BIG MEDICINE

We watched a show last night called Big Medicine..
I was not sure exactly what to expect upon seeing the advertisments.. I know the ads made me so horribly sad because I could see myself there.. I knew what that all felt like. Yet to my surprise I really enjoyed watching Big Medicine.. it was .. well.... HOPEFUL.
These patients that I saw knew that they really had no choice but gastric bypass surgery. There was an extreemly morbidly obese man who was bed ridden that was particularly moving.. Watching him go through the surgery and the complications that arose was a bit frightening.. at first I kept thinking there was no way this gentleman could survive this procedure.. but he did.. and I hope he is still doing well.. the preview of the next show showed him having difficulty with his new way of eating. I hope his family will be a support system and not a system that enables him to eat himself to an early grave.. I hope he survives.. There was a couple on , the husband was a gourmet chef and the wife had had the surgery first. she looked great and after the husbands procedure you could see a difference not only in him but the way he was cooking now..
Whether by surgery or by will, when one choses to make these changes, One has to learn a new way to live. I like the fact that Big Medicine not only covers the procedure but the follow up , the plastic surgery to remove excess skin, and the emotional and mental angle as well. I know people who have had this surgery and though they are by far much smaller they still have not mastered making better food choices. So to see these folks changing their way of life and learning that there is more out there than food.. and learning how to cope with out feeding emotion.. It is very inspiring. I also liked the fact that you could find things on the internet regarding this show.. and that you can ask the doctors questions and get responses. I would like to see more show like this reach out to the public.. reach out to individuals like myself or others that have been in this war for such a long time. I keep asking myself though.. what motivates these doctors to help us, what motivated the doctors not only at Big Medicine but at Brookhaven to want to help this horrible obesity epedimic . Why?? is this just purely business???, is this about personal issues on their end, perhaps losing a loved one to obesity , or have any of those that produce either one of these shows had their own severe weight issues.. ???? What I liked also about Big Medicine is that it puts the patient right back into his or her life. I think that is so important... thats one of my qualms with Brookhaven obesity clinic... Taking someone out of a situation does not teach them how to live in their own situation or manage it. For myself I have to learn how to live in my life and make healthy choices. I have to be able to cope with whatever comes my way and really know that food will not change whatever I am feeling.

Feeling things.. be it depression or anger or joy or whatever... that is so difficult for some of us.. Those of us that have been in traumatic situations and have learned to cope by making poor food choices and by choosing food as a comfort have really created an addiction for ourselves by doing that. I have learned that feelings things will NOT kill me.. it might make me uncomfortable.. but in the long run.. I don't shorten my life span by feeling uncomfortable. I gain more self confidence by feeling uncomfortable. I gain more faith in myself by coping with those feelings. Food should never be an option. Food should just be something we enjoy not hide behind... I have said this many times.. I am a foodie.. I love to cook.. and the most amazing thing is .. that since I have learned to cook healthier and create new recipes its a wonderful seasonal world.. I love expermenting with seasonal fruits and vegetables.. I love making successful recipes and learning also what really does not work together. Its fun being a healthy sorceress in the kitchen...
Wish me well
Wish you well too.