Eating to live or living to eat?

I get many questions about my bariatric surgery, but one that I get asked all of the time is…Why do y’all talk about food so much? Usually, the question is left at that, but we all know what they want to say. Food is what put you in the situation to get weight loss surgery (WLS). Didn’t you learn from eating before? I know…I know! However, we’re still human. Many people may not have considered us human before, but sorry…we are. Seeing how we are living, breathing human beings; we still need to eat. Believe it or not, but losing weight requires you to eat. Just because you’ve had WLS doesn’t mean that you lose cravings, or just an appetite altogether. What it is, is solely a tool to help you lose weight by not letting you eat so much. If you take care of your tool and follow the rules, then you will be successful. This is a new lifestyle change for us and you’re learning to eat a new way. Not only are you learning to make better choices and healthier options, but you’re also learning what you can and can’t tolerate. Take me for example, I had an antrectomy which is pretty much the gastric sleeve. All it did was shrink my stomach…not my nose or brain. I can pretty much eat anything if I wanted to. Yes, there are many foods that I can’t tolerate like I used to be able to, so I learned to stay away from those. Some people don’t learn and easily get back into their old ways. Causing their weight to stall or to increase. Has my weight stalled…yes! Have I gained weight…yes! You just have to regroup and get back on track. It’s not hard if you mentally prepare yourself.

Back to the food…I truly enjoy grocery shopping because I used to hate it. I would buy things I didn’t need and usually end up wasting most of the food. Now, I love finding new things to try and new meals to make, then heading to the store to get what I need for them. People were telling me prior to my surgery that I won’t spend as much money on food after. LIES because I spend so much more. I don’t eat out including fast food except for 1-2 days a week…if that, and I cook at home for some weeks, every day. I’m paying more because yes, healthier food costs more. When you account for protein packs, protein powder, protein shakes, drinks for dehydration, vitamins; buying all of the ingredients for my meals that I’m making and/or prepping adds up very fast. Yet, for some reason, I don’t mind it as much. I get exactly what I need…not necessarily what I want. Every now and then I do get what I want (snacks or whatever) because, I mean, I’m still human. The reason for this is because not only do I eat smart, but I shop smart. This makes my high grocery bills easier to tolerate. Well…a little easier to tolerate. My cheap ass doesn’t like spending a lot of money at once unless it’s an intentional big purchase…or a trip to Target. But I digress…

You have to eat to lose weight…and this is a fact! Any REAL doctor, dietician, nutritionist, surgeon, nurse practioner…whoever…will tell you this. At least the ones who don’t tell you to quit eating as much because they just have it in their minds that’s what all fat people do, or they just don’t listen because it’s not like it’s your own body or nothing. Of course not! And yes…these professionals do exist because I’ve been through it…even until recently. https://danniebspeaks.com/2019/02/23/why-im-leaving-my-bariatric-program/ But anyway…still don’t overeat and don’t eat things you know are bad for you. There’s nothing wrong with treating yourself every now and then, but mentally if you can’t control yourself…get back to basics IMMEDIATELY. If you don’t then everything you’ve accomplished so far will just go completely left. Even before our surgery journey…we knew what was good for us and what was bad for us; mainly the latter. To maintain a healthy lifestyle…and this goes for EVERYONE, not just WLS patients; You need to consume daily a certain amount of protein, carbs, and fats in your daily diet. To get these…you need to eat. Supplements are nice, but definitely don’t cover everything you need to stay healthy. Remember this isn’t temporary, this is a forever change. Starving yourself at any weight can lead to more dangerous consequences…the main two being malnutrition and eating disorders. If you make smart choices, follow a healthy diet by EATING…you will lose weight. Yes, you should be active because exercise definitely helps, but you still need to eat and eat right.