Your expectations after weight loss surgery are high. Astronomically high. And it makes sense that they are. After all, you’ve invested a lot of time, money and energy just getting approved for weight loss surgery. Certainly there’s a piece of you that hopes — perhaps in secret — that things will get easier after you go under the knife. But the sad truth is that weight loss is effort. Always. And in many ways surgery marks the start of the work, not the end of it.
It’s Easy To Lose Perspective
If you’re morbidly obese or super morbidly obese (which many people undergoing bariatric surgery are), it’s easy to lose perspective of just how tremendous your progress is.
Just read the forums for a few days and you’ll see people lamenting their progress, even though objectively they are doing fantastic.
“I’ve only lost 50 pounds in the last three months. What’s wrong?”
Everyone who feels this way needs a hug, and a kick in the ass. (But mostly hug.)
When we focus so intently on how much we have left to go, we forget to celebrate how far we’ve come. If you take a moment to step back and look at your progress with some perspective, you’ll likely see that you’re really a weight loss rockstar. Learn to see your success story, and celebrate it on occasion.
There’s Always Someone Who Has Lost More
No matter how much you’ve lost, there’s always someone who has lost more. In the same amount of time. With the same type of surgery. Perhaps even at the same clinic and with the same surgeon.
Get over it.
Your job is not to compare, but to congratulate them on how awesome they are doing and encourage them to continue kicking ass on their weight loss journey. Trust me, doing this does not detract one iota from your own success.
There’s Always Someone Who Is Losing While Slacking
I get it. You work hard for every pound you lose. And it takes the wind out of your sails to see someone apparently skating bye, ignoring all the rules, and still having immense success. Rather than getting caught up in what they are doing wrong, or why they are losing weight doing the very things you can no longer do, focus on your own work. Your surgery, your nutritionist, your friends and your support network are all there to help you, but the actual work of succeeding is up to you.
Trust me, your weight loss journey is going to look much different than all the nutrition scofflaws that draw your ire.
There’s Always Someone Who Is Having A Harder Time
Be mindful of the fact that there’s always someone who has it harder than you do. If you’ve been stuck in a plateau for three weeks, there are people who have been stuck for three months. If you’re frustrated at your current rate of weight loss, there’s a line of people losing even slower. And it goes right out the door and wraps around the block.
We all have moments where we want to curl up, lick our wounds and feel defeated by the immensity of the journey we are on. And while there are plenty of legitimate reasons for frustration and tears, this space of pity is a place for visits and not for living.
The Scale Is A Fickle Mistress
The scale will break your heart if you let it. Just remember, it’s only a data collection device that helps you understand your progress over time. If you weigh yourself every day, expect to have many days where your weight actually goes up. It will do this for no apparent reason. Even when you’re doing everything right.
Weight loss only appears linear at the macro level. If you’re working at micro resolutions of daily weigh-ins, it looks a lot like a stock chart with daily highs and lows. It’s ok to be fascinated by the daily numbers, but keep your focus on the trends over time. By way of illustration, I’ve shared a line chart of my own weight loss journey pre and post surgery.
Yours would (or does) look very similar.
Recent Comments