Psychology of obese people: excess weight comes to us from childhood. What's on the minds of the fat ones? Five thought patterns that are causing weight gain

So, we continue to understand the problems that haunt obese women in family relationships. It often happens that the once happy mother of a family becomes a weak link. And all because she feels insecure, ugly, especially when she catches her husband's interested look, addressed to another girl. Let's think about why a woman develops an inferiority complex in herself?

1. Public opinion says that beautiful woman is a skinny woman. Looking at excessively slender fashion models rattling bones on the podium, you involuntarily begin to doubt your own attractiveness. Although many male fashion designers differ gay, which explains their fondness for broad shoulders, skinny bottoms, and size zero breasts. Keep this in mind the next time you watch a fashion show.
2. It is much more difficult for overweight women to choose clothes that would look harmonious on a blurry figure. As a rule, numerous blouses and dresses treacherously emphasize every crease on the body. This is undeniably frustrating.
3. But what makes it even more frustrating is the sight of your own body without clothes. This is where you can’t convince yourself that the bones are not warm, or “but there is something to hold on to.” Practice shows that they stick mainly to slender beauties.
4. Health problems also do not inspire optimism. Excessive fullness automatically leads to shortness of breath and failure of the cardiovascular system.
5. The final bullet point in the formation and growth of complexes is put by the people themselves, who from time immemorial have been distinguished by cruelty. Reprimand the woman who occupied 1.5 seats in public transport; tell the customer that “the company does not sew such parachute dresses”; to ask how old the “grandmother” of a grown-up son is - our society is happy to come up with more and more new mockery for obese women.

But not all ladies overweight need psychological support. We offer you a number of questions. If you agree with most of the statements, then the problem is obvious, and it needs to be treated.

1. You “eat” stress and any unpleasant situations.
2. Your completeness is a consequence of a change in lifestyle (moving, marriage, childbirth).
3. You dislike thin people, unwittingly implying ill-wishers in them.
4. You often lost weight, but, breaking loose, again gained extra pounds.
5. You do not like unfamiliar companies and try to be as inconspicuous as possible in such an environment.

If you answered yes to half of the questions, then follow our further publications, and we will help you get rid of the psychological problem and start a new, full life without looking back at the readings of floor scales.

03/2019

CAUTION There are contraindications,
be sure to consult with a specialist

fat like me

Leslie Lampert
Ladies' Home Journal, May 1993

One week of my life I lived like a fat woman. This week has been truly terrible. Every day of this week, I suffered from the arrogant contempt of others. Thin people never experience this. If you've ever laughed at a fat person - or if you're overweight yourself - then you should read this story.

I gained 70 kg in one morning and my life changed radically. My husband began to look at me differently, my children were discouraged, my friends took pity on me, strangers expressed their contempt. Small pleasures, like shopping, going out with family, going to a party, turned into big anguish. The very thought of having to do something, like going to the grocery store or going to a videotape store, put me in a terrible mood. But most importantly, I had a feeling of anger. This feeling came to me because during this week (when I wore a "fat suit" that made me look like a woman weighing about 130 kg) I realized that our society hates obese people, we have a prejudice against them, which in corresponds in many ways to racism and religious intolerance. In a country that is proud of its careful attitude towards the disabled and the homeless, fat people remain a target for cultural abuse.

For many, obesity symbolizes our inability to control ourselves in terms of own health. Fat people are considered foul-smelling, dirty, lazy losers (who shield themselves from insults and contemptuous attacks with their large fat layer, like a shield). Besides, big role in the development of a prejudiced attitude towards them, the issue of personal space plays a role. Many feel that fat people are unfairly taking up too much space on the bus, in the cinema, even in the aisles of stores. Based on my experience as a supposedly fat person, it seems to me that we are much more tolerant of slender rude people than respectable but overweight fellow citizens.

We are a society that idolizes harmony and is afraid of full figures. I am no exception. After I gave birth to three children, said goodbye to my 30-year-old age, I was affected by the law gravity, and I gained about 10 kg, which I could not calmly look at. Everyone who knows me can well imagine my struggle with excess weight through various diets, when my weight went down, then up again. However, this did not prepare me at all for the contempt that we have for people who are clinically significant obesity (that is, 20% over ideal weight).

When actress Goldie Hawn got 100 pounds extra in Death Becomes Her, I thought, what does it really mean to be that big? How would I feel at that weight? And so my experiment was born.

Every morning this week I donned a special "fat suit" made for me by visual effects artist Richard Tautkus of New York (who works with many studios and Broadway shows). This costume allowed me to enter a world where I was either not noticed or looked at as if I were some kind of spectacle. So here is my diary:

Friday

10 a.m. I take a taxi from the editorial office of Woman's House in Manhattan to Richard Totkus' studio on Long Island. Richard and his assistants, Jim and Steven, are going to work on my new look. For some reason, I get nervous, especially when I read in the papers about former fat people (all of whom lost a lot of weight after gastric bypass surgery) who said they were ready to go blind, deaf, or lose a leg rather than become fat again. Is it really all that terrible?

Even the authors of the fat suit themselves hardly believed that the suddenly bloated creature in front of them was me. The suit, made from air-conditioning filter material, was surprisingly light, but the inside of the suit is very hot and I sweat a lot. I was led to a large full-length mirror. I'm just in shock. I look very natural. Too natural!

When I look at myself in the mirror, I feel bad. "For such a fat woman, you're still nothing, pretty," one of the assistants reassures me. I'm not laughing.

12 a.m. This is my first time riding a taxi in a fat suit. It looks like the driver chuckled at me. Or did it just seem to me? It took me longer than usual to get into the car. Is the driver in a hurry? I arrive at the photo studio, hardly get out of the car. Did I say something funny? The driver openly laughs at me.

8 pm. I show my husband and children my photos before and after the costume. The husband immediately reconsiders his desire to go out to dinner with me in my disguise. "I'm sad that you're fat," he says. "I'll be embarrassed that people will stare at you and laugh at you." The children say in unison: "Don't pick us up from school like this."

We are talking about discrimination against fat people. My 10-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, says, "It's not that I don't like fat people, I just don't want to talk about it seriously." Nine-year-old Amanda said in an indifferent voice: "You scare me." Alex, my seven-year-old son, laughs nervously and tries on a suit.

11 p.m. I'm trying to sleep in my own body. The husband snores softly. I'm scared of his reaction to me, the fat one. So far, he has not made any negative remarks about my body in all 12 years. life together. I felt terrible when I saw his face when looking at my photos in a fat suit.

Monday

7 a.m.

I put on a suit and take the train to the city. No one sits next to me. I feel extremely embarrassed. People look at me for a long time, expressing obvious disapproval, then look at the newspaper. Two women got so far that they frankly look at me and whisper. I take a seat and a half, and of course, embarrassed. On the other hand, I'm outraged. How dare these people judge me based on my size alone?

8 a.m. Everyone in the office wants to hear my impressions and see how I look. One editor commented that in a fat suit, my movements seemed to him more aggressive. One employee asked me how I would feel if I encountered my ex-boyfriend. Another thought I was depressed. Yes, I'm depressed, and besides that, I'm really hungry.

1 p.m. I went to eat with two colleagues at a restaurant in the city. I feel clearly not in order, because everyone is staring at me and smirking. The helpful waiter moved the chair away from the table so I could sit down. When I tried to squeeze into a chair with cramped arms, my embarrassment was clearly noticed by everyone present, and now they diligently look away.

Well, let me be fat, but I am a thinking being. I'm willing to bet that among you restaurant patrons there are drug addicts, thieves, people who cheat on their spouses, bad parents. It would be nice if your flaws were as clearly visible on you as the non-standard size of my body (by the way, many doctors consider this a genetic problem, and not weakness of will). We refuse dessert and leave.

17.30. I am driving a car from the train station. I stop at a red light. A car with two teenagers pulls up next to me. The guy in the passenger seat looks at me and puffs out his cheeks. Then he starts laughing.

18.30 I pick up the children from school. We're going to eat at a cafe. The children tell me to walk along the road separately from them.

I order two fried chicken, potatoes, vegetables, gravy, corn and six small chocolate brownies. Some kids in the restaurant say "That fat woman" about me. The adults giggle along with them.

When the person behind the cashier punches my order, he asks how many people I'm going to feed. I answer indignantly: "Six. What?" He says that if he knew, he could offer a cheaper one. family dinner. I wonder if he's laughing at me or not?

Tuesday

10 a.m. On the way to Bloomingdale, I stop at Haagen-Dazs for ice cream. I order two scoops of chocolate chip ice cream. I watch as the teenager behind me evaluates my size. I feel the urge to say something in my defense. When I was walking home and eating ice cream in a cup, I met a well-dressed man who looked at me and shook his head disapprovingly, and when he passed by, he began to laugh out loud.

Walking in Bloomingdale is not easy. First, I could hardly get through the revolving door, and when I got inside, I saw that everyone was looking at me. Interestingly, I was not ignored in the conventional sense. Two perfume sellers just jumped at me, offering the latest perfume. One person behind the counter asked me if I would like a complete makeover.

I squeezed into the elevator. The two women began to giggle. I asked the seller sports section help me choose clothes. He politely sent me to the "big girls" section.

On the way home, I bought ten donuts. I ate one on the train. Why do people hate to watch fat man eating? I don't pay attention to the frowns. I want to eat.

Wednesday

10 a.m. Went in for a beauty salon near my house. I tell the stylist, who is thin as a chip, that I want to change the appearance. She gently explains to me that I need a fuller hairstyle to balance the fullness of my figure. I'm not holding a grudge. She was just being honest. She didn't offend me. We talked about the difficulties of dieting. We became friends.

One o'clock. I have an appointment with friends at a restaurant in the suburbs. They are eager to see my new look and hear my story about this project. I feel depressed and don't want to go anywhere. I'm tired of being constantly on the defensive. Friends joked that if you sit next to me, you will feel like a skeleton. I was glad when another plump woman entered the restaurant and sat down at the next table. She ordered a salad. Me too.

2.30 p.m. I'm at the grocery store. Everyone looks in my cart to see what the fat woman is buying. Two women were angry that they couldn't squeeze past me in the canning department. I apologized and left. I hate the candy department, but I promised to buy something for the kids. I took the package of sweets and looked around to see if anyone was looking at me. In the cart, I covered this package with other purchases. I feel like a criminal.

4pm. I become paranoid about how people react to me. I decided to discuss this issue with a plump woman. It turns out she has the same feelings. "I can't take the comments about what I eat anymore," says Denise Rubin, a 32-year-old lawyer. Her weight is about 100 kg. "I'm already tired of injustice. I'm valued less than I deserve, just because my size is larger than others. When will we finally understand that the word "fat" is an adjective, not a noun?"

I listen to her with sympathy, but I do not know what to answer.

Thursday

Elizabeth told the school about my experiment, and the teacher asked me to come to the school and tell the students about my experience. My daughter is no longer shy when her friends see me. We've all changed this week. We are happy to tell everyone about my experiment in order to explain to people the injustice of the existing attitude towards obese people. The kids in the class - especially those who know me - laugh at first and then start asking questions faster than I can answer. What I feel? What is the attitude of people towards me? What does it mean to be fat?

2 pm. I'm going to the city by car to finish some business at the office. Yes, I am ready to admit that driving a car with such a weight is not an easy task. In order to sit comfortably, I had to move the seat as far back as possible. In this position, I can barely reach the pedals.

19.30. I'm having lunch at a trendy hangout in town with Richard, the designer of my fat suit. We had a plan to meet in the lobby of the hotel next door so that I would not go to a restaurant alone. Richard is late; Finally, at 7:45 p.m., Richard appears. We kiss: "Hi!" We walk hand in hand to the restaurant. I feel safe.

The nightmare begins. At the bar the sea beautiful people. So many people that I can hardly take off my coat. Behind me I hear a whisper in the address of Richard: "What a handsome man!" When it's our turn, I tell the woman manager that we've arrived. She pretends not to hear me. Richard himself tells her our names, and then she escorts us to a table.

We requested a table in front. We are seated at a table in the back. Two women in their thirties barely hide their horror as I squeeze between two tables. Glasses of water shake when I accidentally hit the tables. Richard and I order drinks, I take bread from a basket on the table. The two women stared at me. I order goat cheese salad, pasta with cream sauce. They giggle. The rest of the dinner continued in the same vein. Richard and I look at the dessert menu, ignoring these women.

I apologize and go to the toilet. In the bathroom, I take off my fat suit and put on my normal clothes. I know I've lost my mind, but I'm fed up with it all. These two women were just stunned when they saw me again. Richard told me that when I was in the toilet, they asked him: "What are you doing here with this fat pig?" He replied, "That's my girlfriend." They were indignant: "Yes, this is simply impossible! In that case, you must be a male prostitute." My blood boils. Richard tells them about the project. They start getting mad at me. Guess they're mad at me! They quickly pay the bill and disappear.

Richard and I drink coffee and leave. I am followed with flirtatious glances by the same men who previously looked at me contemptuously.

Friday

16 o'clock in the afternoon. We go with the children to the store to buy clothes for a trip to the south. During the purchase process, I heard “Wow!” twice, received many contemptuous glances, and once heard a nasty chuckle from stranger. But now I don't care what people think. Perhaps because the project is coming to an end, or maybe I just put up with the attitude of people towards me, a fat woman. I still feel daily injections from others, but the desire for revenge has almost disappeared. I was just out of breath.

19.30 I go to dinner with my husband (already without a fat suit). I feel sad and not at all happy about my sudden weight loss. Instead, I feel ashamed of the culture of my society, of how much pain we inflict on people who do not fit into our ideal. I'm thinking of ways to instill confidence in fat people. The fact that they need to feel their full value. And that I need to muster all my will and give up dessert.

fat people

Psychology and life of fat people

VES.ru - site - 2007

Factors causing obesity

Personal factors of obese people

A study of the personality structure of people with obesity has not brought much clarity (Pudel, 1991), nor has it revealed the psychological cause of obesity.

Regarding the personality of such a person, there is some agreement that such people have addiction, fears, and increased levels of depression (Frost et al. 1981, Ross 1994). On the other hand, there are works that directly contradict this. Thus, according to Hafner, 1987, obese people have a low level of depression.

Aspects of the developmental psychology of overweight people

Psychoanalysis blames the early childhood of such patients when they become "extremely depraved" with regard to "oral disturbances".

In relation to intra-family relationships, we can identify one striking detail, namely that obesity is significantly more likely to develop if the child was raised by a single mother. This is confirmed by another study where such people often did not have a father in the family (Wolf, 1993).

Herman & Polivy (1987) showed that such a child is often made the "scapegoat" in the family. Compared with the control group, family relationships in such children can rarely be described as open, warm and cordial (Pachinger 1997). In contrast, Erzigkeit (1978) found that such a child is often spoiled in the family, and thus "spoiled". But in general, such a child of the family too often runs into extremes, receiving both "too little love" and "too much".

A study by Hammar (1977) showed that in childhood such children are often rewarded by giving them sweets. Pudel & Maus (1990) found that in childhood, adults often develop certain behaviors in such children, for example: "Everything that is put on the table must be eaten", or put hidden pressure on them: "If you eat, mommy will happy,” or trying to imitate them: “Look, your brother has already eaten everything.” It is suggested that such an imposed eating behavior may ultimately suppress the adequate physiological satiety response in humans.

External factors are also important (Pudel, 1988). Life events such as marriage, pregnancy (Bradley 1992) or leaving work can reduce the balance of nutritional self-control.

Aspects social psychology fat people

Lack of security, hypersensitivity and isolation among obese people is dominant. Sometimes among them there is feigned self-confidence, supported by internal fantasies that he is "the greatest" (the best, most intelligent), has "the strongest control over his emotions", and so on. These fantasies are inevitably, again and again, shattered by life, and reappear, creating a vicious circle (Klotter, 1990).

Monello and Mayer (1968) found that there was a similarity between being overweight and being discriminated against on other grounds. public opinion in the 1970s, for example, in Germany (Ernöhrungsbericht, 1971), has now been replaced by a negative image of a fat person as "weak", "stupid" and "nasty" (Bodenstedt et al. 1980, Wadden & Stunkard 1985, Machacek 1987, de Jong 1993). Women are more affected by these prejudices. On the other hand, men, even after successful weight loss after surgery, behave more passively. Fat people show less interest in sex both before and after surgery; this applies to both men and women (Pudel & Maus 1990).

It is important to distinguish between obesity in adults and obesity in children and adolescents. In children and adolescents, psychological factors play a much more important role. Simplifying the problem, children are much more affected and discriminated against (Gortmaker 1993, Hill & Silver 1995). For example, a study by Klotter (1990) showed that when ordinary children were shown pictures of disabled children and fat children, they found fat children to be less attractive than disabled children.

The study social contacts obese people showed that such contacts are much more limited compared to people with normal weight. Such people can name very few people who love them, who give them practical support, or who can lend them money. Obese women report having much less contact with men than with women.

Psychological outcomes after surgical weight loss

Among scientists who have studied the results of weight loss, there is no complete similarity of opinion. There are major positive personality changes towards stabilization and greater openness (Stunkard et al. 1986, Larsen & Torgerson 1989). There are also positive changes in the emotional background, a decrease in feelings of helplessness, etc. (Castelnuovo & Schiebel 1976, Loewig 1993).

On the other hand, there are reports of negative personality changes after surgery if the patient went for surgery for psychosocial reasons, and not for medical reasons. Bull & Legorreta (1991) report negative remote psychological effects weight loss surgery. According to their data, the psychological problems that patients had before surgery remained in half of the patients 30 months later. Several other studies also support this phenomenon. Based on these studies, a psychological "list of indications" was compiled (Misovich, 1983). In other words, if a person did not have any special psychological problems before the operation, such patients are more suitable for weight loss surgery.

Such contradictions are not surprising. For half of his life, such a patient lived with a disturbed sense of self-confidence, or he did not have it at all. He constantly dreamed of a body that would be the subject of admiration, would be highly valued, or, in extreme cases, would be just ordinary. And then suddenly a person realizes that there is a real way to fulfill his dream. And then suddenly the question arises, and WHO, in fact, and for what, will be adored and highly appreciated? At best, external changes will help a person change his behavior, or understand that although appearance important, no less important are "intrinsic values". In the worst case, the development of a healthy sense of self-confidence fails at all, in which case a new vicious circle is formed.

Information about weight loss surgery

Statistics say that only 10% of patients learn about the operation from their doctor, the rest learn about this possibility from friends or from funds. mass media. Our data confirm this statistic. Decision theory tells us about the existence of the so-called primary effect, which means that the primary information about something is stored for the longest time, and as a rule, a decision is made taking into account this primary information.

Elisabeth Ardelt

Psychological Institute of Salzburg University, Austria

You may rightly be surprised and say: “What is the connection between character traits and completeness ?!” I answer.

The fact is that obesity is a psychosomatic disease. Speaking more plain language, excess weight is just the tip of the iceberg, an external manifestation of special personality traits and its internal deep problems. These problems are reflected in the behavior, character, thoughts, attitudes and worldview of a person, his relationships with other people, and, perhaps most importantly, in the relationship of a person with himself.

Obesity is a physical manifestation of a severe psychological and even social disease - addiction, in this case, food addiction. And of course, the personality structure of an overweight person will have much in common with the personality structure of an addicted person. But in this article we will not delve into such global problem as an addiction, let's talk only about a specific aspect - personality traits with excess weight.

From my experience of working with overweight people, I can say with confidence that psychology (i.e., in this context, inner world and behavior) of a full person is very different from the psychology of a slender person. From the same work experience and observations, it became clear that the fight against overweight will be successful only when the problems are identified and resolved. psychological reasons gaining excess weight; when a person rebuilds his consciousness, thinking and behavior in a new way: into the consciousness, thinking and behavior of a slender person.
Why is the psychology of a full person so different from the psychology of a slender person? In fact, characteristic distinguishing features many, and they are very closely interconnected with each other (which often makes it difficult for the psychological restructuring of the personality).

The first thing that catches your eye is that extra pounds are a kind of armor, protection from the outside world. A full person seeks to protect himself from his influences with the help of such a fat pad. This tells us about excessive sensitivity, susceptibility and fears, while a full person had not yet gained his extra pounds, he was too vulnerable and vulnerable to the outside world, and he does not know how to cope with excessive susceptibility, protect himself from fear and external influences, and ... gaining extra pounds. For example, I noticed that many girls, women begin to gain weight after marriage and especially after moving to the house of their husband's parents (regardless of pregnancy and childbirth!). Maybe there is a relationship with the ban on the expression negative emotions, emotions in general and whims.

And as a consequence, feature then a certain “thick-skinnedness”, callousness, insensitivity becomes a complete person.
This insensitivity manifests itself later everywhere, and first of all in dealing with oneself, in relations with oneself: a person does not feel hunger, does not feel satiety, he does not feel himself, does not realize his body, his extra pounds (after all, if a full person felt them , then he could not wear them for such a long time !!!).
In the language of Gestalt, since a person does not feel his body, then he does not feel the boundaries, his own, the boundaries of the people around him, does not understand where HE ends (i.e., his psychological territory) and other people begin, and then he easily violates foreign borders, invades them, seeks to occupy and control them.

Therefore, overweight people often take on a lot of someone else's, not their own responsibility, they believe that without them, without their participation, work will stop, everything will collapse in the family, and if you do some business, then only yourself, and for subordinate performers needs to be redone, etc ...
In a family, for example, there are often such mothers who overly control their children, do not give them freedom, try to live their lives.
And the body increases its size (physical boundaries), as if in response to the fact that a person increases the psychological boundaries: the sphere of his influence, control over others.

The desire to control, by the way, is a childish, infantile reaction, which also comes from excessive vulnerability, a sense of defenselessness, and the instability of life. The adults, mature people realize and accept that only themselves and their own actions(not even your whole life, but only your actions!). That's why important point in psychotherapeutic work is the awareness of one’s powerlessness in something and one’s “non-omnipotence”, and the acceptance of responsibility only for oneself and one’s actions, because only they can and should be controlled.
Another important feature of overweight people, associated with their attempt to live someone else's life, which was already mentioned earlier, is their dislike for themselves. They don't know what to do with themselves, they don't know what THEY want. But they know very well when and how to do the right thing for others. They do not know where their own place is in this life, what they want for themselves, personally for themselves, but they think a lot and decide for others, they know better than they themselves what will be good for them - that is, in some I mean, they are authoritarian.

They often suffer from inner emptiness and try to seize, fill it. Such a paradox arises: external fullness as a result of internal emptiness!
Yes, about emptiness, I think that it can arise as a result of the monotony and boredom that comes from limitations. They limit themselves (no, not in nutrition, more precisely, not only and not always in nutrition), they limit themselves in obtaining pleasure. The only accessible and understandable pleasure for them is food. (Note that this is also a childish way of consoling: when Small child cries, an adult, as a rule, offers a candy).

Even full people have such qualities as: slowness and rigidity. They are difficult, both physically (overweight) and psychologically (it is difficult to convince them, turn their thinking; often they themselves have difficulty formulating their thoughts, they are even almost unable to hear any new thought for themselves, a thought that does not fit into their usual framework, into their picture of the world).
And one gets the impression that they have lost freedom, freedom in everything: in movement, and in flexibility, and in the ability to adapt, and in their desires, and in satisfying them.

On the other hand, they are often too hasty, impatient: many feelings, sensations slip through, do not notice themselves and others; they do not know how to enjoy, savor food. In general, all the described features and manifestations fit into clinical picture any dependence, but make it difficult to communicate with such clients, establishing contact and trust between the client and the therapist.

So, we found out that an overweight person has a certain set of psychological traits(characteristics). Perhaps you agreed with something, but not so much with something, but something seemed completely incomprehensible or unfair to you ... Well, of course, each person is unique and different from the others. These are observations, sketches, a kind of template that allows you to highlight the most common features found in people with the same problem.
But what to do next, is it possible to use this information with benefit?
Of course yes! This connection has a two-way influence: on the one hand, if a person begins to lose weight, then his character and outlook on the world will change, on the other hand, if a person tries to change himself, his behavior, his thoughts and attitudes, then this will contribute to better weight loss and will not allow you to return the lost kg back.

This article is not about those who need to lose a couple of pounds. And not even about those who need to lose a couple of dozen of them. We will look at life from the side of those whose weight is "well over a hundred."

"You are fat!"

Completeness causes many inconveniences in Everyday life its owners. These are problems with clothing, and problems with movement, excessive sweating, and movement in transport. Clothes for fat people (especially women) are more difficult to find, but are sold more expensive, public transport seats are designed mainly for slender people, and you need to buy stronger chairs.

This is not to mention the health problems that come with being overweight. Shortness of breath, problems with the cardiovascular system, high level blood cholesterol, etc. - these are the consequences of excessive fullness.

But these are not the most "terrible" problems associated with high obesity. Much more often, fat people are brought to the hospital not by health problems due to excess weight, but by social complexes. Fat people are often ashamed of their fullness. They do not like their reflection in the mirror, they are embarrassed to undress on the beach or get acquainted with the opposite sex.

The constant fear of becoming the object of jokes and ridicule, or problems in their personal lives, make them starve for days, spend money on, or sit on all sorts of strict diets.

Often, such methods (due to the fact that they are done spontaneously, without consulting with specialists) do not bring the desired result. Which further exacerbates the psychological problems of obese people. In the West, fat people often become clients of psychologists and psychotherapists. In Russia and other countries of the former CIS, this practice is still not widespread, as a result, a person keeps all his problems and complexes in himself, which is even worse.

Why do people get fat?

Extreme cases of the fattest people on the planet are usually associated with endocrine system disorders in total with an indefatigable appetite and consumption of a huge amount of calories. According to statistics, the most obese people on the planet consume from 10,000 to 20,000 kcal per day, with a norm of 2000-3000 kcal. It is not strange that even after liposuction and stomach reduction surgery, most of them quickly regain their previous weight due to their indefatigable appetite. Obesity is also often found among fast food lovers and.

Obese people usually lead an inactive lifestyle and/or have sedentary work. A little physical activity contributes to a significant predominance of calories coming from the diet over those spent during the day. Such a diet and lifestyle slows down the metabolism, making fat gain even more accelerated.

Biographies of the fattest people on the planet

(1960-1994) - has the unofficial title of "the fattest man in history." According to some reports, the peak of her mass reached 727 kg with a height of 170 cm. Her weight at death (at the age of 34) was 544 kg. However, there is no reliable data documenting its record mass.

The fattest woman in history

Carol could not walk or stand on her own, so doctors, friends, and daughter Heather took care of her. According to Carol, she suffered from an insatiable appetite since childhood after the experience. sexual abuse. Although, later, she claimed in an interview that it was far from the only reason, which determined her taste habits and, ultimately, her fate.

Famous nutritionists tried to treat her several times, but all attempts ended in failure. Yeager very often had to go to the hospital, which required the efforts of 15-20 firefighters for one hospitalization. Ultimately, the cause of death was several reasons at once: kidney failure, high blood sugar, and heart failure. Carol was buried in a private cemetery, the ceremony was attended by 90 friends and family members.

(1941-1983) - officially holds the title of "the fattest man on the planet" (Carol Yeager's weight has not been documented). He weighed 635 kg with a height of 185 cm in 1979. It took 13 people to just turn him over in bed. Minnoch suffered greatly from severe edema, which is inherent in all extremely overweight people - with maximum weight in his body was at least 400 kg of water!

John Minnoch is officially the fattest man in history.

Already at the age of 22, Minnoch weighed 181 kg. While he was still able to move around, John worked as a taxi driver. One of the hospitalizations allowed him to lose weight to 216 kg in 1981 (mainly due to fluid loss). However, in the same year, he was re-admitted to the hospital after gaining 91 kg in a week. Despite the efforts of doctors who treated him with a low-calorie diet, John passed away in 1983. His age at that time was 42 years. By the way, his wife Janet weighed only 50 kg.

The fattest man in the world

Mexican Manuel Uribe Garza(born in 1965) is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as "the fattest man in the world" (of the living). The peak of his weight reached 560 kg. According to him, he suffered from overweight in childhood, but the problem was far from global character. By the age of 18, his weight was 121 kg.

In 1987, he moved from Mexico to Dallas (USA), where he got a job as an auto parts sales manager. The work was sedentary, and life was more than comfortable. This lifestyle led the already obese Manuel to the fact that he began to rapidly gain weight. At 30, his body weight was 245 kg. Realizing the global nature of the problem, Manuel turned to the doctors. He underwent liposuction and removed excess skin. As a result, he lost weight up to 160 kg.

Manuel Garza - former holder of the title "the fattest man in the world alive"

But, as a result of complications after the operation, the lymph nodes on his legs became inflamed and he was bedridden for three whole years. During this time, he recovered to 560 kg and got into the Guinness Book of Records. Currently, he is again engaged in weight loss (with the help of doctors, diet and elementary physical exercises) and has already lost weight to 300 kg. He lost weight thanks to a low-carbohydrate diet developed by physicians. According to his doctor, Manuel was lucky that he avoided diabetes, kidney or heart failure - typical diseases that affect very fat people. The doctor also assured that in 2 years Manuel will weigh "only" 150 kg.

G. Hopkins, who lived at the end of the 18th century in Wales, weighed 445 kg (according to medical encyclopedia 19th century). He made a living performing at the fair. Hopkins was shown to the public in a stall next to the prize pigs, which were so fat that they could not stand up. The huge Welshman amazed everyone with his inhuman appetite and phenomenal body weight. One day, after a hearty meal, Hopkins tried to pick up a piece of food that suddenly fell on his cart. As a result, the fat man fell on a nursing sow, killed the poor animal and flattened her piglets like a herring. Through the efforts of 15 people managed to return it back to its place. This was done with great difficulty, since his stomach was so full of food that the skin on his stomach was tighter than on the drum, and no one could grab hold of his belly. Hopkins' weight (measured on a scale for weighing loaded wagons) was 445 kg. Unfortunately, his photo has not survived.

Joselina da Silva(1959-1996) - this Brazilian woman weighed 406 kg with a height of 160 cm. Like many overweight people, she began to gain weight as a child, eating huge quantities pies, sweets and soda. She eventually became so heavy that it took the help of a dozen firefighters to keep her body clean. When her weight became known to the press, the local fat fitness center Chakara offered to help her lose weight in exchange for using the results of the weight loss program for promotional purposes.

Joselina Da Silva is another extreme weight gainer

Silva was subjected surgical intervention and a strict diet. As a result of liposuction and diet, she lost weight to 159 kg. However, a few months after the end of the program, she gained 90 kg. In September 1996, she was hospitalized and died in the hospital from bilateral pneumonia.

fat celebrities

Some fat people, despite their weight, succeeded in life and became famous. Moreover, they did it in a discipline that would seem to be incompatible with being overweight - sports.

Eric Butterbean Ash is a famous boxer and MMA fighter.

Eric "Butterbean" Ash. A boxer and mixed-style fighter, with a height of 182 kg, weighs 170-200 kg (during the weigh-in, before the fight with Mariusz Pudzyanovsky, his weight could not be measured, because the scales, designed for a maximum of 200 kg, broke down). He spent 89 fights in the professional ring, of which he won 77. Despite the huge weight for a fighter, Butterbean has good manual speed and a strong knockout blow. Ash has now ended his boxing career, focusing on MMA performances.