In a 2012 Norwegian study, scientists tracked a group of teenagers who were of a normal weight for a period of 10 years. They found that among the teenagers who felt fat but actually weren’t, the majority had become fat adults 10 years later.
The researchers could not really pinpoint a cause for this phenomenon.
I think I know why. As a weight loss coach and emotional eating expert, I can’t tell you how many
times I’ve had a client tell me, “I woke up feeling really fat today, and so I started eating and couldn’t stop.”
Logically, it would make sense that if someone felt fat, they would eat less, but that isn’t the case. Feeling fat
makes people act in ways that are congruent or in alignment with their feelings.
There is a thinking distortion called emotional reasoning and I find this thinking distortion runs rampant amongst many of my
clients.
It goes like this:
I feel it, therefore it must be true. "I feel bad, therefore I am bad." "I feel fat, therefore I am fat." Feelings aren’t facts; but many never question the validity of their feelings.
So, the next line of reasoning is: "Oh well, what’s the use. Since I’m fat anyway, I might as well eat."
The
Law of Attraction states you get more of what you focus on. Being overly focused on your weight causes you to act in ways that are counterproductive and actually leads to overeating and weight gain.
