Deal With The Underlying Issues: Eating Through Weight Loss Surgery And Addiction Transfer

Deal With The Underlying Issues: Eating Through Weight Loss Surgery And Addiction Transfer

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In most cases, poor food choices, a less-than-stellar exercise program, genetics, and metabolism are the main contributing factors to obesity. However, many studies are finding that an addiction to food is causing many people to gain weight. This need to consume food is not merely a lack of willpower, but it is a true addiction, similar to alcoholism or drug addiction. A food addict craves food in the same way an alcoholic needs a drink.

In many cases, a food addict may not be aware of the addiction and may just think they lack the willpower to lose weight. Many of these people turn to weight loss surgery to lose weight. They figure that having a LAP-BAND placed on their stomach or going through Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery will help them to stop eating. However, if a food addict has weight loss surgery without dealing with the underlying issues causing the addiction, one of two things will most likely occur: the addict will either "eat through the surgery" and gain the weight back or will transfer the addiction.

Addiction transfer occurs when an addict trades one addiction for another. For example, if a food addiction is the result of a traumatic event in a person's life and the person gets weight loss surgery, limiting the amount of food he or she can intake, but never deals with the emotions related to the event, that person may then deal with those unpleasant emotions by turning to alcohol. Even though food is no longer an option, the addictive behavior is still there and transfers to another coping mechanism. Addiction transfer may not be as apparent to some people, since substance abuse (food, drugs, alcohol) is not the only type of addiction. An addict can transfer his or her food addiction to excessive shopping, gambling, or another obsessive behavior.

"Eating through" weight loss surgery occurs when a patient does not follow the guidelines for life after surgery and continues to eat the same types and amount of food that lead to the obesity in the first place. This may not occur right away as weight loss surgery can cause a patient to become sensitive to certain types of food or unable to physically consume as much. However, patients who have had gastric bypass, LAP-BAND, or other weight loss surgeries have essentially stretched their new, smaller stomachs to be able to consume the same amount of food.

Any person considering weight loss surgery should find a support group to help deal with the issues relating to weight loss. Also, in some cases, patients with strong underlying issues should seek personal counseling prior to undergoing weight loss surgery. Only by dealing with the issues that trigger a food addiction can a patient avoid addiction transfer or gaining back the weight they lost.


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