gain from illness (noun) : the most convenient solution when one has a mental conflict
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For the neurotic (and hey, who among us has not been one at some point), getting or staying ill helps to avoid an unsatisfactory reality.
Translated, this means that you can't stay on a diet because being fat gives you reason for why you're not in a relationship. And if you lose the weight, you might discover another (far worse) reason for being unloved (like you're an asshole or something). (You can substitute "being fat" and "losing the weight" for a number of things, like "getting drunk" and "going on the wagon" or "taking drugs" and "getting clean". You get the idea.)
Freud would say that this type of resistance is a form of self-defense in the struggle to survive. Others call it a feeble excuse.
So put down the cookie and walk to your therapist's office for a session!
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