The Stigma Of Obesity: Does It Make Losing Weight Harder Or Easier?

In every era of human history, some health condition has brought shame. Several thousand years ago, menstruation and nocturnal seminal emission were thought, in many cultures, to be reasons for exclusion from the household or from the community. Cultures all over the world have shunned people who have leprosy or harelip. Tens of millions of women around the world suffer fistula and are regulating to solitary lives as a result. Sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV and syphilis often bring ostracism and opprobrium. And hundreds of millions of people, perhaps billions of people, are stigmatized because of obesity.

When People Are Shamed for Being Fat, Are They More Likely to Lose Weight?

Some self-appointed experts on obesity, usually people who report that they can eat anything they want and stay thin, opine that fat is the fault of the people whose bodies carry it. After all, the reasoning goes, fat is storage of excess calories. Just quit stuffing your face or get off your butt and get some exercise and you, like they, can be sleek and thin.

The simple fact is, however, that overweight people face pervasive discrimination in Western society, in social relationships, on the job, in the mass media, and even at the doctor's office. Weight has become the most common reason for bullying of school-aged children by school-aged children. Among adults, weight discrimination is now more common than racial discrimination.

Only a few "experts" have suggested shaming obese people to motivate them to lose weight. But as social media and constant connectedness to electronic media make weight shame more and more pervasive, obesity has become more common, not less.

The Price of the Blame Game

There is no shortage of blame for the obese. As bariatrics expert Dr. Rebecca Puhl puts it, "These views frequently stem from assumptions that individuals with obesity are personally responsible and at fault for their body weight, and lack the willpower, discipline, and treatment compliance necessary to lose weight. These stereotypes have been documented in multiple segments of the general population, and among healthcare professionals."

Obesity researchers know that the stereotypes don't tell the whole story.

Experimental research confirms that the overweight are more likely to make unhealthy food choices after being insulted about their weight, and one study has even found that 79% of adults who are stigmatized for their weight turn to food to obtain emotional comfort after social rejection.

See Also: Reasons To Motivate Yourself To Lose Weight

Stigmatizing obesity doesn't just affect the obese psychologically. It also affects them physiologically. Multiple clinical studies have found that experiencing rejection for obesity raises blood pressure, increases the production of the stress hormone cortisol (which in turn accelerates the deposit of fat into fat cells), and increases insulin resistance (which also accelerates the deposit of fat into fat cells). 

Teasing Sabotages Weight Loss Efforts

A study of 6000 dieters attempting to lose weight by eating less found that experiencing teasing and nagging about weight loss was linked to less adherence to their diet plans, less exercise, and less weight loss. Another study found that overweight people who experienced social rejection on account of their weight were 2-1/2 times more likely to go on to become obese.

What Is the Antidote for Rejection?

Medically oriented weight loss experts are finding that the most successful diet programs include a component that helps dieters deal with negative interactions with others that would ordinarily trigger eating more or exercising less. Usually these successful programs take one of the following four approaches.

• Some people who have trouble sticking to their weight loss programs benefit from regular face to face contact with a supportive counselor. This person is more likely to be like a therapist than like a drill sergeant. These dieters need the kind of emotional support that is also stigmatized, so they need regular private counseling sessions.
• Some people who discontinue their diets after social pressure need their privacy. They respond better to web-based programs that remind them of their goals and how to reach them, but do not contain the possibility of social rejection. Some people suffer real post-traumatic stress after weight loss efforts and need this approach.
• Some dieters find that "there's an app for that." A smartphone application called Oiva, for example, reminds dieters of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) principles which help them ignore social pressures that ordinarily would cause them to lose interest in their diets and exercise programs.
• And there are numerous Internet-based programs for weight loss.

• If you need 24/7 access to your weight loss support method, the Internet or a phone app is probably better for you.
• If you need a gentle nudge to stay on your weight loss plan, Internet or smartphone based programs may work for you.
• If you need intense support for reaching your goals, you probably need a sympathetic coach or support group.
• If your experiences with dieting and weight loss have come with major depression or suicidal thoughts, you need the help of a licensed, professional counselor to make your weight loss program work.

If you have decided that dieting just isn't for you, that doesn't necessarily mean that you can't do anything to improve your health. Both diabetes and cardiovascular disease respond to appropriate exercise programs. Find a gym that specializes in providing a place for overweight people to work out, or join a rehabilitation program at your local Y or community health center.

See Also: People Lose a Little More Weight with Online Help as Compared to Traditional Weight Loss Programs

Whatever you need to do to feel good about yourself, as long as it does not come at the expense of the physical or emotional health of others, is fair game as your personal weight treatment plan.