I had a tough day on Tuesday.......I was feeling sorry for myself and upset because of my swelling issues.  By Tuesday night  I was done with the pity party and focusing on all the good that has come since shedding all that weight and having plastic surgery.


Offerings of the Day
Finding Gifts In All

We can reframe bad days by spending some time before going to bed each night to review the gifts we received that day.

When we have good days, we often find ourselves going over the details later, enjoying them a second and third time as we feel the joy of our good fortune. When we have bad days, we may find ourselves poring over the details of our misfortunes. However, we can reframe those bad days by making it a daily practice to spend some time before going to bed each night to review the gifts we received that day. Regardless of our evaluation of the day—good, bad, mediocre—we can call forth the many blessings that were present. This practice transforms our consciousness as it reveals the fullness at the heart of our lives.

Some days it’s easy to recount the gifts we’ve received; on other days, we have to look harder for the offerings of the day, but once we do, we will find there are always quite a few. We can keep it simple and be grateful for the fact that we have a roof over our head, nature, food, and our health. Once we have fully experienced these gifts, we can move outward to the gifts that may require a little more thought such as the gifts of forgiveness, tolerance and acceptance that we may have learned that day. We can also always be grateful for the people in our lives who support us, no matter how bad our day may have been.

Just reviewing the many positive offerings in our lives provides a context for our difficulties that puts them in proper perspective, but we can also make an effort to see the gifts even in adverse cir****tances. This can be challenging and may require some practice before it feels authentic, but we have all had the experience of a disappointment or loss leading to a surprising gain. Just remembering this and trusting the give and take of life can help us to remember that sometimes the best gifts of all are the ones we don’t recognize right away. In addition, the lessons we learn in the face of adversity are offerings in their own right, allowing us to count patience, wisdom, and fortitude alongside the other gifts of the day.

HI and welcome to our corner of the world.....

CONGRATS on taking control. 
I asked my Dr about Ali a few years ago (before I started my own journey).  He discouraged me from using it.  He actually said, if I didn't mind soiling my pants I could use it...... I asked him to clarify and he did....     
Since Ali stops the absorption of fat it slides through the body quickly and easily and often times with little warning, ergo, the pants soiling.  

I once ate a Full Bar as a snack meal when on the road but didn't look into it as a serious weight loss plan.

I just want to toss out a couple thoughts..........
"You mentioned you don't think you have willpower or self discipline to stick with something to lose weight."  I have a number of friends who had WLS...in order to lose the weight and keep it off you still need will power and self control.   

I lost my weight by eating healthy and exercising.  Bottom line its all about calories in and calories out.  I did not starve myself.  I ate all day (and still do).  I finally learned that I can't lose weight by eating only 800 cals a day.  Yes, I would lose temporarily but I would crack and go back to old/bad habits and regain the 40 or 50 lbs I lost......PLUS MORE.  When I started on my journey I started out by eating about 1,800 cals a day (hey, I was almost 300 lbs at that point so I need more food to keep the body working), PLUS I worked out 6 days a week.

The difference for me this time and the hundreds of times in the past I failed was this........ I finally realized I would die very young if I didn't take control and I I wanted to live.  I hoped it was not too late for me but I decided to take control.  I looked into WLS but decided I would give it one more try.   I sort of sat down and talked to myself and decided to make me my priority for the first time in my life.  I told my friends and family I was going to be selfish but I had to take the time to focus on me.  I tried to select healthy foods for every meal and snack.

Hope you post often and share with us...
Best Wishes on your decisions and journey!

PS about the willpower and self discipline.  I used to think I didn't have the will power but I am realizing that it's not so much about my will power as it is about the process I use to get healthy.  If you use the right process the body is amazing and forgiving and will regulate itself naturally but you have to give it the right foods.  The reason we can't resist eating what we are not supposed to is because half the time we are starving ourselves without realizing it and the urge to eat is unstoppable.  Once you start eating right and exercising you won't have to worry about will power.  I find that exercise also helps to control my appetite.

At this point in my journey I have a big NO ENTRY sign when it comes to restaurants.  It's too easy to slip back into the convenience and enjoyment of eating out and it's nearly impossible for me to not select the foods I want but shouldn't be having.  On the weekend my daughter had a soccer tournament and we had to be there from 2 to 6 p.m. so I packed a big salad as a precaution (I'm not in the habit of packing food when we go out so it's a big learning curve for me)  So while there people started getting the normal chicken wings and fries etc and the aroma was just KILLING me.    I pulled out my salad and got a few strange looks and some comments but it's a good thing I had that salad to take the sting off my hunger otherwise I might have fallen off the wagon big time.  I felt a little uneasy eating my home made salad at the game but better that than continue to be obese and unhealthy.  I learnt a valuable lesson.  On the weekends or whenever we are out I am going to make sure to take something with me and close my eyes whenever I see restaurant signs.     Going into a restaurant is like going into the enemy camp unarmed, I can never come out alive!!!

Here's to skinny, Mary!  In my mind, skinny would be about a size 14!!