What’s it to You?
I received an email today that linked to a page (it was just a question, so no link) that asked:
“What does overeating and being overweight giving you?”
I was a bit puzzled about the question at first until I realized it was the basic question of why overeat. And I haven’t stopped thinking about it all morning.
When I first started my weight loss journey, it was easy to figure out why I overate. I was abused as a child and shut down a lot of myself and my personality. I used to eat as much food as I could get my hands on until I would ache with being full. It was my way of feeling something without the fear of having something bad happen because of my feelings. I could eat until I hurt and no one would know it but me.
I’m in a much better place now with much better circumstances. Those reasons no longer apply, so it was a bit harder to think of what I was getting from being fat.
These days, I think food being a comfort thing plays a big part in things. I was betrayed and hurt by people I trusted with my life from an early age, so it’s very hard for me to trust people. Food has never betrayed my trust and has never failed to be there.
So that’s the food side of it, but what about the being overweight?
For right now, you’re guess is pretty much as good as mine. I think part of me thinks that fat equals unattractive equals safe as far as men goes, but I feel like I’m still missing a key element that will answer the question better.
So, what does overeating and being overweight give you?
June 20th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
The comfort thing was also a big factor for me. Easy to forget the ugliness with a chip ‘n dip fest.
I rarely overeat these days, and when I do it’s usually in celebrating a birthday or holiday. Ugliness still happens from time to time–that’s just life–but now I deal with it in words or actions rather than food.
June 20th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Thank you for stopping by, Cammy.
I think comfort plays a bit part of it for most of us.
June 21st, 2008 at 12:56 pm
For me, I’ve always been a bigger girl. Even as a kid. I’ve never known what it’s like to be “skinny”. Growing up, food was a big part of our family. Any excuse to get together, eat, and celebrate was always welcomed. We were always active so it kind of balanced out a bit.
As I hit the teen years, I still wasn’t skinny but I was comfortable where I was. I didn’t mind the bootie and the boobs and I was happy with that. In fact my goal weight is not anywhere near where a doctor would like me to be but for me I was happy at that size.
However, I think i got too comfortable with that. I quit being as active but ate the same amount. The result, I gained a bunch of weight.
Food for me is fun. I like food. I don’t obsess over it, i don’t have an unhealthy relationship with it. I just love it. I like to eat. I like how food tastes. And I think that stems from how are family was.
Being overweight is different. I hate being overweight but it wasn’t until recently I hated it enough to do something about it. Even though I’ve always been bigger, I’ve been fully capable of doing whatever I wanted. I didn’t feel hindered by my weight. But then once I started not being able to do things, I felt like crap. I hated my body.
I just need to remember that I can like food and eat things but I have to get my butt in gear and not get complacent with how I look or feel.
June 21st, 2008 at 8:01 pm
I don’t know/remember what it’s like to be skinny either. I don’t think my being overweight made me particularly unhappy until my husband talked to me about it being unhealthy. Plus there is, like you said, the inability to do things you used to be able to do.