Obesity is Not Skin Deep — Psychology of Fat People

I am not here to tell you how being fat is an unlucky genetic draw or that it isn’t anyone's fault. There is a reason why a person is fat and they know it, consciously or subconsciously.

Whilst I am not the first person to say that someone is fat for a simple reason, I still haven’t seen the psychology behind that reason being broken down any further than its physiological cause i.e you are fat because you are consuming high amount of net calories.

A healthy human cannot be obese because the checks in place inside their mind and body prevent such disharmony. Your organs signal to your brain that you have now eaten a sufficient amount and you stop. Even if it is pleasurable, a healthy human wouldn’t crave it to the point of self-destruction.

Obesity is not just overeating. For many, it is a symptom of a mental condition. We all have coping mechanisms, whether it is for stress, dissatisfaction of your life or a void you cannot fill. Some people smoke, some choose to indulge in their emotions, sleep around or do any otherwise illogical acts which provides momentary pleasure.

And just like that, overeating can lead to obesity very easily. Many partake in comfort eating calories, specifically sugar, which provides that pleasure to distract the individual. The more a person gives into food as a solution to their problems, the more a biological addiction is developed as opposed to just a psychological one. Hormone imbalance from the sugary diet makes the individual feel tired all day and develops a craving for basic sugars.

Now you are stuck in an endless loop of self-pity, depression and overeating.

To correct for harmful behaviours, it’s more effective to go all the way back to the root pattern. Everyone has a tendency for self-pity and avoiding their problems but for fat people, it manifests as binge eating.

But the blame still goes to the individual. Deal with your problems head on, stop feeling sorry for yourself and get back up. If you are constantly giving it your absolute best, there is no way you won’t see improvement.

From an outside perspective, you cannot ridicule a person for struggling with their problems just because you don’t share it. “You can just stop eating” is equivalent to telling a depressed person “Just be happy”. Any life problem seems easier when you are not in it. You are struggling with things others may dismiss as child’s play. It’s about the context and the individual’s awareness that make problems problems.