Nicola Davies - I Can Beat Obesity!: Finding the Motivation, Confidence and Skills to Lose Weight and Avoid Relapse

I Can Beat Obesity!

Finding the Motivation, Confidence and
Skills to Lose Weight and Avoid Relapse

DR NICOLA DAVIES

Foreword by Jane DeVille-Almond

Jessica Kingsley Publishers
London and Philadelphia

Contents

Foreword

If you are reading this foreword, then it is probably not the first self-help obesity book you have ever picked up. In fact, there are currently over 32,000 books to be found on the Internet claiming to help you deal with your weight. Many of these offer a quick fix, radical diet or unrealistic change to your life. They claim to help you be slimmer, happier, healthier, better, more successful. You name it, theres a book out there professing to help you achieve it.

Despite training as a nurse in the 70s, it wasnt until my first serious involvement in obesity during the late 90s that I realised just how little I knew about the subject. I was convinced that all anyone wishing to lose weight should know is the simple rule of energy in, energy out. If the energy in is greater than the energy out, then the likelihood is that you will get bigger and vice versa. This rule, of course, still stands the test of time, but I now realise that the real cause of obesity starts in our minds and with our attitudes towards ourselves.

Dr Nicola Davies has clearly understood that the key to losing weight is not only in the food we choose to eat, but also in our journey of self-discovery.

This book is an excellent resource and self-help aid, and one I will find incredibly useful to use with my patients. I believe it will not only help them begin to understand the basic science behind obesity, but also enable them to have an insight into themselves and begin to understand the challenges they face to change their behaviour.

Jane DeVille-Almond, SRN SCM HV BA(Hons) PGcert
Independent Nurse Consultant
Chair of the British Obesity Society

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is correct, but it should not in any way be substituted for medical advice. I am a health psychologist and counsellor, but readers should always consult a qualified medical practitioner before making any major changes to their diet or physical activity. Neither the author nor the publisher takes responsibility for any consequences of any decision made as a result of the information contained in this book.

Preface

First of all, congratulations on picking up I Can Beat Obesity! because you can beat it , and by opening this book you are starting to believe in your ability to do just that. This is a huge step, so dont underestimate just how important this is for you and your future. By giving yourself permission to peek inside these pages, you have started to do one of the key actions that will help you beat obesity: you have started to look after yourself and to recognise that you deserve to be happy and healthy. Yes, happy and healthy. This isnt just about weight loss, but about being healthier in mind and body. As you read this book, you will start to see that beating obesity isnt about going on a diet or starting a mad exercise routine. Its about being kind to yourself and learning to love and accept yourself. It is about working with, not against, your own mind and body.

In I Can Beat Obesity! we will take a journey of four parts:

In Part One, we will arm you with the knowledge to beat obesity. I want you to understand the science behind obesity so that you are empowered to beat it if you choose to.

In Part Two, we will prepare to beat obesity by exploring your readiness and confidence to take this journey.

In Part Three, we will take action to beat obesity, exploring emotional, cognitive (thoughts), behavioural, social, dietary and physical well-being. These dimensions of your well-being are fundamental to beating obesity, because unless you feel worthy and able to achieve a healthier lifestyle, you are unlikely to achieve your goals. Have you ever wondered why so many people get trapped in yo-yo dieting? Its because they simply address their weight, rather than their whole self and we are more than our weight. You are more than your weight.

In Part Four, we will move beyond obesity and start to look at how you can accept yourself and start to focus on your future hopes and dreams.

Each chapter will start with information and finish by going Over to You! In these Over to You! sections, you will be able to complete some exercises to help cement your new knowledge and move you closer to your goal of beating obesity and, later, moving beyond obesity.

The approach in this workbook is based on the discipline of health psychology, which uses an understanding of human emotions and behaviours to help you achieve better health and well-being. I have a doctorate in Health Psychology and have experienced first-hand its power personally and in my work in assisting with the adoption of healthier behaviours and the cessation of unhealthy behaviours. I just wish I had studied the topic in such depth in time to help my mother, who struggled with obesity-related issues much of her adult life. Being close to my mother, I adopted many of her behaviours and also struggled with my weight as a child, but I was fortunate enough to be driven by a love of learning that led me to health psychology. I am now much healthier and much happier, and you can be too just follow me and enjoy the journey towards a new you.

Part One of Your Journey

Knowledge to Beat
OBESITY

Chapter 1

Understanding Obesity

Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.

Dalai Lama

Welcome to your journey to beating obesity! The first few chapters present a range of information, because in order to beat obesity you need to understand it. As a health psychologist, I am interested in the science of obesity and I want to share my knowledge with you to make you an expert on the subject. I believe that knowledge is power and I want you to have the power to make a healthier life for yourself. There is so much misinformation out there about weight and weight loss possibly more than with any other topic. Sticking with these initial chapters will help replace some of this misinformation with evidence-based knowledge that you can use to pave your way forward.

The Obesity Taboo

Excess weight in the body has several, often undesirable, effects on a persons overall health and well-being. Despite this, it remains a taboo topic that is difficult for many to discuss. This is primarily due to the stigma of being obese. This book aims to help break the stigma of obesity by tackling it head-on not skirting around the problem, but taking the bull by the horns to help you learn what obesity is, whether you have it and what you can do about it.

Jane DeVille-Almond, Chair of the British Obesity Society, once said, Having the confidence to raise the issue of weight with someone who is overweight or obese can be the first step to improving their health and reducing their risk of developing chronic health conditions in the future. However, it doesnt need another person to raise the issue of obesity with you. With a proper understanding of what the condition is all about, you can raise the issue with yourself to find out whether you are obese and what you can do to beat it.

What Is Obesity?

Put simply, obesity is the condition of having too much adipose tissue (also known as fat) stored in the body. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines obesity and overweight as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. Its fundamental cause is an imbalance between energy consumed and energy expended.