I drank a tall glass of water yesterday, and then another, and another... I have a bit of a penchant for black coffee, and I’ve fallen back into the habit of overdoing this of late.

I also took my vitamins, which I’d slacked on.

Today I did a big online grocery shop. I purchased low-GI seed bread, fruit and vegetables, nuts, biltong and sixty bottles of water (I find myself so much more inclined to drink sufficient water when I have bottled).

I cooked a wholesome meal, this evening, of oxtail stew and basmati rice, and we’re going to eat together as a family, when the Instant Pot pings.

Why did I do any of this?

...Because I touched base with my dietician for an hour yesterday, for the first time in three or four weeks. I reminded myself of the importance of these things. I brought them to the fore by revisiting her and revisiting them.

I felt sorry for Nicola the Dietician; I won’t lie. As she sat there, patiently revisiting all the principles she taught me when I first met her. The principles she repeats, in various ways, every time I see her. And that, for the most part, I knew before I ever even contracted with her.

I enter her office.

Niceties.

“How’s it been going?”

I tell her how I’ve gotten 50% right, as habit now. And bemoan the 50% I still suck at.

We weigh me.

I’m the same weight that I’ve been for the longest time. Bonanza! (I’m at goal).

But, despite being at goal weight, and maintaining this for the first time in my life, I am mindful not to be arrogant. Not to become complacent, careless or lackadaisical. Because, in my life, I have weighed fifty kilograms more than I do today. As I’ve written about elsewhere, I have undergone weight loss surgery. I will thus be a dietetic disciple for the rest of my days. Or stumble and do myself immense harm.

Nicola The Dietician works with bariatric (weight loss surgery) patients. I asked her, yesterday, how much post-surgery weight regain she sees. (It’s well documented that sleeve gastrectomies and gastric bypasses are special gifts from the universe. But that they are only TOOLS to dramatically assist a cause. The onus is eventually on the individual to correct mindsets, attitudes and behaviors for long-term success).

“None”, she said, “but not because people don’t regain. But because the people who attend their follow-ups tend not to”.

She then thoughtfully mused that, on second thought, she does occasionally receive calls from patients who have been AWOL for years, confessing to enormous regain and needing to almost start the journey again. (And oftentimes, she says, that journey even includes revision surgery).

I recently engaged with a small group of people from all over the world who also have digital businesses. One person in this group was sharing an experience she had with someone who was battling to settle, in her care. This person spoke of how she asked the client to close her eyes, and the next words she used reverberated through me: “to make contact with SOURCE”. I’m not a particularly “woo-woo”, spiritual person. But I get that… Call it spirit. Call it soul. Call it higher power. Call it our future self. Call it our observing self. Whatever you call it, ‘source’ is the part of us that lives just beneath our consciousness, in the silence just beneath the chaos of a daily lives. It’s the part that wants more. That is more. And will be more.  That we engage with when we ponder... Then we reflect... And when we breathe.

It’s the part that I connect with when I schedule with Nicola the Dietician and present myself for appointments with her. In my health pursuit, I’m not suggesting that she or the bariatric center are “source”. They’re certainly not. But my act of returning definitely IS. My practice of keeping the disciplines of my journey front-and-center in my consciousness represents grounding, centering and long-term success.

Failure and backsliding, in any realm, are the domains of those who lose contact with “source”. And this loss of contact can usually be evidenced in the decay of disciplines.

And one of the ways not to waver, and to maintain healthy contact with ‘source’ is to get real about our limitations and engage the services of mentors. Nicola the Dietician is my health mentor. I have a wise and experienced psychotherapy supervisor who is my clinical mentor. I engage the counsel of a very successful multinational business owner to enhance and teach skills I don’t have in that arena.

And all of these people and all of these efforts connect me more and more to my source, and my purpose.

I’m a psychologist, marriage therapist and online course creator. I too have a practice. I too have very long-term relationships with scores of people who use my office and my online programs and my presence to connect to their source. I’m not naive; I know that there are - and should be! - many ways to do this. Time in nature, time with good friends and good family, long hot baths and staring at ocean waves. But it’s hugely important, one way or another, to make ourselves accountable to people we trust. People who take the time to know us; people who hold us to the standards of our own dreams and ideals.

There is a concept in Education Theory called “The Zone of Proximal Development”. In short, we all have limits to our competence. But when we enlist the assistance of someone more skilled, their skills almost merge with ours, and in collusion with them, we are able to exceed our limitations. Eventually, with enough exposure to the more skilled person, we are able to succeed even without their assistance. It’s simple, but profound, and I see it in action constantly, both in my own life, and in my psychotherapeutic work.

What about YOU?

What areas in your life are you currently struggling with..?

Do these struggles indicate a disconnection between you, and your dreams, ambitions and purpose (“source”)..?

Who do you have access to who can mentor you through this struggle..? Whose assistance can enhance your connection to your ‘source’?

What actions and behaviours would best demonstrate that this connection between self and ‘source’ has been re-established..? (How will you know when you're 'on the up'?

I urge you to act on this immediately! There is a principle in life that if you make a decision, and do not act on it within 72 hours, in all likelihood, you are not going to (and, by extrapolation, in all likelihood, you haven’t actually decided anything at all).

Bariatric Mentoring, If It’s What You’re Needing:

I have recently launched a transformational, online program that tackles head hunger, heart hunger, compulsive eating and regain...  BARIATRIC MIND MASTERS

This is a powerful alternative to traditional counselling for such things, much as I remain a proponent of both routes. Results are often achieved far quicker than from more orthodox methods. The reason for this fast-tracking success is a mix of the intensity of the program, the commitment of the participants, and the structure of a system that allows instant and constant access. It’s also profoundly skill and tool-heavy, making success simple implementations away.

Curious to know more?

Have a look at this BARIATRIC MIND MASTERS information page. You are able to enrol, pay and proceed immediately, using the links provided. It would be my pleasure to welcome you on board.

You are also welcome to book a COMPLIMENTARY call with me (via Zoom, which is like Skype).  This would be for me to hear your story, and where you are... For you to air any concerns you may have about the program, and specific queries. And get you signed up if that's what you choose!You can book your slot by clicking here:  https://meetme.so/DebbieRahimi

I look forward to chatting to you!