Frisco Small Rant !!!

 *LIKE*
I agree with you, in that a blanket condemnation of people who use their addictions as an excuse to eat badly, doesn't work for all.  For those that have taken the time to see a therapist and work on their brain, I applaud you.  I know that there are many on this board that have powered through it and overcame their weaknesses.  I am in awe of those folks.  

Coddling everyone that is struggling, is not always the best approach, either.  It's a public forum, and not many of us are qualified or licensed to help others that struggle with addictions.  I struggle and show weakness with my demons often.  I am thankful to have a friend that doesn't pull punches, calls me on my bull**** but is also very compassionate while doing so.  So, I just want to publicly thank you.  

Well said frisco

Well, I have a food addiction and I certainly can't gauge how much or less that makes my journey in comparison to someone else's. I've never really seen weight loss as a contest. I know we all compare but it's not an individual sport where anyone "wins" and someone else "loses." We win when we lose weight and get healthy.

Maybe I don't read enough to understand it but for anyone to make a thread to complain about what other people post and then have others chime into challenge the very possibility that food addictions exist, is pretty hypocritical to me. It's like making posts to complain about what other people are posting about that comes across as judgement when this entire thread sounds the same way. We are all human and we can all be aholes but now we have a ahole contest about whose weight loss journey is the most authentic and who is just whining.

Sorry if I offend anyone but I'm pretty blunt and not very thin skinned.  I tend to ignore most of the nasty and the competitive "who has the best plan/diet/exercise/etc" I find most of the people who have lost 100+ pounds to have some widsom on the whole process. The people who have lost 200+ pounds have even more wisdom to share. The people who have walked the path have experience to speak from. BUT if people post that flying monkeys come out of their arse and feed them purple bananas and they can't lose weight as a result, I just pass over the post. I mean, in the interest of being supportive, I don't think it's productive to try to address someone else's reality. IF they are speaking of plan specifics or hair loss or looking for data points, that's different.

I didn't know I had a food addiction. I mean, again to be perfectly blunt, I don't think people get 100, 200, 300 pounds overweight simply by calories in and calories out. I think something is driving that type of weight gain. I just didn't want to be one of "those people." Admitting I was took a lot of work and courage. To become authentic was a process. I would contend that if you don't "get it" you maybe haven't experienced it in the same way. And just because anyone else doesn't "get it" doesn't make it any less valid or authentic. For me, admitting the food addiction consisted of defining that my "sleeve" hadn't failed, my behavior had. Understanding why that behavior was illogical and counterproductive was the key for me to getting on track and getting the weight loss going in the right direction.  Defining and understanding my own behavior wasn't about competing with anyone else. I am not quite clear why anyone would think people with food addictions are trying to be a one upper. Addictions suck, food addictions suck because total abstinence isn't an option. It does make the journey harder because you will self sabotage until you learn to control the addiction rather than have it control you. Does it make it "harder" than anyone else's journey? Who cares? it makes it "harder" for the person fighting the food addiction than if they didn't have a food addiction and their arse blew to 300 pounds due to some rare undiscovered disorder that they could take a pill or a treatment for and the weight would disappear.

The head work is clearly harder than the gym work or the nutrition. If we don't admit the addictive nature of carbs/sugar/whatever then there is statistical data that shows addiction transfer. I'd hate for people not to feel comfortable admitting it because of the ridicule here. This isn't a contest, right? But supposedly supprotive/data gathering/story sharing. Clearly people with head issues need other help besides an internet forum but I'd be lying if I didn't honestly say that an attempt to censor or control what is posted on the internet is also indicative of some control/head/etc issues.

Interesting perspective!  As someone who strongly identifies as a compulsive overeater (some would say "food addict"), I sure don't think my issues are stronger or bigger than anyone else's.  I guess it's just a way for me to say I know how big mine really are.   

I know I just keep putting it out there because (and this is *my* pet peeve) so many folks talk like there's nothing particularly wrong about their relationship with food, nothing a little portion control wouldn't fix.  Eating 10 M&Ms wouldn't really work for me, but I bow down to those people who can do it.  I just know my limits and they're, well, limited.

Finally, I am actually not sure I actually *believe* in the disease model of food addiction, a la alcoholism, but I can tell you from my own personal experience, that *for me* acting as if it were true has been far more helpful than deciding I knew better and letting the monkey drag me around by the hair.

Whether or not *you* believe food addiction is a disease, the science community does. Food and drugs both turn on the same areas in the brain and for some people, it is indeed enough.

So...for you, it may very well be an addiction. and you've taken the steps to address it as such. and that is huge. Others would do well to follow your lead.

Perfect answer. After the OH conference in NOLA where the issue of addicition/disease, etc was raised, I spent a lot of time thinking about it and at first I thought it was a ridiculous idea, but then I realized - I just don't know. Maybe food addiction and obesity should qualify as a disease, maybe it shouldn't but that's not for me to decide. All I know is my head is messed up and I'd be happy with brain surgery or a brain transplant or something :)

I haven't posted on this board in a while...but...here's my 2 cents...

Didn't we all have one of those disorders? I mean, we were all overweight enough to want/need WLS to "correct" it. "Normal" people don't stuff themselves silly with copious amounts of food.

So whether or not you meet DSMIV criteria for a food or other issue, fix it. Get therapy and get healthy. It will be the best gift (besides surgery) you've ever done for yourself. I've seen enough posts to know that losing the pounds only brings other issues to the surface and losing weight doesn't fix everything.

 

Great post, Frisco.
Whether you want to call it food addiction/issues/compulsion, whatever, we all have it. My personal opinion is if you are a person who doesn't think you have issues with food, how do you think you got here? If you don't take the time to really think about that, you probably won't be as successful as someone *****ally does the head work.
That being said, our problems are often the worst to us in our heads. I also feel that people who compare themselves and their issues to others should be in counseling.

Heh. So true.
On a scale of 1-10. It should be like the smiley-frowny scale at the doctors office.
I FEEL LIKE A 9!!! Adddddddddicted!

 I agree with your post Frisco.

Here is my observation: why on earth would someone want to go through major surgery and spend tons of money on being sleeved if they are not willing to follow their Nutritionist, their Primary Care Doctor and their Surgeon's orders and guidelines. 

I for one would not have even thought about being sleeved if I was not going to be committed and dedicated to my new life and new life style. My suggestion, don't consider having the surgery if you're not going to be 100 percent dedicated to your new sleeve and your new life style.