BIG FAT PEOPLE!

[SpaceDust 585]

If they aren't addicted why do they allow it to happen? If you didnt eat too much or the wrong things and youre aware you are getting fat.. Why not just stop? If you lost all your weight why turn back to eating wrong.. Unless you want to be fat again.. Unless of course you have no control over what you put in your mouth etc.

Addiction is the continued use of a substance or behavior despite adverse consequences.

Well, I do think it's possible for this to happen without it being full-blown addiction. I was always overweight, but the obesity crept up on me when I switched to a desk job that had me working insane hours for weeks on end, plus I had a crazy commute. We would down sodas because they are free and kept us awake. We'd fairly mindlessly eat while continuing to work - we got paid by the hour, so we worked as much as we could. The pounds crept on, and we'd think oh, it is just a couple of pounds here, 5 lbs there... Next thing you know, that few lbs became 50.

Now, I am a food addict, but i used to control somewhat because I was fairly active before that time. However, we weren't really eating like food addicts then - we were eating whatever was quick, cheap, or provided by the company we worked for so that we could keep going. We were fueling up, just with the wrong foods. We went thinking about anything but the short term.

And as we all know, once it's on, it becomes more difficult to get the weight off. Sometimes it's harder to exercise. Sometimes the same reasons you put on the weight to begin with are still there. Could you have become addictive because of this, absolutely! Is it necessarily the case that you have? No, I don't think so.

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[pantala 125]

I know I may be accused of being in denial but I'm not addicted to food. I have always joked that I wish someone would invent people kibbles so I could just munch on a handful of something crunchy and move on. Moreover, anyone who has lived with me will confirm that I rarely overeat.

So how the H...LL did I put on so much weight and have so much trouble losing and keeping it off? Unrelenting hunger. I don't eat much at one time but I am famished in an hour or 90 minutes. Headache, nausea inducing hunger. And if I do not have healthy food when that hits, I will eat anything to make it quit. And in this obesegenic world that is a very risky place to be.

I did not have this problem until about 15 years ago after my daughter was born and I went into gestational diabetes for the second time. I have been told I have "borderline" hypoglycemia but I never bothered with testing as it is time-consuming, expensive, not covered by insurance, and inconclusive.

One way I kept weight gain under control was lots of physical activity. But bad feet run in my family and my activities gradually became more and more limited until I needed foot surgery and the forced inactivity really blew my weight up.

As my BMI approached 40, I decided screw it, I don't want to fight this battle anymore and with the blessing of my PCP, podiatrist, and Gyn, started looking at surgical solutions. So you could say that for me, the surgery was truly a metabolic surgical fix.

And I am already amazed at the difference. I feel so great it's almost unreal for me.

So that's how it feels from the standpoint of someone who is not a food addict. It does happen.

[Fiddleman 4,376]

Do you think with our food addiction we would be like an alcoholic? That is, they can remain sober and in control as long as alcohol is not present. However, if they drink one jack Daniel in a hotel mini bar they may say " what the hell" and clean out the mini-bar, assed-drunk even the next day (think: scene in the 2012 movie "flight").

Would that happen to a former food addict if left alone with a plate of Cookies or a dozen donuts? Not sure. I wouldn't think so if we can truly break the food addiction / emotional eating tie. What do you think? Forget for a moment that the sleeve would actually physically prevent you from eating a dozen donuts, a full pizza, etc. Would it happen otherwise?

Personally, I think the answer is no but would love to hear your responses whether you consider yourself a raving food addict, an arm chair food addict or not a food addict. It would be a scary thought if we reverted to crazy binge eating like the alcoholic and a hotel mini bar.

I think some of us can point at self pre op and say "yup, food addict" and then never have a food relationship issue again post op. Or do they?

[luckysmomma 407]

I am a food addict. I am a food lover. I am an any-emotion eater. I am a social eater. I am an alone eater. I love to eat, period! Now that love is gone...life is different...no point in looking in the rearview mirror...I gotta accept this decision and look ahead through the windshield...

[rosehips 121]

I don't think anyone has denied at least some of their problem is owed to good addiction. I think what I and others are trying to say is, 'yes, food addiction is part of the problem but not the whole picture.'

I had problems before I developed a 'food addiction.'

Am I saying that food addiction is not part of the end result, absolutely it is part of where I am now. Gaining weight didn't start with a food addiction for me though. It was a series of things that made it all but impossible to maintain my healthy weight and made it very hard to lose weight and then spiraling into a food addiction as a result.

I didn't start out a food addict either but I ended up one. Our brains have learned we feel good when we eat_________& then our brain starts to think that food is away to feel good so eat some more. I use to feel sick presleeve but I would still eat more.

Also there is stuff put into junk food that have chemicals if you will that are addictive. Food manufacturers know this & profit is what it is about for them.

Sugar is an addictive substance.

[Colemon70 87]

I'm an addict. Hands down! I love food. I'm actually proud of myself for not actually giving in, even if I know it will get me sick.

[mokee 588]

I could have ate a dozen donuts with no problem and have before. A lb box of chocolates no problem. A whole large pizza, no. Sweets were my downfall. They never made me sick no matter how much I ate. The more I ate the more I wanted. It seems that I could not stop once I started. I am a true sweets addict.

I am having a problem now at 4 months post op. once they told me to introduce carbs it has been a struggle for me still. I couldn't eat a dz donuts now but I bet I could eat 3-4. This will be a problem for me the rest of my life.

[No game 14,437]

So what I'm gathering from the responses so far,

Most of us would say yes we have food addictions.

And and one (or two) have stated that excess weight is more from a medical problem/malfunction..not from over eating in its self

So now I ask, is that the case when people remark that they are in fact NOT a food addict,

It is do to extenuating medical problems only?

[No game 14,437]

I could have ate a dozen donuts with no problem and have before. A lb box of chocolates no problem. A whole large pizza' date=' no. Sweets were my downfall. They never made me sick no matter how much I ate. The more I ate the more I wanted. It seems that I could not stop once I started. I am a true sweets addict.

I am having a problem now at 4 months post op. once they told me to introduce carbs it has been a struggle for me still. I couldn't eat a dz donuts now but I bet I could eat 3-4. This will be a problem for me the rest of my life.[/quote']

I'm at 4 months too, and I am fighting the same fight everyday...

Oh except I probably could of eaten most of the pizza if I wanted to.

[KristieAtkinson 588]

I have to agree. I love food. We all do. We have to eat to live. And it tastes good. But some don't want to admit they have a problem. This could hold them back or cause them to be a regain statistic. We have to face our demons & learn a healthier way to live or we are doomed to repeat our history.

So, I stand with y'all to say, " I'm Kristie, and I'm a food addict. "

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Definitely a food addict here....and still am. I feel the urge to pull into any convenience store I pass and buy a candy bar or 2 every other day. Leave me alone in a room with a box of donuts? Some of those donuts are going to end up missing. I hate it....but there it is.

But it's not just addiction for me and many others. I've seen it over and over again. So many people really have no idea HOW to eat healthy. We see naturally skinny people eating burgers and fries and we feel like we ought to be able to eat that way. Well, for some reason, my body takes every french fry I eat and packs it away somewhere. It's not about metabolism or my thyroid. It's about blood sugar and insulin response. I suspect way more people here are insulin resistant than are aware of it. Being insulin resistant makes you way more likely to store carbs as fat rather than burn them. And if you eat a high carb diet guess what? Just look at the nutritional information on a Lean Cuisine sometime. It's advertised as healthy food, but it's really a big box of microwaveable starch that promotes fat storage and literally blocks our ability to burn fat for fuel....ESPECIALLY in insulin resistant people.

But I'm getting off subject here. The point is, we have no idea how to eat properly, but we think we do. We eat stuff that we think is diet food (like lean cuisines, life Cereal and wheat bread) and we wonder why we can't lose any weight. Metabolically we're broken and nutritionally we're ignorant (and by we I certainly include my former self).

[sarsar 824]

I have to agree. I love food. We all do. We have to eat to live. And it tastes good. But some don't want to admit they have a problem. This could hold them back or cause them to be a regain statistic. We have to face our demons & learn a healthier way to live or we are doomed to repeat our history.

So, I stand with y'all to say, " I'm Kristie, and I'm a food addict. "

I agree. I think too many people have this or any weight loss surgery thinking it's going to be a quick fix. When you first have the surgery you can't eat or drink much and you lose weight. As time goes on you can eat a lot of the junk foods that made you obese in the first place. If that's what you decide to eat you will regain weight. If you don't realize there is a problem and fix it before or at the beginning of surgery all of the old habits creep back in.

It's best to just admit there is a problem and fix the problem. As many have said before, this surgery doesn't fix the head issues many of us have!

[No game 14,437]

I agree with you butter in regards to the "healthy" food people THINK they are eating...

It definitely plays a part.

I'm more interested at this point in the mental aspect..

You say you still have those addictive thoughts.

It doesn't surprise me. As a matter of fact I think you fight really hard to keep it straight. And have, in my eyes transferred some of your addictive qualities into your exercise..

I've seen it so many times with addictions.

My brother had addiction issues (not food)

And when he was working his program I saw the same person but he was just addicted to something else (AA and exercise) it scares me because... Well it scares me on a lot of different levels.

[ShariM735 189]

My name is Shari and I AM a food addict. Hunger has nothing to do with eating for me. I just love food and ate all the time. The sleeve is my last big hope! Have to wait until July for ins., but reading all the posts on here is so encouraging. I love your honesty!

[SpaceDust 585]

Do you think with our food addiction we would be like an alcoholic? That is, they can remain sober and in control as long as alcohol is not present. However, if they drink one jack Daniel in a hotel mini bar they may say " what the hell" and clean out the mini-bar, assed-drunk even the next day (think: scene in the 2012 movie "flight").

Would that happen to a former food addict if left alone with a plate of Cookies or a dozen donuts? Not sure. I wouldn't think so if we can truly break the food addiction / emotional eating tie. What do you think? Forget for a moment that the sleeve would actually physically prevent you from eating a dozen donuts, a full pizza, etc. Would it happen otherwise?

Personally, I think the answer is no but would love to hear your responses whether you consider yourself a raving food addict, an arm chair food addict or not a food addict. It would be a scary thought if we reverted to crazy binge eating like the alcoholic and a hotel mini bar.

I think some of us can point at self pre op and say "yup, food addict" and then never have a food relationship issue again post op. Or do they?

I'm probably more of an armchair addict. I enjoy rich foods. I enjoy too much food. However, I spent a month in Thailand last year, and almost all of our meals were basically traditionally Thai - that is, highly seasoned meals with seafood or chicken with the occasional beef or pork, some in light curries and some lightly stir-fried, and plenty of fresh veggies and fruits. Either rice or noodles was typical at most meals. We did have "American breakfasts" fairly often as an alternative to congee - that would be a slice of toast, an egg, maybe a small sausage, and fruit. We had one Italian meal that included Pasta and a little bit of cheese, and we did have two sundaes in the course of that month - but they were Thai-sized - probably the rough equivalent of less than a single scoop of ice cream here, with fudge or caramel. I didn't suffer, we were naturally eating healthy portions because that was what was served and we didn't WANT more, and it was fine (and so were my blood glucose levels, even with all the rice!). Now, of course we got back here and fell into normal habits again, but the point is that I was satisfied. The one meal with cheese and Pasta was sufficient to feed my "rich food" craving because the daily food was rich in spices and flavors that I loved. So, I say I'm addicted at some level, but I think that for me it may be an addiction that is entirely possible to break with the right motivation and tools.