Question:
Has anyone ever been told they had to find out why they were overweight
I went to see my psychologist today and he asked many questions, and he said ultimately we had to find out the cause of my obesity. I told him I didn't know because I dont eat a whole pizza at one sitting, i dont binge eat, im an active person etc. Now I have to find the ans. he wants to hear as well as take tests to see if my body is just out of balance and I am not allergic to some food I eat regularly. This seems like it's going to take ages. — Alexis C. (posted on June 3, 2003)
June 2, 2003
Oh brother, he must be a Dr Phil fan. Dr. Phil says that everyone knows
why they went to food. He thinks if you say you don't, your lying. I
personnally don't know because I don't have memories of childhood. I
thought I had to know in order to fix my eating problem and when I went to
a physologist (sp) she said it didn't make any difference, that I just had
to start in the present to make the changes in my eating habits. Make
something up that sounds plasable.
— bbjnay
June 2, 2003
i would find another doc or your wls could really be held up.
— Delores S.
June 2, 2003
Well, at risk of getting bashed, doesn't it make sense to find out if there
ARE psychologically-based causes for one's obesity? We all read here on
this site that the surgery changes your body, not your head. Well, to me,
it makes sense to try and discover and address any non-medical causes for
overeating (as well as medical causes). Most pyschologists worth their salt
know that there are plenty of obese people who didn't get that way because
of psychological reasons - but there are some cases of obesity that DO have
a psychological foundation. So in my mind, it makes sense to look into it,
and would be irresponsible NOT to look into it. Then, with that aspect
addressed (if psychological issues even have anything to do with obsitiy in
your case), you surgery is much more likely to be successful.
That being said, there are, unfortunately, some mental health professionals
who would like to believe obesity is entirely a psychology-based ailment,
which we all know is not true.
— johanniter
June 2, 2003
I think it's expecting a little too much for him to think you can answer
that question when even the medical community doesn't know all the answers.
Obesity is a complex disease!
For me, it seemed like the button in my stomach that would send the message
to my brain that I was full rarely got pushed. Eating second helpings was
a given for me. Add to that the fact that both of my parents have dealt
with weight problems all of their lives and my mother is morbidly obese.
Factor in the numerous diets that I've gone on over the years, the diet
pills I've taken, etc. and the result is someone who could not win the
battle against weight on their own.
Did you get the feeling that this doc is anti-WLS? It's my understanding
that the psychological evaluation is simply to make sure you have the
mental capacity to understand the procedure, that you're stable enough to
handle a life changing experience, that you don't have an eating disorder,
such as bulimia, and that you haven't been talked into having surgery by
anyone else (in other words you want to do this for yourself).
— TMF
June 2, 2003
I agree with the person who told you to find another shrink. I hate to say
this, but from my own experience with this weight loss surgery, I've come
to realize that a good deal of head doctors, as well as nutritionists,
suffer from the same misconceptions about obesity as some of the general
public. You would think the fact that they are professionals would give
them some additional insight, but I learnt the hard way that isn't
necessarily the case. With my surgeon who ended up performing my surgery
(long story, won't go into it), I got lucky with the psychologist. She
seemed to be pretty open minded and willing to make an effort to move
beyond her own preconceived notions to understand. My nutritionist is
questionable. I'm still not convinced she gets it, but she is not so close
minded that she is not willing to listen either. However, if the shrink is
giving off the vibe that he is going to be more of hindrance than a help to
you, then I'd chuck him and get a new one. You have that right as a
patient.
— Amanda S.
June 2, 2003
Alexis, I looked at your profile and see your BMI is above 40 and you are
43 years old. It's not like you have a BMI of 37 and are 20 years old! I
would find another psychologist. While I commend his desire to
"help" you, at your age, it doesn't make a lot of sense. I can
tell you why you are obese - it's the same for me and every one of us -
more calories in than used, day after day, year after year. I went the
psychology route years ago - when I was in my 20's,(47 now) and looking
back, I think it was a huge waste of time and money. You have absolutely
nailed it - you have to find the answer he wants to hear. Plus he wants you
to do a bunch of tests (and who pays for those??)Obesity caused by a food
allergy? Yeah, right! How many times have you changed what you eat and
stopped just about everything at one time or another? Did it ever make a
difference? About the only thing he could legitimately look at is thyroid
function. If you hadn't already made up your mind about surgery, his
approach might be a good thing to try, but at this stage, I would try
someone else. Best of luck!
— koogy
June 3, 2003
Hi Alexis- I'll bet this psychologist never struggled with a weight
problem (sigh....). It seems like anyone who is overweight is expected to
be superhuman and give up an occasional treat, while it's ok for the
"non-allergic" thin people because it doesn't show up on their
bodies. When will some of these professionals realize that obesity is a
disease? They've already found the obesity gene! I'm not saying that my
food choices are always the best but I feel that everyone pigs out on
occasion. Good Luck! Mea
— Mea A.
June 3, 2003
I agree with Karen. There is another way to look at this other than the
psychologist doesn't get it. Obesity is a multifactoral disease, and it is
foolish not to consider psychological and emotional factors. They are
there. They do exist. My interpretation of what the psychologist is
trying to do is to help the WLS candidate to be successful long-term
post-op. How many postings on the Q&A and message board deal with
people who are gaining weight, or losing more slowly than they want to,
because they have slipped into past bad habits, or comforts? Recognizing
that those may be more than simple habits (and they are much stronger than
habits, or many more of us would have had long-term success with dieting),
and finding a way to address them early (such as finding substitute
behaviors for emotional eating) will provide a stronger base from which to
be successful with WLS. If I were in your position, I would keep at least
one more appointment with this doctor. I would honestly try to answer his
question, even if your answer is that you do not understand why you have a
weight problem. Don't make up an answer that you think he's looking for.
If, after you've been honest with him, he isn't willing to go forward, then
perhaps consider another psychologist. In the meantime, assume that he's
trying to help you, not that he doesn't understand your disease.
— Vespa R.
June 3, 2003
I, too ,think it's importnat to identify an underlying psychological basis
for obesity if there is one. Those challenges will be there after wls, and
we need to be prepared. That said, I do believe that while reassuring to
some extent to know the cause of a disease or behavior, that knowledge does
nothing to change the behavior or disease. I can know that I overeat to
protect myself from attention from men, but knowing that doesn't mean I
change my behavior. The knowledge is a good starting place, however, to
work with a therapist. In my experience, the psychological eval was only
meant to screen out severe mental processes that would interfere with
succcessful outcomes, like psychosis, etc. It is good for each of us,
though, to do some introspective investigating to figure out what demons
may be behind our obesity, and deal with them ASAP, so we can be successful
after wls.
— [Deactivated Member]
June 3, 2003
I think this might be a good thing. Would you not want to know if there is
an underlying physical problem. I think the doc just wants you to examine
why and when you. Maybe its metabolism, maybe its something else. Once the
physical results come in that will rule out any issues. Look at this as a
chance to learn instead of a stumbling block.
— snicklefritz
June 3, 2003
I am a fan of Dr. Phil. And, I firmly believe this is a good question to
ask yourself. The answer may not be anything psychological. It could be
physical, but I truly believe you must explore this and try to decide if
you emotionally eat, eat due to boredom, eat due to past abuse issues, eat
the wrong type of foods (self-defeating attitude), etc. If there is a
psychological reason why you are overweight this surgery will not fix that.
It will help for a while but you will fall back into old patterns of
behavior and the weight will come back. Good luck.
— Lisa C.
June 3, 2003
Luckily, I didn't have to find out why I was over weight...I think I had to
narrow down my answers because I had so many reasons!!! It is always
possible that there could be an underlying medical reason like thyroid or
it could just be genetic. Who knows. I personally think that although the
tests might make sense to do...because who knows what they might find...it
might not hurt to see a different psychologist and go through the process.
I would limit the discussion that you had with the first one though so you
don't put any ideas into their head. Good luck with everything!!!
— gkeith1971
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