Christmas Nightmare for Overweight and Obese People

Coming to contradict the misconception that people struggling with their weight can hardly wait for the holiday season to indulge in all their culinary whims, experts say that this period of the year is actually more telling on their psyche than with the rest of us. Psychiatrists reveal that not only do overweight and obese people have to fight with the daily temptations coming their way, but they also have to put on a brave face against all the common misconceptions, such as the one just mentioned above.

“Social situations make people feel self-conscious about what they wear and what they eat to the point where they feel they're being judged for every morsel that touches their lips,” Martin Binks, director of behavioral health at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center, said in a recent press release.

This happens mostly because, as he believes, normal sized people tend to think that someone with weight issues has brought it all on themselves, thus disregarding the fact that, most often than not, the weight gain or the inability to lose it is independent of that person’s will. This is precisely what makes people well aware of how much they weigh and how they’re seen by others, Binks says, plus isolate themselves during the holidays. Self-imposed alienation and solitude, in turn, lead to depression and more anxiety so, quite understandably, what lays ahead for these people is far from the merry holidays we’re all getting.

Binks also ventured to offer a few pieces of advice on this issue, not surprisingly, not for those who might be prejudiced, but for those finding themselves in such situations. For starters, they must remember to imbue in the Christmas spirit, and not indulge in the Christmas foods. Portion control and being as socially active as possible are also means for staying away from temptation, as well as trying to find the answer to what it is precisely they’re looking in food and then trying to find it in real life.