Emotions and Bad Food Habits

Many people with a weight problem have a mental image of themselves as fat. They have been overweight so long they assume they were born that way and destined to remain so. Some babies are born fat and some soon become fat through overly indulgent mothers. This is no reason to sentence the child to a lifetime of overweight.

Fat cells may be developed in infancy and remain in the body the rest of their life, but there is no need to continually stretch the fat cells to capacity with fat.

The situation can be modified by controlling the diet. This control should begin in infancy. Teaching the child wrong attitudes about food and setting bad eating examples will almost guarantee a lifetime battle of bulges and bumps. Let's look at what we mean when we refer to "attitudes" toward food. When a child has had his feelings hurt or his knee skinned and is consoled with a piece of candy or an ice cream cone, he associates food with love. When he has pleased his mother by "being good" and is rewarded with a piece of cake he associates food with a reward for proper behaviour.

If the child is asked to clean his room or sweep the sidewalk and is promised a bag of nuts in return, he associates food with compensation.

When the child becomes a man or a woman, he or she assumes the role of self-administering food as a reward for achievement or to placate disappointment or hurt or anger or any other emotion.

When a child is hurt, or his feelings are hurt, he seeks his mother for attention and love and tenderness. He does not seek something to eat.

Food is also used as a weapon. Misbehaviour is punished by depriving the culprit of dessert. Or as an alternative-"if you don't eat your squash you don't get your ice cream." Mothers are as quick to supply a candy bar as they are to apply adhesive bandages. They hand out potato chips more generously than squeezes - a piece of gum in the hand in place of a pat on the head.

It's a smart kid that knows his mother's weaknesses. Squirming, crying, scolding, nagging can usually produce some form of sweet.

Of course, many mothers are reacting to their own feelings. They reach for a bon-bon when down. They nibble when mad. Someone slighted them at church so they seek friendship in a fudge sundae. Their husband is crabby so they take junior by the hand and they both go to an ice cream haven or a pie palace.

Habits and ideas are entwined with attitudes that can mean the difference between success Or failure in a weight loss. There is no way to change your weight without changing your attitude.