Functional Rebellion

"Curing compulsive eating
requires much more than
pulling yourself up
by your bootstraps.
Compulsive eating is a serious,
very real problem
that cannot be resolved
through
willpower.
If willpower were the answer
to compulsive eating,
diets would work...

"...Compulsive eaters have
plenty of willpower.
What they lack is self-esteem
and the ability to calm themselves down.
In fact, self-loathing
that motivates
the game is
precisely what exacerbates
the problem of
compulsive eating."
- Overcoming Overeating page 41

"..we consider your eating in response
to the restraints of a diet a
fight-back response indicative
of your strength of character.
You resist even your own attempts
to deprive yourself
of what you
need."
- Overcoming Overeating page 43

Until we address our "rebellion" response to dieting and weight loss, folks who have had weight loss surgery will continue to regain their weight.

There, I've said it.

I've taken a stand on something, a hard stance.

Why do post-ops 'refuse' to follow the post-op rules?
Cuz we're not rule followers.
If we were rule followers, we would just go on a diet and lose weight.
We would not have had weight loss surgery in an attempt to shrink ourselves.

A good question to ask would be 'Why get weight loss surgery at all if you're not going to follow the program after the surgery?'

Very good question.

I can speak for myself.
I needed IMMEDIATE relief from the co-morbidities of morbid obesity.
My diabetes was going to kill me. Blood sugars in the 600s and 700s would have killed me by now had I not taken a drastic measure to help myself via surgery.

The gastric bypass was a quick, temporary fix to get me started on eating disorder recovery.
My situation was desperate. I took desperate measures to help myself.
The surgery is yet another example of how I IN FACT DO HAVE WILLPOWER!

If you're reading this blog, you probably have gobs and gobs of willpower. You have a hunch that the conventional approaches to losing weight have an inherent flaw. You maybe saw weight loss surgery as a last resort, but when even THAT didn't work (see how most post-ops regain their weight), you started looking again.

There is an answer.
Hirschmann and Munter have come the closest to giving me the answer I need.
Susan Powter, too.

Now if we can just COMBINE those two approaches...

Hmmm, maybe that's my job.
Combine the best of the Overcoming Overeating approach with Susan Powter's Food approach and voila!
A permanent cure!

*Lisa's Video Pick of the Day*
"All behavior starts out functional..."
Yep.
Our attempts at self-care need to be honored if they are going
to be made more effective.
Using food to cope is functional.
When that habit no longer serves our purpose of self-caring, then we
can choose to change.
Thanks, Katie Evans!
click here or click below