Saturday, December 27, 2008

Are You Suffering from Mental Obesity?

By Andrea Kite

I was surprised to learn that the words mental obesity had been ascribed as the intellectual laziness and disinterest resulting when children's minds are addicted to junk information at the time that I was coming up with a name for my article. This could include such things as video games, chat rooms and text messages. I use the term mental obesity to refer to something else entirely; a very common phenomenon that I myself have experienced.

People who were once overweight or obese often retain a mental image of themselves as obese. They may have lost fifteen, thirty, forty pounds or even more. It doesnt matter. A once overweight or obese woman who wears a size six dress is often, in her mind, still obese. This is the condition called mental obesity.

It is a feeling and a conviction that is hard to shake and extremely difficult to get rid of. It is also something the mentally obese person is often ashamed to admit, embarrassed to say aloud. On a certain level the currently slim person is totally aware that he is no longer overweight. Scales and clothing sizes will certify this evidence. Greater levels of energy and renewed physical stamina provide evidence of it daily. However on a separate, irrational plain the person who is overweight in their mind knows that he or she is still obese, they remain overweight

If you are mentally obese you understand that you have physically lost the weight, however you still feel as though you're obese. You also quickly learn not to voice this feeling, this knowledge. More than likely when the people around you are overweight and you aren't. You're aware that you're being ridiculous. You know you will be accused of seeking out compliments. You know that this is a reasonable accusation; one that you would make if the roles were reversed. Thus you must remain silent. But in your mind, its still there your obesity.

A mentally obese person has nowhere to turn for help. Obese people have to be cautious for selection of their clothing. In the closet is where the skimpy new clothes stay. People that suffer from mental eating disorders find it difficult to get up and bring attention to themselves on dance floors or other social gatherings. For photographs, they still prefer to pose sideways. They are still terrified of looking at photos or home videos of themselves.

Maybe the most difficult part of being mentally obese is the loneliness that accompanies it. Oh yes, you can be just as lonely if your obesity is in your mind as you were when you used to gasp for air on your way up one flight of stairs, trying not to show your malaise to others running past you up the steps. Mental obese can have some more problems than a non obese fellow.

It takes time to adapt to a large weight loss, and it is not easy to completely change your way of living. However, don't try to live with your secret mental obesity, if you feel that you just can't see yourself as a non obese person and you know you are no longer overweight. Find the right person to talk to about your problem, perhaps your family doctor if you have one. - 15255

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