Pictured above is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which many of you may remember from your psychology classes from way back. When I was lurking through the forum, I found that many of us try to lose weight to fulfill the Social Needs, a.k.a. Belongingness and Love Needs (aside from obvious health benefits).

If you are not familiar with the Hierarchy of Needs, this shows the basic needs for a human being, with the bottom layer needing to be fulfilled before going on to the next level. For example, it’s hard to have a high self-esteem when you are disliked by everyone (unfulfilled Social Needs), and it’s hard to be social or loving when you think that everyone’s out there to get you (unfulfilled Safety Needs).

Problem with the low cal diet is that while the person is trying to fulfill the Social Needs while neglecting the Biological and Physiological Needs by depriving the body of food and nutrients. Sure, that person may be motivated enough in the beginning to ignore the most basic needs but unless that person is anorexic or bulimic, the need to fulfill Biological and Physiological Needs will override the dieters’ want for the Social Needs.

I believe that this is also the reason why many overweight people suffer from low self-esteem since they are having problems meeting the Social Needs. Unfortunately, it seems that the society is harder on overweight women than men, even though men usually can lose weigh quicker then women.

This is also the reason why low carb, normal cal are easier for the people to do, since this WOE fulfills the Biological and Physiological Needs by avoiding starvation.

What a crock!

I am really impressed by your debating skills... Seriously, I don't mind people disagreeing with me since I'm not always right but at least state why you disagree.

What an interesting way to look at it. I find my main motivation is esteem- I worry on job interviews I'll be perceived as less of a performer because I'm overweight.

From my personal experience and of others on this forum I find that society in general perceive overweight people to be lazy and lack will power. Many people on this forum prove otherwise, but unfortunately, chances of skinny people coming to this forum to see how overweight people try lose weight is pretty slim (no pun intended).

While Dr. Akins wasn’t the first person to come up with LC WOE, he was one of the first that brought it to the general public and also explained in detail why it works. In fact, in the DANDR, majority of the text is devoted to why LC WOE works and diseases associated with high-carb WOE.

Just like how Dr. Akins explained LC WOE, I want to explain to people, who think that overweight people are just lazy and have no will power, the actual reason why most overweight people can’t lose the weight. It’s not that they don’t do anything about their weight; they starve themselves, spend money and time in gym, and even resort to taking dangerous diet drugs (remember Fen-phen?) just so that they can be accepted by the society (Social Needs) and improve their self-esteem (Esteem Needs). Problem is that by following the popular high-carb/low-cal diets, they are either starving (Biological and Physiological Needs) or killing themselves with drugs like Fen-phen. I don’t see it as being lazy or lacking will power. No normal person can physically neglect the basic needs in the long run, no matter how much of will power they have. I can, as well as many others in this forum, who were on high-carb/low-cal diets, can tell you that.

If you believe my theory to be true, I hope that you can use it to convince others and the overweight people are not lazy and do not lack willpower.

I am really impressed by your skill at summing things up very succinctly... especially this thread!

Make sense. Animal's life is centered around food. People are just another kind of animals with some brain fuctions upgraded.

Facinating.

A big factor for failure in many people I know.

Mazlow or not, it's certainly true for many of us that insulin is more compelling than good intentions.

Wyv

I like this thread. I once had a therapist tell me that counting calories was like trying to hold your breath forever. It works for awhile, but eventually you will take a big gulp of air. Most overweight people have a history of chronic diet. Many are successful in careers and family life, but still think they have no "will power" since they have failed to maintain a healthy weight. It makes no sense when you think to say someone has no will power, because they are fat when they have had the will power to work two jobs or go to grad school or whatever. Good post.

bull999999,

I can see what you trying to do, but I think it has little to do with psychology and more to do with nutrition and physiology.

I've always had strong will power, much stronger than most people, I was just trying to put the wrong fuel in my body.

It's my personal opinion that the people who 'hate' fat people, don't want to understand, and won't care about the 'real' reason.

Because it's all about hate, evil and ignorance.

Which is the opposite of love, goodness and open mindedness.

It's very hard to open a mind, that doesn't want to be openned!

I was inspired to come up with my theory based on reading threads like the one below.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=32103

Majority of the posters had/has social and self-esteem issues as they are often picked on for their weight issues. Therefore I believe that in order to be more social and raise their self esteem, many overweight people try many useless and sometimes dangerous fad diets or pills.

I do agree that the actual weight gain may be attributed to nutrition and physiology since physical needs must be meet before anything else or people will be setting themselves up for failure. That’s probably why many end up yo-yo dieting, they may have the willpower, but in the end, by starving themselves of nutrition their body overrides their will and they end up binge eating.

I really haven’t covered the nutrition and physiology issue much here since others in the forum already did a great job explaining it.




Very true! Couldn't have said it better myself. I created this thread to come up with something that I can use to education others that never had weight problems. Thanks for finding a weakness in my theory, I will do more to bulk up the physical nees portion of it.

Bull999,

Just a query, but why do you talk about people with weight issues as 'they' ?

I don't think you mean to, but it sounds slightly .objestifying'.

We are not lab rats, and science will not solves this, neither will politicans or government.

What will solves this ? I have no hard and fast rule, I do applaud your motivation to help and find a solution.

My belief is that it will be solved by 'Self Empowerment'.
It requires people to abandon the belief in 'everything in moderation', identify carbs as the trigger of obesity, and overcome obesity through superior nutrition.

What the low carber battles is: Big Business, Big Pharma, Big Government, and Big Ignornace of everyone around them.

This is just my opinion, I think what you are doing is good, but it will need some work (I suppose).

I would debate that sex shouldnt be on the foundation.

I have to pipe up here...just heard a good quote relating to self esteem. Something like this: "Success leads to high self esteem rather than the opposite." The idea that you have to first have great self esteem before you can succeed at whatever is often the current thinking, but this quote turns this around the other way, and I tend to agree with the turned around version, I think.

I remember reading Maslow way back when. I liked him a lot and was inspired by a lot of what he wrote. The whole psychoological issue is nice, sometimes interesting, but there appear to be so many factors in successful weight loss. Each BODY is different, as is each metabolism, hormonal profile, genetics, on and on. PLUS....we have been led over the years into eating a diet which is frighteningly conducive to weight gain...the excess of grains in our diet as one example. It's a real eye opener to read the book "Dangerous Grains" and if you read it, you'll be taking a big step towards a healthy aversion to eating grains,which are very addictive and which are strongly linked to a whole host of ailments, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and yes....gaining weight.

I'm not really that much overweight....most people wouldn't think I'm overweight at all, but for me, losing that last 20 or so lbs. is the devil and I can't figure out why it should be so impossibly hard. I don't care how good I feel about myself and all these other things in my life, fact is, having the discipline to stick with a very strict diet and exercise program is hard to muster on a long term basis. I don't feel it's in any way linked to the idea of self esteem. I'm not sure Maslow would have a solution to this. Ultimately, I think you just have to want it bad enough to "do the hard work required." As much as I think I want it, perhaps I just don't want it bad enough....yet.

As Bill Phillips once said, "Knowing and doing are two different things."