Talk the Weight Off | Your Turn on the Couch

You Play The Therapist.

Does food call to you as clearly as a bottle of booze calls an alcoholic or a dice table calls a gambler? Food is your medicine to take away those miserable feelings, but they come back before long and you need more food. What we must do is find the source of the misery. When we do, you can be free to feel happy or sad, but at appropriate times, not depending upon what-and if-you're eating.

Here you take the part of the therapist. Take some time to think about the following statements, and check the ones that apply to you. If you're overweight, honest with yourself and psychologically aware, you might be surprised at how many of them hit home.

•	One or both of my parents or other significant guardian figures criticized me too much.
•	At least one parental figure wanted me to be perfect.
•	The comments, "We expected you to get an A," "A minus? Why not an A?" were common during my childhood.
•	There was a lot of yelling in my home.
•	My parents never or rarely complimented me.
•	One or both of my parents abused alcohol, food and/or drugs.
•	I felt no one ever listened to me.
•	No one regularly made me breakfast, lunch or dinner.
•	My clothes weren't clean and didn't fit properly.
•	At home, I was alone most of the time.
•	As a child, someone touched me in an inappropriate sexual way.
•	Someone made sexual comments or innuendoes to me as a child.
•	I felt like I wasn't protected.
•	I had to play the parental role with one of my parents.
•	I felt that one of my parents was jealous of or competitive with me.
•	It seemed to me I was only born to take care of my younger siblings or one of my parents.

If you checked any of these statements, chances are you were abused as a child. The damage depends on the intensity and frequency of the abuse. If you would like to discuss these issues further, call my office for an appointment at 310.203.8220 or click here to learn more and order Talk The Weight Off!