A friend of mine met with a doctor today to discuss dates for weight loss surgery. She’d felt a little panicky and wondered if I’d experienced the same.
Honestly, I don’t remember getting panicky pre-surgery, but for the months leading up to my operation and even weeks after, I sometimes worried. Food and overeating had been my coping mechanism, comfort, and security blanket for the majority of my life. It protected me, made emotional pain more bearable, and also gave me a place to hide.
What would I do, how would I cope if life kicked in the ass about something and I could no longer take refuge in overeating to the point of emotinal numbness?
Oh yes, I worried about that and, sometimes, I got downright scared. When that happened, I held onto a phrase that a friend of mine often says. “My faith is stronger than my fear.” Yes, I believe in a Higher Power, and I do have faith that I can turn over problems to my HP and things will work out how they’re supposed to, but I also developed faith in myself. I knew that I made the right decision in choosing to have weight loss surgery. I held on to faith in myself, in my ability to develop new, better, healthier ways to cope and deal with issues.
Amid all of this are a few essential truths. Food cannot cope, comfort, or provide security. Food is just food, without magical powers. Overeating does not achieve anything positive. When one buries oneself in food, one doesn’t have to look at the issues and problems. For me, compulsive overeating is an avoidance technique that masquerades as protection.
Understanding these things made it possible for me to give up the overeating and destructive behavior with food. It doesn’t mean that I’ll never feel the urge to overeat, but I don’t need to give into the urge. I had, and still have, faith that I can effectively deal with issues and problems instead of avoiding them with food and overeating. No need to panic. No need to worry.
In the end, faith is stronger than fear and stronger than food.
Weighty Matters 
Amen! I will keep this particular post of yours in my thoughts and read it over until it sticks! I can’t wait to dance to Zumba and walk the seven mile bridge with you Mary🐬