BariatricEating.com Health & Nutrition
Linda’s Recipe & Cooking Forum!
Where’s the Love?
In
this month of all things romantic, let’s talk a little about how
to love ourselves into health.
In a ‘fat state of mind’, nutrition was usually the last thing we worried about. Quality was mostly thrown out the window and Quantity reigned supreme. Fast food, junk food, barely edible food, if it even resembled food, was fair game. Some of us cooked and baked for our families… Others, not so much! Either way there was never a shortage of FOOD. It was how we showered our affection on those around us. It was comfort and warmth in vast amounts. It showed appreciation and gratitude to those we cared about. It was more than a thing of sustenance…it was LOVE.
As a morbidly obese person, it also became our beloved enemy.
When most of us made the decision to have this surgery and save our lives, we had spent a good number of years loathing our bodies if not our whole being. We hated the way we looked, the way we bumbled around knocking things over and feeling anything but graceful, and the discriminations - whether real or imagined. We harbored so many grudges at all the slights and insults we’d received over the years that our view of the world around us was one of distrust and fear. We stopped venturing out, declined invitations, opting instead to stay home in front of the TV with a pint - sorry, a half-gallon of ice cream. Our world narrowed, our horizons became closer, the walls crept in and the self-hatred grew stronger.
Living in a morbidly obese body-prison was awkward. Clothes didn’t fit, chairs didn’t fit, the CAR didn’t fit. We couldn’t breath, couldn’t stand, couldn’t walk. We wheezed, gasped, choked, and turned purple trying to tie our shoes. Most of us were on life-saving medications. Our schedules and routines revolved around doctor’s appointments. We slept with the help of machines, flew on airplanes with seat-belt extenders, wore slip-on shoes, and elastic waistbands. We sweated with the slightest exertion, and personal hygiene was a nightmare. With all this loveliness going on, it’s easy to understand why we gave up and stopped taking care of ourselves. It’s no wonder we turned to the one constant in our lives that gave us comfort: food.
But our drug of choice was like any other and the high was short-lived. Soon the ‘comfort’ wore off and the guilt started. We were angry at ourselves. We hated what it did to our bodies. It disgusted us to look at ourselves in the mirror. And to make matters worse, we wore our addiction on the outside so everybody knew. The cycle continued. In our affair with food, we were loving ourselves to death.
With so much emotional distress, it’s amazing that we were able to find the fortitude to even begin to research weight loss surgery. We knew we had to do something or die. The odds were very great that one or any combination of co-morbidities would kill us…and sooner than later. In desperation and emotional exhaustion we turned to a drastic measure and put our body in the hands of a surgeon and took on a life of change.
In that decision we were making the choice to love ourselves to HEALTH.
Our drug is still there…everywhere. The very thing that we were killing ourselves with is a necessary part of our lives. We need it……right? Yes and no.
Yes, to live. For comfort…NO.
From here on out, how we deal with food will determine our success; not only in losing down to goal, but in staying there. The choices we make, the things we put in our mouths will either be our un-doing or give us freedom for life.
We need to surround ourselves with, not only good-for-us-food, but lip-SMACKING-GOOD food! Exciting and wonderfully flavored food. Dishes that are carefully prepared with our dietary guidelines kept intact. Ditch the junk once and for all. With our limited pouch space make quality count! Choose protein-rich, low-carb ingredients. Read through the recipes and be adventurous. Invest in some new and helpful kitchen-ware. Clean the cobwebs out of the oven and cook to your health’s content!
We CAN change our relationship with food. Instead of it being an illicit
lover who is bad for us in everyway…it can become what it was meant
for - a necessity that when taken in moderation and with healthful choices,
made with care and wonderful ingredients, can be a guiltless pleasure.
A pleasure we can now enjoy in a trim body and with a clear mind…both
of which we are learning to genuinely love.
Copyright
© BE, Inc. 2011 - Susan Maria Leach. All rights reserved.
