Happy 2011, everyone! I love the feeling a new year brings – to borrow from my favourite fictitious character, it’s a fresh, new, year with no mistakes in it yet (thanks, Anne!). But with a new year comes resolutions – and whether they are weight-related, health-related, or resolution-related (yes, I know a lot of you have resolved to stop making resolutions!), January is generally a time when we reassess our situation, vow to make simple changes and try to live healthier lives. Personally, I mistakenly thought that I was through with resolutions after having gastric bypass and losing the amount of weight I’ve lost so far. I was wrong. For those of you familiar with the surgery, I’ve hit what we call a “stall” – I’ve essentially stopped losing weight while my body adjusts to its new size. Now, you may think that’s a bad thing, but not necessarily. I like that I’ve been in the same clothing size for a couple months now and that I’m not switching out items of my wardrobe quicker than you can say “charge it.” I also like the fact that I’ve been feeling stronger than ever, now that my body has figured out how many calories and nutrients it needs to get through my day. And most importantly, my energy level is awesome, and on my recent annual physical at my doctor’s office, he declared that I am in perfect health – something that has never, ever happened to me in my lifetime. When I told him I planned on getting the last 30 lbs off to reach my goal weight this year, he said I didn’t need to because I couldn’t be in more pristine health (shocker!), even at a lighter weight.
So that leads me to my resolution dilemma. When I signed up for the surgery, I was told it’s a tool, and like any tool, it was only meant to help me do what I wanted to do, not do it for me. The analogy they used in my education class was if you have a hammer and want to build a house, the hammer won’t build it for you, but you can do it yourself, using the hammer. So, too, with gastric bypass. Yes, initially, the weight will fall off by itself (as I found out), generally without too much effort from me (and please don’t read this as easy way out – it was due to very frequent vomiting and the inability to eat large quantities of anything). I also didn’t have to exert myself terribly hard when exercising – just walking and jogging on a fairly consistent basis with some aquafit and light weights thrown in for toning. NOW comes the hard part. To lose the extra 30 lbs or so to reach my goal weight (and for me, I set my own goal weight as one that would put me in the “normal” range on the BMI scale), I’m going to have to make more changes. I will need to exercise more frequently and with more intensity, and I might even need to monitor my caloric intake a bit to ensure I’m burning off more than I’m taking in. For some reason, that scares me a bit. I think it’s because as a formerly obese person, I was so used to failing at this sort of plan over and over again, to face it once again is intimidating.
On top of that, I also have to face the reality that I may never get to my goal weight because it’s just not something my body is willing to do. And I will have to be okay with that. I think part of my new body, lifestyle and belief system is acceptance, and being willing to cherish my success without immediately thinking that I have to do better.
So here I am, a new year and a new resolution – one that I’ve made before, to live a healthier life. But this year, it will be different. I have the tools to help me achieve it, and confidence based on success to see me through. And I think that’s the key. So to all of you who have made some resolutions to live a healthier life in 2011, I’m right there with you. Let’s do this thing!
