Obesity has been under the microscope so to speak for over 50 years. Study upon study has added to the stockpile of information attempting to define, and understand the issue. One obvious connection that is often included in obesity studies is overeating. Early studies indicated that the reason for overeating lay solely at the door of anxiety.
Since the early years many more studies have been conducted. Anxiety is no longer pointed at as the sole reason behind overeating. When taken into consideration as a whole there are more than enough studies with more than enough findings to conclude decisively that overeating is a phenomenon that crosses all social and economic and racial boundaries.
Further studies conducted throughout the last several decades have led experts to believe that rather than anxiety…it is emotion that rules when it comes to overeating. At least this is true when the subjects being studied are obese individuals. This connection between emotion and overeating is apparent in both obese individuals seeking treatment and obese individuals not seeking treatment.
Overeating amongst the obese carries some definite characteristics. These defining characteristics include: a lack of real hunger, secrecy, high calorie/high fat “favorite” foods, etc. The “emotion” leading up to or causing the overeating vary from individual to individual. But they are often found amongst the following list: frustration, depression, stress, anger, boredom, loneliness, and anxiety.
Study findings indicate that emotional distress in obese individuals triggers overeating. The same theory did not hold true amongst control groups of normal weight.
As more studies are conducted and previous studies are unearthed with new perspectives the issue of obesity is more clearly defined. Its causes and consequences are made more identifiable. Public awareness continues to increase. And as the general public becomes more and more aware of the consequences of overweight and obesity more individuals are stepping forward and doing what needs to be done to lose weight.
Amelia Handley studied exercise science in college with a minor in Nutrition. Yet she still found herself veering from diet to diet in order to control her weight. With HCG Diet Direct she’s found a program that allows her to combine her desire to control her own body weight with her education and not feel off balance.