Wednesday Wisdom

I found this article to be really interesting.  I've always wondered how those who choose weight loss surgery to regain control of their lives deal with the changes.  They obviously lose weight because their bodies won't allow the excess, but do they exercise?  Do they really regain control?  Are they any healthier for it?  What about the emotional side?  Are they any happier for it?  Do they address the issues that got them to a place of despair to begin with?  Oh....so many questions I've had.

Jen Larson candidly talks about her experience in losing 180 pounds via weight loss surgery and the effects of doing so.  This is a video she put together about how she feels about the "fantasy" of weight loss surgery.  Interesting to see from one who experienced it.

I can understand the feeling of helplessness and wanting to seek a way out of a bad situation fast.  I, too, have found myself standing in line at the pharmacy gazing at the long line of "Quick Fix" pills and wondered, 'What if I just gave myself a jump start?  Won't I feel better?'.  I've done it, too.  The sad news is, quick fixes are almost always temporary and really only address hydration not real weight loss or lifelong change for that matter.

When you see people who have literally worked their butts off to make real changes to their nutrition and exercise habits you will find a glow about them.  Here's my theory as to why that is.  It is HARD work and when people do hard things there is a sense of accomplishment there.  There is this feeling of pride that leads to an increase in feelings of self-worth.

I liken the process to elementary addition.  When we are young we learn in a very concrete way.  We count actual blocks before we can add those numbers in our heads. As we grow in our understanding of numbers and our abilities we are able to think in a more abstract way and apply those numbers to other areas of life.

As we change our physical habits, nutrition and exercise, (concrete) we start to realize that we CAN do hard things and as trials arise we begin to realize that we can apply those principles learned to other areas of our lives (abstract).  We CAN overcome the sadness felt by the death of a loved one, we  CAN move forward despite an injury that that created a setback in our lives, we CAN love and teach our families in a way that works for us, we CAN learn to forgive those who may have hurt us and so on...

This is where I find Jen Larson's story so interesting.  She talks about what no one seems to want to talk about when it comes to the surgeries and the quick fixes...your body may change but YOU don't!!  The problems that led you to that out of control place will still be there and I'm guessing the likelihood of returning to that hopelessness is pretty high if the emotional sides are not addressed as well.

Over the next few weeks, I hope to really start making us think about the hard things that got us to where we are.  I acknowledge that we are all at different stages and some of us may not have huge horrible issues we need to address, but for those of us who do....let's finally start dealing with them and move toward a more joyful life.