I heard a discussion on Radio 4 last Friday. It was talking about how many people (in the UK specifically) are overweight now and what the trend looks like going forward. In fact, they read one statistic which said that by 2050, something like 60% of men, 40% of women and 25% of children will be obese. Those are huge numbers!

In case you are not familiar with the definition of obese, it usually refers to a person’s BMI (body mass index.) If a person has a BMI of 30 or higher, then they fit into the “obese” category. Having a BMI of 30 means a person is roughly 30 pounds above a “normal weight”.

Referring back to the statistic that the radio program stated, I actually think their numbers could happen a lot sooner than 2050. They probably are already close to that in the US!

Anyway, getting to the point of this post…the program also posed the question about whether or not being overweight is a “mental illness”. They had one person representing each side of the argument, but I have to say I was shocked that this question even came up!

I think being overweight and trying to lose weight is definitely a huge problem and can be one of the hardest things for people to do, but I can’t imagine how it can be classed as a mental illness.

Cravings play a huge part in people overeating, which I guess could possibly fall into an addiction category, but again, I think a mental illness categorisation is just a step too far! We have to stop blaming something…anything…everything and making excuses for our weight problems. Even if you have been overeating, eating the wrong things, overweight, dieting, or trying to lose those last 10 pounds for years, it is still in your control!

I am an example of this. I went through a few years of eating really bad foods, hiding food from my roommates and friends, essentially lying to myself about why I couldn’t lose weight. I dealt with CRAZY sugar and carb cravings, sometimes feeling like I was going to have a breakdown if I couldn’t get that “treat” that I needed.

But, I’ve gotten away from that in a totally natural way. I didn’t have a mental illness, I just had really bad habits that were forcing me into a vicious cycle of craving the exact things that I was trying to avoid.

I’m not saying it is easy to change your habits and start losing weight, but everyone can do it! It is not a mental illness. Don’t fall into that belief, or you will be even further away from achieving your goals.

To your health,
Kimberly

P.S. If you’re interested in a way to kick start your own weight loss or just be a healthier person, download my Free Weight Loss Report that is shown in the top right corner. And feel free to contact me with questions or comments.