Are You Emotionally Prepared for Weight Loss Surgery?
This is the first in a series of articles concerning emotional preparation and permanent weight loss.
More and more Americans are turning to weight loss surgery as a means to end their battle with obesity. While the type of bariatric surgery you choose may vary from gastric bypass to lap band surgery, gastric sleeve or a combination of procedures, the emotional journey is the same. And that is the crux of the problem, most people are not prepared for the emotional battle that must be fought with rapid weight loss or any weight loss for that matter.
Many people try natural weight loss through diet and exercise, again ignoring the emotional facet of healthy weight loss. So they turn to surgery, hoping that is the answer, and for some it is.
Many patients that reach – and maintain – their ideal weight do so because they have found a method of processing their emotions during this journey. Many other patients are finding that weight loss surgery is only the beginning of another, more complicated, chapter in their battle with obesity.
How is it possible? In a word: Denial. Denial affects every aspect of your battle with obesity whether you choose to have surgery or not.
This is where science comes in. New brain studies show that emotions are actually the control mechanism in all decision making. In short, your emotions control all of your choices. Paradoxically, the worse you feel about your life, the worse your choices will be. A continuation of this cycle leads to a greater battle with obesity.
Only a deep understanding of your emotions and some fearless emotional housecleaning will lead to permanent emotional changes, thus new choices and significant weight loss…and isn’t this what your weight loss program should really be about?
Failure to understand that your emotional state directly affects your physical life is a form of denial. You have been given one body and one mind, what could be more important than knowing how they work? Understanding that you are able to manage your emotions is significant progress toward healing your life. Denial never lets you experience life in control of your emotions.
Denial rears its ugly head in many directions. Many people tortured with obesity operate under the personal mythology that “if only I wasn’t fat, my life would be perfect. I would have the best partner. Money would be abundant, I could wear the latest styles, and I would be endlessly happy.” Let’s take a closer look at this theory.
Obesity doesn’t happen overnight. Years of denying, or misunderstanding, those ever-controlling emotions are the actual cause of the torment that keeps you locked in a losing battle. Instead of living your dreams, you fantasize about the wonderful places you would visit if – only if you could fit in the airline seat, you side-step romance because you would feel awkward in the arms of a partner on the dance floor, and you reach for the remote control because you lack the stamina to climb a mountain.
Newton’s 3rd law of motion: for every action there is an equal, and opposite, reaction. If emotions are not acknowledged, they come out sideways. Unhealthy emotional reactions are numbed by external, and often destructive, forces like turning to copious amounts of food. Numbed emotions cheat you out of personal growth, inner peace, and the ability to love yourself – internally and externally.
Healthy emotional reactions create open, communicative responses. In short, whether or not you proceed with weight loss surgery, you simply must address your emotional wellness if you are going to successfully keep the weight off. This is grounded in fact and capable of changing your life forever.
Here is a 3-step plan to help you get out of denial.
1. Acknowledge that your emotions are in control of your life.
2. All of your emotions are important to you and must be understood.
3. Your mind and your body work together as a team to process your emotions.
This is the beginning of a series of articles regarding emotional preparedness for weight loss surgery. Acknowledging the vital role of emotions in your wellness, is pivotal to permanent change in the way that you feel about yourself and about the way you look.
At Positive Workouts, we believe that everyone deserves a chance to have a healthy and fulfilling life. We believe that combining positive thoughts with positive actions is the key to change. We make programs that facilitate change. See our product section for more information.
We’d love it hear your thoughts on this article. Feel free to share your opinion with us and with others!
Next article:
Are You Emotionally Prepared for Weight Loss Surgery?
Part 2