There are many reasons why people avoid the assistance of a professional therapist. One common misconception (for which we can thank Mr. Frued) is that the counselor will always blame your mother for whatever difficulties you may be experiencing. There are many other factors that have influenced your current life; however, weight may be highly influenced by what you observe in your parents.
Research recently published by British scientists suggests that there may be some connection between childhood obesity and the parent of the same sex. Eating disorder theory has centered around the father-daughter relationship, where as this obesity research focuses on the mother-daughter and father-son relationships. The connection does not seem to be the same for mother-son and father-daughter relationships. This discrepancy points to a behavioral cause for obesity more than a genetic cause. A genetic cause would not show the gender discrimination.
This research may open up some new ways of fighting the epedimic of childhood obesity. Parental modeling may be given more and more importance. What do your children see you do? Does your behavior encourage them to achieve good health?