund has found that excess fat was linked to around 17% of cases of the seven main cancers (breast, bowel, oesophagus, kidney, pancreas, endometrium and gall bladder). Body fat promotes the production of hormones and growth factors such as oestrogen and insulin which can increase the risk of cancer and overweight people are less likely to eat sufficient quantities of fruit and vegetables that can protect against cancer.

Being overweight or obese can also lead to the development of serious conditions such as heart disease, strokes, joint problems, shortness of breath and is directly linked to the onset of Type 2 Diabetes. Being overweight is also connected to infertility, and can also lead to increased complications during pregnancy and childbirth.

Being very overweight also affects a person’s lifestyle in an adverse way.  It is harder to exercise, due to the weight and shortness of breath, can make everyday tasks more difficult to perform and unfortunately, even in this day and age, can still attract hurtful comments and negative attitudes from other people.  Being overweight can lead to having poor self-esteem and loss of confidence, which can affect people’s love lives, social lives and even their employment prospects.

So if being overweight is so bad for our health, and can negatively impact on so many areas of our lives, why do we find it so hard to lose weight?

1) We cannot completely avoid food – you can totally give up smoking cigarettes, but you will always need to eat

2) We enjoy eating food and eating is a social activity in our society.  Meal times are family times; sometimes the only time during the day a family comes together.

3) We eat food to make ourselves feel better or as a substitute for something, like affection, that we believe to be lacking in our lives

4) As soon as we restrict our food intake or cut out some tasty treats, we feel hard done by and deprived

5) Dieting makes us feel isolated, miserable and lonely

6) We are scared of losing weight and of the changes it may bring to our lives; we may be clinging to our weight gain as some form of protection

7) The significant people in our lives are threatened by the prospect of our weight loss; they do not want us to change

8) TV and the media are hypnotising us to eat – just look at those M&S food ads!

9) Being overweight leads to feelings of self-hatred and lack of self-worth, so there will be no motivation or drive to lose the weight

10) Anyone who has been overweight for any length of time will find it hard to visualise a slimmer future