In the USA obesity – body mass index above 30 – is pandemic. My sense is that the “problem” has become societal as well as personal. Morgan Spurlock’s “Supersize Me” illustrated one important fact – fast food can make you fast fat. Our wealthy society has created a situation where most Americans under-exercise and overeat. Further, our lifestyles of cubicles and computers and fast food mean many Americans don’t see the kitchen for weeks on end.
On the psychological side, there is the ever-present push here for you to eat more. Every other TV commercial is about FOOD – the others are about CARS – and ALL use thin, sexy models to sell their wares. Ack!
And that leads me into the “model” thing. Oh, my god! EVERY study I’ve ever seen on “beauty” shows that women (and men, too, to a much lesser degree) get better treatment when they are thinner. If you LOOK sexy, you must BE qualified, good enough, smart enough, honest enough, or whatever enough… – deserving of whatever it is you want. Which accounts for why we are so easily conned – we tend to trust our visual/sexual channel rather than our intellect/logic channel.
On TV, which programs score high and remain popular? The ones with the “babes” of course. And we as a society have this belief that celebrities are automatically role models and authorities – which is why many companies hire them to pitch their wares and so many become politicians. We don’t get it that media celebrities, especially thin, curvaceous female ones, are intended to SELL PRODUCTS – everything from movies to fashion-ware to dish soap. They are not suddenly wiser or better because they become a TV or movie celebrity – they are merely MARKETING OBJECTS. They may have great talent and drive but that is not what got them to celebrity status – MARKETING did. And marketing is BIG BUSINESS.
I see two ends marketing to support the other today – one side markets pleasure – those things that pile on the pounds and hurt our health. The other side markets the CURE for those things. This is what is called a crossfire zone in the military – and in a crossfire zone, everyone DIES. I believe that if you buy into the marketing ploys you see on TV, you will die. The “buy to make yourself feel better” pie is poisoned!
The only reasonable choice I see for overweight women is to learn to genuinely love and appreciate themselves for the valuable people they are – and to GET IT that looking sexy (read “thin and young looking”) does not make you smarter or more enlightened or more qualified (unless you just happen to be a porn star, of course), or more valuable. It might make you more desirable to the opposite sex – maybe – for a while perhaps – which is fine if that is all you want from life – a short period of acceptance for your body alone. But what about engaging and lasting relationships? What about heart connection relationships? What about REAL relationships that nurture the soul through a lifetime – relationships where trust, value, and mutual respect reign… for generations…
I believe that if you want to find and address the real issues behind your overweight condition, watch and listen to your favorite overweight stand-up comedian when they talk about their weight – personally I like Kirstie Alley and Chris Farley (deceased). Their material is funny alright, but it is so TRUE!
Do a process like RET or EFT on EVERYTHING your favorite overweight comedian says – even while you’re laughing about it. Tap or blink on “I’m laughing about this…” Part of your being thinks it’s funny, but a significant part of you does not. Inner conflict gets the cortisol flowing and that packs on pounds. Stop the conflict and a significant element of the overweight issue dissolves away – with the fat it tied up in your body. When ALL of your being can laugh at the jokes, the conflict will be over and the good chemicals will flow naturally and easily.