Me again, but last week, I hope that is ok

This was me last week.  I am really struggling here.  As I have said before, I am not sure people know what to say to me anymore.  Either the people I see day-to-day or my regular blog readers.  So I am re-posting  something from last week, with some changes.  I hope no one minds.

Love,

JenB

———–>

I can’t answer in one word.  Let us try a few:  cautious, scared, worried, i can wear a size 14 jeans from the gap.  I am actually getting anxious writing this post.  I have been avoiding writing this post.  I have been avoiding: seeing the doctor, getting my blood work done, checking my sugar levels, eating as prescribed, working out as much as I should be, doing anything right really.  I have been: eating sweets, not eating enough protein, sleeping a lot, changing my (going off of Effexor) psychiatric medications, hemming my workout pants so I don’t trip on them.

I have been doing good thing in fits and starts.  Protein shake here, no white carbs there, seeing my trainer twice a week, but not doing even remotely enough cardio.  We b ought the Wii fit, for fun mostly, I thought it would energize me to do more serious workouts at the gym and some yoga at the very least.  I had no idea the Wii fit <strong>WEIGHS</strong> YOU.  I have not weighed myself or been weighed since March when I saw the orthopedic surgeon about my knee.  Then it became scarier and scarier and one day I would be convinced I had lost a few pounds over the past month and then I would be certain I was almost back to my heaviest (impossible according to what size of clothing I am wearing).  It is now become my great white whale, which is funny really, i mean you know FUNNY.  Whale = fat, okay, I am over explaining a lame joke.

I am worried this is it, I will either stay where I am, or I will slowly gain it back and be what I was before.  Which I cannot even define other than “fatter”.

I was always worried that when the goals of the weight loss surgery started turning into how I looked and buying new clothes and having people say I look good or I have lost weight or GOOD FOR YOU! We were afraid you were going to be the fat one forever.  I am plateauing or gaining, or fuck if I know, right?  My mom and dad “how is the weight loss thing, you know surgery and diabetes and everything going”.  I am defensive.  “What do you mean?  Do I look fat?  Does it look like I have gained weight?  WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?” Articulating everything in my own head that I wish they wouldn’t ask me about ever. That I wish I could just update people without having to answer to anyone or ever talk about it really.  I want to be the person who got to a reasonable weight after 11-12 month, stay at that weight and then be able to advise and muse about how it was to be so heavy and so reasonable and ok with my weight now.

So many obstacles in my way.  The hugest one is me, lots of parts of me.  The eating disorder, always lurking. Someone, (doctors, books, dietitians, my MIND, the interwebs, the world, THE MAN) is telling me what I should be eating, I almost automatically say FUCK YOU, I will have this donut, bowl of chips, ice cream bar.  Bingeing is decidedly smaller amount, but bingeing when you stomach is wee and you know you shouldn’t but you WANT to HAVE to, is still bingeing.  It is still a fuck you to the rules.  I am 13, 14, 18, 25, all over again.  I had a similar reaction when I found out I was diabetic.  Rebellion via diet.  I am so cool.  I wish I could just pierce my nose, or bungee jump.  Instead I retreat inside myself and eat in secret, hiding it from everyone, pretty much successfully, all the time.  Am I self sabotaging, my therapist asks?  I don’t know.  I am afraid of finally losing the weight?  Maybe, I don’t know.  Is it a control issues?  Fuck yes, I can control what I eat and I can’t control what I eat or don’t eat all a the same time.  I am the mobius strip of food control. Yes, I feel expectations from family and friends.  I do not feel understood because I do not understand myself.

I feel like this will be another thing I will not complete, I will fail at.  I have trouble starting things and even more trouble completing them.  I don’t think I know how to be successful, at anything.

I know the small steps my therapist, husband, friend, tell me I should start at.  Get my blood work done, make sure I am not anemic or my blood sugars aren’t totally fucked, or my liver enzymes are elevated or other things that could go wrong.  Step two would be to actually make a doctor’s appointment, well, the doctor would call mewith my lab results, I feel sure there would be something to discuss there.  Once I go to the doctor, they will weigh me.  Weigh me.  Weigh me.  My worth a 3 digit number.  My success, my progress, who I have been since having the surgery will be those numbers on the scale.  I want to talk myself out of that melodramatic bullshit, it sounds so juvenile, so junior school, so first true love breakup story.

I am so scared I have already fucked this up to a place where I cannot return.  So scared.  Terrified.  My bed is so less scary. My sleep, my books, my solitude.

Posted by jen on September 10th, 2008
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3 Comments a “Me again, but last week, I hope that is ok”

  1. nyjlm says:

    you are not that three digit number. you are not your bipolar diagnosis. lately I am repeating “I am not this feeling. I am not my anxiety.” I act like a toddler, not wanting to do the things that will help me feel better. Baby steps- yep, so cliche, but so necessary.
    The only way through is through, take that first step, and you may be surprised to find out that you are doing better on the eating and stuff than you think you are. I understand the hiding out in bed, the numbing. Heck, I’ve been doing it all morning. But the numbing isn’t so successful, so I may as well take this leap and try the baby steps.

  2. gina says:

    I hate to sound like a metaphysical asshole but have you tried like a gratitude journal? I’m all on this laws of positive attraction thing and supposedly if you start by think of (and maybe saying outloud) what you are thankful for each morning, you’ll be cured! HA! That’s really not that easy. All weekend I’ve been thinking of ways I could kill my boss – that whore! And all over one sentence in my performance review. I’ve allowed it to ruin my entire weekend which sucks ass. What a moron I am to let her win.

    This week I made a vision board and it’s now awkwardly displayed in the middle of my living room. On it you’ll find a picture of a beautiful garden, a big Tudor style house, a Prius, a bank statement where I’ve written in my own balance of 10 million dollars, a happy business woman, the word “Entrepreneur”, and a cute biracial baby. I’m still looking for a skinny picture to put up there. Maybe you should do one for yourself.

  3. Trish says:

    Dear Jen, Gina’s idea of a vision board is wonderful, I am going to follow through on that one myself. Since you like to write (or blog) write yourself positive affirmations (goals) for October, in the past tense. Go into the month reading what you have already achieved by month end. Place the affirmation someplace where you will read them a few times a day. This is part of the change your thought process I am working on. It is hard but, helpful. Keep going girl.

    1) I worked out 5 days per week for this month. Yeah.
    2) I maintained my weight for this month and will continue to do so.
    3) I successfully walked the Brooklyn Bridge with little effort.

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