A new survey found that very few women are happy with their bodies. Overweight women use unhealthy eating patterns in an effort to lose weight.
Just about every woman I know struggles with her weight or with food issues of some sort. So it doesn't surprise me that a new survey by Self Magazine and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that 31% of women have used diet pills, laxatives or purged after eating to lose weight. Nor does it surprise me that 3 out of 4 women have issues with food or their bodies.
I have personally fought the weight loss battle since I was a kid. I have a sister, friends and support group members whoa re also overweight. Not one of us is happy with our bodies, yet despite dieting attempts, the weight either won't budge or we lose weight temporarily and gain it all back.
The study also found high percentages of women who ate less than 1,000 calories per day to lose weight, found that being overweight caused them to be unhappy, have tried cutting out complete food groups to lose weight or have an emotional eating problem.
I'll be the first to admit that I have an unhealthy relationship with food. I am a self-proclaimed emotional eater. I eat because I learned at a young age, as a sensitive and self-conscious child, that food was my friend. Food would never turn on me or let me down. Depending on food to lift my mood became a behavior problem and it is difficult to change.
This study proved that I am not alone in my weight loss struggles. In fact, most women have food issues or are unhappy with their bodies.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2008, April 23). Three Out Of Four American Women Have Disordered Eating, Survey Suggests. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 27, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2008/04/080422202514.htm
