I will share with you my current strength, hope and support and let you know this is a great opportunity for you preop to work on this as postop it does not get ANY easier! 6 yrs out stress happens and life is hard and food is easy (As Linda Spangels great book is titled!)....We only have this moment the past is gone and the future is yet to come, we can either live or not the choice is ours..............I do not htink this is all a out motivation it is more about our inner struggles, our self esteem (or lack of), and our self sabotaging behaviors at times, inner child work and therapy has been most helpful to me...this is from my OH BLOG 1/18.... http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/jamiecatlady5/
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1/18/2009 Getting current....I have had a lifelong struggle with obesity and in 2002at the age of 29/30 I made the decision to have gastric bypass surgery. Surgery was about being healthy not my weight and not my body image (although they were affected they were not my goals) I had been a successful dieting failure, loosing 70-100lbs more than 3 times in the 10 years prior to surgery; being overweight since I was 8 yrs old. Gastric bypass was successful; I lost 100% of my excess weight in 7 months (BMI 47->24.9) mainly due to a combination of my age, starting BMI, preop education, LUCK & my personality lending me to be the 'perfect patient' (little did I realize this is not a positive thing!). I feel it was also being very active in the bariatric community online and in person support groups I attended or facilitated that helped me reach and stay at goal for so long and not stray too far! I reflect now and am aware of switching addictions after surgery from food to exercise. I had developed an exercise addiction, being obsessed with daily exercise for 4 years, having to do at least 10 hours a week in the gym if not more, 6 hours of that cardio and no days off, I thought about it all the time and planned my life around it (instead of food!). I burned out!!!!!!!!! Fear, sadness, shame, guilt, anger and loneliness were the emotions I was trying to avoid with food or exercise. I kept the weight off until 2+ yrs ago when my emotional eating returned. I had allowed the stressors in my life at that time to guide me in a negative direction and I stopped making healthy choices in living and coping. My new lifestyle and coping didn't hold up and I have episodically reverted to more familiar ways (eating when not physically hungry, eating more carbs, isolating, sleeping, avoidance). In the Fall of 2006 I did a year worth of personal growth and worked on my shame, codependency, perfectionism, anger, sadness and fear that permeated/effected my life and relationships. I gained many tools to cope (Meditation, positive affirmations, chanting, being present, much of Geneen Roth's work helped also, letting go/surrendering, connection with my spirituality, CODA meetings, setting boundaries that were healthy, journaling). All along my weight was never the focus, merely a symptom of my emotional mismanagement. Over time again I have allowed life to erode many of these new found coping skills, and the choices I have made are not the ones to put me in balance or to be centered, present or healthy. I have become more aware of this over the past 3 months and am ready to address these things below. I take full accountability and responsibility for my actions and choices. Up until a few weeks ago I was (NOT) coping with life's stressors by: 1) Avoidance and numbing with food (more carbs which drives more physical hunger on top of the emotional hunger). 2) Isolating from previous level of activities and socialization. (friends/family/church/exercise/CODA meetings/shopping). 3) Working long hours and on off tours via remote access at home intruding on home; attempting to avoid and be perfect. 4) Procrastination at home and work. 5) Increased sedentary activity such as sleeping in or going to bed early, watching much more than usual movies/TV, naps on weekends. 6) NO EXERCISE in MONTHS!. MY GOAL has always been so I am refocusing on this: "I want to more balance in my life by being more physically and emotionally present and healthy" Steps I have taken in past few weeks to rediscover my path:


Started gradually exercising to find that balance between all or nothing..so far 30 min 3x week is the balance! Slow and steady! SUPERWOMAN does not work anymore!
Started daily journaling of my thoughts, feelings and sometimes food.
Started a food discovery log (identifying my physical, emotional aspects of hunger and eating etc.)
Started daily affirmations reading and listening.
Started daily listening to transforming eating obsessions CD (self hypnosis/guided imagery)
Meditating daily.
Practicing my deep breathing daily to deal with stress.
Returned to CODA meetings
Broke out of my isolation with friends and family.
Stopped over sleeping/napping to avoid.
Returned slowly to online support groups.
Returned to more personal growth work individually.
MAKING ME A PRIORITY! SPEAKING MY TRUTH AND LIVING IN THE ONLY PLACE I CAN NOW!
I always find honesty with self, accountability to self, sharing and in community I can not only survive but I can and do thrive! I am here! OPEN, HONEST AND CURRENT! TODAY there is no place for self-criticism or judgment; today I am practicing JUST NOTICING! ANYONE WANT TO JOIN ME? I would not be who I am today without my challenges, I am accepting them, embracing them and learning from them! GRATITUDE WORKS! I am grateful for my life, I am grateful for all of you! BEING ALIVE, really ALIVE and present today is MARVELOUS! I am posting as widely as possible to share!

Hey chickie! Glad to see you posting again!! :) You've been missed here!!

Hugs,
Marie

Good Morning Beautiful People,
That is how I greet all of my students at school.  So many kids have low self-esteem, I find it really helps when I greet them that way.

I have been flying under the radar for good reasons lately.  I have been pretty stable, and enjoying my life, for the most part.  I have 18 days of sobriety, and I am working my AA program to the best of my ability. 

I have a terrific sponsor, and I really am motivated.  My therapist had me write a therapy agreement, and I am more at peace with things these days.

Have a great day.  My school is closed for a snow day.

Hugs,
Trish

 I don't know your daily dosage, but he 25mgs are tiny and the 100s are smaller than an aspirin.  So early on you might want to change your pill size and multiply them to come up to your daily dosage.

today I am grateful..

for my continued Sobriety..

for the people.. family.. friends in my life..

for my kitties who keep me company and love me unconditional..

for God.. who loves me unconditional..

for being able to work from home today due to the snow we received..

for my plastic surgery that I was able to get..

Life is wonderful