The Link Between Hoarding and Overeating: Why Piles of Stuff Can Be Likened to House Fat

While exercising in front of the TV the other day, I caught an episode of Hoarding. Maybe the endorphins were making me light headed, but I had a light bulb moment that the accumulation of stuff the hoarders kept in their homes was a visible manifestation of over-consumption, like body fat.

Without getting too much into the psychology of advertising, we live in a culture where we are convinced we never have enough. This is not a tin foil hat conspiracy theory, it's documented in every basic college advertising text book. The best way to market things to people is to persuade them their life is not complete without it.

Before Medifast, I thought that unless I ate every treat put in front of me, I was depriving myself. Rationally, this made no sense. If I passed on a doughnut at work, I could always purchase one on my way home. The 65 cents would not make a dent in my wallet.

Though my eating is now mostly under control, this mentality still haunts me when I'm shopping. If I see a coffee mug I like I feel compelled to buy it, even if I already have 17 others in my cupboard.

Though I have shed my excess body fat, I must now address my other fat issue -- too much  stuff. Though decluttering experts advise that when you buy something new you should get rid of something else you already have, it is hard for me to part with something I own. Whether I like the way it looks, think I may need it someday or just have a fond memory attached to it, it's emotionally painful for me to get rid of my stuff.

Fortunately, I am not even close to being one of those people on Hoarders, but unless I apply similar principles to thing consumption as I do food consumption, the potential is always there. My 30 pounds did not appear overnight, just as the TV hoarders' piles did not appear overnight. Both are the result of distorted thinking that this one thing/food/whatever will fill a void.

Happily, the habits of health I am developing through the Medifast Take Shape for Life program can help me address other issues in my life that can manifest themselves in unhealthy physical ways -- whether it's too much body fat or mountains of useless stuff.

You can purchase Medifast replacement meals directly from Medifast Centers, the Medifast website or -- for less cost -- through the co-branded website of a Medifast TSFL health coach. Medifast does not recommend purchasing its products from third party vendors, but if you choose to do so, you can find them on both Amazon and eBay.

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Medifast Centers Vs. Take Shape for Life

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