"I weigh all the pain and trauma that made me see that I have more galaxies inside me than tragedies. We all weigh joys and darkness and goodness and sin you see, we are infinite within this skin we are in. So when they ask you what you weigh you don’t need to look down at any scale. Instead, simply tell them the truth, tell them how you weigh whole universes and storms and scars and stories too” – Nikita Gill
Weight-loss, an ever trending topic, just the sound of this term often provokes intense anxiety for most burdened with this sometimes seemingly unachievable goal. I myself have often shuddered at the thought of a visit from a long lost family member or friend only to be greeted by the mindless questioning of ‘’have you gained weight?’’ Uhmmm….what in the world is an appropriate answer to that question that would not make you want the earth to open up and swallow you into some invisible abyss just to avoid having to respond? With so many opinions, facts, theories, fad diets, work out plans and countless other resources available on this subject I decided to share my view on it here for the benefit of those, who like me, are willing to look outside traditional ways of thinking for the answers to questions that are not satisfied by what appears to be solutions that simply scrape the surface of the problem. Very often the answers lie deeper than most are willing to consider. In most situations we are dealing with causes and effects – the same applies to weight loss, while some may consider a poor diet and lack of exercise to be the cause of excessive weight gain I consider them to be contributing factors to a cause that is rooted in the mind at a much deeper level.
Firstly we know in psychology that overeating is sometimes a compensation for something that is lacking on an emotional level, otherwise called ‘’comfort eating.’’ Food ceases to be simply a form of nourishment and sometimes becomes the warmth, the sweetness, the fullness, the solace or any other form of comfort that an individual may perceive as lacking within other areas of their lives. Once these areas of lack are identified and corrective action taken food is no longer needed in excessive amounts and homeostasis in weight becomes more easily achievable.
Secondly our bodies contain sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems both of which affect digestion differently and in my opinion influences weight loss or weight gain respectively. Both the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems form part of what is called the Autonomic nervous system in the body. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the body’s fight or flight response while the parasympathetic system controls the way the body rests and digests (controlling homeostasis).
If a person faces a perceived threat the sympathetic system is activated which prepares the body for a fight or flight response, adrenaline is released and digestive secretions are inhibited – functions that are not dire for survival become slower or are shut down. Now human beings have evolved as such that being chased by a wild animal is an unlikely cause for triggering the sympathetic nervous system, what can however cause the sympathetic nervous system to react thereby activating the fight or flight response and all its accompanying effects in our daily lives is something that a large percentage of us encounter on a regular basis – STRESS (closely related to its counterparts fear and worry).
Whether a threat is perceived physically or mentally, the body reacts in the same way, that is the fight or flight response causes a slowing down or inhibition of digestive secretions, slowing down the metabolic rate of the individual. So even though exercise and diet certainly play an important role in weight management it would seem that working on reducing stress and eliminating fear and worry help the parasympathetic system to aid the body in a beneficial way for optimum digestion and a healthier metabolism.
Herein lies the ‘’new age’’ concept of the mind-body connection, a powerful phenomenon indeed as it removes the sense of powerlessness that so many of us desperately want to hold onto. The pain of powerlessness sometimes seems less than the pain of change, yet this in itself is an illusion, as powerlessness is an acceptance of an unsatisfactory state of being whereas change brings with it, the possibility of positive transformation.
Weight gain is a physical manifestation of something that is already being experienced on an emotional or spiritual level, weight management therefore needs to be looked at from a holistic perspective integrating the facets of mind, body and spirit. Work on the causes within to achieve the effects you wish to see without, and remember that the right weight is the weight that feels comfortable for YOU as beauty often resonates from those who are comfortable with themselves and confident with their self-image, regardless of shape, colour or size.