Maintain Your Inspiration After Bariatric Surgery!

Physical action and movement in fulfilling your dreams can rekindle the Spark but, without incorporating your mind and spirit into the process, any achievements may be short-lived. Here are some ways to incorporate your mind and soul into the steps you take…

• Think about how far you’ve already come in your WLS and Life journey— how did it feel when you were at your emotional/physical “low points”? What steps/decisions did you carry out in your pursuit of WLS? What have you accomplished since WLS? How far have you come?!
• Cultivate a positive voice and outlook— Always know that you have a choicein replacing negative self-talk with a more encouraging, loving inner voice… a voice that believesyour goals are not just possibilities, but probabilities, that will come to fruition with commitment and self-determination. “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” ~ Henry Ford
• Visualize your success in great detail— to accomplish your goals, close your eyes and see/feel/live them as you want them to appear. (i.e. See yourself smiling and laughing while dancing the night away. Feel the exhilaration of hiking that mountain. Hear the applause of the audience as you accept your diploma/award/reward for that project you mastered and completed.) Doing this for 5 minutes each morning will raise your enthusiasm and set a positive tone for the rest of your day.
• Embrace “failures” as positive learning experiences— don’t negatively judge yourself for failed attempts. Through “failure” we grow, learn, and change. Defeat is temporary…Giving up is permanent!
• Spend time each day working on a passion— there are many mundane daily tasks that we must do that chip away at our motivation. Making time each day to work on something you are truly passionate about can make those chores easier to handle because your soul will have equal time to grow and shine. Making time for activities that touch your soul will send your motivation and happiness soaring!

Download our “Rekindle the WLS Spark” Worksheet

Rekindling the WLS Spark goes beyond diet and exercise. It isn’t just returning to the ways you were behaving as a fresh post-operative WLS patient. It is taking a good look at your life—where you were, where you are, and where you want to be—and realizing that you have all the power in your hands.

• Keep the behaviors that bring you closer to your goals.
• Identify and modify the behaviors that work against your goals.
• Choose to embrace a positive, forgiving, self-loving attitude towards yourself.

By adopting this “new normal” way of living, you’ll ignite a love and excitement for living life to the fullest!

Related Resources:

• Download our “Rekindle the WLS Spark” Worksheet

Written by Karen Norowski, RN, CBN
Clinical Nurse Manager, Bariatrics & Bariatric Care Coordinator
Winthrop Surgical Weight Loss