Some obesity researchers indicate that being fifteen pounds heavier than average consistently is less risky than losing and regaining the fifteen pounds over and over again. The best approach to weight loss is to change eating behaviors and improve exercise patterns. Choosing more fruits and vegetables and fewer sweets over the course of a week is a good first step in changing behavior. Maintaining the exercise level described above is another. Sometimes the preoccupation with losing weight becomes overwhelming.
Many women seem to be caught up in an obsession with some desired goal.
We may exercise excessively to burn calories. Or we may simply feel guilty for the food we have eaten. When our relationship with food and weight becomes more important than our relationships, studying, or other activities, the borderline has been crossed. Patterns of dealing with food may become ingrained in a way that limits our activities and cuts us off from healthier pursuits. At this point, these patterns have become addictions and have taken on a life of their own.