Hey You, I Am Calling You Out!!!!

 A Bully By Any Other Name.......

When I was a teenager, I expected childish, bullying behavior; however, when I grew up I assumed that adults behaved differently.  Apparently, some adults never grow out of this phase!  Instead of demanding lunch money or just physically abusing you, adult bullies have taken to cyber space!

The bariatric community is full of individuals who were bullied as children and young adults due to their weight.  We as a whole should join together to stop bullying in all forms since we were often the victims of it.  However, lately there has been an upswing in the amount of cyber bullying in our community and instead of banding together to stop it, we either follow it or stand silently by!

  Your words can cut like a sword when someone is dealing with issues of WLS and the negativity makes those issues compounded.  It is easy to sit in judgement of someone else's life from the anonymity of a keyboard.  Would you behave this way or speak so boldly if you were in the other person's presence? Or would you behave like a compassionate human being?  None of us are perfect and it is ridiculous to expect perfection.  Everyone has good days and bad; if you don't want to read about it, move on. To some it may seem like whining; however, it may be a cry for help and your harsh words may push this person over the edge.  Remember the golden rule, if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all!
 

 
As grown adults with families and children of our own, is it not time to stand up and say, "No, we will tolerate this behavior any further?"  To follow or stay silent is saying yes to not only bullying others in the community, but setting a precedent for the present and the future.  Following a cyber bully makes you a cyber bully too!  Who knows, you could be the next victim or it could be your child!

  

 Treat others as you would want to be treated yourselves and let's make this a kinder, more unified community!

 

Anorexia After Gastric Bypass Surgery??

ANOREXIA AFTER GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY??

A typical description of Anorexia Nervosa is as follows:

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by immoderate food restriction and irrational fear of gaining weight, as well as a distorted body self-perception. It typically involves excessive weight loss.  Due to the fear of gaining weight, people with this disorder restrict the amount of food they consume. This restriction of food intake causes metabolic and hormonal disorders.  This is a quote from Wikipedia.

If this sounds a lot like what we go through as gastric bypass patients, then I agree.  However, according to Eating Disorders Review :


Full-onset Eating Disorders
The onset of full-syndrome eating disorders—anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder—after surgery is unlikely, but possible. However, it is important to recognize that aberrant eating patterns may develop after the operation that do not meet current diagnostic criteria for eating disorders, but that nonetheless are associated with distress and impaired weight management. For example, research studies indicate that the resumption of or onset of loss of control over eating is not uncommon at longer-term follow- up, and may be associated with inadequate weight loss or weight regain.

Segal and colleagues (2004) have observed the co-occurrence of eating disorders and anxiety symptoms in this patient population. As a result, they have proposed a new diagnosis, “postsurgical eating avoidance disorder (PSEAD).” Because patients with a history of eating disorders prior to surgery may be at risk for developing full-syndrome or subthreshold disorders after operation, these individuals may benefit from close follow-up.

   
My question is, who of us didn't have an eating disorder before having weight loss surgery?  No offense, but we didn't get morbidly obese without having either a binging disorder or without just overeating.  My point is when you have the surgery, it puts you in a state of malnutrition (if you had an RNY) due to your small intestines being removed.  Is that not a form of anorexia?  We are gaining control by limiting our food intake and by causing malabsorbtion. Scary notion is that Anorexia has a 20% mortality rate.

Now for some of us, I am included in this, once you hit your goal weight or below, the fear of regain is so strong, you remain in "control" mode.  Now for me, I suffer from the perfect stereotype, I have struggled with body dysmorphia since the inception of the "new" me. I still walk through a crowded store, avoiding aisles like I still weigh 260 pounds.  I still drink my meals when possible and when no one is there to watch me.  My ready to drink proteins have been on backorder and I am freaking out. I have always been a perfectionist.  I over exercise to stay in control to deal with the anxiety.

It all boils down to anxiety. But, where does that anxiety come from? Stressors in my life that bring up emotions.  It isn't about the pretzels I ate that I must exercise off.  It is about why I ate the pretzels in the first place.  Was I under stress to make a dead line?  Are my adult kids driving me nuts? Do I constantly worry about my grandchildren? Am I excited and nervous about starting school?  Hell yes to all the above!  Am I making wise food choices, no.  So what do I do?  I restrict my intake to an unhealthy level. I drink my meals instead of eating real nutritious food.

For those of you who don't know me, I had adhesions that left me unable to eat real food for 7 months.  I got down to 103, my liver enzymes were climbing and by the time they operated, I almost died.  So, if it takes 3 weeks to make a habit, I am well past making liquid my food of choice.  I am 2+ years out and I still have very little hunger sensation, so if I am to eat, it is by the clock.  I am not making excuses, just stating facts. 

I give great advice, but I need to start taking my own.  I am stepping back and starting at the basics.  I am starting with a meal plan and on Sunday, I am shopping and prepping for the week.  I will be filling lunch boxes and making breakfast for myself daily, snacks included and eating by the clock.  I will hold myself accountable.

Will you join me?  Whether you have regained or you are in the same boat as I am. I could use the support.  Perhaps we could swap recipes?