FAT SHAMING

BATTLE OF THE BULGE - PART 25 & 26

Recap and vital statistics:

I am 5 feet and 10 inches tall and 60 years old.

I was super-slim till about 10 years ago, then gradually got fat.

I started this weight loss programme on March 16th when I weighed a whopping 120kg and measured 49-47-51 (chest-waisthips) inches.

I am aiming to drop back down to 85kg OR LESS (I was happiest and most elegant when I was 70kg, but suspect that it’s overly optimistic to aim for such a Twiggy-esque figure at this fairly advanced age).

So, given that the highest weight at which I felt presentable ENOUGH was 85kg, I am cutting myself some slack and giving myself permission to stop dieting when I get back down to 85kg).

OK so I was 111kg a couple of weeks ago and am now 110kg, which means that progress is lamentably slow; but any progress is better than no progress at all or going backwards and gaining weight…which has been the story of my life at intervals since March.

A ThisDay style mag reader called Evelyn recently contacted me and I’ve shared details of her own personal battle of the bulge with you.

Evelyn, who is based in Lagos, later told me that she wished a) that there were mind doctors who specialise in psychologically assisting folks who find it hard to control their eating and b) that there was a support group for dieters that she could join.

Well, I am not sure there are such doctors in Nigeria, but I know that such doctors exist abroad and that they can significantly help those who have tried to go it alone and failed.

Some fatties find it so impossible to generate the selfdiscipline to lose weight without external support that they wind up either having their teeth wired to forcibly minimize food intake to liquidised veggies, fruits, proteins or carbs that can be sipped through straws.

Another drastic measure that’s popular with weak-willed fatties is bariatric surgery that changes their digestive systems:

Gastric bypasses, sleeve gastrectomies and duodenal switches work by changing the anatomy (or position) of the stomach and small intestines. This causes changes in appetite, satiety (feeling full), and metabolism (how the body burns calories).

But why go for such extreme procedures when you can jetisson the feeble mindset that made you a slave to gluttony in the first place?

Gluttony, in addition to being one of the seven deadly sins that Catholics like this columnist are instructed to avoid, can kill.

Obesity isn’t just about looking unattractively lumpen and being too heavy to comfortably climb a flight of stairs or even walk as normal.

Obesity is a serious health problem that triggers off life-threatening illnesses such as cardiac arrests and strokes…and massively increases one’s chances of being sent to one’s grave by coronavirus.

OK so it’s not just mind doctors who can help. Other experts in human behaviour can also help. Psychologists, for example, understand the dark impulses that make people eat unhealthily and can motivate their patients to change their eating patterns.

The British Psychological Society

(BPS) website is a good starting point for enquiries and some of its accredited members offer online consultations and sessions…very handy at a time when Covid has made international travel difficult and social distancing necessary.

Treatments that therapists may use to support patients’ weight loss aspirations include psychotherapy (a “catch all” term for what psychologists generally do). It can include practical behavioral interventions as well as techniques and tips to make change easier.

Psychotherapy can also help you understand yourself better, so you know what is preventing you from being the person you want to be.

According to the BPS website: “Psychotherapy may also include stress management, mood stabilization, communication training and emotion processing. Psychotherapy focuses on building a positive body image, and common treatments for weight loss include:

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) Interpersonal therapy

Body-oriented therapy

Cognitive reframing

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) Visualization.

As for Evelyn’s wistful quest for a weight loss support group: I told her about the small online WhatsApp club I formed with a few girlfriends earlier on this year; and I invited her to join us.

I explained that the peer group pressure to succeed, the emotional support and the useful tips we get from our group have been helpful.

But she said she needed to join a REAL group that physically meets on a regular basis. And there is evidence from foreign case studies that this kind of group can enable members to achieve great results.

An English chum of mine belongs to a non-virtual group that physically meets once a week; and they weigh themselves in public and then discuss their triumphs, failures, fears, obstacles, etc.

Evelyn and others can establish such groups in Nigeria. As long as they wear masks and don’t get too clammily close to each other!

DONU KOGBARA IS A VANGUARD NEWSPAPER COLUMNIST.

Please feel free to share your thoughts about her weight loss journey on donzol2002@yahoo.co.uk