It's when after a weight loss surgery, you transfer your food addiction to another task. It can be very bad. A sizable portion of post-op patients actually become alcoholics. They use alcohol to fulfill an emotional satisfaction that food gave them previously.
But it can also be very good, if you transfer your eating addiction to something healthy.
For me, it's become exercise.
If you told me three months ago that I'd be addicted to exercising, I'd have invited you back to Planet Earth.
My wife, Jennifer, has been addicted for a long while now. She's a runner, and has successfully completed several half-marathons. I've watched as her moods are sometimes dictated by whether she's able to properly exercise. I've always considered that real silly. Of course, I also ignored how my moods were just as twitchy when I was hungry.
But now I understand. Exercising is truly emotionally satisfying to me now.
I started walking the day of surgery. Just a few laps around the fat-ass ward. Two days after surgery, I was up to a half-mile, using my grandfather's driveway as a nice and flat walking track.
Three weeks ago I started an actual regimen. My goal was to walk 5 miles in 5 nights. It was tough. My legs hurt. My feet were sensitive. Each night was a challenge to hit a mile. But I was able to achieve my goal.
Two weeks ago I decided to up my goal a bit and try to do 8 miles. I felt like I finally had my legs back under me. I powered through the week feeling great and reaching my 8 mile goal.
This week I became even more ambitious and wanted to walk 10 miles. By Friday I was feeling so good that I thought I'd add a Saturday night walk to the schedule and just go ahead and walk 6 nights and log in 12 miles for this week. But my body had a different plan.
In years past I would have been stupid and done what I wanted instead of what my body was telling me to do. But not now. After Friday night's walk, my legs were jello. I struggled to complete my 2 mile walk, which had been easy earlier in the walk in much warmer weather. I had reached my physical threshold, and abandoned my plans for a 6th walk in a week.
So I'm resting this weekend. And after consulting with my expert-run-like-Forrest-Gump wife, I've decided to maintain this weekly distance goal for a few weeks until I can complete the week's feat without so much fatigue.
Weight this morning: 378 (-63lbs)
Regards,
John
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