Mindfulness

I have found that being 'mindful' has proven to be a powerful tool too help me take care of myself. It requires me to be focused and present. It also helps me be aware and accountable. I am not always as 'mindful' as I'd like to be, but more so now than I was before I had my WLS. 

To me, being 'mindful' means that I am aware of what I'm doing and accountable to myself for my actions. Everyone needs to find their own ways of doing this, but I think that we all need to do this in order to be successful in the long term.

*  Being mindful mean I get on the scale daily so that I am aware of my weight and am able to make corrections when they are still minor.
*  Being mindful means logging my intake and activity if I notice that my scales are 'swinging' more than the 7 lb range that seems normal for my body -- basically, up or down 3 lbs from my 'sweet spot'.
*  Being mindful means thinking about what I'm eating and if it is something that 'fuels' my body.
*  Being mindful means leveraging my tool and 'taking care of business first', so that I start my meal with protein, move on to colorful carbs and then indulge in whatever else I want with whatever room I have left over.
*  Being mindful means being aware of how I'm 'feeling' when I'm eating

What does being mindful mean to you?

I am mindful that this was a surgery that only altered my digestive system.

I am mindful that It wasn't a career move, it doesn't define who I am and it wasn't meant to alter my life. It was simply to enable to make me live a healthier life by allowing me to lose weight over a certain period and to help me maintain a weight that is within healthy parameters.

I was and still am mindful not to expect WLS to find me a husband, a job, happiness or anything else other than the above!

Although I only weigh once a week and have not tracked my food (other than for the occasional "check up") for over 3 years, I definitely agree that "mindfulness" is a key component to successful weight maintenance. 

I use "mindfulness" in a more general psychological/spiritual sense in many areas of my life (and encourage my clients to do so as well), but specifically in terms of weight maintenance, mindfulness for me involves:
- allowing myself only a 5 pound "swing" range (and then seriously cutting the carbs and increasing the water and protein until most of the 5 pounds come back off)
- eating almost all of the protein first at every meal
- when I eat ANYTHING that is not a planned snack (which are always protein-forward) -- I first look at how I am feeling.  If I simply want a snack because it sounds good, that is one thing (and I will still sometimes try to talk myself out of having it), but if I am feeling sad or lonely or bored, I force myself to pass on the snack or get something to drink instead... that keeps me from going back to the old destructive emotional eating habits (which, for me, was the heart of my obesity)

Lora

being mindful to me means taking resposibility and being accountable (to me)for what i choose to put in my mouth,

being mindful means for me to make the most out of my new healthy life .