![]() ![]() I supplement these with on-line forums too and dip in and out of several. One is for professional advice and on-going education (yes, even after 9 years!), and the second is for friendship. I attend two main Support Groups – and for very different reasons. ![]() My tip is to cultivate these connections and relationships that are going to build you up and sustain you so that you can reach and maintain your goals. There are going to be sometimes when you need professional advice, some tough love (or what I call a ‘critical friend’), a non-judgemental ear or shoulder to lean on, or just a mate. You need to make sure that you have people in your corner now and for years down the track. Surgery is about making life-long changes, not just for today, tomorrow, next week or this year, but for life. ![]() This can be from your surgeon, bariatric or allied health team, your friends, family, co-workers, and other people or buddies that have had bariatric surgery too. So my number #1 tip is to find great support for your journey from pre-op start out to long-term post-op. Having a good support network to call upon when times are both good and bad, celebratory or challenging, has been invaluable for my own (and I believe your) lasting WLS success. There has been something much more important or valuable – namely ‘getting support’. ![]() But to be honest, it might seem like a thinly-disguised invitation to check out my products and it wouldn’t be strictly true. “When Kristin asked me for my #1 tip or habit to achieve long-term success after WLS, I instinctively thought of portion control – because I do use my bariatric portion plate at almost every meal. Your life belongs to you and you are going to live it only once, not twice or more.” I star-gazed and saw the aurora borealis in the UP. I lived outside the country in an uber cool third world nation for 4-months. I went zip lining and completed a rigorous 4-hr treetops rope course in Nashville. I became certified in Reiki II. I climbed pyramids all over Mexico. I went off-loading somewhere in GA, speed boating on the Cheet River, and 70mph on a waverunner in TN. I swam with sharks and stingrays and turtles in Belize. My granddaughter and I ran our first 3k together in Monterrey. I went on to explore all that life has to offer, making up for lost time to years of morbid obesity. I’d allowed it to hold me back for so long. But I made it through the fire and was reborn. So that experience was extremely freeing for me. And I made a vow never to let fear hold me back again from doing what I wanted to do. And it was tough, almost unbearable at times. It took all the courage that I could muster, and then some, to go through with those surgeries. Then, after a decade of not having achieved the body and face I wanted to achieve from weight loss, I had body contouring plastic surgery and facial plastic surgery. It took time and dedication and perseverance. Learning was a process that did not happen overnight. I had no clue what was healthy and what was not. And when I finally had RNY-GB in 2003 my huge achievement was teaching myself what it meant to eat really healthy. And what I mean is I continually push myself beyond my next boundary, crossing the line between what I have already achieved and what more I might be able to achieve. I was afraid to get surgery and that fear held me back for years. Whether you are just starting to research weight loss surgery or had it done years ago, I believe you will find inspiration in their words. I asked all my contributors to share what #1 thing helped them be successful after weight loss surgery. Today I want to present to you eight individuals that have undergone weight loss surgery that are willing to share their story with you. This journey is about discovering what works for you.īut it’s about showing up again and again to commit to your health and future. What I can tell you is that each person develops different habits, routines and strategies that work for them. I wish I could tell you exactly how you can do it. I wish I could tell you there was an exact formula. “How can I be successful after weight loss surgery?” I have heard this question countless times as a dietitian. ![]()
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