Weight Gain / Obesity

• “I need protection.”
• “My body is safer when it is larger.”
• “Food is the only thing that comforts me.”
• “If I lose weight, I will be seen.”
• “If I am seen, I may be judged, desired, harmed, or rejected.”
• “If I change, I may lose my identity.”

Facing the feeling underneath the eating, weight gain, body shame, or resistance to change. Weight may provide protection, a barrier, distance, a reason not to be seen, a way to slow down, a way to avoid sexuality, a way to avoid intimacy, a way to numb painful feelings, or a way to avoid responsibility.

Before eating, hiding, or attacking your body, pause and ask, "What feeling am I trying not to feel right now? What am I using food, weight, or body shame to avoid?" Then choose one honest next step: feel the feeling, drink water, walk, breathe, journal, prepare real food, rest, or tell the truth.