Surgery is just the first step.

I haven't been posting like I normally do (shame on me) but that's because I have a lot going on with my plate of life. Now that we got my RSD pain under control I started having severe back pain only to find out thru two MRI's that I now I have degenerate disc disorder. I have had two epidural pain shots in three weeks as the disc have become so inflamed they've entrapped a large section of my sciatic nerve. So no more bending & lifting anything over 5lbs. Because of this making me so emotional I found myself picking up my bad eating behavior & I questioned myself that why after almost 5 years post op would I revert to bad behavior when I know better. I started searching throughout the internet and found a woman named Geneen Roth. Geneen writes books, runs workshops, and does lectures about compulsive emotional addicted food eating disorders. I read everything I could find written by her online. Then I read everything she had available on her website. Then I bought her first book, "When Food Is Love". Within getting in the first two chapters of that book I had an epiphany one night and cried like I had never cried before. I found a memory in my childhood that made me feel like food was my only true friend. Like Geneen had quoted in her book, "The refrigerator can never hate me.". The more I read of the book the more I started to come to terms w/things in my life that sent me on the road to food addiction and obesity. I'm now working on her workbook, "Stopping Compulsive Eating".  I'm writing this because I really want to stress that just because you had the surgery doesn't mean your journey is over. You have to be honest as to why you got obese in the first place and make total changes in your life and your past or you'll find yourself right back in the thick of the madness again. Don't be afraid to say you need help, ask for help, or accept help. Love yourself more then anything else in your life. We are all important to not only our families and friends but to ourselves. 

And if you have the oppurutinty check out Geneen Roth... she really is awesome. 

JO! 

Good to see you posting!  I have to tell you I needed to see this post this morning.  I've been struggling the last couple of weeks with 'food' issues.  Knowing I'm not hungry and what I'm eating I shouldn't be... as I'm stuffing it in my face.   I think it does us all good to read things like this.  You can bet I'll be checking her out.  It's funny because I've said more than once in my support group "there's nothing that happened to me that a Frosty couldn't cure on the way home" but no one ever tells you how to handle the stress when you can't eat the Frosty.  I'm not dumb I realize that's emotional eating... everyone does it so it should affect me the way it does, right?  Wrong!  The surgery, like me, is a work in progress and I don't think I'll ever be done learning about me and fixing me.  I think you're working on you too and it's a good thing Jo!!  Keep on telling about the stuff you find... you never know when it'll speak to someone who desperately needs it at the moment!

Huggs,

Frankie

Awesome!!  Thanks for sharing this with us Jodi!   I am very interested in checking her out.  I totally understand about what you are saying.  I , too, came to terms with what was causing me to feed my face instead of dealing with my habits.  And in that I have found a whole new way to appreciate life and love myself for the first time ever!!!

I will keep you in my prayers. 

Huge hugz,
Tracy

Thank you Tracy and Frankie for your support. 

I know that many of us get this surgery forgetting what got us obese in the first place. We just want the physical and emotional pain of currently being obese to go away. We promise ourselves that we'll use our tools and be just fine. After reading Geneen's first book I never realized until then that I even had any type of food disorder.. let alone a food addiction problem. I'm still far from being obese. I wear a size 11-12 jeans, large tops and on occasion I'll put on my Kymaro body shaper on just for that extra Umph! I'm happy where I am but like all women would like to feel better about the way I look, so that's why I'm doing Geneen Roth's material. 

I ordered her workbook and was wondering if anyone here would be interested in working the workbook sections with me via email (or I might set up a private Facebook account for us to meet under/at). This is a great opportunity as it saves you money in having to buy a workbook yourself (if your tight on money right now) AND gives you a group of people to have as support to encourage you to be honest as we work thru the assignments and questions together. So if your interested just email me & let me know. I'd really like to get this going in April. \

My email is [email protected]. Everyone is welcomed to join me pre and post ops or if your not even sure you want surgery but might be interested in doing this... just contact me. April is coming soon and the sooner the better to get started on a new adventure. New adventure of learning and rediscovering your self love, self worth, and you!!

 

Blessings & Love

Jodi