I'm not liking what I see.... - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

Claire-in-Texas · 07-15-2009, 04:55 AM

There are a lot of newbies on here, and I am reading some things from people on their journey that are disturbing to me.

Of course, please accept this as MY OWN OPINION, and I will certainly respect you if yours doesn't agree.

I see here a certain casualness about this process/journey. There is NOTHING casual about it.

Make no mistake - it took me 60 years to put my food addiction in remission, BUT I AM STILL A FOOD ADDICT.

Giving oneself permission to eat inappropriately (for more than a meal) "because it isn't going to hurt anything" is, in my opinion, a failure in the making.

It has been 27 months since my surgery. I am at my lowest weight. Do I have an occasional cookie? Yes. But it stops there. I get really tough on myself. Immediately. BECAUSE I JUST CAN'T ALLOW MYSELF TO THINK THAT I HAVE SOMEHOW LOST THE ADDICTION ALONG WITH THE WEIGHT.

It is unrealistic to believe that.

I want us all to be extraordinary successes. If we are to be that, then we must get real here. The word "lifestyle" is thrown around a lot, and the word "change" - but it is how we LIVE it that matters: Walking the Walk. Commitment. Using the tool to its best advantage.

Is it difficult? Yes. And it always will be. But we are addicts here. Please don't ever forget that.

Again, please accept this as my own humble opinion. I don't want to start a debate - I just feel a concern for some of what I am reading, and my desire is that we ALL succeed on this journey, this fabulous journey.

Shetaz0028 · 07-15-2009, 05:12 AM

~*~standing ovation~*~

You always have been and always will be an angel.

Nexxus · 07-15-2009, 05:15 AM

I'm scheduled for about 11 days from now. I'll tell you your words strike very true with me. I feel like the work will just be starting in 11 days and my past habits and addictions terrify me. I think to myself, "After this there is nothing else so this must work and for the rest of your life". It's a terrifying commitment I'm making to myself. I hope and pray that I will be able to do the work consistently and for ever. Thanks for your thoughts.

Claire-in-Texas · 07-15-2009, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nexxus

I'm scheduled for about 11 days from now. I'll tell you your words strike very true with me. I feel like the work will just be starting in 11 days and my past habits and addictions terrify me. I think to myself, "After this there is nothing else so this must work and for the rest of your life". It's a terrifying commitment I'm making to myself. I hope and pray that I will be able to do the work consistently and for ever. Thanks for your thoughts.

And THIS is the time for the commitment to begin, and to last, one day at a time. You can do this. It's all a matter of how we perceive what we do. And excuses, or the lack thereof.

----

I didn't expect an ovation, much less a standing one! But I appreciate your comments and belief in me. Makes me feel very humble indeed.

Sherry_Lynn · 07-15-2009, 05:45 AM

I too have felt very sad when I read some of the things people are eating, even really early out. I wake up everyday and remember how bad it was, how controlled by my food and weight I was, how desperate I was, and how very blessed I am to have been given this gift. I do not take any of this lightly, I have followed my surgeons recommendations to the letter. I know there will come a time when I stray................but it is one day at a time, and it is a serious life change. At only 12 weeks post op, I feel so great, and I don't want to lose this feeling. It's a lot easier to stay on this path, than to get back on it. Thanks Claire!

LoriAnn925 · 07-15-2009, 05:48 AM

Wise words from a wise woman. I have to say I've been thinking the same thing. I know that if I had gone into this with the attitude that I've seen some of the newbies show I would have been in a world of trouble. I'm almost 3 years out, I'm down 144 pounds and I'm still a work in progress. I'm still struggling with my food addiction.

If I hadn't established good habits in the first year, I would be right back where I was. My determination to NOT be a WLS failure really helped.

I hope that everyone who is considering this surgery realizes that is TRULY a lifetime commitment. Read over Claire's words and know that 95% of whether you are a Weight Loss Surgery success or failure it in your hands.

Shetaz0028 · 07-15-2009, 06:03 AM

You do deserve the standing O though. If I have learned nothing else from you I have learned that I have to adopt this new life NOW. Before surgery. The surgery will not magically make my food addiction go away. It's going to be a forever battle. You and other "Old time TTers" have taught me that much later down the road a single cookie will not kill me but, I need to think about why I had that cookie and that no matter what a cookie at 6 hours, days or weeks out is NEVER ok.

Celebrate has a great pre-surgery line of vits and I started taking those so I am in the habit for after surgery. It's much easier to get used to doing these things now than deal with the surgery and learning to drink water and stuff after.

You have prepared me for my journey and have gotten me excited about it.

Jobu · 07-15-2009, 06:05 AM

I couldn't agree more with your post.. And perhaps I am one of the people you are referring to. I am 8 months out and I will admit to eating things that are less then ideal.

But you did make the comment "more then one meal" and I think that is the point. I am not perfect. Food is not perfect. In the grand scheme of WLS I do not believe its what I eat sometimes as it is more what I eat all the time. Weight loss is an ongoing process. Eating a cookie is not going to ruin the process. Eating cookies every day surely will.

I will say very strongly that in the early weeks and months you should follow your doctors plan completely. After that plan is over and you are left to your own devices, it is important to make wise decisions. Using your example, eating a cookie isn't necessarily a bad choice, but eating them all the time, everyday certainly is..

soon2bthin · 07-15-2009, 06:07 AM

Very well said Claire. Every morning when I get up I thank god for this opportunity. I have my life back and so does my family to an extent. So yeah it is hard coming on here to see what some are doing so early post op. I try to be understanding and state the obvious but really people have to change themselves. Deep down. This a very personal journey, that involves getting your head right mentally. Much more then physically for me. There are still days I battle the mental aspect of this game. Coming here daily for my support helps tremendously.

LisaM · 07-15-2009, 06:29 AM

Claire... so well said. For me. recognizing my addiction also involved figuring out why I was fat in the first place. My denial about that was so entrenched that, bluntly, the answers shook up my entire life. From the wreckage I've risen anew, happy and fulfilled, but the journey to this place was devastating, exhilarating, and not finished even yet.

I have enlisted my new family in helping me walk the walk that we must all walk. But every day, even nearly four years out, I struggle with that addiction. Most of the time, I win. It is no longer a monster that overshadows my life--but I never forget. Thanks for expressing it so well.