independance

After WLS: Celebrating Your Independence

July 3, 2013

Annually as a country, we celebrate our independence, liberty, and freedom. But do you also celebrate your personal independence, liberty, and freedom? As millions of Americans celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks and other festivities, take a moment to think about the day you made the decision to have weight loss surgery and the day you had your surgery. July 4th is for fireworks, but every day is your very own 'personal independence' day!

Our issues with food and our physical size from being morbidly obese have kept us from living our lives to the fullest. For many of us as weight loss surgery post-ops, we experience life for the first time as it can be without the restraints and confinement of being morbidly obese. That’s true independence!

Around Independence Day, we hear about independence, liberty, and freedom. Let’s take a closer look at those concepts and how they apply to us as weight loss surgery patients.

Independence is the successful end of being under the control or influence of a condition.  As someone that lives a healthy lifestyle, experiencing independence has rewards in numerous areas of your daily post-op life.  You now “get” to make healthy choices and enjoy your family, friends and your life by being independent of the control of food. You’re now independent! Try that on for yourself as a weight loss surgery patient...it fits!

Liberty is the condition of being free from restriction or control; the condition of being free from confinement; and, the right and power to act, believe or express one’s self in a manner of one’s own choosing. Through your success from weight loss surgery, you are free to live on your own terms without the emotional and physical prison of being morbidly obese.

Freedom is the capacity to exercise choice, free will; ease or facility of movement; the right to be bold, have full access and be unrestricted. It is also the power to engage without externally imposed control or restraints. By having your weight loss surgery, you now have your personal power to express yourself by the choices you make for yourself in all areas of your life. You are no longer dictated by the hold of food and physical size.

As a weight loss surgery patient, finally feeling the sense of our own independence, liberty and freedom are exhilarating. These terms and concepts accurately describe our post-op healthy habits and lifestyle.

ObesityHelp.comIndependence from old habits that resulted in morbid obesity...liberty that we are no longer controlled by an unhealthy relationship with food by eating in excess; that our choices reflect who we truly are...freedom to live with health, and be strong physically, emotionally and mentally. Those are reasons to celebrate our successes every day!

Acknowledge and congratulate yourself for the small and big ways you are now independent, liberated and free. Rewind your memories pre-operatively of the restraints you lived with before weight loss surgery. Feel the joy you are now living without those restraints. Whether we are celebrating the independence of our country or ourselves, live your life to its fullest.

Writing down your goals solidifies them. The act of writing, whether journaling or confirming goals, gives you a road map as to where you've come from and where you want to go. Create your own Declaration of Personal Independence (DPI). As an example to assist in creating your own DPI, consider the following:
  • I declare that I will consume an adequate nutritional intake of protein each day.
  • I declare that I will drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water daily.
  • I declare that I will incorporate 20-30 minutes of movement, activity or exercise into my life per day.
  • I declare that I will not indulge in the unhealthy habit of grazing.
  • I declare that I will conduct a regular review of my life to ensure that I have not relaxed any of my healthy post-op habits. I will remember that if I return to my old habits that made me heavy, I will experience weight regain.
  • I declare that I will walk on my post-op path of a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
  • I declare that I will ____________________. You get to create your own DPI!

By writing your Declaration of Personal Independence, you declare your commitment to your healthy lifestyle and success as a weight loss surgery post- op. By having weight loss surgery, you have “drawn a line in the sand” and ended your struggles from morbid obesity, and you said to yourself "Enough is Enough!"

Declare today that you ARE A SUCCESS wherever you are in your post-op journey. Reconfirm that nothing or no one will stop you from enjoying that success and health. PERIOD.

As you watch Independence Day festivities and fireworks, celebrate your own personal independence, liberty, and freedom. These concepts are shining bright and are like a brilliant, colorful sparkler burning in your life.  You are living your own Independence Day every day!

So let's celebrate our country on July 4th. But after the fireworks are over, just remember that every box on the calendar is your very own Personal Independence Day.

cathy wilson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cathy Wilson, PCC, BCC, had RNY surgery in 2001 and lost 147 pounds. Cathy is a regular contributor to the OH Blog and authored the "Mind Matters" column in ObesityHelp Magazine. Cathy is a licensed pilot and loves flying. She is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC).

Read more articles by Cathy!