ohjohnnyb
Time To Start Blogging
Dec 05, 2010
I am about 4 months post-op and have been very successful losing weight and keeping a positive attitude. Like most of you on OH, I have gained and lost 100 lbs many times over my life. This time, I am working hard to safeguard my mind, body and spirit, because there are so many ways to fail. Here is what I am doing different this time:1. I am trying to associate only with those who are positive and successful.
It is too easy to fall into the negative trap. There will always be people who will tell you why you can't do something or remind you exactly how you are doing things wrong. These people have so many different motivations. Either they are afraid that they can't do it themselves and are setting them up for an excuse, or they are just unhappy people looking for others to commiserate with. I have to stay positive, look for the good in circumstances and in people, hang out with successful people, and try to be an encouraging person.
2. I am working on becoming a more forgiving person to myself and to others.
Harboring resentment and anger can only destroy me. I have never been a person to hold grudges, but I am discovering that without food as a coping mechanism, I tend to deal with emotions differently. I have found that spending time on OH allows me to direct my emotions outward and gives me a positive outlet. There are also others who have seen successes that I want to achieve. I also need to make sure that I am not getting caught in the perfection trap. I can be my worst critic. Being able to rationalize things away has been a way to cope with my failure. Now I am working on owning up to my weaknesses, failures, and fears. I find that when I communicate my feelings, it takes a lot of the energy out of them.
3. I am not taking any nutritional advice from anyone other than my medical team.
Since my WLS, I cant count the number of people who have tried to be helpful and have given unsolicited nutritional advice. In the past, this could have gotten me off track, but I have made a commitment to stay the course and follow the guidelines from my dietitian and physician. They know what is best for me and if I was willing to have them go through with the WLS, I should trust them to give me the best medical and nutritional advice based on sound research. I have to be careful not to just pick and choose the parts that I like.
4. I have a plan for exercise
When I got out of the hospital, I started walking. I haven't stopped yet. I am even now jogging on the treadmill for short bursts of time. I have set a goal to be fit enough to ski over the Christmas break (3 weeks from today). I am on track. I know that I will need more motivation once the vacation is over, so I will find something else I can set my sights on.
5. I have to say "NO" to people and to things I don't want to do.
Nuff said!!
6. Try not to let initial successes make me feel as if I am finished with my process.
This is a tough one for me. I need to remind myself that this is not a race. I must keep my thoughts on living my life and not on losing weight. It is so easy to focus on the short term activities instead of looking forward and enjoying the journey. I am working every day on keeping my sights set on long term goals and enjoying the milestones along the way.
This is all I can think of today. I am sure that as time goes by, I will journal more.
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About Me
Carlsbad, CA
Location
28.5
BMI
Surgery
08/16/2010
Surgery Date
Aug 26, 2010
Member Since
