Since VSG surgery came into your life, it may feel like all you’ve been doing is saying “yes” to new things. You decided to undergo the vertical sleeve gastrectomy procedure, you had bariatric surgery (in Mexico!), and you’ve had to conform to a new gastric sleeve diet. But you’re probably also stuck in some pretty serious ruts, even now, that could impact your ultimate success with the sleeve and your overall contentment with life. Consider revamping your mindset in one or more of these areas.
Idea #1: Say “yes” to new foods.
You’ve never liked broccoli, so why would you need to test that for the millionth time? Well, think about all the things that have changed since you had VSG. Maybe you were a glass-of-wine-a-night kind of person but now the thought makes you slightly ill—and just a few sips get you tipsy. You can’t stand the taste of the protein shakes you loved on the pre-surgery diet, but you do like spicy beef jerky all of a sudden. You get the idea. Between what your body can tolerate (or not) these days and how your taste buds have changed since your surgery, there’s every reason to think that healthy foods you avoided before may taste different to you now. Sauté up some broccoli, roast a head of cauliflower, throw a few zucchinis on the grill…you never know which “no” foods will turn into “yes” foods.
Idea #2: Say “yes” to new types of exercise.
When you’re overweight or obese, the thought of drawing attention to yourself in an exercise class or working with a personal trainer may have been an automatic “no.” So if you did any kind of exercise at all, it was probably in your house or maybe in your neighborhood. Have you re-evaluated that recently? If you loved to dance as a kid, sign up for a barre or hip-hop class! Were you the original ninja warrior on the school playground? Try an obstacle course-based class. In addition to busting workout boredom, new forms of exercise challenge your body in different ways and can help you break through plateaus. Stop thinking about what you shouldn’t do (“what would people think?!”) and start planning all of the fun ways to keep your body moving.
Idea #3: Say “yes” to the possibility of love.
Self-confidence is almost always a casualty of being overweight. It’s often difficult to find a healthy relationship with someone else when you have an unhealthy relationship with yourself. If you’re the exception to that, good for you! But for many of my patients, the dream of finding love is among the many reasons they pursue gastric sleeve at Endobariatric, whether they admit it to themselves or not. Then there are the people who are in a relationship that’s toxic but believe it’s all they deserve for being so unattractive, so undisciplined…etc. We talk a lot about the physical transformation that results from a successful gastric sleeve procedure, but the mental transformation is just as profound—and just as inspiring to witness. If you’ve put a relationship on the back burner, consider whether you’re ready to open yourself up to the possibility of a nurturing, healthy romantic relationship. You deserve it.
Idea #4: Say “yes” to new life goals.
Tenacity is a muscle. You’ve been flexing that muscle a lot lately with everything from persevering through the VSG healing process to learning new ways to nourish your body. What else in your life can benefit from this newfound tenacity? Maybe you’ve always wanted to go back to school or switch careers to something more satisfying or profitable. Perhaps you’ve dreamed about moving to a new location—no more shoveling snow!—but haven’t had the confidence to do so. Making big changes in one area of life often leads people to consider other ways in which they want their lives to improve. The decision to undergo gastric sleeve means you’ve made yourself a priority; build on that momentum by taking a look at those old dreams and seeing whether it’s time to make them a reality.
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“Changing lives…one sleeve at a time”.
