Eating Habits

Let's face it. Most of didn't get fat because of a thyroid problem. Most of us didn't get fat because our metabolism was screwed up... well, before we screwed up our own metabolisms with our yo yo dieting. Most of us didn't wake up one morning, look in the mirror and discover that we were 100lbs heavier than the day before. Most of us got fat because of our eating habits. Eating too much. Eating the wrong foods. Eating at the wrong time. Or a combination of these and a bevy of many more potential factors.

I got fat because:

1. I make poor choices. I choose the fat/sugar over the fruit/vegetables
2. I eat emotionally. I never learned how to deal with my emotions and so I would suppress them. With food.
3. Comfort. Tied in with 2. If I was upset, scared, tired (insert feeling) food represented a "safe" way to connect with a sense of comfort and well being. I mean, how could you not feel good with a piece of chocolate in your mouth?
4. Portion size. This was a mixed bag for me. My meals were not typically huge but they were larger than I needed. My problem was more with snack sizes. There is no such thing as a handful of Pringles. There was only ever a container!
5. Lack of exercise. I ate more calories than I needed. I didn't exercise. I yo yo dieted. I screwed up my own metabolism to the point that it never knows whether it's coming or going.

Then along comes the magic of weight loss surgery. The restrictive portion of the Duodenal Switch and a healthy fear of consequences means that initially a lot of the above is dealt with. You make good choices because the fear of not doing so outweighs the memory of the taste of the other stuff. You eat less simply because you can not eat more. You introduce some exercise because you are scared of the blood clots.

Over time though, your stomach stretches closer to a normal size. You can eat more. I do. Your body learns to handle all types of food better. It has. I can eat most things without too many negative consequences.

Knowing this - I have now discovered that all of those things that made me fat still exist. I still eat emotionally (although far less than before... we have progress). I still make bad choices. Yes I eat from the vending machine too often but I could choose the yoghurt over the chips. I choose not to. I still use food as a comfort source.

The moral of the story: Surgery does not alter the reason you were fat. It allows you to stop the cycle but unless you can address the underlying issues you will always struggle with reaching goal weight and/or with feeling good about yourself. Surgery is the gift that allows you to get rid of a bunch of layers. For most of us it doesn't/ can't stop there.