Why Are We Overweight? What Can We Do?

By Anne M. Rensberger, LICSW

Here Are Some Reasons We May Be Overweight

1. You have genes that make you inclined to be heavy. You probably had some overweight ancestors. You may think you can eat as much as you slim friends and not gain weight but you can't. Sorry.

2. You sit around too much. You may have a medical condition that restricts your activity. Your family may not be into physical activity so you think being a couch potato is normal. You may not be athletic or you lack imagination on how to have fun exercising.

3. Your family or friends may eat the wrong things and you follow along.

4. You use food to comfort yourself when you have problems. You may not be used to tolerating a little hunger or a little discomfort from exercise.

5. You may have developed some bad eating and snacking habits.

6. You may have tried dieting and had unrealistic expectations of how fast you would lose weight.

What Can You Do?

1. Buy a book or get on the internet and learn about the number of calories, fat and fiber in food. Figure out how the food you usually eat in a day measures up to what is recommended.

2. Join a weight management program. It helps to have support.

3. Get a journal and keep track of what you eat, when you eat it, when and how you exercise, and when you mess up and why.

4. Think of yourself as an athlete in training whether you are one or not. Move, if only in ten-minute segments.

5. Learn to tolerate a little physical and emotional discomfort. Are you hungry? If you are doing this weight management thing right, you will have another meal or snack in a few hours, so just deal with it. Do you feel klutzy or stupid when you exercise? Do it anyway. Find a place to exercise alone if you like. You will get used to it if you start slowly increase your duration gradually.

6. Don't expect to be perfect, but just keep at it. If you take charge of your weight management now, by the 4th of July you will look and feel really different. Good luck.