The stigma about obesity can remain even after a person is successful at weight loss. I myself found that I still believed some of the “fat stereotypes” after my bariatric surgery and weight loss! I needed to shift my perception in order to come to terms with the obesity baggage that I carried for years. […]
I have worked in the health and wellness industry for my entire career. But it was not until I lost weight following gastric bypass surgery that anyone would hire me on their staff. Before losing weight, I only could get hired for temporary work assignments. That went on for nearly 10 solid years. This practice […]
Although attitudes about bariatric surgery are getting better, there are still a number of concerns. Twenty years ago researchers found that 80% of bariatric surgery patients were disrespected by medical professionals because of their obesity, known as weight bias. A study that was done ten years later showed that the number of people who reported […]
Here is a valuable exercise from the 7 Steps to Self-Love Workbook. It's about step 1, self-awareness. Find a quiet place and really think about these questions deeply. Then keep writing and writing all of your observations and the insights you learn about yourself. This was so invaluable to me when I was going through an inner transformation some years ago. #MyBariatricLife #inspiration #bariatrics #bariatric
7 Steps to Self #Love
Step 1 Self Awareness
Where are you playing the victim through blaming or judging or not taking responsibility?
Write out all of the negative self-talk in your mind (the stories). What do you tell yourself about you and the people around you? How do you beat yourself up and hold yourself back and stay stuck? Have a really good look at how you talk to yourself. You need to change the way you talk to yourself the way you would your best friend. Give yourself a pep talk every morning.
Understand your emotional responses. Thoughts trigger an emotion and an automatic response that doesn’t serve us or others well. Understand what triggers your emotional responses of anger, shame, sadness, worry, fear, doubt… When you start to feel that feeling, backtrack and think about what was the thought that triggered the feeling. What is it about what happened that caused me to feel this way? Keep asking yourself why it made you feel that way? What does it mean? Because the trigger is never about the other person; it is about ourselves, about our inadequacies and our low self esteem.
Make a list of all the habits and behaviors that are not serving you, where you’d like to break-through (messy, never on time, caught up in my head, always listen to others). Self awareness is about getting the ability to observe yourself from afar and recognizing how you respond to life through your actions, thoughts, and behaviors. Only when you change your actions, thoughts, and behaviors can you change the results you are getting in your life.
