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SWEET Tink
on 10/19/10 3:44 pm

On the Journey

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO

YOURSELF?

Shhh…listen. What do you hear? It is the

internal voice of your self-talk. What does

it say to you? Have you ever paid attention

to the messages and things you say to

yourself? Do you hear messages such as

“You can’t do that" or “You’re so fat", or do

you hear messages that are kind, nurturing,

and loving? Ask yourself if you said the

things to your family, friends, or loved

children, how would they feel? Same thing

applies to you!

For many of us, things we say to ourselves

would never be said to anyone else. Yet,

we treat ourselves terribly by saying

berating and demeaning things to

ourselves. Why? What can we do about

it? The first step is to be aware of the

problem. You might not realize how often

you say negative things to yourself, and

how much it affects your experiences. Pay

attention to the messages you say to

yourself.

If your best friend said something ugly to

you, how would you feel? If a child that

you love was disrespectful to you, would

you tolerate it? Give yourself the exact

same consideration from the messages you

give to yourself. If you wouldn’t condone it

from another person in your life, why

accept it from yourself.

The next step is to replace the habit of

negative self-talk with something better.

Here are some options:

1. Change your self-limiting responses to

questions. Self-limiting statements such as

“I can’t handle this" or “This is impossible"

are damaging. They increase your stress to

a situation and they stop you from

obtaining solutions. The next time you

hear yourself thinking something that limits

your possibilities and options, turn it into a

question. “How can I handle this

situation?" or “How is this possible?" sound

more positive and hopeful, and open you

up to new possibilities.

2 Vol. IV Issue 3

DISCLAIMER
: Information provided by this handout is for informational www.ObesityHelp.com/ohsupportgroups
purposes and is not medical advice. Only you and your doctor can
ObesityHelp Support Group Leader Program
determine what regimen meets your specific needs
. [email protected]
(866) WLS-INFO ext. 382 or (866) 957-4636 ext. 382

2. Replace strong wording in statements

such as “I hate waiting in lines at the store.

They make me so mad" with “don’t like"

and “annoyed". In your self-talk, turning

powerful negative words to more neutral

ones can help you stay more balanced than

go to extremes in your thoughts and

emotions.

3. Rather than focus on what is wrong with

a situation, change your focus on what is

right with the situation. See the positive,

options and possibilities that are open to

you. See yourself as a “victor" rather than

a victim.

4. When you hear yourself say something

negative to yourself, stop your thought

mid-way by saying “Stop". Speaking this

out loud will be more effective in tracking

how many times negative self-talk is

occurring.

Patterns of negative or positive self-talk

often start early in our lives. Usually, a

negative self-talk habit impacts our thinking

for years, and can affect us in many ways.

Low self-esteem is one of the results of

negative self-talk.

Just as the healthy habits you’ve created to

live a healthy lifestyle, changing your selftalk

is important. As you’ve lost weight,

make nutritious food choices, and become

active with your favorite exercise regimen,

healthy and positive self-talk enhances your

life, boost your self-esteem, and helps you

to experience more balance emotionally.

Just as a healthy relationship doesn’t

involve putting the other person down,

sometimes the person eroding our sense of

self-worth and limiting our potential is us!

Negative self-talk tends to be a self-fulfilling

prophecy. By stopping negative thoughts

and creating habitually positive internal

dialogue, you can reduce your stress and

empower yourself. Turn your self-sabotage

into self-mastery. You deserve nothing

less! Give yourself acknowledgement and

celebrate your healthy lifestyle.

Congratulations to you!

Proud Obesity Help Bariatric Life Coach
Proud Obesity Help Support Group Leader
Fighting Daily the Disease We Call Obesity !
www.obesityhelp.com/group/LifeStartsWLS08
www.vawlsevents.com
Helping Others Find Their Way to a Life They Deserve!

SWEET Tink
on 10/19/10 3:42 pm

Topic: FOCUS ON YOUR HOLIDAYS

Vol. II Issue 9

On the Journey

FOCUS ON YOUR HOLIDAYS!

Ponder this thought…are the holidays really about

food? You no longer have to spend your holidays

filled with what you get to eat, want to eat, avoid

eating or dieting on Jan. 1

lifestyle and priorities since surgery, so spend the

holiday with people you love, let relationships - not

food and drink - be the important part of the holiday.

Look around you--what do you see? People are

rushing around getting ready for the holidays. It's all

too easy to get yourself stuck in the same old

stressful cycle of unhealthy eating during this time of

year. During the holidays, food often becomes a

central focus in our lives. Family activities, social

functions, and even work-related activities often are

centered on food. Maybe past holidays were spent

in a vicious cycle of eating and waiting for the New

Year to start our next diet. Perhaps this feeling is, in

part, due to a lack of conscious thought about what

the holiday season really means to us. If we can

take this into consideration, then we might be better

able to spend time doing what we really think is

important.

Many times before surgery, the holidays were a time

to indulge in extra goodies possibly not available or

abundant during the year. The neighborhood cookie

exchange, potluck parties, eating at restaurants,

office parties, the special dish that your Aunt Martha

makes only during the holidays. This year can be

less about food and more about doing things with

family, friends and new traditions.

Take time to decide what the purpose of the holiday

season really is for YOU, your family and friends. All

you need to do is pause for a moment and look

inside yourself. Define the holidays in any way that

is meaningful to you. Create your own traditions that

reflect your values. The holidays can be spent

without focusing on food – put your focus on you,

and your family and friends!

Rituals that focus on family, friends and community

take many forms.
st? You’ve changed your
Focus on Meaningful Traditions:

of your seasonal activities and obligations, even if

you don't consider them to be "traditions." Which

events and activities are meaningful and which

aren't? Which ones reflect your values? Could your

list use some tweaking, or maybe deletions and

additions?

: Information provided by this handout is for informational www.ObesityHelp.com/ohsupportgroups
purposes and is not medical advice. Only you and your doctor can
ObesityHelp Support Group Leader Program
determine what regimen meets your specific needs
. [email protected]
(866) WLS-INFO ext. 382 or (866) 957-4636 ext. 382

DISCLAIMER
Make a list of all

Annie M.
on 10/19/10 12:02 pm - Monument, CO

RNY on 12/21/09

Topic: RE: Week of 10-17-/ How are we going to move our bodies this week?

Hi Jazzy,
Did you make it to the gym?
I walked today which is my usual default movement plan. It's better than nothing.
Have a great evening~
Hugs,
Annie

melissa180
on 10/19/10 6:48 am

Topic: RE: I have a DATE

Thanks for telling me all of that It really means alot to know that someone eles has gone through the same emotions, I am very scared just becoause I am so big, I go on my 3 week liquied diet on the 21 st of this month. I would love it if your prayed for me.. I thank you so much. god bless you.

Melissa180

Jazzy J.
on 10/19/10 12:03 am - NY

Lap Band on 02/22/09 with

Topic: Week of 10-17-/ How are we going to move our bodies this week?

Good morning Everyone,

I hope all had a good workout day yesterday!! What are your plans for today?

I'm going to the gym, I will ride the bike for 30min & do some arm workouts.

Yesterday's workout went pretty well even though my partner was not there.

Enjoy your day