Mark Thomas What come first, overweight or lack of self-esteem? Which one is the cause and which one is the effect? So far it seems clear that people that are above their ideal weight; feel uncomfortable with their appearance and themselves. But apparently, it is not that simple.
Self-esteem is the feeling of acceptance and love for oneself, which is attached to the feeling of confidence and self-worth. It can be defined as the idea that a person can be considered as himself or herself.
When this “self” or self love is at an acceptable level, it becomes a motivator that drives someone to keep going and determined to achieve what is desired. It is a positive feeling that generates confidence and enthusiasm, contributing to happiness and personal success. People with low self-esteem often feel unhappy and deprived of opportunities. Their inner energies are not working as allies to accentuate their skills, because part of their consciousness functions as an inner enemy. They feel unworthy of love and feel self-guilt, with feelings of insecurity and shame while viewing their environment pessimistically.
One of the main causes of low self-esteem is to have a negative view of their own physical appearance. Some people do not like to watch themselves in the mirror, due to poor physical appearances, their bodies don’t comply with the prevailing standards of beauty or even nature. Obesity and overweight are among the factors that are typically found as the root of many cases of low self-esteem, but until now it is suggested that the reverse is what actually happens: people with low self-esteem is more likely to gain weight or become obese.
BMI is a simple formula that allows us to know roughly the degree of overweight in an individual, which is obtained by dividing our weight in kilograms by the square of height (in meters) (BMI = kg / m2). Individuals with low self-esteem at 10 years of age, tend to be fatter during adulthood, a phenomenon that has stronger impact on women. Children with low self-esteem, feel a diminished control over their lives are more likely to get fat in the next two decades. Emotional problems of childhood play a role in obesity, along with other factors such as BMI figures of their parents, diet and lifestyle. Therefore, to address a condition of overweight and obesity, we should take into account the emotional aspects.