June is Men’s Mental Health Month and it provides an important opportunity to spotlight an issue that’s often misunderstood and underestimated – the powerful connection between emotional, mental and physical health. Society exerting pressure over millennia has conditioned men to “tough it out”, “man up” not seeking help when we need it most, feeling shame about seeming vulnerable or expressing “unmasculine” emotions like fear, sadness, or worry; refusing to seek or accept help or care because it’s seen as a form of weakness. This creates a cycle where emotional and physical struggles feed each other.
According to research:
- Nearly 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. are overweight
- Over 34% of men fall into this category
- 6 million men suffer from depression, often silently
Relationships, statistics, research can be multi-layered, constantly shifting and evolving and complicated. Our perceptions, emotions, interactions and experiences with people, places, and food and how we process and interpret them affect not just our physical state but our emotional and mental well-being.
Link Between Obesity and Mental Health?
There are numerous studies that have uncovered the enmeshed and convoluted connection between obesity and mental health. The results are a cascading effect and a damaging feedback loop where patients with obesity feel poorly about their appearance. This leads to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. Which in turn can bring on anxiety and depression. This weakened state saps emotional energy, thus making it difficult for men to participate in activities that they enjoy and awkwardness at social functions. This further intensifies negative feelings of isolation and self-esteem.
Sometimes the medications which may be crucial to treat mental health disorders and prescribed to treat depression and other psychiatric conditions can cause weight gain. Their subsequent side effects may also compound the issues and make it difficult for men to make the necessary health changes.
“If you change your weight, but not your thinking, the weight won’t stay changed for long.” Stephen Gullo Ph.D.
Breaking the Cycle: It’s Not About Willpower: It’s About Strategy
If you or someone you know is experiencing overwhelming emotions, depression, anxiety, or thoughts of self-harm, it’s essential to seek immediate professional support. This content is informational and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice or treatment. Please contact a healthcare provider, therapist, or crisis helpline in your area to receive the appropriate care and guidance you deserve.
What is Behavioral Nutrition?
A holistic approach, an approach that considers the whole person – body, mind, emotions, and all the aspects/ elements between can help our men achieve their goals with details. It is an emergent field that represents an approach to weight-loss and maintenance that emphasizes individual differences in habitual food behavior and the consequent implementation of specific strategies to effectively navigate the modern food environment. This approach seeks to incorporate evidence from diverse disciplines, including behavioral economics, habits psychology and neuroscience and provide individuals with weight control advice that is sustainable and effective.
The word behavior comes before nutrition and for good reason. How a person really behaves and interacts with food needs to be taken into consideration to build an actionable plan based on an individual’s “food history” – how you have behaved with food over the years of your life and the unique history you have with any food. Your whole life experience is an immediate predictor of how you will next behave with this food. This perspective towards weight control “cuts out the fat” in that no weight control program could possibly discuss every single food you will encounter on your road through life. However, by using your own history with food you have an almost perfect guide.
The key to sustainable weight loss – and better mental health – isn’t solely diet or exercise. It’s recognizing that changing your relationship with food begins with changing your mindset. Small steps, taken consistently, build significant momentum: Here’s how to start:
- Speak up: Courage isn’t about suffering in silence. It’s having the wisdom to see support. Talk to someone who you trust, whether it’s a friend, family member, or coach. As a Psychologist, Weight Loss Coach and a Behavioral Nutritionist, I have for decades been counseling people on two of life’s most intractable problems – how to lose weight and keep it off for good, and how to live happily in an unloving relationship when you cannot or will not leave.
- Move Your Body: Incorporate brief, manageable periods of movement – 10 minute walks or simple body-weight exercises. Physical activity isn’t just calorie-burning; it’s mood enhancing. But as I remind my clients, no exercise in the world can compare to the exercise of good judgement with your food choices. Exercise’s greatest contribution is success at weight control – because it gives focus and structure. It encourages the right behaviors for dieters…not just the calorie burn.
- Choose Wisely: Behavioral Nutrition is about making small but meaningful shifts. Swap one processed snack a day for something fresh and whole. Mindful eating helps rebuild a healthy relationship with food.
Create a Culture of Support
Check in with yourself or the men in your life, your partner, your son, your friend, your father. Instead of asking “How are you really doing?”, ask “What would you like to talk about or not talk about today?”. Encourage honest conversations. Share the small and large victories to inspire others.
Photo by KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA
Are you ready to master your mindset and achieve lasting weight loss? Follow Dr. Gullo’s YouTube Channel for expert tips, proven strategies, and ongoing support. If you’re seeking personalized guidance tailored to your unique needs, call Dr. Gullo’s office at 212-734-7200 to schedule your private appointment.
Let this month guide the rest of the year and actively care for the men in our lives and promote awareness about male mental health struggles. Let us eliminate the prejudices and stigma of seeking assistance not just with mental health but all health related issues related to men. Step by step we can create a culture where strong minds support strong bodies. Remember, the strongest first step is acknowledging that you’re human – and worthy of support. This June, Men’s Mental Health Month, let’s commit to breaking the silence and breaking the cycle today and always.
If you or someone you know is in a crisis, get help immediately. You can call 911 or call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.