In every period, there is a subject to which people tend. Of course, these concepts are related to people’s desires and needs. I use the concepts of desire and need together because although they are objective on their own, they can become subjective for individuals. Desires and needs are the motivators of people’s attitudes and behaviors. They drive individuals to act according to their own direction. Although it seems as if these issues are shaped by social influences, they are actually related to the desires of others in society, but mostly emerge from the inner world of the individual.
For the past ten years, everywhere we see people dieting, saying “I’m on a diet,” diet foods, diet desserts, diet drinks, calorie calculations — and people who are exhausted by all these calculations. At the same time, during the spring months when emotions rise, people imagine themselves looking thinner in bikinis during a one-week or fifteen-day summer vacation. People who try to act with the logic of “the less my weight is visible, or at least during vacation, the slimmer I appear, the better.” (Here I intentionally used the word “weight” instead of “fat,” but in reality, obesity means excess fat.) With this mindset, before summer, people flock to slimming centers or use weight loss products. Among these seasonal dieters, what percentage truly understands that losing weight is also necessary for health and that eating behavior can actually be an addiction? Anyway, I will not give statistical numbers here — the important thing is that very few people understand that being healthy, recognizing eating as an addiction, and understanding that eating habits and physical activity are not seasonal is quite rare.
These seasonal attempts are entirely aesthetic-oriented and serve a narcissistic mirroring derived from the desire of others or from being desired. Health is not the goal in these attempts. For this reason, people go to dietitians season after season, lose weight, regain it, lose it again — and eventually either give up or these attempts become trivial and meaningless. Throughout their lives, we encounter people who are “always dieting.”
Lifelong dieting or seasonal weight loss attempts are, of course, a type of lifestyle. But they do not represent a healthy lifestyle that ensures regular nutrition, maintaining lost weight, living healthily, repairing the organism, and allowing it to restructure itself. However, in the process of weight loss, one must understand that the organism is a whole — involving chemical, psychological, and sociological aspects — and that a multidisciplinary approach is required. Thinking of the body and organs as separate pieces — a dualistic approach — is no different from allowing some organs to develop while others face developmental problems. What is a multidisciplinary approach in weight loss? It begins with understanding that a human being is not independent from others, from relationships with others, and most importantly, from the relationship with oneself. Then it continues with understanding the organism’s hormonal structure, biochemical properties, the calories in foods, how long it takes for foods to be absorbed, how much energy must be burned before they convert to fat, and how much of certain foods are simply burdens to the body. Considering these situations within the framework of obesity and eating disorders, we must begin by understanding them as addictions. Eating without control and without need is similar to alcohol and cigarette addiction. In such individuals, eating behavior is entirely related to psychological needs. It appears as desire, but in reality, it is eaten and taken into the body in response to inner emotional needs. Because the mouth is an erogenous zone. Saying “I enjoy eating” is nothing more than oral gratification. When I think about it, I compare eating behavior only in terms of addiction and lack of control with substances like alcohol and cigarettes — but of course, eating is a physiological need. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, physiological needs are at the bottom and essential. This is precisely where non-essential but perceived-as-needed extra foods and drinks come into play. The confusion lies here: is it the soul wanting more, or the body? These are extra foods taken to satisfy emotional hunger through the body. Indeed, we often hear statements like eating out of boredom, anger, frustration, or emotional needs that can be atomized into many forms. Are these not enough clues? That eating is connected to the psychological structure and that the motivator of eating behavior may be linked to emotional needs… Can you truly believe someone can lose weight without understanding why they eat, when they eat, and which moods trigger their eating behaviors? You continue any behavior when you do not understand its cause.
Things or situations that you are unaware of continue to play like a broken record — repeating and eventually getting stuck. Can a person change the broken record without understanding the calories of the foods they eat, which foods they consume uncontrollably, and what purpose these foods truly serve? Doesn’t this cause people to repeat the same story of dieting, breaking the diet, restarting, dieting again throughout their lives, depriving themselves of other pleasures? Healthy weight loss does not mean not eating. Not eating at all leads to abnormal behaviors or triggers existing abnormal behaviors — such as anorexia nervosa, which has become very popular recently. Instead of merely knowing and repeating the saying “A little is fine, too much is harmful,” how can we apply it? Is there even a way? Or is what you are reading simply nonsense? Or is it a product of popular, trendy influences? As someone who worked for years with alcohol and substance addictions and eating disorders at a psychiatric hospital, I know people who quit alcohol or even heroin and stayed “clean” for years. I do not even compare quitting heroin or alcohol with regulating eating behavior — because alcohol and substance addiction is far more difficult. You already know this. When you start a diet with a dietitian, you see how much weight you lose in the first weeks. You witness it. So we are facing something possible. The real question is: can we maintain it? Maintaining means continuing treatment, applying what the doctor or specialist recommends, and working on it. When you take a medication, you go to the doctor for follow-ups, you do not stop the medication on your own, and if you have a chronic illness, you may take that medication for years or even life-long with regular appointments. Why can’t we think of weight loss as a treatment? Or why do we not want to think so? The reason chronic conditions are upsetting is because they feel out of our control.
At this point, perhaps this is why people pursue weight loss from time to time but fail to maintain it. They deny that losing weight is a long-term process. This mentality is nothing more than a waste of time and money. After repeated failures, people give up and turn to denial mechanisms such as “I’m fine as I am,” “Someone will love me like this,” “I love myself this way,” or “There’s someone for everyone anyway.” Until the moment comes when the veil is lifted again and the same cycle restarts — “This doctor is amazing, you can lose 20 kilos in a month,” “There’s an acupuncture specialist from China, he makes you lose weight with needles,” “There’s a new appetite suppressant,” “There’s a cavitation device for regional slimming,” “Surgery works,” “There’s a device that slims the waist,” etc. Of course, some of these are genuinely useful and scientific, performed by doctors. But can they explain *why* you eat? Behind explanations like eating out of boredom, sadness, anger, or frustration — is there not something deeper? Sometimes looking under the ox truly reveals the calf — this does not make a person paranoid, but rather realistic. Don’t you have an emotional world, feelings, thoughts? Are we beings that can be “modified” by lying under a machine? What about modifying thoughts? Recognizing emotions? Understanding how the urge to eat shapes our behaviors?
What Is Meant by Uncontrolled Eating?
Understanding what addiction means and why you are dependent on food with the excuse of “I enjoy eating”
That your aesthetic understanding can integrate with health
However, if you cannot eliminate food addiction and learn how to enjoy food properly, bodily modification remains merely aesthetic and will not be natural.
Treating addiction is a long-term process. Addiction is related to forming a “we” rather than just “me and the object.” Do you think you cannot live without eating uncontrollably? Starting treatment for food addiction entirely depends on making a decision. Others telling you “go lose weight, get thinner, be slim” may push you onto a path you do not truly want, only for you to turn back at the first opportunity.
The process begins with a decision. When you say, “I want to understand why I gained weight, why I have gained weight for years, why I unconsciously wanted to maintain this weight for years, why I hide behind my weight as a barrier in relationships, and what the true psychological functions of my weight are,” then treatment — and a healthy lifestyle — begins.
Regarding this, the first question I ask individuals hospitalized for treatment of eating disorders, alcohol, and substance addiction in the psychiatric hospital where I worked for years is this: Why are you here? Why did you come — did someone bring you? What do you want from me? What do you expect from this treatment? Based on the answers of the person — whether we call them addicted or patient — it becomes clear how the treatment will progress. Some were “shopping window” visitors, some came due to pressure from their spouses, some came to detoxify their bodies from alcohol or substances, and some simply came for rest (the hospital was comfortable). Over the years, I continued working with many of these individuals. Because what they often said was, “I like alcohol; I don’t want to quit, I just want to reduce it.” Alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs cannot be quit gradually — but eating can be reduced. It can be controlled. You can control it AND lose excess weight — but only if you want to, if you decide. Some patients would come to sessions 20 kilometers away and arrive 5–10 minutes early, while others living 50 meters away would be late. Aren’t these significant indicators of a person’s decision and determination?
Another important factor is allocating time. Excuses like “I don’t have time,” “I don’t have money” are valid only up to a point — but they do not fully control us; they are under our control. These are merely pseudo-reasons a person internalizes to legalize their hesitation. Starting treatment should be considered like starting a job — the more serious the job, the more serious and important the treatment. When you take a job seriously, you invest in it and reap benefits. Without investment, there is no gain. Coming to therapy is not enough — participating is what matters. “Coming and going” is simply coming and going — staying in place. Coming, thinking, working, reflecting, understanding, gaining awareness, stopping the broken record, repairing it, and finally enjoying freely without getting stuck — that is the goal.
In a weight loss and maintenance program, an internal medicine specialist, a dietitian, and a clinical psychologist specialized in the subject are essential. Because this is a serious team effort. Determining how many calories to burn at each stage, identifying hormonal structures, diagnosing organic sensitivities, applying the dietitian’s program, and simultaneously working with a clinical psychologist to understand the underlying reasons — these together form the method required for success.
