Home
>
Weight Loss
>
Snacking, Fear, Greed and the Gastric Bypass Tool

Snacking, Fear, Greed and the Gastric Bypass Tool

Do you remember nodding your head with understanding during your pre/post WLS seminar when the speaker said, "Gastric bypass is only a tool, the rest is up to you." I nodded my head to the nurse dietician as she spoke to the room of fresh-out-of-surgery gastric bypass patients. We thought we understood "only a tool."

But the words "only a tool" are vague. It would be more accurate to tell new patients, "I'm sending you back into the very world that made you fat. Nothing in your environment has changed. In fact, the only thing that has changed is you ? every external force that acted upon you 10-days ago is still out there. You are going to have to claw and fight your way in that same world resisting the habits and instincts that caused you to be obese in the first place. The only weapon you have is a little stomach and impaired absorption system ? this is the tool. You will still have emotional highs and lows, days of self-doubt and days of celebration. There will be food pushers, saboteurs and cheerleaders along the way, but the burden is on you to use the tool."

"It's only a tool." Frankly, sometimes I get sick of hearing that and sick of saying it.

Financial planners say people manage their money with two emotions: fear and greed. They fear losing money or fear not having enough money. Greed manifests when they want more money or presume they never have enough money.

I suggest in many instances we use the same emotions to manage our eating behavior, before surgery, after surgery, regardless of the fact that we have "the tool."

Fear could be about wasting food, betraying friendships, damaging relationships. We fear the discomfort of stress, boredom or loneliness and manage those emotions with food. In addition, WLS patients are known to fear weight loss success because we've never really accomplished massive, lasting weight loss before ? success is an unknown place to be.

Greed could be about always wanting more, one more taste, one more bite, one more piece. Greed could be the frantic collection of a snacking-stash for "just in case" moments when we really "need" something fast. Greed results from "worthiness" ? I have done my exercise so now I deserve a reward ? which often is a snack or treat.

By managing our emotions with fear and greed we caused, in part, our obesity and ultimately that led to morbid obesity. Given thoughtful contemplation I am certain we can list the fears and the greed that got us to the surgical table.

But what if fear and greed could work in our favor if we teamed them with "the tool"? Would fear and greed, emotions we love and hate, be a good thing? Consider this:

What if I fear dumping/vomiting/weight gain if I eat Nutter-Butter cookies? Or popcorn? Or crackers? Or, or, or.

What if I fear the co-morbidity of Type II Diabetes returning if I engage in mindless snacking?

What if I fear the cruel things people will say (and they will say cruel things) if I regain my weight?

What if I fear having to buy bigger clothes because I'm snacking and regaining weight?

What if I fear having to return to the surgical table for a revision surgery because I couldn't get a handle on my eating habits?

What if I'm greedy and want to live long and healthy to see my children and grandchildren grow-up?

What if I'm greedy and love the pleasure of active living that weight loss has given me?

What if I'm greedy and don't want to spend money on prescription medicine for ailments I no longer suffer because I've lost weight?

What if I'm greedy and want to hear more compliments about how healthy and fit I look after achieving massive weight loss?

What if I'm greedy and unwilling to sell-my-soul to the guilt-monster for a lousy indulgence?

I'm going to spend a lot of time considering how I can make these emotions work for me because I've got to conquer this snacking habit before I'm doomed.

Kaye Bailey is a weight loss surgery success story having maintained her health and goal weight for 5+ years. An award winning journalist, she is the author and webmaster of http://www.livingafterwls.com and http://www.livingafterwls.com

LivingAfterWLS is a no-nonsense resource for people Living After Weight Loss Surgery. Our community is growing in numbers even as we are shrinking in pounds. Together we support one another in this lifestyle, that it turns out, is NOT the easy way out.

Fresh & insightful content is added daily, check in often. To subscribe to the LivingAfterWLS monthly newsletter "You Have Arrived" click on http://www.livingafterwls.com and enter your details in the subscription box.

Twin Lakes rental limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Home inventory and restoration apps help itemize and track every item in your home in the event you have to make an insurance claim after a natural disaster.

The White House launched a new cybersecurity safety label, the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, intended to help consumers make informed decisions on smart device safety.

Today's tech can help make life so much easier — if you know how to use it. Here are a few tips on the quickest and best ways to make your phone, laptop and other devices work for you.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers Windows 11 restart fixes: Update drivers, run system scans and check hardware.

Sony and Honda's Afeela 1 EV launches with advanced tech and entertainment for $89,900. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives his takeaways.

With limited hard drive space, tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers these tips for storing large video files and photos.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says the $236,000 Yangwang U9 electric hypercar boasts 1,287 horsepower and can jump obstacles.

Flip phones are harder to block spam calls from, but it's not impossible. Kurt the "CyberGuy" explains how to stop incoming robocalls on your flip phone.

With so many notifications buzzing our phones these days, it's tough to distinguish between legitimate messages and possible scams. Kurt the CyberGuy helps unravel the mystery.

Scammers have a new trick where they pretend to be job recruiters to plant malicious apps on your devices. It all starts with a deceptive email.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Kurt the CyberGuy breaks down why those emails that warn that "Your Apple ID has been disabled" is most likely a scam. Here's how to protect yourself.

Even small mistakes can negatively impact your credit score; here are some of the most common credit report errors and how you can fix them.

Tech guru Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explores the many different ways you can repurpose that old iPhone of yours rather than trashing it.

A pioneering artificial intelligence and robotics company from China has developed a repository of over 1 million robotic movements to provide robotic training.

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals the warning signs and steps to take if you suspect that your personal computer is infected with a virus.

Researchers found in a study that users of a robotic prosthetic hand could successfully grasp and move two objects at once without dropping them.

The James Webb Space Telescope captured photos of one of the earliest supernovas ever seen using infrared technology, and creating a time lapse of the phenomena.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

New Mac malware variant targets browser credentials and personal data, researchers find. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives tips to safeguard your Mac from the latest malware threats.

The Jetson One eVTOL showcases air racing potential, ushering in a new aviation era. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says the race for eVTOL supremacy is just beginning.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals that hackers stole data from Gravy Analytics, a major seller of smartphone location data to the U.S.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson: If you just bought a new iPhone, here’s what to do first when you fire it up.

AC Future and Pininfarina unveil AI Transformer homes, merging sustainability and innovation. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says this could change the way we think about home.