It seems to me that this day, the start of a brand new year is a great time to make some decisions about exactly what we are going to do for ourselves this year. You never know how a year is going to turn out until it is over. However, you can make plans to ensure that things at least are in your control. Last year started out to be one of the worst years of my life with a lot of personal and family turmoil. My health was very quickly deteriorating and my family was going through a lot of emotional baggage. As it turned out, it became one of the best years of my life!

I am always amazed when people are questioned about having WLS. Most every person over 30 years old claims that the only regret they have is that they didn't do it sooner. I felt that way too at first, but now I realize that if I hadn't gone through the years of obesity that I did and all the diets that I tried, I wouldn't have been ready to take what was viewed as such a drastic step. Now that it is done, I truly see that it was the right decision for me and was done at exactly the right time in my life. There are always reasons why we procrastinate and for me, I was just never sure that it would truly work for me. Even after I made the decision to have surgery, I still was fearful that I would be one of those people that went through all the work of surgery and recovery and would fail miserably. I viewed surgery as my last hope of leading a healthier life. As I found this website and read story after story in various stages of success, I realized that the determining factor in all of this was ME. I was determined that I would be faithful to the program set out for me and follow the rules and truly give myself a chance to succeed. I have found this to be one of the most important things that any of us can do for ourselves. We MUST have faith in our own ability to succeed. We must realize that we deserve the better health both physically and emotionally that we set out to obtain when we have WLS. More detrimental than the years of abuse we have piled upon ourselves, is the behavior patterns that we have developed as an obese person. If we have surgery and still continue to think like an obese person, nothing will change.

I can only speak from my own experience and what works for me won't necessarily work for someone else but I do know that changing our very limited thinking about food is paramount to being as successful as we want to be. An obese person doesn't eat for fuel. I won't attempt to say why anyone becomes obese because there are many factors involved and each story is unique. I will say though that no obese person ever thinks first about fuel and second about cravings. The reverse is true. The change that surgery allows us is to force us to think about fuel first. Without the protein first mindset, we would all be in very serious trouble and most likely wouldn't survive long. Now, the focus is on good nutrition for our drastically changed digestive systems. My own weight loss has slowed dramatically in the past month but I am still losing. The honeymoon isn't over yet! I now lose from 2 to 3 pounds a week where initially I lost double and triple that amount. I am encouraged that I am still progressively seeing the scale move downward. It is a huge benefit that surgery provides but I am aware that it is my responsibility to gauge my body's reactions to my new lifestyle and act accordingly. I am no longer frightened that surgery won't work for me. It isn't about the surgery, it is about what I do now that I have been given the opportunity to change both my body and my mind. With that in mind, I have plans for this year and we will just see how far I get toward those goals.

Here is my gameplan for 2008:

Never, ever forget that I am in this world by the grace of God and that He can give me all I need if I but listen, something that I am ashamed to admit that I haven't always remembered in the past.

Be grateful for my opportunity to have had WLS and that I found the true support that I need to succeed.

Kick up my exercise. Tomorrow I am renewing an old membership in Curves and I am continuing to increase my walking schedule.

Find a subsitute for whey protein that works for me since I am somewhat lactose intolerant now. I really don't get enough protein in. I need to find a shake that I can actually get down.

Take my vitamins and supplements EVERY day! This has long been an issue with me and I have to say that I am doing better but better isn't good enough!

Get to my goal weight of 150 pounds and see how I feel about losing any more weight after that. I am 28 pounds from that goal as 2008 begins.

Stay an involved member of the neighborhood as it is the single thing that keeps me focused and allows me to understand that there are thousands of people out there trying to accomplish the same goals that I am.

So, thanks for listening everyone and allowing me to actually write down some of my thoughts and goals for the upcoming year. I tend to get a little long winded and I do ramble sometimes. Chock it up to age and have a very prosperous New Year, each and every neighbor!

Well said, Celadon! You are an inspiration & I enjoy your posts.
Jeanie

Have faith in yourself.

I've recently said this to a friend and I really do think that it is the key to our success. Not just in WLS, but in life. I've always chanted the mantra of "make it happen". You must have faith in yourself to accomplish this...nobody can do it for you. I am here to cheer and coach, but I do not have the magic key.

We all have our OWN magic key...faith.

With it, we are capable of doing anything!

Well said, Celadon! Never forget that the most important tool you have is your faith in your ability to succeed. You truly do have the power to realize your goals.

And posting here is the single most important thing you can do for yourself each day to keep your focus sharp!

I don't have a crystal ball, but I can see that big things are in store for you this year. 28 pounds is just the beginning!

Very inspiring (as usual!)

I agree! Truly inspirational. We all need to remember that we HAVE to do the work. No one else can do it for us but we can all help each other stay strong! Thanks Celadon