Did anyone watch Oprah last week?

Last week she had a special on woman who have had weight loss surgery,lost lots of weight and picked up a differant bad habit.Alcohol,sex ect........This is a fear of mine.I have been in shell my whole life .After my surgery and I lose the weight will I be out of control or be picking up a bottle instead of the 2lb bag of m&m's.Did anyone else have this fear or problem.Thanks Erin

Hi Erin, I have not see her program on this issue but I will be honest with you....After I had this surgery, I picked up a different habit but good choice EXECERISE 5 or 6 times a week. If you are using your tools then you will be fine... Tools are going to post op support group, call your post op friends to talk,choice to eat healthier foods, use Ct message board to ask for help or help you to stay on right track. Remember we are Human and cannot be perfect. I won't be sucessful without using my tools and my OH friends here. Hugs Kathy K

Hi Kathy - I remember meeting you at a support group meeting at L & M Hospital in New London about 3 months before your surgery! Congratulations on your great success. Like you, I exercise every day (almost); I have redirected all my energy and focus on moving my butt and away from thoughts and feelings about food. For me, being able to move is truly the miracle of this journey. I just wanted to say hi and hope to see you -- and everyone else -- at SG at Middlesex sometime. Take care, all. Maureen

Hi Maureen Yes I remembered seeing you at support group as we were pre-op in the past. I will try to go post op meeting after holidays and will email you to let you know when I am going there so we can meet each other and talking!!! (not small talking) WINK! I am so proud of you to do exercise almost everyday :thumbups: Have a great Thanksgiving with your family even though we cannot eat too much foods but to feed people Hugs Kathy K

Erin, I watched it also. I think it is good for people looking into wls to know that it is a possibility to replace food addiction with another addiction when the ability to turn to food is taken away. If you are afraid that you will be prone to this, I recomend seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist. You need to try to identify the why/when/how behind your eating and identify your triggers. My theory is that forewarned is forearmed. You are aware of the possibiility therefore you can watch for potential problems. Good luck!

what is wrong with a little sex addiction? Scott

I saw the show...I know that some WLS people do take on and transfer their addiction for food onto something else, but not everyone does. I think Oprah's show was unfairly biased and didn't show any 'successful' people on there who had not transferred any addictions at all. I actually gave up food and shopping too! I was so miserable about being so obese, that I shopped for things I didn't need just to fill inside me something that was lacking. I am not out of control (though I do cheat with carbs occassionally) with food and I don't have feelings of going out and guzzling booze, having sex with strangers overshopping or anything else. It's all relative. YOu have to watch yourself and have some self control. Why didn't Oprah do a show on people with alcoholism and how some may have a gambling addiction? It's the same thing. She's always been and always will be against WLS and focuses on the negative. Paula

Go see a psychologist pre-op to find out if you have an addictive personality. With Lap Band you will not have any of the dumping issues that the RNY patients have- you can still ingest way more calories than your body needs, just not in the quantities-if you choose to fill your stomach with high calorie high carb foods you won't be successful. If sweets are your trigger maybe RNY is a better option for you. The lap band restricts quantity and gives you a sense of fullness but all WLS are ONLY a tool- and it's how you use the tool that counts. I see you are going to Mexico -you will not have the post op support that many of us having surery here locally have available. I suggest you consider that as well. A co-worker went to Mexico for her Lap Band and has problems - she has no support- she had very little instruction, and often I see her eating inappropriate foods- she has no clue what to do. Hence, she has not lost very much weight.

Thanks for the advice everyone.Even you scott.lol.I have my surgery date .Nov 30th.Yes in Mexico.(self pay patient)I have done my research and feel confident with Dr.Kuri.He has done many more lap band operations than any other local doctor that I could find.Of course the lap band has been approved in mexico for more then 10 years.Only three i think in the usa.Well thanks for the support and advice.I will be going to Dr.aranow for my fills and check ups.Have a great day!

I thought Oprah's show about addiction transfer was very interesting; the Wall Street Journal recently published articles regarding studies on post-op WLS patients who turned to binging on alcohol because they could not eat like in the good old days. Perhaps this was the genesis of the show. In any case, Oprah's program surely served as a useful warning to those who had or will have WLS and lack adequate support through the process. Therapy can be a great tool for gaining insight into one's own behavior, but joining in support group meetings where all are dealing with the same stressors may be the best thing to pursue. There is a sliding scale of addiction, IMHO, where some live to eat (or drink or whatever..) while others who have less of an addiction problem do manage to adapt more readily to the changes imposed by WLS. For those who would believe that WLS will change everything FOR them, this might be an important red flag. (I liked potato chips and Ben and Jerry's before WLS - and I still do - but have reeled in their consumption significantly over time. ) The Oprah show has given a lot of attention to the subject of weight loss and presented all sides of the issue over a long period of time. Keep up the good work Oprah. And can I have your diamond earrings when you get tired of them? Mary