Even if you're only a day post-op you know the surgery is not cheating. here's for a response to those who think we simply need diet, exercise and discipline -- and not that we need all that and more post surgery.

Check out I Am Not a Cheater - and feel free to share it with your friends.

I enjoyed your article. But I think that on some level we all have food addiction.

We depended on it for comfort and support. It was the answer to all our woes. We reveled in it and gave it too much of our devotion. Because it was a false friend. A traitor to us. Unfaithful because it never helped with the real issues that caused us to depend on it..

I believe that some have conditions like genetics or health factors. But the brain was trained to look to food as the answer. Why? Because no one thought to take the time to look inside ourselves and find out why we depended on it so much as if it were another substance that would cause instant relief. But it never did..It was a temporary fix...And that is why most dieters can't do it because they can't figure out what makes them tick this way...

Fix the brain and your thinking and the body will follow.....I truly believe that like any other substance that once we admit to ourselves that we do have an out of control situation surgery is a tool to help us to retrain our brains. learn what is going on to make us this way and gives us the time we need to make changes forever.

The difference between food addiction and other addictions is that we all have to eat...That is the problem..There is no way we can survive without nutrients to fuel us....

I applaud you for having the strength you have to start your journey...I found some good points in there that help me to keep strong by example..Thank you for sharing....

1. Addiction

   Addiction is the continued use of a mood altering substance or behavior despite adverse consequences, or a neurological impairment leading to such behaviors. Addictions can include, but are not limited to, drug abuse, exercise addiction, food addiction, sexual addiction, computer addiction, and gambling. Classic hallmarks of addiction include impaired control over substances or behavior, preoccupation with substance or behavior, continued use despite consequences, and denial. Habits and patterns associated with addiction are typically characterized by immediate gratification, coupled with delayed deleterious effects. Physiological dependence occurs when the body has to adjust to the substance by incorporating the substance into its 'normal' functioning. This state creates the conditions of tolerance and withdrawal. Tolerance is the process by which the body continually adapts to the substance and requires increasingly larger amounts to achieve the original effects. Withdrawal refers to physical and psychological symptoms experienced when reducing or discontinuing a substance that the body has become dependent on. Symptoms of withdrawal generally include but are not limited to anxiety, irritability, intense cravings for the substance, nausea, hallucinations, headaches, cold sweats, and tremors.

There are good arguments on both sides of the question by people with a lot more initials after their names than either one of us. A recent study showed that less than five percent of seriously obese people have a food addiction. But at the same time the AMA had heated debate over whether to classify obesity as a disease. I have been through some serious and thoughtful therapy in dealing with other issues = in two different states now -- with both providers telling me that food addiction was not my issue (although they certainly could come up with plenty of others.) I get hungry, but it is never triggered by commercials for food or others around me eating. My favorite food is the world has always been pizza, but I don't crave it now and don't care if my family orders it. I think we each have our own truth and chemistry and have to deal with it as it.

Thank you for sharing your perspective.

I am very happy that you have found your fix to your issues that have made life difficult for you. We all deserve that in life. I admire your grit to face it all head on...As you work through your journey, you will discover that having a lot of letters after your name means jack compared to experiencing it...Knowledge learned by experience is something that outweighs every time letters..

An example of this is..All the research they have done on coma patients. They still have no answers as to what really goes on in the brain and body. What effects it has on a person and how it effects their life afterwards...Those who have experienced it can tell the story no problem with no one understanding the real issues unless you have been there...

Sometimes we get lost in those letters and think these people are god's. I am a true believer that experience outweighs all the letters.....As you probably know that there are as many studies for as there are against any issue in life...The problem is that they never really come to a conclusion but thank goodness there are professionals and nonprofessionals out there who care about the here and now and are willing to do what they can to help with this epidemic of our modern society.

I read a lot of medical research. for the study mentioned it's 5.8% of all 134,000 women in the study who had clinical food addiction (ages 45-80s) For under age 64 it was 8.6%. this was over all weights. for BMI over 35 it jumps to 15.8-18.6%. so it certainly seems that obesity and food addiction is related. it would be interesting to see a cohort over BMI of 40 and if food addiction is greater percent of those morbidly obese but that was not presented - perhaps not enough over 40 BMI in study? So the medical establishment is confirming with research what we tend to know anecdotally. While it is true that not all obese have food addiction, it is more common in the obese.

I believe that sugar over consumption is the cause. there are studies in that area as well.

the American journal of clinical nutrition is a great resource. the food addiction study was in the January 2014 edition.

A friend and I were talking about that today. How everything is laced with sugar. Eating from scratch is not a popular way to cook these days and the food industry is taking advantage of that and adds MSG or sugar to make you want more. The governments are not taking action because they are benefiting from the money made just like big corporations who market this trashy food..The diet food companies also make a mint off of unsuspecting people. The circle repeats itself over and over again....Scary out there what is going on with our food and how we are led to believe we are eating healthier if we eat this or that....Bran, oats, green tea. coffee, milk, fruit juice, breads, fresh fruit..all these things and these are only a few that had their day of being the in thing to eat and how they would reverse or cure what ails us....

When I started this journey I did not want to become one of those people who look after their temple kind of attitude. But I find now I have no choice but to be cautious @playlikeworldchamps. My system has changed so much since surgery that I read every label and prepare food from scratch 90 % of the time......High salt content and refined sugar..seems to make the world go round!

I read a lot of medical research. for the study mentioned it's 5.8% of all 134,000 women in the study who had clinical food addiction (ages 45-80s) For under age 64 it was 8.6%. this was over all weights. for BMI over 35 it jumps to 15.8-18.6%. so it certainly seems that obesity and food addiction is related. it would be interesting to see a cohort over BMI of 40 and if food addiction is greater percent of those morbidly obese but that was not presented - perhaps not enough over 40 BMI in study? So the medical establishment is confirming with research what we tend to know anecdotally. While it is true that not all obese have food addiction, it is more common in the obese.

I believe that sugar over consumption is the cause. there are studies in that area as well.

the American journal of clinical nutrition is a great resource. the food addiction study was in the January 2014 edition.

That was the study I saw , but knowing people are very invested in their beliefs on this issue I decided to round up and go with "less than half" of obese are food addicts. I think in any affliction there is a tendency to make "my" situation everyone's situation, but like cancer , obesity has a variety of origins and a variety of treatments. We, the obese who have chosen surgery as our path, are united in our solution and (hopefully) our support of each other. Just like there is no such thing as a "one size fits all" dress there is neither a one-size-fits all disease source or solution.

I agree with the sugar issue . I grew up with a glass of soda (actually we called it pop) at every meal and horrible eating habits, but I had the metabolism to burn it. When me metabolism was changed in my late 20s , I didn't unlearn fast enough.

Thank you for sharing research. I found the numbers in a secondary source, but I will be checking the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition from here out.

I liked your blog. Thanks for that!

I lost 60 lbs 7 years ago and kept it all off with sensible eating and exercise (walking 6-8km/day) until about 2 years ago when the following happened:

• divorce and mediation
• diagnosed with depression
• became a grandma to 2 beautiful twin girls!
• repairing relationships with my adult children after their dad said bad things about me (even though he was the cheater!!) - a LOT of work!
• met someone new (I was very careful, didn't even let him kiss me for 3 weeks! I'm 50, that's how scared I was)
• moved in with my wonderful man
• renovated our kitchen
• my job changed
• got engaged
• my son got married
• my daughter got married
• I got married

So ..... I started eating and stopped walking ..... and I gained it all back and then some .....

So I know I "can" do it, its a lot of work. I too have hypothyroidism AND a ruined metabolism from yoyo dieting so I look at this as a tool. I know I can fail but it will go a long way to helping me stay on track!

And anyway, IT'S NONE OF THEIR DAMN BUSINESS WHAT I DO!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited April 29, 201412 yr by DarbiMolly