Staying Positive During Your WLS Journey

Wednesday, 02 March 2011 09:21

Maintaining a positive attitude during your weight loss journey can often be difficult. A commitment to building healthier habits involves exploring weight- and food-related issues that can often be emotionally painful, and horror stories of others' surgeries can have you second-guessing your decision.

The following tips can help you remain optimistic and shore up your resolve when your WLS experience becomes frustrating.

Before surgery

• Don't get too wrapped up in other peoples' experiences. If you've visited weight-loss surgery discussion boards, frequent complaints and posts about complications may have you wondering if it's all worth it. Remember that people most commonly use these forums as a means of letting off steam or finding the answer to a health problem. People who have successful WLS experiences may be less likely to contribute to the forums. While forums can be a valuable tool for connecting with others and sharing experiences, remember that everyone's situation is different. Do your own research before deciding how comfortable you are with any type of surgical procedure, and don't let the experiences of other people scare you away from taking control of your own health.
• Talk to your doctor or nutritionist about any issues that concern you. They can help you make sure that you are properly informed and work with you to determine the best solution for your needs.
• Find or form a source of strength that you can draw from, whether it's your faith, family, or friends. Make sure you have a network of caring individuals who understand and support your goals.

After surgery

• Keep a success journal. Write down any positive changes in your life after your surgery, no matter how small. As your health improves, you may find that you sleep better, think more clearly, have more energy, or have a better memory. Keep track of these successes so you have constant reminders that you are moving towards a healthier future.
• Don't expect your previous issues with food to go away overnight. Remember you are on a journey and it will get easier to make healthy choices as time goes on.
• Don't beat yourself up if you slip up. Everyone has days where they indulge in healthy foods, eat too much, or blow off their exercise routine - none of this means you have failed. Expecting yourself to be perfect in regards to your diet will only be a source of undue stress. Treat every day as an opportunity to make healthier choices.