Book title: She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
March 16, 2014
Part I.
“Within
patriarchal society, women who are victimized by male violence have had to pay
a price for breaking the silence and naming the problem. They have had to be
seen as fallen women, who have failed in their 'feminine' role to sensitize and
civilize the beast in the man.”
– Bell
Hooks, US feminist writer
At a time when most of us could feel
a little moment of triumph, spending some time with Dolores Price is a great
therapy. I love her story of courage, rebirth and second chances. Dolores was a
victim of violence during childhood. She was raped when she was twelve, few years
after her parents separated. Her mother had an affair with the man who raped
her, and her father never communicated with her for many years which made her
despise her parents very much. She wasn’t able to handle the trauma it has
given her, thus causing her to use food as her stress reliever. As I expected,
she gained too much weight later on.
Dolores and I have a lot in common—
although I never suffered much like her, somehow, I have experienced some of
those misfortunes. I too suffered too much stress during my early teenage years
brought about by family problems which triggered me to spend the next few years
nourishing myself with chocolate bars, potato chips and soft drinks. Let’s just
skip the how-much-weight-did-I-gain
part. Anyway, like Dolores, I too got to my feet and gave myself another
chance.
Many
people say that obesity is not caused by stress, just by eating too much. No
way! It’s a domino effect— when one gets stressed, he may either lose or gain
weight because he may not eat at all or eat too much to ease the tension he
feels inside. Obesity can become a chronic lifelong
condition caused by overeating, physical inactivity, and even genetic makeup.
No matter what the cause, however, obesity can be prevented or managed with a
combination of diet, exercise, behavior modification, and in severe cases, weight-loss
medications and surgery (Foster, 2009).
Nowadays,
obesity has been one of the greatest diseases people are battling with. Many eating and exercise
habits combine to promote weight gain. Certain times, places, activities, and
emotions may be linked to periods of overeating or inactivity. Many obesity
treatment programs recommend individuals keep a food diary that records all food
or drink consumed, when and with whom it was consumed, and the mood or
precipitating events that trigger eating. After one to two weeks, the diary may
reveal a pattern of activities or negative emotions that lead to overeating.
Once these eating cues are identified, techniques can be developed and
practiced to prevent unwanted eating habits. If people are aware of this
problem arising within their household, worse case scenarios will be prevented.
I am
posting this challenge to everyone who has the same case as Dolores. If Dolores
was able to get up from her situation, are you able to do the same too? Or will
you stuck yourself inside your bedroom, sitting on the couch, and drowning
yourself with chips and soda? The decision is in your hands.
Part II.
