Interesting Article: As copied from the PA Forum
How to Get Your Brain to Work With You
(Not Against You)
by Katie Jay, MSW, Certified Wellness Coach Director, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery www.nawls.com
(This is the second article in my series on psychological considerations after WLS)
When my son was four he threw a big tantrum at a pool party. My husband and I were ready to go home; our son was not. So he went into a rage. As the 100 or so people at the party stared at us (probably feeling grateful it wasn't their child screaming) we attempted to subdue our monster. It was our own fault. Our son had not eaten dinner, only junk food. And I realized too late that his blood sugar was crashing. You see, like his mother, when he didn't eat on time, and get enough protein in, he became very agitated. If we had lined up everyone at the pool, we would have gotten many different opinions about what was wrong with my son:
· He has overindulgent parents
· He's a brat
· He doesn't have any manners
· He can't control himself
· He is tired
· He's trying to get attention
· He is sick
· He is bad
(And we judge ourselves this way, too, when we feel out of control, etc.!)
Very few people would have guessed low blood sugar. Very few people would have made the food/mood connection. The only reason I did was because after years of depression and a bad temper, I was diagnosed with type II diabetes. (The doctor didn't make the food/mood connection, either. My husband was the first to notice that improvement :o). When I began to eat protein at regular intervals, and cut back on sugar and refined carbs, my mood improved. When we began feeding out son protein at regular intervals, the tantrums stopped. After WLS, it is more important than ever for us to understand and acknowledge the food/mood connection. We often call it "emotional eating" and tell ourselves we are weak willed. But it's not that simple. Kathleen Des Maisons, in her book, "The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Program, and Anne Katherine, in her book, "The Anatomy of a Food Addiction," both discuss at length what happens in the brain when we eat certain foods. (And how eating certain foods can help brain chemistry that is out of whack.) Here's one scientific example from Des Maisons: "Sugar-activated beta-endorphin [a chemical in the brain that is released when a person eats sugar or refined carbs] changes emotions as well as physical feelings. Not only does sugar reduce physical pain in [a certain type of mouse]; it also reduces the pain of loss or social isolation. "When baby mice are taken from their mothers, they cry. Scientists measured the number of times the babies cried in a specified number of minutes. They gave the babies sugar water, and, no surprise, they stopped crying. "The 'isolation distress' was significantly lessened by sugar. Sugar creates a temporary flood of beta-endorphins, thus numbing the emotional pain of separation." Some people can drastically reduce their low mood by choosing a more effective food plan (and regular, moderate exercise helps, too). While others, will also need medication and/or therapy (I use both). Depression and anxiety are common among WLS patients. So, no matter what the cause of the mood issue, treating it will help you keep your weight in check. Let's face it, when your brain chemistry is working against you, your WLS journey will be longer and more challenging, if not impossible. You can have good intentions, and know what you're supposed to do, but this knowledge won't help if you're too depressed to get up in the morning, or too anxious to move forward. Sometimes medication and/or therapy are needed to help you stay focused and to give you the mental and emotional strength you need to stay on your path. My son is 17 now, and we both know that when we're feeling irritable or irrationally angry, it's time for a healthy, protein-based snack. Once we knew what the problem was, we were able to take steps to solve it. You have that ability, too. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on these important issues.
*********************************************************
Want to Reprint this Newsletter? If you'd like to reprint any part of this newsletter,
do so with the following credit, including the copyright
line: From Small Bites, the email newsletter for the
National Association for Weight Loss Surgery.
Subscribe today and get your F'REE report,
How to Regain-proof Your Weight Loss
Surgery at www.NAWLS.com.
(c) 2010 National Association for Weight Loss Surgery,
Inc. All rights reserved.
National Association for Weight Loss Surgery, 609A Piner Road, #319, Wilmington, NC 28409
(Not Against You)
by Katie Jay, MSW, Certified Wellness Coach Director, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery www.nawls.com
(This is the second article in my series on psychological considerations after WLS)
When my son was four he threw a big tantrum at a pool party. My husband and I were ready to go home; our son was not. So he went into a rage. As the 100 or so people at the party stared at us (probably feeling grateful it wasn't their child screaming) we attempted to subdue our monster. It was our own fault. Our son had not eaten dinner, only junk food. And I realized too late that his blood sugar was crashing. You see, like his mother, when he didn't eat on time, and get enough protein in, he became very agitated. If we had lined up everyone at the pool, we would have gotten many different opinions about what was wrong with my son:
· He has overindulgent parents
· He's a brat
· He doesn't have any manners
· He can't control himself
· He is tired
· He's trying to get attention
· He is sick
· He is bad
(And we judge ourselves this way, too, when we feel out of control, etc.!)
Very few people would have guessed low blood sugar. Very few people would have made the food/mood connection. The only reason I did was because after years of depression and a bad temper, I was diagnosed with type II diabetes. (The doctor didn't make the food/mood connection, either. My husband was the first to notice that improvement :o). When I began to eat protein at regular intervals, and cut back on sugar and refined carbs, my mood improved. When we began feeding out son protein at regular intervals, the tantrums stopped. After WLS, it is more important than ever for us to understand and acknowledge the food/mood connection. We often call it "emotional eating" and tell ourselves we are weak willed. But it's not that simple. Kathleen Des Maisons, in her book, "The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Program, and Anne Katherine, in her book, "The Anatomy of a Food Addiction," both discuss at length what happens in the brain when we eat certain foods. (And how eating certain foods can help brain chemistry that is out of whack.) Here's one scientific example from Des Maisons: "Sugar-activated beta-endorphin [a chemical in the brain that is released when a person eats sugar or refined carbs] changes emotions as well as physical feelings. Not only does sugar reduce physical pain in [a certain type of mouse]; it also reduces the pain of loss or social isolation. "When baby mice are taken from their mothers, they cry. Scientists measured the number of times the babies cried in a specified number of minutes. They gave the babies sugar water, and, no surprise, they stopped crying. "The 'isolation distress' was significantly lessened by sugar. Sugar creates a temporary flood of beta-endorphins, thus numbing the emotional pain of separation." Some people can drastically reduce their low mood by choosing a more effective food plan (and regular, moderate exercise helps, too). While others, will also need medication and/or therapy (I use both). Depression and anxiety are common among WLS patients. So, no matter what the cause of the mood issue, treating it will help you keep your weight in check. Let's face it, when your brain chemistry is working against you, your WLS journey will be longer and more challenging, if not impossible. You can have good intentions, and know what you're supposed to do, but this knowledge won't help if you're too depressed to get up in the morning, or too anxious to move forward. Sometimes medication and/or therapy are needed to help you stay focused and to give you the mental and emotional strength you need to stay on your path. My son is 17 now, and we both know that when we're feeling irritable or irrationally angry, it's time for a healthy, protein-based snack. Once we knew what the problem was, we were able to take steps to solve it. You have that ability, too. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on these important issues.
*********************************************************
Want to Reprint this Newsletter? If you'd like to reprint any part of this newsletter,
do so with the following credit, including the copyright
line: From Small Bites, the email newsletter for the
National Association for Weight Loss Surgery.
Subscribe today and get your F'REE report,
How to Regain-proof Your Weight Loss
Surgery at www.NAWLS.com.
(c) 2010 National Association for Weight Loss Surgery,
Inc. All rights reserved.
National Association for Weight Loss Surgery, 609A Piner Road, #319, Wilmington, NC 28409
My Mantra is that I do not determine my success by the number hanging in my closet, nor will I let the scale determine that success either. . . It is through trial and error I will continue to grow and succeed. . . Laureen
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Ben Sweetland
Interesting subject. Just the other day when I went to see my new therapist, she told me that my psychiatrist's PA (who also worked for a bariatric surgeon for several years) had made a comment that they get a lot of people with depression 1-2 years out from WLS. Seems it's a pretty common thing. She also says a lot of them have problems with body dysmorphia. That makes me feel a little better since I too still think I'm too fat, lol.
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