Obese Women Have More Stressful Lives

The link between stress and obesity is a vicious circle

Many people consider the problem of excess weight to be a purely physical one but are unaware that the psychological and stressful implications of having a weight problem can almost be more severe. Recently the University of Connecticut’s Department of Psychiatry collected data on over 41,000 adults asking them detailed questions about when they had experienced the most stress. The results clearly showed that obese individuals underwent a greater number of ‘stressful life events’.

The researchers explained that obesity did not only have an effect on the health of a woman but on practically every single aspect of her whole life. They noted that women with weight problems are more likely to be tempted into comfort eating and also they have a greater statistical probability of losing their job. Not only this but they are even more likely to suffer as a result of crime being perpetuated on them and even have a greater probability of being in financial debt.

Women also said that they suffered a lot of stress at the workplace and that they were more discriminated against when compared to their obese male co-workers. The researchers said that men who were obese also suffered from stress and related problems but the problem was less pronounced for them than it was in women.

The link between stress and obesity is a vicious circle. Simply by being stressed you can be tempted to overeat, eat unhealthily and sleep badly all of which adds to your weight problem. At the same time being obese is in itself a great cause of stress and thus it is difficult to break out of the cycle.

Losing weight could therefore have a big impact on your quality of life.  It could increase your chances of getting promotional work, make you feel good about yourself, improve your confidence and make you physically healthier.