Acerbic Weight Loss Surgery Rule Breakers Society Of America Unite.

 Acerbic Weight Loss Surgery Rule Breakers Society Of America Unite.

 

The vlogger, (video here) Sally, may have given me six or seven words to take to the dictionary.   I honed in on acerbic, probably because I understood it to mean "sarcastic."  Sally, you have lots of words.  Thanks for this blog-starter.  I may rant, but it's not toward YOU.

acerbic

1. Sour or bitter. 
2. Sarcastic or cynical. 
3. Sharp-tempered. 

Yes.  I can be acerbic.

But am I a rule breaker?  You betcha.  What is the sense in lying about it?  That's why I posted the video.  I am a Rule Breaker.  I am a Bad Girl.  I am a shirt-carrying, CLICK-drinking, gum chewing founder of the Bariatric Bad Girls Club.

Every one of us goes through some versions of cycles of rule following, rule apathy, outright rule destruction or anti-rule anarchy and maybe even complete rule denial.  

I would suggest that MOST of us START as RULE FOLLOWERS 100%.  I was.  "I will do EVERYTHING right!  I will lose 100% of my weight, for-ever!  Fat is bad!  Thin is good!  Amen!"  Those hardcore ideas BLEW UP in my face.  There's no such thing as perfect, there's no such thing as forever.  Life happens, deal with it, thanks.  For me, it was pregnancy.  You simply cannot mesh the idea of continued massive weight loss with FETAL GROWTH.  The baby was MORE important than the size of my ass.

I believe that post weight loss surgery life and long term success depends on the mindset of the patient to not revert to pre-op behaviors.  Those behaviors slip back in very easily once we allow them to.  

I suppose this is what happens as you mature with weight loss surgery -- you cannot live as a surgically altered freak forever.  ^{(Thanks, BTV.)}  As much as we are forced to change at the START, weight loss surgery should really be about becoming eventually some kind of normal, right?  Maybe just a little?  (Hush.  I know.  I will never be normal, fat or not fat.)

So, I am a rule breaker, along with countless others in the community.  What does that REALLY mean?  And, who's making the rules?  Each surgical procedure has similar basic guidelines, we aren't that far off each other.  (Except DS'ers because they are way cooler than us.  Surgery wars, begin.)

...That I eat more calories than someone else?  How is that a problem?   My body maintains on about 1400-2000 calories a day.  That makes me.... normal.  I'm not typically stuffing pastries/chips/etc... (ever) or wine/liquid calories... (hardly) down my gullet, so what is the issue?  That I use a straw?  Eat too fast?  Masticate badly?  Admit to enjoying very good chocolate?  Drink coffee?  Not weighing, measuring?  Not calorie counting?  Not fat counting?   Not wait a half hour to sip a sip of liquid after a meal to wash out my mouth?  Sometimes live on cheese?  Eat 6 times a day?   Eat to avoid hypoglycemia?  Eat past 7 pm?  11pm?  In the middle of the night?    Drink Diet Soda sometimes?   Eat half a sandwich?  Eat fast-food sometimes?  Chew gum?  Choose not to use an elliptical, no gym membership, not walk my dog who drags me down the road?  Eat celery, coconut?  No water loading pre meals? 

What about all that I/we do that is RIGHT?  What about being rule-apathetic because many of the rules are silly and have no real basis in facts?  What about being at a normal body weight for years? What about making good choices every single day?   Because I do, we do.  Not all of us rule-breakers are sitting around eating junk food and drinking soda.  I know that's the inference, but it's not everyone.  

I don't even like cake.  ;)

Over long periods of time as a post op, we can "forget" our surgery.  Those who have "forgotten" their surgery or who have had a difficult time with regain or complications are often shunned by whomever is the most "so called successful" in weight loss surgery community, which causes:  COMPLETE DENIAL and HIDING.  

There is no shame for me.  No rule is worth hiding over.  

We are all successful in our own ways, and we can all be successful repeatedly.  Morbid obesity is a "disease" that is LIFE LONG.  

We did not GET to be morbidly obese without breaking ALL of the rules or normalcy at some point.  

Normal people don't typically follow many rules either, or point out the flaws in their normal peers.

Are you a rule breaker? 

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As usual, your post did not disappoint.  Rock on Sista!

How do I become a card carrying member of the bad girls club???!!!

Kim

 Heh.

No cards.  I feel gross about cards.

Tee shirts.

thank you!  I break lots of rules!  I am not yet where I want to be, but I know I will be, broken rules or not.  And I feel fabulous.

My rules are:
        
      1) I can and I will
       2) I can and I will
       3) I can and I will
        4) I can and I will
And Finally"


        "Fuck them if they can't take a joke!"
I think that I've said enough.

 There's that option as well, when I don't feel so wordy.

I'm having a wordy day.

Stress side effect.

I'm obsessive-compulsive when it comes to rules.... I HAVE to follow them.

SO..... I forgot what they were....and now they don't trouble me.

OR, I change the rules, and follow the new ones, so that's okay too.

But yeah.... HAVE to follow the rules, but the #1 rule is that *I* get to make the rules and *I* get to change them when I want to.

I'm excessively good at rule #1

I am the opposite of Lady L, but that's OK.  I had no program and no rules so I HAD to make my own. turns out that was the best part of WLS - making my own rules.

Rule # 1:  I'm always right,
Rule # 2:  When in doubt, see rule #1.

 NO shame here! My surgeon told me from day one that each of us will have to find a healthy "normal" that works for us, that is our goal!
I choose not to obsess about all the little things because for me it'll turn into something unhealthy, feeding the OCD brain I have and causing unwanted stress! It's a lifelong journey! There will be days I make the healthiest choices for me and there will be days I don't and that's OK!