In 1985, Dr. Vincent Felitti noticed something strange at his San Diego obesity clinic. The patients who dropped out were the ones losing weight. When he asked why, he uncovered a link between childhood trauma and adult weight gain that grew into the Adverse Childhood Experiences study.
In this episode, Rick explains why the weight can start as a form of protection, and which kinds of help have the strongest track record.
Important points
Some of Felitti’s patients regained weight after they started getting unwanted attention, because the weight had been helping them feel safe.
The ACE study followed more than 17,000 adults and linked childhood abuse and neglect to a long list of adult health problems, including obesity.
Diets that treat weight as a willpower problem skip the most important question, and the shame that follows each failed attempt keeps the cycle going.
One question to ask with curiosity: “What is this weight protecting me from?”
For deeper trauma, look for a therapist trained in trauma-focused approaches such as cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure, trauma-focused CBT, or EMDR. If binge eating is part of the picture, ask about CBT for binge eating.
For lighter wounds and everyday stress, mindfulness practices like Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction can help. If your history is heavy, do this work alongside a therapist.
Your next step
If this episode stirred up something heavy, please reach out to someone you trust or a therapist who works with trauma.
When you’re ready to build the identity that no longer needs the armor, everything Rick teaches is at https://weightlossmindset.co/subscribe.
