Psychological Factors in

Obesity
Obesity is a condition where genetics, nutrition, lifestyle and psychology merge into a complex mesh
of interactions. The more psychologically stuck, or damaged, an individual feels will result in a greater
severity of disordered eating, social inadequacies and health complications.
Our role at WeightMatters is to unpick and untangle the psychological issues that inhibit you from
changing your current lifestyle patterns, freeing you to change your relationship with food, eating,
weight and body image. For many the outcome is healthier eating, balanced enjoyment around food,
regular exercise, weight loss, greater self-esteem, happier relationships and a positive outlook on life.
Here are some of the common psychological issues that can be prevalent in obesity, and which we
work with on a regular basis at the practice:

Abuse
Child abuse can come in different forms; sexual, physical, psychological, emotional. When there is
abuse by an adult figure, a child will attempt to cope with their situation and soothe their emotional
chaos. Food has positive associations it tastes good, is seen as a treat and, unbeknown to the child,
will change brain chemistry. Food is learned to numb pain and cut off from, or suppress, emotions. In
the present day, food is still used to soothe difficult emotions, brought about by dysfunctional
relationships, which are an echo of the blueprint laid down by the earlier abuse relationship. Obesity
can become a protective physical barrier to make an individual unattractive to others, thus keeping
them safe from unwanted attention.

Neglect
When parents are busy with work, they lack adequate parenting skills or they struggle to cope with
little money and a large family, the result can often feel like neglect to a child. They are not seen or
heard, their emotional difficulties are not understood and they are left with a psychological hunger for
attention. Their emptiness for love, recognition and acceptance is filled with food. This hurt and
rejection is often defended against with a need to please others and to be perfect. This is how a child
will attempt to get their needs met, and maintain a relationship with their caregivers. In the present
day, an obese individual may be an overachiever who is a perfectionist at work and puts others needs
before their own. Their needs are still not met, and food continues to fill the emptiness they feel within.

Rules
A healthy balance of discipline, guidance and nurturing is optimal to support a healthy development of
a child. When there is too much discipline and control over a child, manifesting as rigid and inflexible

rules, the child will for a time adapt and do what they are told, but eventually they explode and rebel
against the authority figure. A child learns to rebel at an early age through food, and this is a normal
part of development. Fussy eating and the refusal to eat certain food, are ways of playing out and
communicating their frustration. Roll forwards a few years, and in an environment where the child
feels endless rules, and a lack of fun, their rebellion and emotional soothing comes from food. You
cant control the way I eat can result in eating sweets and junk food, which make the child feel good.
The child is often told off, maybe even told they are fat and useless by the parent figure. In the
present day, an obese person will have internalized the critical voice of the parent figure and the strict
rules of their upbringing. This results in futile attempts to go on strict diets, which are quickly broken,
as the child within has already learnt to rebel against strict rules. An inner dialogue of vicious criticism
makes the obese individual feel useless and pathetic, and so they reach for food to soothe their pain,
as they learnt to do as a child.

Low Self-Worth & Shame

A child who experiences abuse, neglect, rejection or a lack of nurturing contact will be faced with
intolerable emotions that they have no way of resolving. In order to maintain contact with parents, who
are needed by the child to survive in the world, a child will often accept blame for what has happened.
Their anger is directed within, and they start believing they are bad. Their feelings of anger, sadness,
badness and fear combine into a deep-rooted feeling of shame. With this comes a sense of
worthlessness. Core beliefs of being bad and worthless will result in the manifestation of situations in
life to prove and reinforce these early childhood decisions. In the present day, obese individuals will
find themselves entering destructive relationships where they continue to feel shamed. Their fear of
conflict, and belief they are to blame, results in acquiescing to their present day perpetrator. The cycle
of low self-worth and shame continue, and food is again used to soothe. Obesity can also be seen as
a way of showing the world I am worth nothing, stay away, because I am bad.

Trauma
When we are faced with a traumatic event, the initial blast of shock is compounded with a tsunami of
chaotic emotions. Death, rape, an accident, redundancy or health deterioration are life events which
can literally smack us around the face. Life has thrown us a swerve ball that knocks us off our feet. If
we already use food to comfort us (and we all do at times), then in moments of trauma and shock we
can easily lean on a known mechanism that makes us feel better. An obese individual may have been
unable to move through a healthy and normal process of grief. The longer they suppress their
feelings, the more it feels as if an avalanche of emotions will engulf them if they start to work through
things. Food becomes a stopper that literally plugs the holes in the damn wall, distracting and
soothing their fear.

Body Image
Our earliest experiences of our body stay with us, and become the foundation blocks of how we see
ourselves in the world. Name calling by parents, bullying by vicious kids at school and moments
where a child feels humiliated and embarrassed about their size all feed into an unhealthy and
destructive body image. Core beliefs about being fat, ugly and unattractive permeate and cut through

time. In the present day, an obese individual will believe they are unlovable and unattractive because
of how they look. Futile attempts at dieting and weight loss do not match the underlying core beliefs of
being fat and large, which results in binge eating and a return to type. Obesity can become a label
that defines and confirms self-identity, as they have always felt fat

Food Script
Families have their own rituals, behaviour patterns, beliefs and culture around eating. As children we
consume this way of acting around food and it becomes our unconscious blueprint of how to be in
relationship with food, eating, weight and meal times. Some of these family imprints will be helpful and
guiding, but for many obese individuals they are toxic and damaging. In the present day, the obese
individual will be acting out these behaviours because they are so habitual. They feel trapped and
unable to change what is so entrenched in their make-up. Changing behavior and navigating the
social minefield of eating and drinking in their life can feel overwhelming, so it becomes easier to stay
eating the way they have always done.
We have generalized some of the most common psychological presenting issues that we face with
obese clients. It is essential to understand how and why you struggle with food and weight in the
present day, and this comes from investigating what happened to you in the past. With this awareness
and understanding, we can support you in changing and updating the personality cement blocks that
keep you rooted in your weight dysfunction.
Every obese individual is different, and you will have your own unique story that explains your struggle
with food. For this reason the treatment and support we offer must be tailored to address your
individual needs.

Treatment for Psychological Factors in

Obesity
INDIVIDUAL THREAPY
Our therapists will explore your personal story with food, so that the root issues of your weight
dysfunction can be uncovered. They will then support you to make changes to your life, relationships
and use of food so that your life can progress and move forwards.

FAMILY THERAPY
Our systemic family therapist can explore dysfunctional family patterns of relating that trigger your
eating behavior. He can work with you in individual therapy, or he can work with you and a partner, or
with you and family members, to change these dynamics and support you in creating new ways of
communicating and being around food.

BODY THERAPY
Your body therapist will devise a relaxation programme to help you lower your stress levels and
anxiety. A mix of different massage techniques can be used (abdominal massage, myofascial release

etc) to relax body and mind and reacquaint yourself with your body becoming more in tune to its
needs.