My epiphany today
I am sure many of you have also become the "weight loss go-to person" - like whenever ANYONE I work with or socialize with runs into me, there is often a lengthy discussion about their efforts toward weight loss. I usually nod and smile - I don't offer any advice. I am hardly a weight loss expert, but I do understand their need to voice their feelings - been there, done that. The other day I was having such a conversation with a friend, sympathizing with her on all of the obstacles in her life that make it hard to make healthy choices... and it struck me that that was me not too long ago.
Got me thinking - what changed? How did I go from the woman who just doesn't have time to fit health into my life to the one who does? I have been mulling this over for awhile now, and I think I am on to something. My major obstacle was that I just couldn't fit things like exercise or meal planning into my life - it was just too busy. At some point during this whole WLS process I made the decision to work my life around these things, not work these things INTO my life. Not sure if that makes sense to anyone... I guess this is what people mean when they say stuff like "you have to adjust your priorities" and "you have to put yourself first". There is an important part that is missing from those platitudes - YOU WILL HAVE TO CHANGE. If you approach it like you just have to add on something else to do, you are going to fail. The rest of your life has to make room for these changes - meetings will have to be moved around, alternative ways to get the kids home from school will have to be found, meals will have to be planned... and, sometimes, things are going to have to be let go of.
You can fill a vase two ways. You can fill it to the top with water, then add the flowers - but it will overflow. Or, you can put in the flowers, and fill the water in around it. The flowers are things that I need to be happy and healthy, the water is the rest of my life. The water nourishes the flowers, and though I could fit more water in if there weren't any flowers - why would I? Who wants a stupid vase that just holds water?
Great post. i went to a support group last night and people were complaining they could not fit in making meals for one person. They just ordered in or ate out. For me if I did that I would balloon back up. One of the ladies was not near goal after 3 years.
I recently decided to change around my morning routine. I needed to get in exercise I realised that the morning was best for me so everything else had to change. I am lucky because although I work and have to get ready in the morning I only have myself to get there no children.
Thanks for posting
Yes it totally makes sense. To suceed in our jourey we have to make a "lifestyle change". And until you do, nothing is going to work. I have been telling this over and over to a very dear friend whom just had RNY. I hope it finally clicked. Unless you take a step back, and get away from those unhealthy choices and doings and actually realize they are wrong or bad ect, its not going to work. If someone wants to change their life, then they have CHANGE THEIR LIFE! lol. It takes on a whole different meaning when you finally realize it and then do it. You have to change your life, break the old habits, and implement new ones. 
