Wait....Weight!!!

Tis the season...Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystems, Medifast, Eat this NOT that...oh goodness all of this is quite confusion.   According to NIH , "If you are overweight, you are not alone. Sixty-six percent of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese.  Achieving a healthy weight can help you control your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. It might also help you prevent weight-related diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and some cancers." Interestingly, as obesity rises so is the rate of depression.  It is estimated that by 2020, depression will become the second largest cause of suffering -- next only to heart disease. So what is eating us?  Is it a stressful job, school, family conflict or is it something less tangible such as a sense of general dissatisfaction, disappointment, boredom?  Ask yourself do I consume food for comfort or for any other reason than hunger?  Do I eat excessive amounts?  

Something is "eating" Americans both young and old.  The trajectory of depression and obesity is trending upward at an alarming rate.  There are several pillars to wellness: physical health, mental health, financial health and spiritual health; yet the weight loss industry spends millions of dollars on physical health.

Every January, every other commercial attempts to sell us “health.” Marketers show smiling people testifying how they got “healthy” on product XYZ and how easy it was to lose weight.  What diet commercials fail to say in their 3 min clips is that in order to meet your goal;  you will need to be disciplined, hardworking and consistent.  You must have SMART Goals. They must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-oriented. I don't believe that I have ever seen a commercial that mentions hard work, discipline and consistency. Have you? Mostly, I hear drink this potion or eat only this product XYZ and Taaadaaa...You will be fit and slim!!!!!

Did anyone stop to think that perhaps, the diet industry is making people depressed by misleading individuals?  Perhaps, the claims of quick, easy, long-lasting results in weight loss delude consumers into thinking that in 30 days they will miraculously have the “perfect” body.  Are weight loss commercials just perpetuating a myth that you can lose weight without effort and when people are not “successful” they return to former less than healthy habits? Perhaps, the delusion of quick results in anything, including weight loss, is contributing to the increase in depression. 

From time to time, it is good to examine what is  “eating” us.  We may need to take a few moments to think about what is bothering us or what is holding us back?  Is it a spiritual or emotional void?   Is it loneliness and disappointment?

Just think how different television would look if along with the annual barrage of dietary products; there were a few mental health public service announcements with people walking on a beach looking at a sunset and a voice over of a female stating:  “Wait! This is not about weight. This commercial is about wellness. If you feel overwhelmed, out of control or "out of sorts;" please see your mental health professional today This just may save your life.”

References

World Health Organization: Mental health: Depression [http://www.who.int/mental_health/management/depression/definition/en/index.html], retrieved on January 2012.