Why Lose Weight and Why is it So Hard to Lose?

The statistics and information are all around us in the media about the dangers of being overweight.

Over half the UK population is either overweight or obese, in 2002 70% of men and 63% of women. One in five adults is obese. Obesity in 2-4 year olds almost doubles from 5%-9% from 1989-1998 and in 6-15 year olds trebled from 5%-16% between 1990 and 2001. Overweight children have a 50% chance of being overweight adults and children of overweight parents have twice the risk of being overweight compared to those of healthy weight parents. If current trends continue, conservative estimates are that at least one-third of adults, one fifth of boys and one-third of girls will be obese by 2020.

‘Obesity causes 19,000 cancer cases every year' screamed a headline from the Daily Mail this week (May 2009). A new analysis by the World Cancer Research Fund has found that excess fat was linked to around 17% of cases of the seven main cancers (breast, bowel, oesophagus, kidney, pancreas, endometrium and gall bladder). Body fat promotes the production of hormones and growth factors such as oestrogen and insulin which can increase the risk of cancer and overweight people are less likely to eat sufficient quantities of fruit and vegetables that can protect against cancer.

Being overweight or obese can also lead to heart disease, strokes, joint problems, shortness of breath and is directly linked to the development of Type 2 Diabetes. Being overweight is also heavily implicated in infertility.

So why do we find it so difficult to lose weight?

We cannot completely avoid food - you can totally give up smoking cigarettes, but you will always need to eat

We enjoy eating food and eating is a social activity in our Society

We eat food to make ourselves feel better or as a substitute for something, like affection, that we believe to be lacking in our lives

As soon as we restrict our food intake or cut out some tasty treats, we feel hard done by and deprived

Dieting makes us feel isolated, miserable and lonely

We are scared of losing weight and of the changes it may bring to our lives; we may be clinging to our weight gain as some form of protection

The significant people in our lives are threatened by the prospect of our weight loss; they do not want us to change

TV and the media are hypnotising us to eat - just look at those M&S food ads!

Being overweight leads to feelings of self-hatred and lack of self-worth, so there will be no motivation or drive to lose the weight

Anyone who has been overweight for any length of time will find it hard to visualise a slimmer future