Being overweight can affect nearly every aspect of your life, and find a way to deal with it is something that everyone who suffers from the condition must do. Being overweight is often fairly restrictive, causing those that are extremely overweight or obese to miss out on opportunities afforded to others. Physical restrictions can range from simply not being fit enough to participate in activities like team sports and other types of outdoor recreations, and in extreme cases, physical restrictions can even keep the overweight person from being able to fit into seats that were designed with a smaller person in mind, or having to purchase additional seating such as on an airline flight.
Besides, the physical difficulties that are encountered when being overweight, there are some social disadvantages that can take a heavy toll upon the overweight person. Unlike other physical traits that are deemed unattractive by society in general, being overweight is generally considered to be the fault of the obese person, and therefore the general public may be rude and inconsiderate to the overweight person, especially when having trouble fitting into a seat, or eating in public. Being overweight can make the obese person feel badly about themselves and can lower confidence and make it difficult for them to be in social situations.
Understanding Why Obesity Happens
Being overweight doesn’t automatically put the person who is obese at fault, although nearly every case of obesity can be solved with diet and exercise. However, keep in mind that you shouldn’t be ashamed of being overweight, or allow it to affect how you feel about yourself, because being overweight is not what defines you as a person. Also, there are some social factors that you should keep in mind as well, especially if you live in the United States.
- From the time that we are children, we are taught to clean our plate, which means that we learn from an early age to eat more than we are actually hungry for.
- Nearly every restaurant serves portions that are much larger than the recommended serving sizes.
- The prevalence of fast food restaurants make eating unhealthy very easy, and eating healthy foods on the run very difficult, although some of them have begun to add items for the more health conscious among us.
- We can easily become addicted to delicious fried foods and our body cries out for these foods when we deprive ourselves of it. This need for fried foods can be compared to the quitting smoker’s need for nicotine.
How to Feel Confident About Your Body
Although it may feel like you are unattractive because you are obese, you are probably more attractive than you realize. When you are obese, going out in public may make you feel like everyone is watching you, and judging you, but this is almost never the case. You should feel proud of who you are even if you are a little overweight, and you should certainly never let the way that you look define. Also, if you are like most, the very fact that you are on a diet, and have stuck to it will make you feel better about yourself. This is true even if you have only been on the diet a day or two, and you will find that your confidence will increase the longer you are trying to live healthy.
How to Deal with Physical Restrictions
It can be embarrassing and difficult when you encounter a situation in which you are simply too big or too heavy. You have probably avoided many of these situations in the past, but as you lose weight you will find that you can enjoy more and more of these activities. If you do encounter something that you are restricted from, you will probably feel embarrassed, but just keep in mind that you are taking steps to solve the problem, and that you should be proud of your efforts. You should also keep in mind that many of the activities that you thought you might be too heavy for, you probably aren’t, and you do some research online to find ones that you can do. There is no reason to miss out on life while you are losing weight.
Losing weight can be a lengthy and difficult process, depending upon how much weight you have to lose and how you go about it. Be aware that it is going to take some time, and remind yourself each day of how far you have come and how much you have to be proud of. Over time, you should get some of that confidence back, or build your confidence about your self-image. It is a long and arduous journey, but it is certainly worth it.