Why are we like this?

I have been fighting my ever running mind this last few weeks..... Why are we so centered around the instant gratification?  I must admit that I am one of the many people!!!!!  It is driving me absolutely insane...not to mention my DH!! I want to get to goal, and I wanted to be there yesterday....last week...you know!!  Just seems like some days that it is something I will never get.....then I have a good day and things seem so much brighter.....guess I am just human, but this is the worst I have dealt with all of this. Just me rambling..... Everyone have a wonderful hump day...and pass your kicks in the ass my way!!!!! Love, Holly

Hi Holly,         I know what you mean.  I have a terrible time with this very same issue.  I don't know why we are like this and I don't have any words of wisdom for you.                     Honestly, it seems like the people who do the best are the ones who start doing for others.  Look at Sherri, she is on the board almost everyday talking to the newbies and pre-ops.  She organized the help for Jodi when she needed it, even though her own health was very precarious at that time.  Jodi herself is another good example.  Here she was going through radiation and chemo and she still took the time and energy to get on the board to reassure Linda when her son Mikey had to go into residential care.  Floyd is another good example.  He keeps up the Hoosier Losers directory in addition to one for the men's board.                     All of these people are tremendously successful at not only losing their weight, but keeping it off.  I think it is because they have moved their focus off of themselves and on to others.  I admire them very much.  I just don't seem to be able to emulate them.  I don't know if I'm too self absorbed or what.  But I'm working on it.            I wish you luck and hope you find the thing that helps you through this.  If you do, please let us know.  I'm sure there are plenty of us out there that need all the suggestions we can get to help us find the thing that will help us to be our most successful.

Awww Cindy ! Thanks for the compliment.

Holly,

I'm not sure how I got to be "successful". A lot of times I don't feel all that successful. I still have issues of wanting to be a certain way be it personality wise or weight wise. And I usually find wanting it now instead of learning the prcoess of life's lessons to get me there just like everyone else that has had this surgery. But I have found that some of the 12 step moto's they use in AA have helped me. I just hand everything over to a higher power (Which I call giving up - in the most positive way you can give up), don't take inventory (of yourself or others), and most importantly I live for today. When I say I live for today, that's exactly what I mean. I don't plans for tomorrow. Unless it's a big deal or doc appointment I don't plan pretty much of anything ahead of time. I just enjoy the then and now. 
What you are experiencing is no different then what many of us are, have, and will along this weight loss journey. It's not about making food changes, or behavior changes, it's also about changing a lot on how we view life in general and want to live life.
Hang in there sweetie!


Hugs
Jodi

Holly, I think one thing that helps me the most is staying busy. If I'm at home & jus****ching TV, my hand thinks it needs to feed my mouth..constantly! So..I try to find healthy hobbies. My hobby of choice right now is dehydrating. I dehydrate fruits, veggies, and jerky mainly. I planted some of my own herbs to put on the veggies this fall that I dehydrate. While my hobby keeps my hands busy, it also provides me with a healthy snack that I can tailor to my preferences (or to my friend's needs like Gail not being able to have any sweetners at all so I dry her apples with just cinnamon on them).               Before I started dehydrating, there was Sudoku and before that, plastic canvas. I ALWAYS have something going on though to keep my hands going. If I don't, I munch! I think that is probably a carry-over from my smoking days actually..but I absolutely refuse to ever pick up another ciggarette.    Other than staying busy, my success IS in my passing on my (being sarcastic here) 'wealth of knowledge & experience'. Let's face it, almost all of us KNOWS what it takes to be successful as a post-op: PEW: Protein, Exercise, Water. We KNOW that we have to watch our portions. We KNOW we have to read labels & monitor our carbs/fats/ proteins/etc. We KNOW how to be successful. So...the best way to BE successful? Teach others how! As you repeat the lessons over & over to others, it makes you think twice before eating that 2nd cookie..even if it is sugar-free. Stay active on the board. Continue going to get togethers. Each of these also makes you just a little bit accountable in your own mind. And yep..sometimes, it IS a mind game to keep the weight off...just as it usually is a mind game for you to gain it.                        Sherri

Holly,  Hon, I think all of us have one time or another felt what you are feeling- whether we post it or not. You have done an amazing job with your tool, now just focus on your health and the rest will follow. Ya know, Rome wasn't built in a day, & neither were our bodies ( alittle of my warped humor here)~it took years to build my personal foundation and will take awhile for me to rebuild it. It does get frustrating, but never give up!  Using your tools, which I know you do faithfully, will reap the results you desire! Keep focusing on the positives you've recieved, pass them on, and know you are loved & are doing wonderful!!! Some succeed faster than others, just don't get caught in the trap of " why can't I?" and keep going towards your goal-you can do it!!!

Holly- Just know that you are an insperation to me and other newbies!  Keep you chin up you will make it to your goal, I have all the faith in the world in you!!!!!!!! Kim