Weight Loss Surgery: New Beginnings

New beginnings are linked to endings. The birth of a baby means the end of a pregnancy. Graduation from college is the end of being a student. Life after weight loss surgery marks the beginning of healthy eating and exercise habits, as well as opportunities for renewal of mind, body and spirit. Life after weight loss surgery ends the dependency on food used to find peace during a stress-filled day or to ease the pain of loneliness.

Obesity negatively impacts every aspect of a person’s life, ultimately damaging one’s mind, their body and their spirit. Negative thoughts about one’s self flood the mind: “I’m miserable. I hate being around other people.” “Why diet? I always fail.” The obese person continues the assault on their body, which suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes: “I’m already heavy. I may as well eat whatever I want.” The spirit wanes: “What’s the use in trying?”

Following weight loss surgery, people experience increased energy, renewed motivation, and the desire to heal their woundedness. For the first time in years, a person experiences hope. Enthusiasm emerges from under layers of extra weight. Willingness to put forth the effort for improved health and abundant living blossoms and the person begins a journey toward a balanced and fulfilling life.

In order to experience more than just weight loss, and to realize the joy in living, a person has to accumulate and utilize as many tips as possible to keep weight off. More importantly, they need to evaluate each area of their life, each Center of Balance, and then determine what changes they need to implement in order to establish balance. Finally, they must allow others to guide them, encourage them and celebrate with them.

One’s Spiritual Center of Balance is the core of their being. Like the center of a daisy, the Spiritual Center needs nourishment to provide sustenance to the petals of the flower. Without a healthy Spiritual Center, a person will remain off balance in all areas of life. Obesity causes damage to one’s spirit; it renders a person a prisoner to negative feelings about Self and Others. Forgiveness, patience, and compassion are necessary to find balance in the Spiritual Center. Only then, can a person work on establishing balance in the other areas of their life.

The Physical Center is obviously off balance when one is obese. The body experiences pain and disease when it carries excessive amounts of extra weight. Exercise is required for the body to attain a healthy weight and to establish balance in the Physical Center.

Obese people tend to socialize infrequently or engage in an excess of social events, leaving their Social Center imbalanced. Isolating prevents them feeling shame or being noticed. Excessive socialization can be an attempt to prove to self or others that obesity does not cause pain. Acknowledging how weight has led to an imbalanced Social Center is a first step in learning how to balance time alone and time with friends and family.

The Cognitive and Emotional Centers are dramatically off kilter for an obese person. Cognitions are thoughts. “I hate the way I look and feel.” “Other people constantly judge me because of my weight.” This kind of thinking leads to more negative thoughts and to feeling sad, angry and depressed. The Emotional Center is directly affected by the thoughts we have, particularly in relation to ourselves. Negative thoughts lead to negative feelings, which ultimately lead to negative behavior. Thinking unhealthy thoughts about Self leads to feeling unhappy about Self, which leads to treating Self (and often times Others), in negative ways. Identifying negative self-talk and replacing it with kind words toward Self leads to healthier Cognitive and Emotional Centers.

What a person does for work, how they choose to give time in volunteer activities and the hobbies they engage in make up their Enterprising Center. An obese person is sometimes eliminated from consideration for certain jobs. They may be unable to participate in volunteer activities they would enjoy directly as a result of being too heavy. They may be unable to engage in hobbies, such as travel or photography due to their weight. Making a list of goals in each of these areas leads to movement in a positive direction and balance.

Working toward Balance in life coupled with healthy eating behaviors results in maintaining a healthy weight and experiencing delight and joy in living!

Connie Stapleton, Ph.D.

Connie Stapleton, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and owner of Mind/Body Health Services in Augusta, GA. Dr. Stapleton writes and speaks on the topic of weight loss surgery, focusing on living a full, balanced life after weight loss. Her book, Eat it Up! The Complete Mind/Body Guide to a Full Life Following Weight Loss Surgery is available at www.eatitupbook.com . A free video and the first two chapters of Eat It Up are available, free of charge at www.mindbodyhealthservices.com.

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