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Body psychology
Obesity is a feminist issue, say fat' counselors
Overweight women need to realize
that they’re not awful people
because they're fat, say leaders of
two groups which deal with the
psychological aspects of being
overweight
The groups are aimed at women who feel
"disgusted’’ with themselves because they are
overweight They explore why overweight women
feel inadequate and how the women can control
their eating and gain a more positive image of
themselves
Nina Bernstein, clinical social worker,
operates one group and Mary Dieters, Jan
Krambule and Candy Reynolds run a group
through the University counseling center The
women stress that most participants in their
groups are not obese, but usually only 10 to 15
pounds overweight.
“These women use food as a weapon to
suppress their inner emotional feelings about
themselves like anger, anxiety, depression and
boredom Food fills an emotional need not met
otherwise," says Dieters
"They are disgusted with their bodies," adds
Krambule. "They don’t see themselves in the
mirror They restrict their actions — don’t wear a
swimming suit or jogging clothes They postpone
life and say they can’t do it until they get thin ”
The sessions try to teach the women that they
don't need to take out their frustrations on food
"They are bombarded with foods and overuse
food as a support,"says Bernstein "When things
get hard for them, they eat Overweight people
overuse food and underuse other kinds of body
pleasure such as massage, sauna, facials, making
love and bubble baths.”
Both groups use exercises from the book "Fat
as a Feminist Issue” to help the women "explore
what fat means to them and what it would be like
to be thin," according to Bernstein
"It’s a good place to start because we make
food choices every day,” she continues "You will
feel better about food and the choices you make
after doing exercises to decide what types of food
— creamy, boiled, fried, sweet, sour — give the
most enjoyment “Food should feed the spirit as
well as the body." she adds
Reynolds and Krambule also lead their group
in guided fantasies to help them become more
familiar with themselves For example, they may
tell the women to imagine themselves at a party
First, they imagine they are getting fatter and
fatter, noting others’ reactions and their
appearance and behavior, then they imagine
losing all that weight
“We tell them to note the differences in the
way they present themselves, their clothing and
their reactions to others," says Krambule "There
is an awareness to seeing themselves both ways "
The groups also work on changing the
"cognitive messages' that society imposes on
women For example, they try to deal with feelings
like “I'm not OK because I don't look like Cheryl
Tiegs ' which is a cognitive message women
unconsciously believe and that "we must learn to
change,” says Reynolds
Both groups emphasize that they are not a
diet program
"We are moving away from diets because
diets do not solve the problem," says Dieters, a
nutritionist at the student health center
The group leaders agree that part of the
problem for the women they counsel is that losing
weight is perceived as easy by most of society
"People think that fat is easy to change and
within people's control,” says Krambule That
just complicates the problem The media also
tends to give people the belief in the magic
formula to lose weight That is an unrealistic
expectation They say overweight is easy to solve
- it's not Then women try it and if it doesn't work
then they blame it on themselves, not on the
formula"* .
The women blame the media for giving
society a ’alse picture of what the "ideal woman"
should look like and placing a great emphasis on
thinness
Krambule notes one study where people rated
pictures of kids with different physical handicaps
and of different races. "When they rated likability,
fat children were at the bottom," she says "Not
only with their peers but with adults
"The whole idea of being beautiful, real
young, and real thin with a pre-adolescent body is
impossible for some people to ever achieve," says
Bernstein
"Women should look how they want to look,
not how society says they should,” says Dieters
"Women have a distorted image of themselves
and how they should be "
The counselors agree that despite the
disadvantages of being overweight, many women
have an "investment in being heavy" and so
subconsciously don’t want to lose weight
"It protects them They are less likely to be
taken advantage of sexually,” says Krambule
"Also, you know what you're liked for It has to be
more than appearance You can be more secure
in the relationships you do have "
Losing weight can mean gaining a new self image
a
Fat is a national obsession,’’
says Tami Kinley, director of
Weight Loss Clinic
"Weight does matter," she
continues "Women have no
confidence when they are
overweight They are lethargic and flabby They
don’t feel comfortable When they lose the weight
they can feel confident with being comfortable
with themselves.”
However, she admits that becoming thin will
not change womens’ perception of themselves
Men can look in the mirror once they lose
the weight and adapt their minds to the weight
loss,” says Kinley. "Women need much more
behavior modification to credit themselves or
appreciate themselves They have to deal with
themselves as thin ”
The clinic sees between 120 and 140 people
per day About 90 percent are women
Kinley says many of the women are
housewives and women who have recently had
babies who are "going into the job market A lot of
people want jobs and the best quality and the best
looking people are hired
"Women want to look their best and if they
take off the weight they do look their best ”
The clinic offers a three-part program of
weight loss, stabilization, and maintenance They
"start behavior modification from day one "
Kinley explains there are three types of fat -
subcutaneous fat right under the skin, normal fat
which provides everyday energy and storage fat
which has no function Unfortunately, she says,
most diets aim at the first two types of fat instead
of the storage fat
Kinley says the program is "teaching
Americans what good nutrition is.” The clinic
provides an individualized diet for each person,
depending on their age, medical background and
activity level.
She said 80 percent of the people on their
program achieve their goal weight, and 70 percent
of those people keep the weight off.
She says places such as Weight Loss Clinic
are necessary 'because a lot of people can’t diet
on their own. They are like alcoholics. Some
people can't control their eating properly We are
a training device for those people."
Overeaters Anonymous also sees overeating
as a problem comparable with alcoholism. In fact,
they use the same techniques as Alcoholics
Anonymous — treating overeating as a disease
and using group support to control the urge to eat
“OA is a fellowship that allows members to
share their experiences, strength and hopes. It
deals with more than just food — it deals with why
“Stories by Sandy Johnstone"
we eat,'' says Lea, who refused to give her last
name in keeping with the group’s anonymity.
"OA tries to reach inside and try to find out
why you're letting it happen to you and overcome
the need to eat,” she says. “We talk about
needing to eat — and that seems to eliminate part
of the need to eat by getting the emotions out.”
Dieting is the program’s main emphasis. Each
member has a food sponsor who helps regulate
the member’s eating habits. Members call their
food sponsors every morning and tell them what
they are planning to eat all day.
“Overeaters feel ‘food is my best friend. Food
comforts me when I’m sad. I turn to food for
comfort,’ ’’ Lea says. “Overeaters tend to be
isolationist and very lonely people because they
turn to food for companionship instead of to
people. We try to teach them to turn to people not
food.”
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