Monday, January 17, 2011

F.L.A.B.

     I promise you, the title of this entry doesn't exactly mean what you think it does but it does serve a great purpose. I was watching Dr. Oz on my day off (Thank you MLK Jr. for doing such courageous and wonderful things during your lifetime), which I never ever ever do. My mom likes Dr. Oz but I find that I generally do not have any interest in these "Dr." shows. Anyway, the only reason it was on was because I was in between my DVR and Wii Pacman and it drew my attention as I drank my half caf coffee with sugar free creamer (YAY my taste buds remained loyal to coffee! Woohoo!) which I now maintain that I will only drink on the weekends...and I still digress from the matter at hand. So the topic was obesity and addiction. Now, I find addiction to anything to be frightening and intriguing at the same time. People all around the world are addicted to countless varieties of things: alcohol, cigarettes, food, sex, sleep, drugs, gambling...themselves. Any/all of these are dangerous in their own rights but eating was the focus of this episode and the stories I heard scared and relieved the hell out of me at the same time. I can honestly say that I have been where these people are but I don't quite live on any of those planets anymore. To top it off, I travel farther and farther away from them with every day that passes.

     F.L.A.B was the acronym that Dr. Oz/addiction specialist used to describe the common triggers for eating, and not just eating but OVEReating. As I have probably said before...I will eventually be able to eat and tolerate most things as others do but the trick is moderation. You can love food and still be smart about consuming it in every scenario. Here is what F.L.A.B. stands for:
F-Frustrated
L-Lonely
A-Anxious
B-Bored
Boy do I agree! I think they hit the nail on the head here. However, in order to adequately and accurately describe the reasons people "stress eat," so to speak, they need to add some emotions/situations here:
* Break-ups, make-ups, stress, anger, loss, sadness, celebration, grief, happiness, relief and the big one...everyone around you is doing it! 

     I read an article once that stated that people that are obese should not hang out with obese people because it results in a chain of fatness...well, to a degree I guess I understand that. After going through a surgery like this or when beginning a new life change, it is frustrating to see how many of your friends truly understand and want to help versus those that tease you at dinner with "Oh that's all you are going to eat? You are so different, you've changed!" A person who shall remain anonymous from my support group shared how he used to go to dinner approximately 5x a week with two of his best female friends (who are considerably overweight). Because of the pressure to go out so often, he continued to do so after his surgery. His friends would insinuate that he wasn't as much fun because he wasn't joining them in stuffing their faces. They swore he had changed for the worse and was a complete downer. I am so glad I don't have friends like this. The article also said "don't run out and change all of your friendships" which I agree with more than anything else the article stated. Change only those that are unhealthy for you...because at the end of the day, you have to be happy with you, no one else matters. 

     We are not in this fight alone but so much of the time it feels like it, even when we have a great support system. We need our good friends (no matter what their size) to be there for us and us to be there for them throughout all of our struggles. We need to all support each other in being whatever makes us happy as individuals (although I struggle with some of the unhealthy habits of my friends as I am sure they have struggled with mine). The bottom line is that to be what we all want to individually be is a struggle. However, if we keep our friends close and our triggers closer are for falling into negative behaviors of any kind, we can all move a little bit closer to Earth instead of living sad and unhealthy on other planets (whose names change almost daily anyway). I prefer to live here, not with brain sucking aliens that encourage me to be an empty, worthless vessel. Think about it...

1 comment:

  1. As some one who has known you for years, I want you to know that I am so very proud of you for all that your doing and all that I know you've already done. Your courage, strength and endurance is something to truly be admired. As you continue on this journey know that I am cheering for you even through the miles. You r such an amazing woman and I am proud and elated to have you as a friend. Love Gerri

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