Should you use a shock tactics and try and scare them?

If you are faced with trying to encourage somebody who is very overweight to lose weight what should you do? Should you use a shock tactics and try and scare them about the dangers of obesity related illnesses, should you ridicule them in the hope that they would be motivated to lose weight because of their humiliation or should you try the touchy feely approach and see if you are able to motivate them with your compassion and understanding?

All three of these methods are regularly used but the only one that really works is the last. By all means warn overweight people about the dangers of obesity but you should do it with a compassionate slant rather than a preaching and judgmental way. Embarrassing and humiliating overweight people is counterproductive and should always be avoided.

Overweight people often have an extremely thick skin which they have developed as a way of dealing with obesity discrimination and the perception that overweight people are stupid and lazy. Shockingly overweight people even suffer from discrimination from health professionals and doctors who are the exact people who should be helping them.

Parents of overweight children often talk about how their children clam up and refuse to discuss their weight problem. They look hurt and upset when the issue is brought up with them and often mistake genuine love and concern for criticism and a lack of unconditional love.

Overweight people who have been told by their doctors to lose weight will sometimes refuse to go back to the same doctor, avoid getting medical checkups and stubbornly go on eating binges to show that 'nobody can tell them what to eat'.

So, if you need to get somebody you care about to lose weight keep the words compassion and understanding in your head at all times. Get them to talk and genuinely try and understand the pain and suffering that their obesity causes them before you jump to conclusions.