Aspects of well-being when struggling with obesity

Figures & data

Table I. Sample characteristics (N = 21).

Sex
Male	7
Female	14
Age, years
18–29	6
30–39	2
40–49	3
50–59	10
Marital status
In a relationship	11
Single	10
Education (highest level)
Primary school	1
Secondary school	12
University/college	8
Employment
Active	10
Temporary unemployment	10
Lasting unemployment	1
Weight	96–155 kg
BMI	35–51
Health-related suffering because of obesity	15
Obesity-reducing actions
On their own	19
Healthy life centre (municipal level)	10
Intensive lifestyle intervention (specialist level)	16
Bariatric surgery	1
Weight-reducing medication	2
Other (group therapy, psychological intervention, etc.)	1

Table II. Example from the analysis process covering one main theme and three themes.

Striving to make living bearable
Coming to terms with the body		Restoring the broken relational balance		Reorienting the pivot in life
Units of meaning(What is said?)	Units of significance(What is being spoken about?)	Units of meaning(What is said?)	Units of significance(What is being spoken about?)	Units of meaning(What is said?)	Units of significance(What is being spoken about?)
I probably don’t choose activities that imply a lot of movement. I frequently go to cafés, that kind of thing. I would rather attend art exhibitions, that’s more me. I would rather that than a walk in the woods, because the physical activity becomes too challenging. (Woman A 58 years old)	Negotiating with the body’s possibilities	Maybe the people at work see that I struggle with some things that they manage easier. For example, walking down a stone staircase carrying cardboard (packaging) and that kind of thing. I always say “I will just put it (the packaging) here” when I am unpacking goods. I don’t take one box down the stairs at a time. The exercise is good for me, but I don’t do it because of my hurting knee and the ankles. They laugh then. Oh well. But then I tease them afterwards, «I see that you don’t do it either». So I get it. (Woman B 58 years old)	Disarming the experience of degradation	I will always be very big, but as long as my body can take me up some mountaintop … (stops in the middle of the sentence, thinks for a moment before he goes on), or at least down to the sea and along the beach, I will be very satisfied and happy. (Man 54 years old)	Rethinking how life can be lived