A man gained 200 kg after a fatal car accident at 25, carrying guilt as self-punishment until he walked across the country to lose weight. The speaker argues many people stay overweight to rebel against pressure from parents or spouses, and that nagging backfires. Weight loss happens when someone decides they're ready, not before.
Chapters
15. Self-punishment and rebellion. We may want to be fat to punish ourselves because we don't feel we are worthy of success. A beautiful body, love, or the respect of others ourselves. If we are angry with ourselves or if we don't like ourselves, being fat is a punishment. I read a story in the newspaper about a 200 kg man who trekked across the United States to lose weight. He hadn't always been fat. In fact, he had once been a fit Marine. However, 14 years ago, before this walk, at the age of 25, he had killed 2 people. In a car accident. The people who died had gotten off a bus at a bad intersection, and the man couldn't see them. In a terrible remorse over the months and years, and for— he started gaining weight, more and more weight. The extreme chronic stress had activated his FAT programs, and the fat was that— it was like he was punishing himself. But perhaps his cross-country walk was a sign that he had punished himself enough that he had to pay his dues and that he was now ready to move on. Rebellion is always about power and control. Everybody wants a healthy level of control over their own lives, so it's not surprising that some people use obesity as a way of asserting themselves. If somebody else wants you to lose weight, or is forcing you to lose weight, you may want to just stay fat just so that you can assert control over your life. Parents and children, husbands and wives should be aware that nagging sends a couple of harmful messages: you're not okay the way you are, I know better than you what's good for you. Nagging can lead to a resentment and the desire to stay fat in order to make a point. You can't force people to lose weight anyway. They lose weight when they are ready. This applies especially to children. So if you have been nagging your children or someone has nagged you, put it in the comments below and let it out.
