The psychological effects of carrying excess weight – and obesity – can often be disastrous. Larger people are commonly ridiculed by others whose weight is considered ‘normal’. Making fun of overweight people is widespread in this society. They are forced to suffer a whole slew of abuse and pyschological barbs in addition to not so subtle social discriminations. As a consequence, the can suffer from poor self-esteem, can feel inadequate and are frequently considered as the source of their own problems.

Social situations are potentially humiliating for people with excess weight. Having a day at the beach or at public pools, where they have to wear clothes which are more revealing, becomes an embarrassing occasion. If an overweight person wants to play competitive sports she will often suffer the humiliation of being the last ones chosen for teams. Quite often, in school, obese or overweight children perform worse academically than their normal weight peers – they also have lower grade point averages. As young adults, many times there is more difficulty gaining acceptance into college and securing jobs and future promotions. Is it any wonder that such life experiences tend to lead to poor self esteem and self-confidence. That begins a cycle of social isolation, emotional withdrawal, more overeating, caused by depression, inactivity, and quite often further weight gain. Read the rest of this entry »