I Still Have Chronic Obesity (even a year into maintenance . . .)
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This absolutely nails it for me too, I haven't been an ideal weight for 29 years, I gradually got bigger and bigger but then decided to do something about it 15yrs ago, lost 6st and vowed I would never be fat again. 15yrs later here I am bigger than I ever was and losing it again. I know if I don't keep using tools like MFP and my fitbit I will relapse and the cycle will start again. To explain it in the way the OP has makes perfect sense to me and reinforces why this must now be my norm.
Well done for reaching your goal 😊2 -
It's the same idea as someone being an alcoholic even if they've been sober for years."Chronic obesity" is a unique way to identify my issues with weight gain and loss, repeatedly. As @seska422 said, it's comparable to a recovered alcoholic.
I agree that the comparison to alcoholism is probably apt. While obesity doesn't have the same horrific life and relationship-shattering consequences, there is still that mindset that in order to keep the monster at bay, you have to realize that it's never gone.3 -
bobsburgersfan wrote: »Why are you resigning yourself to a life time of obesity? What was most upsetting was your reference to knowing that you will ‘always be obese.’
I initially had the same reaction, but I realized that my issue was simply the use of the term "obesity". I define obesity as the actual state of being obese, where the OP used it as the name of the disease she struggles with. Similar to how a sober alcoholic is still an alcoholic, OP suffers from obesity despite being in maintenance. After looking past the word choice, I really liked what they had to say.
@CaladriaNapea, congratulations on a year of maintenance!!
Thanks for the congrats!
I wrestled with what to call it exactly. To me the actual state of having an unhealthy BMI is what I would term as being "overweight," "an unhealthy weight," "fat," or "over-fat" (as Stephan Guyenet terms it), etc. But there's this idea that having physically lost the weight doesn't change my situation. This is still something I need to fight against daily. I am fighting against is years of ingrained habits, mindsets, coping mechanisms, and simply just a way of being. I used the term "obesity" because it is more associated with the the disease-side of being overweight. I realize the idea of whether or not obesity is a disease is in and of itself controversial, but for me it is an aspect of life that will never go away (no matter my weight), which makes it more of a disease than just a condition. I
Often society (and even my doctor) treats it as if the fact that I lost the weight means that I conquered my condition. I haven't. I've simply taken ground back. Now I constantly patrol that ground to make sure that the enemy doesn't retake those borders. It's easier to fight an enemy that you can name; so in my head I call my enemy obesity. I am definitely open to someone suggesting alternate (and perhaps less-polarizing?) names for exactly what I'm fighting against.10 -
I find this very true.CaladriaNapea wrote: »It's the same idea as someone being an alcoholic even if they've been sober for years."Chronic obesity" is a unique way to identify my issues with weight gain and loss, repeatedly. As @seska422 said, it's comparable to a recovered alcoholic.
I agree that the comparison to alcoholism is probably apt. While obesity doesn't have the same horrific life and relationship-shattering consequences, there is still that mindset that in order to keep the monster at bay, you have to realize that it's never gone.
I’ve recently been a passenger on a sibling’s voyage from functioning alcoholic to non-functioning alcoholic to recovering alcoholic (it’s not a journey you want to buy a ticket for if you can avoid it).
And so much of this seems analogous:
- She will never not be an alcoholic, and I will never have a never-been-obese person’s relationship to food.
- She will have maintain constant vigilance for the rest of her life, and so will I - just in a different area.
- She needs the support and understanding of a community of people who have battled with the same problems she had, and so do I.
Of course, all kinds of things are different; but I do take heart from her successes. She’s done three rehabs and five detoxes, and probably has enough 24-hr sobriety chips to decorate a miniature Christmas tree. But she’s been sober for over a year, has fully addressed most of the problems her drinking brought on, and is doing well.
Thinking about that makes me feel a lot better about all my own failures and binges and relapses and regains. It helps me to know that just because of these things that have happened in the past, there’s no reason for me not to succeed in the future.
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Blue Bell and a bluebonnet. That's a Texas gal! If it can help, Blue Bell has a No Sugar Added vanilla which is half the calories of their regular. It's a good vanilla.1
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JeromeBarry1 wrote: »Blue Bell and a bluebonnet. That's a Texas gal! If it can help, Blue Bell has a No Sugar Added vanilla which is half the calories of their regular. It's a good vanilla.
Haha, you indeed spotted me! I am not a native Texan, just recently transplanted here, and soon moseying along my way.
I haven't tried the no-sugar added Blue Bell--I will have to give it a shot!maureenkhilde wrote: »I too can relate totally to this post. I am still in the losing it phase, down 60 and that much more to go. I was never the thin child, was overweight, chunky, plump, fat. And yes obese for decades. So it really is an ingrained mindset in many ways. At this point in time, I cope by not allowing trigger foods in the house at all. Maybe some day but for now, I know I am better off with them not in the house. But yes, I feel the same that the pounds given a microdot chance will come hustling back. So I weigh everything, eat lots of veges for volume, and try to keep starchy food low. But this post I am giving a yellow star so I can find and review over and over as I totally get it.
Ice cream has definitely been a temptation for me. For about the first nine months of counting calories I didn't keep it in the house. However, for the last long while I have been able to pretty easily enjoy it in moderation. I think that it's important to remember that not every moment is the same. This last weekend I was missing my husband, hadn't gotten eight hours of sleep in a couple weeks, and I had too much spare time on my hands. Not a good combo for solid decision making there. I hesitate to say "absolutely no" to something because that tends to make me want it all the more. However, I think that I need to work on considering challenges that may come up and my mental state when I go grocery shopping. This month is not the month for me to buy ice cream! When my husband comes home I think I will be much more likely to be able to return to a healthy relationship with it.3 -
OP, thanks for taking the time to share your well-thought-out reflections - they are very much in-line with my own feelings and approach to maintenance, so hit a real note with me. 1
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I absolutely love this way of thinking about obesity. This was a total light bulb moment for me. Thank you for sharing!2
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I love how you put this. I can see how some would be worried that you are setting yourself up as a victim of a disease but I think it’s more of an honest, gentle way of dealing with your strengths and weaknesses. I especially love the idea that a binge is just a flare up, not an indicator of moral failings at large!
I’ve gone through a moderate food addiction recovery program and I’ve never been an alcoholic but I can see how the 12 steps help with both situations.1 -
Your post is very helpful to me!! Thank you!0
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Excellent post! I'm finally accepting that weight management is lifelong and takes time, not "get it off now so we can be done!". There is no done, just keeping the condition under control.2
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CaladriaNapea wrote: »Hello, MFP!
So my one year anniversary for maintaining my 63 pound weight loss was back in August. I meant to post a "woohoo" post, but couldn't think of anything that I hadn't really said back when I originally hit maintenance. However, my husband is gone for work this month, and on Sunday night I went back to poor habits and pulled out my old friend, the tub of ice cream, for comfort. Half a carton of Blue Bell (don't believe the food logs, they only tell the story of my first go with the carton), a couple of days, and a couple of pounds of water weight (and not water weight . . . ) later, I began thinking about what happened.
"Chronic obesity" is a phrase I've heard a number of times, and it has become a critical mindset me in order to help me maintain my weight. When I lost weight back in college, I thought of the weight as gone. But it wasn't. It was lurking. Waiting for me to let my guard down (which I did almost immediately, FYI) and then it sprang back in full force. This time around, I repeatedly make sure to tell myself that the weight may be gone, but the obesity isn't.
I will always be obese.
I will always need to weigh myself daily in order to monitor the trends in my symptoms.
I will always need to count my calories in order to prevent my obesity from gradually building up like in the past.
I will always need to eat mostly fiber-rich, protein-rich foods (and tons of veggies) in order to keep full so that I won't have a relapse.
I will always need to watch for signs of flare-ups (such as the binge-session with the ice cream . . .) and respond accordingly by keeping an even closer eye on my symptoms.
I will always need to exercise in order to allow myself to eat more calories and make it easier to manage my obesity.
I will always need to plan my schedule in order to enable me to keep the routines that hold obesity at bay.
I will always need to count calories, watch what I eat, exercise, watch my weight, plan my schedule, and manage my obesity in the present moment, because I know exactly what will happen if I do not: First, the weight will come back. Then I will gain more weight on top of that. Next, I will develop comorbidities such as Type II obesity (like members of my family), I will have heart attacks far too young (like the same members of my family), and I will be unable to do the things that I love and spend time with the people I love because I will have allowed my disease to control me instead of me controlling it.
But I have an advantage: I know my disease. I know its patterns, its symptoms, its warning signs. I know how to fight it, treat it, and what I need to do every day in order to keep it from returning in full force. I will always be obese. I just strive to never be overweight again.
This mindset helps enormously when I fail (such as last Sunday). Instead of my binge eating reflecting on me failing as a human, I view it as a flare-up. Flare-ups are inevitable with any disease. My job is to prevent them when possible and mitigate the consequences as much as I can. On Sunday night, I did not manage my disease wisely in that moment, but it's okay because I caught myself and I am watching my symptoms (e.g. weight, cravings, unhealthy mindsets) and making sure to ground myself in the routines that I know work to help me manage my obesity. In other words--I am returning to normal. Not the normal that everyone who doesn't have obesity enjoys, but I am returning to my normal. A normal that allows me to live the life God has given me to its fullest. A life that allows me to enjoy life now and later. A normal that I will need to maintain probably until the day I die and begin the life beyond this one.
Thanks for reading!
Oh, and I hit one year of maintenance! Woohoo!YadaYadaYada64 wrote: »Perfectly worded, and I can totally relate. Thanks to years of yo-yo-ing and messing with my metabolism, I’ll never be a “thin person”, even though I am thin (enough 😂). A person who has never been overweight can eat a lot more than a formerly overweight thin person. It’s just a fact, and thankfully can be managed - just as OP described in this great post.
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I'm a new member for the second time. This is the first time looking at the blog section. I was looking for the word obesity, because I feel someone who has the same condition as I have I can relate too. This blog spoke to me and I can relate. I have made so many attempts to lose weight and I continued to fall off the wagon. But not this time. I have decided is a lifestyle change and it will continue to be for the rest of my life.3
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ministeramsee wrote: »I'm a new member for the second time. This is the first time looking at the blog section. I was looking for the word obesity, because I feel someone who has the same condition as I have I can relate too. This blog spoke to me and I can relate. I have made so many attempts to lose weight and I continued to fall off the wagon. But not this time. I have decided is a lifestyle change and it will continue to be for the rest of my life.
Welcome back aboard the wagon. Could you hang onto my foot as I'm dangling over the edge?2
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