How do you stay encouraged and motivated when having so much to lose?

Love this post MImi! Sharon

Hi Kim,

I am only 6 months post op, and I still focus a lot on "calculations".  I calculate everything, make stats about how much I have been losing, how much I still have to lose, etc....  And it stresses me soooooo much.  It makes me focus on the negative instead of the positive.  So when I catch myself counting in my head, I put a stop to it right away.  Well I try!  I am getting better at it. 

I also paid for my VSG and I also see it as a car payment.  I would take care of my car, I would put gas in it regularly, I would like driving it, low speed or high speed.  I am now driving my body.  Food use to drive my body, weight use to stop it. 

The weight gain for me was over years, so when I complain about the time it takes to lose it (for me I aim at losing between 200-230 pounds) I quickly remind myself that it still is coming off way faster than it has been put on.  And I also realistically think that if it was too easy, we would go back to our old habits in the blink of an eye, quickly forgetting the negative sides of being overweight, thinking "oh its ok to gain 30 pounds, I will lose them in a month"

Good luck and own up to your weight, there is nothing there to be ashamed of, surely not in front of us

Karine

Hi Karine, I love your analogy of the car. It's really helpful for me to read what works for you. Congratulations on your success so far. I'm hopeful that I will be successful too. Keep up your good work!

Beautifully said. Sharon

you don't have so much to lose

you have so much to gain

 a new better life

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sharon

That's awesome! Thanks for the perspective. I love it!

Yay! I'm a winner! We're all winners!

I weighed more than most football players when i started this adventure. So many do and have. So we have that in common.

You have to decide to make this a journey that you NEED to take. At the beginning it is a number on a scale. That's all. But as time moves on and the weight begins to come off, you will discover that being in the moment and relearning how to be healthy are a big part of this entire process. 

First you are so absorbed in learning how to live with the new tummy. Then you are involved with different foods and how and what to eat. Then you start to think about moving etc. It's a process, and think about it. What else have you to do? I used to think about the number of lbs I had to lose and would say to myself......."you may as well spend this time losing it instead of not losing it. Either way you have to spend the time, so lets just do and never have to do it again."

I promise you, you can do this. If I can do it anyone can. The secret for me was immersing myself in this forum before and right after surgery. I read everything I could in the surgery forum that pertained to me. I know now, the knowledge I had going in saved me from failure early on.

We are all here to guide you thru this process if you need us.

Hugs,

Sharon