It's my personal opinion that you can't possible understand what a person is going through, if you've never had personal experience of their situation.
I can sympathise with someone who has diabetes but I can never truly understand what it's like to be diabetic because I myself am not diabetic. In other words, I can sympathise but I cannot empathise.
Unless you've been seriously overweight, you won't understand what impact excessive weight has on a persons body and mind. For example, I struggle with several normal, daily activities which most people take for granted.
Putting on my underwear, clipping my toenails, tying up my laces.
Walking up stairs, walking to the shops, taking a bath.
Getting a decent night's sleep.
Looking in the mirror without feeling depressed and disgusted with myself.
My knees hurt most of the time and I can't kneel on the floor because of the pain. If I were to sit on the floor, I would really struggle to get up again and would need assistance. Realistically, I'm carrying the weight of at least two people on my frame, so it's no wonder that I have daily aches and pains.
I worry what people think of me when they first meet me because I'm fat. I then wonder why they like me because I'm fat. My confidence is extremely low and I'm fed up of feeling so negative towards myself.
Every time I think about stepping on the scales and seeing the weight go down, I feel jubilant. I can't wait to feel and look healthier, to wear normal size clothes, to be able to go out in the garden and help my husband with the weeding and planting.
If you're seriously overweight, you'll understand what I'm feeling - if you're not, you can only imagine...
Saturday 5 July 2014
Head Hunger vs True Hunger
How do you tell if what you're feeling is HEAD HUNGER or TRUE HUNGER?
Head Hunger (Emotional Hunger)
Head Hunger (Emotional Hunger)
- is sudden
- is for a specific food
- is above the neck (in the mouth and mind)
- is urgent
- is paired with an upsetting emotion
- involves automatic or absent-minded eating
- does not notice or stop eating in response to fullness
- feels guilty about eating
- is gradual
- is open to different foods
- is based in the stomach
- is patient
- occurs out of physical need
- involves deliberate choices and awareness of the eating
- stops when full
- realises eating is necessary
Friday 4 July 2014
An Introduction
I can't believe how quickly things have moved since I first went to the hospital for my initial appointment in November 2013.
I've seen a dietitian, a registrar, a psychiatrist and a bariatric nurse, all in different appointments and I now have a date for my sleeve gastrectomy.
As soon as I started the process, I went on my laptop and researched the surgery, the pro's and cons and what I could realistically expect to lose weight-wise.
I quickly discovered that weight loss surgery is not an easy option. To begin with, there are risks to the surgery such as leakage and risk of infection.
Then there's the problem of making sure I keep hydrated and don't become malnourished. This will mean that I will have to almost constantly sip water and I must make sure that I eat plenty of protein, otherwise I will start to feel ill.
75% of my stomach is going to be permanently removed which will mean I will NEVER be able to eat 'normally' again. For someone who can easily eat an entire cheesecake to herself, this is a daunting prospect.
I will no longer be able to drink carbonated drinks. I LOVE diet coke, sparkling wine, cider etc. and all of that will be off the menu. A lot of post-opers find they can no longer eat rice or spicy food either. Ask me what my favourite food is???
Basically, I'm going to have to completely change the way I eat and drink. I will not be able to drink any liquids with my food 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after food. I will have to eat in a quiet environment so that I can completely concentrate on my food. This means no TV or radio and I MUST listen to my body. One spoonful too much could cause me pain or discomfort and over eating can stretch the remainder of my stomach which would be very bad.
I am going to have to read the labels on all of my food and lay off the sugar and carbs. I need protein first and foremost and in the first few weeks I will have to take a protein supplement in powder form that I can add to my food.
As far as exercise is concerned, I MUST do some. If I don't I will have a lot more baggy, saggy skin and although I'm prepared for this, I want to try and reduce the skin problem as much as I can. Exercise will also tone and build muscle and help me to become more healthy. This is a huge mountain for me to climb because I'm lazy and I hate exercise!
The bottom line is, how much do I want to be slimmer and healthy? What am I prepared to give up to reach my goal? It's a no brainer really. I always knew I would have to make sacrifices in order to lose a significant amount of weight and I feel that preparing myself in advance before my surgery will make the journey an easier one.
I've seen a dietitian, a registrar, a psychiatrist and a bariatric nurse, all in different appointments and I now have a date for my sleeve gastrectomy.
As soon as I started the process, I went on my laptop and researched the surgery, the pro's and cons and what I could realistically expect to lose weight-wise.
I quickly discovered that weight loss surgery is not an easy option. To begin with, there are risks to the surgery such as leakage and risk of infection.
Then there's the problem of making sure I keep hydrated and don't become malnourished. This will mean that I will have to almost constantly sip water and I must make sure that I eat plenty of protein, otherwise I will start to feel ill.
75% of my stomach is going to be permanently removed which will mean I will NEVER be able to eat 'normally' again. For someone who can easily eat an entire cheesecake to herself, this is a daunting prospect.
I will no longer be able to drink carbonated drinks. I LOVE diet coke, sparkling wine, cider etc. and all of that will be off the menu. A lot of post-opers find they can no longer eat rice or spicy food either. Ask me what my favourite food is???
Basically, I'm going to have to completely change the way I eat and drink. I will not be able to drink any liquids with my food 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after food. I will have to eat in a quiet environment so that I can completely concentrate on my food. This means no TV or radio and I MUST listen to my body. One spoonful too much could cause me pain or discomfort and over eating can stretch the remainder of my stomach which would be very bad.
I am going to have to read the labels on all of my food and lay off the sugar and carbs. I need protein first and foremost and in the first few weeks I will have to take a protein supplement in powder form that I can add to my food.
As far as exercise is concerned, I MUST do some. If I don't I will have a lot more baggy, saggy skin and although I'm prepared for this, I want to try and reduce the skin problem as much as I can. Exercise will also tone and build muscle and help me to become more healthy. This is a huge mountain for me to climb because I'm lazy and I hate exercise!
The bottom line is, how much do I want to be slimmer and healthy? What am I prepared to give up to reach my goal? It's a no brainer really. I always knew I would have to make sacrifices in order to lose a significant amount of weight and I feel that preparing myself in advance before my surgery will make the journey an easier one.
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