Weight Problem Test

Category: Online Therapy for Weight Problems | Last updated: October 9th, 2018 | Reviewed and approved by:
Dr. Steven Gans, MD

Signs and symptoms that you have a weight/food problem

Being overweight is not primarily about what you eat. It is about why you eat the way you do. Problems with your weight are, of course, affected by what you eat and how much you exercise. More importantly, being overweight is often a result of stress, high demands on yourself, a negative self-image and cognitive traps that trigger feelings of disappointment, not being good enough, irritation and discouragement. These are emotions that are temporarily numbed with something good to put in your mouth.

Most people can quite easily lose a few pounds. What is tricky is to keep the weight off long-term. With cognitive behavioral therapy, you discover why you eat the way you do. It is not to satisfy your hunger but all too often you will find that you turn to food for comfort and stress relief. It is almost always emotions that makes you lose control of your eating - irritability, anxiety, disappointment, etc. Eating is just a coping strategy like smoking or alcohol. It is a symptom of imbalance in your life. Eating when you are upset/sad/angry, temporarily gives you a feeling of comfort. However, as soon as the piece of pie is gone, guilt and regret inevitably kick in and you end up feeling worse. Therefore, with emotional eating, food will ultimately only make you feel more upset or more stressed.

These are some common emotional and behavioral signs and symptoms that you have a weight/food problem:

You over-eat: Even though you are full, you cannot seem to stop eating (and you might even end up with frequent stomach pain).

You use food as comfort: Your eating is emotional and it makes you feel entitled to eat when you are sad/angry/stressed/bored etc.

You have sabotaging thoughts that entitle you to overeat: You think thoughts like “I am too lazy to lose weight” or “I was born fat so it does not matter how hard I work” …so you give in and overeat.

You rationalize your eating: You think thoughts like “I am at a big party; of course I deserve some cake” (even though you have made a promise to yourself to be on a non-sugar diet for the next three months).

You have tried several diets: but always end up at the same weight (or even heavier).

You are unable to stick to a diet or exercise plan: it does not matter how motivated you are in the beginning, you always give up after some time.

You are unable to deal with a diet mistake: and just eat even more, if you have made a mistake.

Your eating is triggered by certain situations: such as being unable to watch TV without a snack in your hand.

Being overweight or obese is linked to numerous chronic health problems, many of which can be avoided or significantly reduced by losing weight.

Suffering from obesity and being overweight can lead to or worsen diseases such as:

High blood pressure
Cancer
Type 2 diabetes
Atherosclerosis
Gallstones
Asthma
Snoring problems and sleep apnea
Joint injuries
Complications during pregnancy
Infertility
Psychiatric disorders like depression
Dementia

By combining conventional weight loss methods with cognitive behavioral therapy, you will be able to improve your self-esteem, learn new stress management strategies and use other coping skills besides food to manage emotions, loose weight and keep it off - long term.

Further reading: Overcome your weight problems with online therapy.

If you suffer from any of the symptoms described above, we recommend that you take this test. Evaluate the statements and select the option that you feel best reflects the way you have felt for the past two weeks. The test is, of course, anonymous and free (see our privacy policy).

This weight problem test is not to be seen as a final diagnosis. If you are uncertain about your result, we suggest that you get professional help as soon as possible.

True
Partly true
Not true
1. I want to lose weight to impress others.
2. I continue eating, even though I am full.
3. I feel like I am entitled to eat junk food when I am stressed/upset/angry/sad/in panic etc.
4. I use food as comfort.
5. I eat faster and/or larger meals than most other people do.
6. I eat food in secret or hide food.
7. I have been on several diets, but always end up at the same weight (or heavier).
8. Even though I feel motivated when starting a diet, I feel that it is impossible to stay on it.
9. I feel like a failure when I am unable to stick to a diet (and often eat more than before).
10. I feel that I have no or little control over my eating.
11. When on a diet, I always set unrealistic goals and always end up disappointed.
12. I feel that I do not deserve any rewards if I lose weight, because it is my own fault for gaining weight in the first place.
13. When I look at myself in the mirror, I feel disgusted.
14. I eat food late in the evening or during the night.
15. When there is great deal of stress in my life, I tend to overeat more than usual.
16. I have sabotaging thoughts when it comes to food (for example “It does not matter if I stick to this diet, since I will fail anyway”).
17. Even though I am on a diet, I find myself rationalizing that it is OK for me to break it at parties/at work etc.
18. My eating is linked to certain behaviors and situations (such as I always need a snack when watching TV).
Generating result...