Undergoing weight loss surgery will cause many changes in your life. Your body, diet and lifestyle will change before, during and after surgery. From your weight loss surgeon to your closest friends, you’ll have a support system there to help you make these changes. Still, you are the one responsible for maintaining those changes.
Through it all, your personal well-being will play a key role in your overall weight loss experience and how you manage your life after weight loss.
Attitude Counts
The thoughts you have about the food you eat, when you need to eat it, why you need to eat it and how much you need to eat all tie into your weight loss process. Making changes to your attitude toward these behaviors is one of the first steps you can take towards reaching a healthier lifestyle.
Attitudes stem from your thinking patterns, and you’ll want to strengthen your new thoughts on healthy eating and caring for your body in a new way.
Before weight loss surgery, for instance, what did you think if someone mentioned the words “exercise” or “diet”? What do you think when someone mentions those words now? Keeping a journal –both to track what you eat and record your attitude about it—is a great way to monitor your progress.
Keeping it Real
Do your best to stay realistic with your weight loss goals. By keeping your goals within reach, you’ll have an easier time attaining them, which will build confidence and keep you optimistically moving forward.
What does being realistic mean? While it may be easy to think of your goals in terms of numbers on a scale, those numbers are really just part of a much bigger picture. When making weight loss goals, try the following:
- Diversify your goals: Whether it’s being able to walk for 10 extra minutes each week or to eat more vegetables, having different types of goals will help you keep a balanced approach after weight loss surgery.
- Break long-term goals into smaller steps: Having a big, long-term goal is great, but it can be easier to lose focus if you set your goal too far ahead in the future. Create smaller goals on your way to your larger ones so you can stay motivated by your intermediate progress.
- Celebrate progress: When you achieve a goal, no matter what kind, make sure you pat yourself on the back and reward yourself. Making lifestyle changes doesn’t happen overnight; change happens by degrees. Buy yourself flowers or take yourself on an afternoon outing to commemorate every step you make to the new you.
Remember that weight loss is a process, and it’s important to be patient with yourself as you lose weight. Try to enjoy the daily steps that you take in the direction of your long-term weight loss goals. Enjoying the weight loss process—both challenges and successes—will help keep you on track for long-term health.