Warning: VERY controversial question

Back to the original question: in my case, it was because I didn't know I could do what needed to be done to lose weight. People told me that nothing short of Herculean efforts would matter, and I knew I didn't have that in me...didn't realize it was all a simple formula, and that I could still eat and enjoy life.

given that you said you found out you had a food addiction - how did having weight loss surgery address your addiction? since, as they say, the surgery fixes the stomach but not the mind - addiction is generally accepted as an emotional, psycholocal and neurological experience that wouldn't be addressed by gastrointestinal manipulation. have you had any issues with the whole addiction transfer concept? i am not trying to be a brat - i'm genuinely interested in your experience since you are further out than many that are on OH. i am writing a section of my dissertation about the addiction model of eating disorders and while there is not a ton of research, its predominantly against the idea of overeating/obesity being an "addiction" in the traditional sense. there is some interesting stuff about obese individuals having fewer dopamine receptors in the brain, which is similar to those who used ilicit substances, but obviously that is not something that could be fixed by losing weight, eating less food or consuming certain kinds of foods.

I say that all the time . That i had surgery on my tummy and not my mind or emotions. I have always had a weight problem to some degree. In retrospect i know now that it was mainly due to eating for the wrong reasons. Eating when i was sad, bored, because it tasted good or just because it was there. I rarely ate for the intended purpose... to nourish my body. However i had always been very active so even though I carried a little extra weight it wasn't a problem and wasn't causing any health issues. However, 7 years ago I did develop a muscular disease that severely limited my ability to be active and  so the weight piled on and i got up to 276. Then i started developing the weight related illnesses like sleep apnea, diabetes etc. That's when I decided well if I can't exercise I can try and modify my diet. I tried for 2 years. I would lose 10 and gain back 20. I tried numerous "diets" but could not stick to them for more than a few weeks at a time. Anything emotional going on in my life would have me reaching for the ice cream or mashed potatoes and gravy. Comfort foods. I would immediately feel better or  actually numb would be a better word , at least temporarily. I was against weightloss surgery for the longest time because i thought it was so drastic.  I thought I could get a handle on it and lose the weight my self. My doctor finally sat me down and brought up the idea of surgery. I told her i thought it was too drastic and she said that i needed to do something drastic or else my weight related illnesses were going to kill me. So  i had the surgery, lost 145 pounds and along with it I lost almost all of the weight related illnesses. Having 4 years of hindsight though here is what I've discovered....I  am now at a healthy weight even though I have regained back 20 pounds and have been for about 2 years . But I still eat for the wrong reasons just much less  of it because I am forced to, due to the forced behavior modifying aspects of the surgery  like dumping . When I'm sad,bored,lonely,frustrated etc. I still want to go eat a gallon of ice cream to stuff all of those feelings down but I can't do that now because i do dump and the fear of dumping is a very powerful deterrant. Having said that though I still find my self looking at certain foods like cake and thinking 'hmmm...how dumpworthy is that on a scale of 1 to 10?"  When I'm having a crap day I will still have 2 or  3 bites of  whatever is calling me at the moment and while i'm eating those few bites it feels like I'm in a zone and everything is alright in the world. Also another example is that...my pouch is only so big but on occassion I will eat too much even if it's healthy for me at a meal, knowing full well that I should stop or that the consequence is that it's all going to come back up. But for whatever reason it satisfies something in me to keep shoveling it in.  I see the food addiction as the problem and being overweight as the symptom. The surgery only fixed the symptom.   So yes I do still have the same food issues that i had prior to surgery the only difference now is that there are  unpleasant consequences that go along with them now.  I have heard that addiction transfer is very high after weightloss surgery. I haven't had that issue though. I'm guessing because I'm still able to get something out of food, so why transfer.  

Addiction transfer isn't necessarily an evil. If you trade your addiction to, say one for clean living, or compulsive record-keeping, or exercise, or making the numbers on your scale move, or email writing--you can end up in a better place than you started.  The key is to find something to "throttle down" to that's less costly for you. Been 5 or so months for me, and that's the worst of it for me, anyway. If I get a little too "tight", I loosen up a tad.  If they deny my RNY, I will keep on keepin' on, as is.

For some people, it's not an addiction, it's a habit-- I believe I am one of those people. I smoked as a teen, and found quitting to be no big deal.I can look at cakes and cookies and smile at how pretty they are, and not feel deprived or achy: I am happy that pretty yummy looking things exist-- I just know that unfortunately, I can't eat them. The good news-- I already *DID* eat 'em, and remember them well-- I am not deprived. Once a month, I crave red meat, but there's a bio component to that-- I just accept it, and when possible, throw it one burger.

Sheri, I  would love to find a healthy addiction to transfer to   Anyone know how to do that? lol

Hi Jennifer, Thank you for not being totally offended, that was never my point.  This was definitely NOT an anti-WLS post.  As I have stated before, the question was simple.  Why when faced with life threatening co-morbidities, and turned down for insurance for an undetermined amount of time, wouldn't someone take their life into their hands. I STILL have a food addiction.  If I am not thinking about eating it, I'm thinking about NOT eating it.  This is, and will always remain, the hardest part for me.  I am just thankful that I got to the point I am without having had the types of problems that would have made the choice to have WLS something I might not have been able to turn away from.

"Why when faced with life threatening co-morbidities, and turned down for insurance for an undetermined amount of time, wouldn't someone take their life into their hands?" Better yet, why would you allow yourself to become so obese that you would face those things in the first place?  The answer to questions like that seem easy when their subject is someone else.  For me, however, answering that kind of question myself has been the hardest part of beginning the road back to a normal weight.

Thank you for answering the question, Bert, albeit with another question!!!  But yes I entirely agree with how in the world we get like we are.  I don't know the answer to that either.  But I also agree that answering these questions is what will get all of us, regardless of the vehicle, into a healthier body and lifestyle.

I have to concur with most people here-- the answer is "regain." Nothing is more terrifying or disheartening than to make a Herculean effort and watch it ebb away. People don't want to risk it--- and in my case, with a starting BMI of 53.1, I couldn't *afford* to risk it, especially with the attendant "add a few pounds" I do hate seeing people with low BMIs, or with no co-morbidities, trying to find ways to buck the system. I do hate to read about people who intentionally gain to qualify, or refuse to even try to lose pre-surgically. I do agree that many people need to try other things first-- myself included. And I have.  It's the opinion of the medical professionals I have consulted with that I am not likely to be able to lose the wight I need to to assuage my co-morbidities quickly enough and get my BMI low enough through dietary changes alone. It is the professional opinion of these people that while I could lose a great deal of weight, it would take a much longer time, and the illnesses and injuries I am suffering from require significant and swift loss for relief.

Not everyone is blessed with the ability and will it requires to stick to a low calorie diet. Many have tried and failed, or watched friends and family do the same. Not everyone understands that weight loss doesn't require deprivation and pain. I try not to assume I know what they feel, or what's best for them-- I can only do what's best for me, and arm myself with the best medical information I can get, from as many sources as possible, which I have done. Do I want an RNY? Not really. Who would, seriously? (This is why you don't see me doing the giggly jump-up-and-down crap.) It would have been a damn sight smarter to maintain a better level of health on the way up. But I think it's my best chance at a tenable existance, such as it is, and I will be having a gastric bypass---NOT because I am a quitter, not because I am uneducated, not because I am lazy, but because it's what I believe is best for me at this time.

And as far as a tricky genetic component-- my family is all of average height: Mom--            275 pounds Dad-               425 pounds Bro 1-             350 pounds Bro 2-             345 pounds Uncle -            625 pounds Grandma-        270 pounds (but 4'11") Great Aunt-      375 pounds Great Uncle-    400 pounds All of these people have been obese since well before the recent "epidemic." We're the rare example of a genetically fat family. (Also cattle and dairy farmers, which really does not help at all, environmentally--- but active people!)