Weight Loss Drugs

Well, another diet pill was added to the list of can-kill-you drugs. Meridia was pulled from the market last week because it caused an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. What is it about losing weight that is sooooooooooooo hard? We didn’t gain it overnight, but yet we expect an overnight miracle. I know all too well that it is not easy, but I also know that a quick fix isn’t the answer either. There isn’t a pill that you can take for life. Only a lifestyle change that includes a proper diet and consistent exercise results in not only sustainable, but most importantly, safe weight loss. I didn’t and still don’t always feel like eating healthy and working out, but if I did what I felt like all the time, things wouldn’t turn out right most of the time. So, I do what I know is best for me. You may say that it takes lots of will power. Perhaps. But, I believe it’s a matter of choice and we all have a choice.

Overeating

For someone who loves food, overeating is always a challenge. The missing satiety gene is certainly not an excuse to stuff ourselves silly. We have to modify our behavior and learn how to stop eating before the point of no return. I remember eating so much and feeling so disgusted with myself one time that I actually thought about the unthinkable just to feel better – purging! Until then I could never understand people doing something like that to themselves on purpose. If I’m sick, that’s one thing, but to actually make it happen – no way! Well, I didn’t do it, but that moment helped me to better understand those who do. I have since learned to put only a reasonable portion on my plate, eat mindfully, and stop before I’m full, knowing that it takes 20 minutes for it to kick-in. What trick have you learned to manage overeating?

Gastric Bypass Surgery

When people hear that I lost 170lbs.they wonder if I had surgery, insomuch that I started immediately telling them my spiel all in one breath, “…no surgeries, shakes, pills or diets…”. While gastric bypass surgery has come a long way and now there’s the band, I still don’t believe surgery is the way to go. Mainly because you are still left with the emotions that caused you to overeat in the first place. Plus, many are turning to other vices since they can’t eat anymore and now have new issues to deal with. Somehow, others end up right back where they started before surgery, claiming that it didn’t work, which goes to show the severity of overeating. What causes people to eat so much? Some say it’s the satiety gene that’s missing, which is the brain’s signal that you’re full, stop eating. I can vouch for that one, because I never learned to stop eating based on feeling full. I stopped eating when there wasn’t any more food on my plate and when that was the case, most of the time would return for second helpings. Of course, I stopped eating at some point, but it was always beyond the point of where I should have. I just loved to eat. But, is the missing satiety gene an excuse?