Description #1

I am a quiet, withdrawn person. I feel ill at ease when I first meet people. I know they are probably looking me over and wondering why I'm so fat. I have very little confidence in myself and always think twice before I express an opinion about anything. I am not a very interesting person. My life is rather dull and boring.

Description #2

I am a reserved, laid-back person but I wouldn't say that I'm shy. I have several close friends that I enjoy very much. I have a good sense of humor and people generally like me. I feel that I have accomplished a great deal in my life and am proud of myself. I am looking forward to taking on new challenges and expanding my horizons over the next few years.

You may be surprised to find out that these two different self-descriptions came from the same person, a 29-year-old computer consultant. During the time of Description #1 she weighed 185 pounds, approximately 45 pounds overweight for her height. Description #2 occurred three months after she had successfully overcome her binge-eating problem and had lost 34 pounds. Once she learned to control her eating and lose weight her view of herself and her life improved dramatically.

It is amazing how a person's body weight becomes so connected to their sense of personal worth. One of the goals of my binge-eating program is to break this connection and to teach you to base your self-esteem on internal qualities of character rather than appearance, body shape, or weight. Concern about your weight is one thing but allowing your body weight to totally determine your mood and self-worth is another.

Overconcern with your body weight can make you so desperate that you seek out drastic, very low-calorie diets. Overly restrictive diets result in such deprivation that binge eating is even more likely. In turn, when you lose control and overeat, your self-esteem worsens, causing you to feel incompetent and ineffective in controlling your weight. Then your concern over your body and anxiety about weight gain intensify.

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Weight loss