STAYING TRUE TO OUR GOALS, EVEN IN EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES

NOTE: I actually wrote this piece many moons ago, in late 2020, but never published it. The content is as relevant now as ever.

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I’m sitting at my desk, doing my morning “self-work”, and it occurs to me that I’m 9 weeks away from my annual “sleeve-a-versary”, which I know many bariatric patients celebrate. There is value in being mindful of such dates, given the emotional, physical and literal cost of our choices.

I’ve written, previously, about “bariatric nadir” (our lowest post-surgery weight), and the discipline of keeping as close to that weight as possible, for life.

We understand from academic literature that a 3% rebound from nadir is expected and accepted by bariatric scientists. More than this is their definition of “regain”.

I had committed myself, in February, to getting back to my own personal “nadir”. And, total honesty: I have NOT.

I am still 6lbs higher than my own nadir.

Yes, COVID.

Yes, lockdown.

Yes, quarantine, ghastly years, unimaginable working hours, home schooling, stress, collective unconscious anxiety and uncertainty, lack of breaks and holidays, lack of seeing friends and being normal.

And yes, my nadir was too low for me, and too low to sustain.

Yes to all of that.

But now my annual sleeve-a-versary rolls around, and if I betray my own commitment to at least SEE nadir, what does that mean for 2021? And 2022?

Do we allow 2020 to be the year that unravelled it all?

And for post-pandemic readers, do we allow a medical setback, a divorce, a big project at work, or a home move to be a fatal blow to our long-term goals?

Despite not being at nadir, my weight is stable and I am on track. I’ve found a lifestyle that works for me, in the main. BARIATRIC MIND MASTERY that I teach in my private practice and online is, legitimately, life changing.

Because it goes beyond just how we eat, and addresses how we live.

A sobering thought for everyone who has already HAD surgery:

It will NEVER be easier for you to lose weight than it is RIGHT NOW, today.

If you’re in the golden-glow honeymoon phase of your surgery, give it everything you have. It will never be easier than it is now.

If you’re at goal, or in the region of goal, apply your mind to maintenance... To DESTROYING bad habits, as they creep in... And to getting your weight stable. It will never be easier to stabilise and maintain than it is now.

And if you’re despondent with regain, know that you still have your sleeve or your pouch, and it can still be reactivated. You’re still in a better position than someone who never had surgery, in as much as dense protein will still trigger restriction, and your metabolic set-point has been dramatically disrupted. It will never be easier to tackle regain than it is today.

But the battlefield is the mind, and you win with tiny, consistent, better choices. One on top of the other on top of the other. Each time you argue with yourself about a snack you shouldn’t have or a second portion that’s feeding your habit or your heart. Each time you walk away, you win.

Start with your next meal. Start now.

I know it’s not easy.

But I also know it’s not really about being slim. It’s about mastering a life challenge and overcoming it.

Even if it takes several attempts to kill the beast.