5 Steps To Help You Build Your New Life After Weight Loss Surgery

September 1, 2017

How many people truly get a second chance at life?  Those of us who have had the life-changing opportunity to have surgery can say that we truly have been given a second chance. Think of it this way, you have the chance for a new life after weight loss surgery. Going through the process of surgery and your new lifestyle thereafter is a lot like being re-born. We are teaching ourselves how to crawl, in order to stand, and eventually to walk. This re-birth requires more than just a new relationship with food and fitness but with a truly new relationship within.

We have all spent a large portion of our lives as someone who has weight issues. That was our identity. So much of who we are, what we think and even the clothes we wear are focused on our weight and the way we see ourselves at that weight. If you put as much hard work and dedication into yourself inside as you do outside, the transition into this new you will be a beautiful one.

5 Steps For Your New Life After Weight Loss Surgery

	SEE SOMEONE You have to have someone to talk to during this process.  Whether you decide to see a therapist, a holistic medicine man or a health/wellness coach, someone who is an objective perspective will offer honest and unbiased ears to listen to you.  More than that, this is a very self-reflective process and having that person to talk to about your deepest feelings and fears will truly help you work out your relationship with yourself during it.
	SET UP YOUR SUPPORT SYSTEM The people around you, who know you inside and out, are going to be the ones to keep pushing you and give you the support and encouragement you need along the way.  There are going to be times where this process will get really hard.  You will feel helpless, confused and unsure.  You will also feel ecstatic, fantastic and accomplished…those are all feelings that you will want to be able to share with people closest to you.
	SPEND TIME ON YOUR OWN Think of this process as building a relationship.  You’re building a relationship with yourself.  You are learning how to live life again in a new body, with a new mentality, a different perspective.  It’s too easy to take in information from the outside world and social media.  It is impossible to self-assess with all of the outside “noise”.  Take the time to be alone, whether it’s at the gym, meditating in the morning, going for a long walk every night, swimming or just being in a quiet place writing in your journal.  You have to get to know yourself all over again and learn to fall in love with yourself.   After all…you two are going to have a long, happy life together.
	KEEP A JOURNAL There are so many things that happen every day during this process.  You might drink too soon after eating, you might fall in love with a new vegetable you’ve never tried before, you might learn a way of prepping your meals so it only takes you 30 minutes instead of two hours.  All of the milestones ahead of you deserve to be documented so you have them to refer back to when things seem to be falling apart or when you need a little kick of motivation.  Having a journal and photos to track this process for you may be painful at the time to do, however, years from now when you want to help others do this…you know exactly how you made it work for you and can share that.
	RE-BUILD TRUST WITHIN YOURSELF Some of us become very good at listening to our “inner self”.  This is the self that says, “it’s okay, you deserve that burger, you walked extra fast from the car to the door today.”  It also says, “you can have those you’ll work it off tomorrow.”  We have all, at some point convinced ourselves of some form of the above justifications.  This gets us into trouble.  When you have moved into a new relationship with yourself, you have to re-learn how to positive self-talk.  You have to teach yourself how to trust your decisions, feel confident in those decisions and know that those decisions are for a better you, not to fill a craving.  Take the time to re-build your trust within yourself.

This journey isn’t easy.  Bariatric surgery is like a re-birth.  You get a new life after WLS. It’s an opportunity for us to finally feel how we have always wanted to feel and experience life without weight holding us back.  Take every opportunity to not only work on your body and your weight loss but the you in your mind who is going through this process too.  The two of you deserve a long and happy new life together.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lyss Remaly had WLS in 2010 after her highest weight of 350lbs. She revised from Lap-Band to a Duodenal Switch. After changing her habits, she became certified as a personal trainer and behavior change specialist to help others do the same. Lyss is a Bariatric Lifestyle Coach, Certified Personal Trainer and a competitive Natural Bodybuilder. Catch up with Lyss at FitnFabulyss Read more of Lyss' articles!

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