Choices

Last week, I was chatting with a super-supportive friend on Facebook. Renée commented on my strength in making such a big decision. I disagreed, saying having a child (which she has done and I haven't) is a much bigger decision that takes more courage. 

She replied, "You made a decision that affects your everyday life. I mean, eating is comforting so to decide to change what you eat and how you eat so drastically is way more of a commitment than having a kid. Dieting is hard enough but to give yourself no other option — that is wicked."

"I'll still get some comfort from eating, though," I said. "I'll be eating much less, and therefore have to make nutrition part of my decision making, but the ultimate diet has lots of room for creativity and comfort. Lean protein, veggies and fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, healthy fats. I think it'll mostly be very doable. And if I go off plan occasionally, it will be in a small amount.

"Don't get me wrong, I'll miss pizza and fried food and chips... But I'd rather be healthy and alive for longer. And for me, it came down to that choice."

And it really did. I could have stayed the path I was on, which very possibly would have resulted in an early death. Or I could choose to make changes. Is weight-loss surgery drastic? Of course it is. That's why you have to meet requirements, jump through hoops and prove you've tried several other ways of losing weight. But for some people, for some morbidly obese people like me, it's the right choice. Medical intervention, I truly believe, is saving my life. 

I've heard from so many people who've been told "Surgery is the easy way out." I beg to differ. Nothing about the process, the decision or the reality has been easy. I expect there will be rough times ahead (learning to eat in a group of people, for example, who eat things I can't, or tackling cravings for things that don't support my health), but I'm committed. I choose myself, I choose my life, and I choose my health.