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Is Obesity Caused By a Lack of Impulse Control? Ask a PT

In my last blog, we talked about the worst exercises I’ve seen in the gym, and what makes a bad exercise. Today, I will be answering the question “Is obesity caused by a lack of impulse control?” and I’ll be addressing the blame game that surrounds it. 

Is Obesity Caused By a Lack of Impulse Control?

Question: I’ve been obese for years, and recently heard somebody saying that it is down to poor impulse control. Is this true?

Answer: Poor impulse control can cause obesity, but it is by no means the main cause. There are many people with poor impulse control who are not obese. And there are many people who are obese who have excellent impulse control.

When fitness influencers say that obesity is caused by poor impulse control, they are doing the fitness equivalent of a mechanic diagnosing your car without looking at it.

Sure, there is a chance that they may be right, but they aren’t doing their job properly. There are MANY causes of obesity, and some of those causes can affect impulse control. For example, I talk a lot about how bad sleep can affect your appetite, cortisol levels, and testosterone.

Bad Sleep & Obesity

If you sleep badly, your impulse control related to food can be disrupted. A part of your brain is activated that causes you to seek out high calorie foods.  It is the same part of the brain that causes the “munchies” when people smoke marijuana.

So, your brain will tell you to go for the doughnut rather than the apple when you’re rushing to work. Your decision was caused by poor impulse control, but your poor impulse control was caused by your bad sleep.

So here I would say that bad sleep was the cause.

If you slept badly because you were up gaming until 3am, then this comes back to you. The decisions that you made, have affected your appetite, calorie consumption, and your weight gain.

If, however, you slept badly because you have a crying baby next door, or you are very stressed because you are about to lose your job, or you have a medical condition that makes sleep difficult, then this is clearly outside of your control.

This is why I get so annoyed when people talk about discipline or impulse control when it comes to obesity. Not because they are necessarily wrong, but because they don’t know the full story. And can’t be bothered to try.

The Blame Game Doesn’t Solve Anything

The whole conversation turns into the blame game, and it doesn’t solve the problem at all.

If your actual problem is high stress, bad sleep, or current lifestyle factors such as having a baby etc. Then being told to “be more disciplined” is useless, because you aren’t solving the problem.

A better response would be “try to go to bed an hour earlier, try to avoid caffeine after 3pm, try to meditate before bedtime as your stress is affecting your sleep, and your lack of sleep is affecting your appetite and impulse control”.

Sure, being disciplined can certainly help, but fixing the lifestyle factors behind your decisions is so much more effective.

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