Keeping Things in Perspective

The holidays are coming and the tips for weight/health conscious people are filling up page after page on the Internet. That's not surprising considering our nation's conflicted attitude towards food. Most of us want to be slim and there's no denying the severity of the obesity epidemic that threatens so many people and the fact that losing weight, once it's gained, can be so very difficult. At the same time, we love food and we're actually programmed to love it more if it's laden with excess fat and carbohydrates, the threat of type 2 diabetes notwithstanding.

Here's the thing, we've been doing some thinking about what some call "ironic effects." Sometimes, the more we tell ourselves not to do a certain thing, the more we find ourselves actually doing it. For people who are struggling with their weight, that can mean that the more we tell ourselves we must not even begin to overeat over the holidays, the more likely we are to find ourselves not only overeating, but possibly engaging in full-on binge eating. 

Our advice, then, is to be somewhat gentle on yourselves this holiday. By all means, have a healthy snack before going to a party to make it easier to resist temptation, but if you find yourself eating more than you'd planned, don't bash yourself. Your only a human being who's been programmed by centuries of survival to love high calorie foods.

Of course, if you're severely obese, you do want to take steps to improve your situation, but focusing on your own weaknesses is probably not productive. Better to exercise as much as possible, focus on high-fiber/low calories vegetables when you can and not beat yourself up. If you're considering weight loss surgery in California or anywhere else, research the best doctors and concentrate on taking positive steps that will actually reduce your desire to overeat -- don't beat yourself up for having the desire in the first place.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can overcome obesity in a real and constructive, contact the office of Dr. Feiz & Associates today at 310-855-8058.