Getting back on track!! Please read!!!
Dear friends, I love you all. You all are my support, my inspiration, my role models. I know our journey is hard. No one told us it wouldn't be. But we can do it. We are strong and we want this new lifestyle that we finally have. Cookies, candy, nachos, -- none of those things are better than our new life. Let's not forget that. And so, of course I just happen to have a lilttle article that I hope will be helpful to you. Please don't think I am 'holier than thou' -- I struggle every day as you do.
Anyway, please take the time to read this. It is a good blueprint for our success!!
love
donna
Traits of WLS Winners
by Katie Jay
While nearly everyone who has WLS achieves some measure of
success, some people do much better than others -- and not just
in the measure of their weight.
Winning at WLS is not a size, it's a whole state of being.
Winning at WLS means achieving a weight that creates the
opportunity for you to live a full, healthy, and satisfying life
-- and then getting out there and living it.
So what do WLS winners do?
Winners Manage Their Focus
WLS winners tend to have a structure to their lives so that they
almost always know what they are really supposed to be doing.
They don't leave things to chance. They stay focused on their
goal to be healthy and let that shape their lives.
They learn time management and schedule in their WLS needs. They
focus on what is important (buying vitamins if they have run out)
rather than on what the world thinks is important (baking cup
cakes for a party).
Winners Design a Plan that Fits Their Life
Winners learn how to shape a life that works for them. They
figure out where they are likely to struggle and build in
strategies to minimize their troubles in those areas.
They use timers, always keep protein supplements in their car,
keep food out of sight so they don't snack, or keep a case of
water in their trunk -- whatever will work for them.
Winners Use Resources to Help Them
Winners are information seekers. They don't assume that what
they were taught about WLS at one point in time is sufficient
information. They continue to learn, seek help, and find tools
that will keep them on track.
They understand that they may need help to go from being at
goal weight to being happy and comfortable with their new life.
Are You Reluctant to Win?
Some people are very uncomfortable with winning. So, they resist
it. They struggle with the last 20 pounds to avoid being at goal.
Of course, they don't necessarily know they're doing this.
Not doing your best is a form of self defense. If you don't try
hard, you protect your ego from the experience of trying hard
and failing -- a scary proposition.
Value the Pain of Losing
Anyone who struggles with weight will fail from time to time. But
that doesn't mean you will fail in the long run. By trying your
best, even if you experience some failure from time to time, you
will ultimately have a more meaningful life.
By getting comfortable with failing, and then trying again, you
will eventually win.
Accept that Winning Can Be Confusing and Uncomfortable
Winning brings on a whole new set of uncomfortable feelings.
Maybe you don't want to cause others to feel like losers as
they compare themselves to you. Maybe you don't like the
attention winning brings.
Whatever the discomfort, win anyway. You will learn to tolerate
success. Just give it time.
In 12-step programs there is a saying. There are only two times
to go to a 12-step meeting: when you want to go and when you don't
want to go.
How can you apply this philosophy to your WLS lifestyle? Do you
think it is a good idea to base what you do (with exercise and
food choices) on how you feel?
If you only do the right thing when you feel like it, how likely
are you to lose your excess weight and keep it off for life?
Action for the day: Today, do what you have planned to do that
supports your WLS success. For example, don't base your decision
to exercise on whether or not you feel like it. Do it because you
have planned to do it. No excuses.
Want to Reprint this Newsletter?
If you'd like to reprint any part of this newsletter,
do so with the following credit:
From Small Bites, the email newsletter for the
National Association for Weight Loss Surgery.
Subscribe today at www.NAWLS.com.
(c) 2006 National Association for Weight Loss Surgery, Inc.
All rights reserved.
National Association for Weight Loss Surgery, 325 S. Sterling Blvd., #121, Sterling, va 20164, USA
Traits of WLS Winners
by Katie Jay
While nearly everyone who has WLS achieves some measure of
success, some people do much better than others -- and not just
in the measure of their weight.
Winning at WLS is not a size, it's a whole state of being.
Winning at WLS means achieving a weight that creates the
opportunity for you to live a full, healthy, and satisfying life
-- and then getting out there and living it.
So what do WLS winners do?
Winners Manage Their Focus
WLS winners tend to have a structure to their lives so that they
almost always know what they are really supposed to be doing.
They don't leave things to chance. They stay focused on their
goal to be healthy and let that shape their lives.
They learn time management and schedule in their WLS needs. They
focus on what is important (buying vitamins if they have run out)
rather than on what the world thinks is important (baking cup
cakes for a party).
Winners Design a Plan that Fits Their Life
Winners learn how to shape a life that works for them. They
figure out where they are likely to struggle and build in
strategies to minimize their troubles in those areas.
They use timers, always keep protein supplements in their car,
keep food out of sight so they don't snack, or keep a case of
water in their trunk -- whatever will work for them.
Winners Use Resources to Help Them
Winners are information seekers. They don't assume that what
they were taught about WLS at one point in time is sufficient
information. They continue to learn, seek help, and find tools
that will keep them on track.
They understand that they may need help to go from being at
goal weight to being happy and comfortable with their new life.
Are You Reluctant to Win?
Some people are very uncomfortable with winning. So, they resist
it. They struggle with the last 20 pounds to avoid being at goal.
Of course, they don't necessarily know they're doing this.
Not doing your best is a form of self defense. If you don't try
hard, you protect your ego from the experience of trying hard
and failing -- a scary proposition.
Value the Pain of Losing
Anyone who struggles with weight will fail from time to time. But
that doesn't mean you will fail in the long run. By trying your
best, even if you experience some failure from time to time, you
will ultimately have a more meaningful life.
By getting comfortable with failing, and then trying again, you
will eventually win.
Accept that Winning Can Be Confusing and Uncomfortable
Winning brings on a whole new set of uncomfortable feelings.
Maybe you don't want to cause others to feel like losers as
they compare themselves to you. Maybe you don't like the
attention winning brings.
Whatever the discomfort, win anyway. You will learn to tolerate
success. Just give it time.
In 12-step programs there is a saying. There are only two times
to go to a 12-step meeting: when you want to go and when you don't
want to go.
How can you apply this philosophy to your WLS lifestyle? Do you
think it is a good idea to base what you do (with exercise and
food choices) on how you feel?
If you only do the right thing when you feel like it, how likely
are you to lose your excess weight and keep it off for life?
Action for the day: Today, do what you have planned to do that
supports your WLS success. For example, don't base your decision
to exercise on whether or not you feel like it. Do it because you
have planned to do it. No excuses.
Want to Reprint this Newsletter?
If you'd like to reprint any part of this newsletter,
do so with the following credit:
From Small Bites, the email newsletter for the
National Association for Weight Loss Surgery.
Subscribe today at www.NAWLS.com.
(c) 2006 National Association for Weight Loss Surgery, Inc.
All rights reserved.
National Association for Weight Loss Surgery, 325 S. Sterling Blvd., #121, Sterling, va 20164, USA 
Thanks, Donna for posting this. I am a firm believer in always learning. I don't have a college education (just didn't work out for me to get one)...but, I am always reading and learning about everything it seems! And the same goes for WLS!
I saved this to a word file, posted it on my CT forum and plan on reading it when I need to.
Thanks, I needed this...
paula..who's feeling bloated from too much salt the last couple of days...and too many crabs...and who has gotten her monthly and a whopping cold sore to boot (I get one every month with my "friend", GREAT, I KNOW)...i bought a gallon of water and plan on drinking all of it tomorrow...I don't want to be up all night, tonight.
Time for some real scheduling and planning...I've been too lax!
I needed that!
love, Linda 
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