Question:
I am 1 year out and my family says I am Obsessed
with WLS. Now that I have lost weight, I need to dwell on it so much. But I am so thankful for what WLS has done for me, I want to share it with others. I want to help newbies. I still want to do research, just because they think I am normal I'm not and will never be. I attend 2 local support group meetings (once a month) and belong to 4 online support groups along with my daily if not 2 time daily visits to obesityhelp.com. Can anyone relate or give me there opinion? — Sharon H. (posted on May 21, 2003)
May 21, 2003
Are you happy doing what you are doing? If yes, then ENJOY. You received
a gift - and your giving back... Your discovering yourself.. Nothing wrong
with that. The ONLY thing I would caution is DONT approach anyone unless
they 'ask' you about it...such as a stranger; BUT sharing and giving people
asking for help is nice. Im 2 1/2 years post and I still come here!
— star .
May 21, 2003
I can relate to you. I am 2 years out and I am so afraid of gaining weight
I have started taking diet pill from the internet. I like the complaints I
get from other people but I myself do feel like I lost as much and the
scale says. I have lost 151 pounds but at times I still feel heavy. Part of
me still wishes I was on the liquid part of the diet still so I would know
for sure I would not gain the weight back. My family is really scared how
much time I spend in a day to make sure I read everything on staying thin.
In the mail I just got some pills called Relora, Green Tea, Phase 2,
Chitosan and I am hoping this will help me not gain weight but also to lose
5 pounds. I still attend the monthly meetings but some of the things I hear
about people gaining some weight back scares me. I am now getting ready to
have my tummy tuck and I hope this will help me to feel a little better
about myself. There is a lot more plastic surgery I could use but can not
afford. I am losing sleep over the weight thin and hope to be able to
accept me for me.
— Karen G.
May 21, 2003
Congratulations on your weight loss! Everyone who has WLS is different.
Some people feel the need to move on once they lose the weight. Others
feel compelled to give back. You made two statements that make me feel you
have a balanced approach to WLS. First you realize that we will never be
normal. That doesn't mean we're freaks. It simply means we will FOREVER
have to pay attention to what we eat, vitamins, etc. Second, you attend
support groups. Extensive research has shown that support group attendance
is vital to the success of WLS patients. Are any of your family members
obese? Is it possible they don't understand how precious this newfound
health and well being is for you? Everyone deals with life differently as
a post op and it doesn't sound to me like you're obsessed as long as you're
still participating in family activities and activities of daily life and
not neglecting your family responsibilities. Best wishes to you!
— ronascott
May 21, 2003
I, too, am about a year out (I can't believe it ... already!). I think it
takes a long time to re-learn eating habits, and I have no confidence that
I've really re-learned mine and overcome all of the bad habits that made me
M.O. in the first place (and a long-time yo-yo dieter). So I visit and
post on this site frequently, I read the yahoo OSSG grad board, and I still
go to my doctor's support meetings once every 4-6 weeks. Plus, I keep in
touch with other post-ops. I think it's all critical to making it through
all the transitional phases (or seasons) of this surgery.<P>So, I
don't think you're obsessed. I think it's great to seek support, keep up
with the latest info, extend any support you can to pre-ops and other
post-ops, and stay on top of trying to get and stay at goal. It's a
lifetime project, not one that's "over" if and when you get to
goal.
— Suzy C.
May 21, 2003
You sound pretty normal to me! Our "journey" is unique and only
"we" truly understand. I'm 5 years postop and I'm still
"obsessed". I think that's a good thing because when I went back
to to grad school and took on new demanding job and experienced some family
issues, I didn't have time to think much about my wls and I went right back
to my old eating habits and I regained 50lbs. I'm back on track now and
slowly but surely losing the weight. I think about wls all the time. I
visit this site, I talk to my wls buddies, I go to group. It keeps me
focused and compliant. I learned the hard way that I am not "a normal
person" when it comes to food and when I forget that I get into
trouble. Your family means well; but, they don't understand.
— mandy S.
May 21, 2003
Quite the contrary, I think you are very smart to stay as involved as you
are. I think those that move away from the support groups, whether support
group meetings in person or online, make a mistake and can fall off the
wagon. Kinda like the alcoholic, they are never "cured", just in
remission. Thats how I like to think of us..we are not cured of our
obesity, just keeping it until control with the help of our pouch. Your
family probably thinks it is obsessive because it is an important part of
your life that you devote time to. Your attitude is right on.
— Cindy R.
May 21, 2003
As a newbie, all i can say is GOD BLESS YOU and i wish there were more like
you !!!!
— Laura R.
May 21, 2003
I'm a little obssessed myself.. next month will be a year... me.. I think
some level of obsession is important for success and I believe that
eventually, it will wear off. Just like the first few months after
surgery.. that's all I thought about, the cut on my stomach.. now.. I
forget I had surgery, though the weight loss is still first in my mind..
and continuing it... maybe you could look a little at your own behavior and
make sure its not 100% of your focus in life... YES, you must take care of
yourself.. and be conscious of things.. but its also not healthy to truely
be obsessed... I was obsessed prior to surgery, but with food.. and I hid
that.. didn't we all? No one knew how much I thought about food and how it
ruled my life, though all you had to do was look at me to know that. Good
luck.. a little obsession is OK....
— Lisa C.
May 22, 2003
Obsession, especially in a good cause, is no vice. Such historical figures
as Mother Theresa and Ghandi where 'obsessed.' They were willing to trade
certain aspects of their life for the object of their obsession. If this
is your choice, then go for it! I, on the other hand, do NOT want to
continue to be obsessive about WLS. I want to go live my life and be
obsessed about other things, and help the world in other ways. Soon, I
want to put WLS behind me, and live my 'normal' life. By this I don't mean
abandon my proper eating habits, exercise, and everything else. Rather, I
want those things to be normal for me, but not the center of my existence.
— [Deactivated Member]
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