Many twists and turns convolute the path and the process when healing eating issues and weight issues. Each person’s journey is unique, but certain behavioral similarities are fundamental at the start for nearly everyone who is affected. Why?

This may surprise you, but the sociocultural roots of eating issues and weight issues are hidden deep in plain view. They are found in the often unspoken and generally accepted expectations we hold about the world in which we live. These expectations are primarily determined by the combined attitudes of people who comprise this culture and society.

It is personally surprising to find out how deeply entrenched these sociocultural systems are to each of us. Yet, taking stock of the conscious and unconscious influence these expectations hold on us individually is the first step to freeing ourselves from them forever, and living the principles of healthy eating.

To find out for yourself how immune or immersed you are in these biases, complete the Health Quiz for Eating issues and Weight Issues by answering “yes” or “no” to the following questions. The results may surprise you, but they can also act as a catalyst and a wake-up call.

Health Quiz for Eating Issues and Weight Issues

Have you ever:

(1) Thought constantly about food or talked incessantly about dieting?

(2) Felt overwhelming emotional stress?

(3) Felt depressed with low self-esteem over several weeks, months, or longer?

(4) Felt out of control?

(5) Believed that all it takes to conquer weight issues and eating issues is willpower?

(6) Tried to restrict your diet to lose weight gained from overeating?

(7) Felt guilty or ashamed about your eating habits or patterns?

(8) Started eating, then found you couldn’t stop?

(9) Eaten so much at night that you could hardly get up in the morning?

(10) Experienced relationship or family problems because of overeating, dieting, bingeing or purging?

(11) Held high expectations or standards for yourself and others?

(12) Told family what you think they want to hear about your eating habits, rather than the truth?

(13) Maintained a lower or higher than average weight?

(14) Gorged yourself, then used exercise, vomiting, or laxatives so you wouldn’t gain weight?

(15) Placed overt importance on your physical appearance?

(16) Admitted physical appearance is of ultimate importance to your family and/or yourself?

(17) Experienced swollen glands from vomiting?

(18) Experienced menstrual irregularities?

(19) Felt compelled to monitor what you or your children ate?

If you answered yes for one to five of these questions, then you’re reading this at a good time.

If you answered yes to five to ten questions, it’s a wake-up call. Pay attention to the warning signs of weight issues and eating issues now and begin seeking help. Implementing a commitment is a good first step.

If you answered yes to ten to fifteen questions, consider employing the help of a qualified therapist as you use other tips and tools, for the sake of your health and well-being.

If you or someone you know can answer yes to fifteen or more questions, it’s time for immediate action or a personal intervention.  Healthy eating has been absent and your life or the life of someone you love may be at stake.

The Preliminary First Steps to Healing

The first step on the journey to healing is to take inventory of where you are in relation to societal attitudes about food and weight. This you’ve already done by completing the Health Quiz for Eating Issues and Weight Issues. The next step is to make a commitment to become actively involved in techniques, exercises, and the process of actually living the principles of healthy eating. Once you make the commitment to “walk the walk,” your life will never be the same again.