Shannon'sVSG
A Constant State of Flux
by , 05-17-2018 at 03:34 AM (3034 Views)
By a show of hands (or a response below this post) how many of you out there in the Gastric Sleeve Community are like me in that you find yourself day in and day out stepping on the scale multiple times throughout the day, all with the hope of seeing some form of success as weight slowly drops off of our ever-changing bodies?
I admit it. It is a terrible habit of mine: the scale. As much as I embrace the fact that I am in a state of constant flux, I find that depending upon the outcome of my multi-visit weigh-in's, said outcome can and often times does determine the manner to which I approach my day. To say it is a make or break situation would be an understatement. If I show a loss on the day, all is well in the forefront of my mind and I generally stay off of the scale throughout the majority of the day. If I show inconsistencies on the day, I find that I am on the scale more times than I care to admit - all with the hope of seeing some sign of improvement as the day creeps on, and those terrible thoughts that I keep tucked away in the dark recesses of my mind tend to creep back in for a not so cordial visit.
It is my belief that as Gastric Sleeve recipients, we are not only expecting to, but expected to lose weight on a daily basis. By and large do we? Absolutely. Even if it is a half a pound on the day, it is a success because it is a half a pound less than the previous day's weigh-in. But if there is stagnancy, or if there is a half a pound gain...all bets are off and the rest of day is spent in some form of turmoil over the fact that there was a gain.
The reality is this: we are in fact in a constant state of flux. We are going to see minor (and yes, major) success throughout our weight loss journey. But hand in hand with that, we will also see minor (and hopefully not major) setbacks. It is all relative to the bigger picture that is the weight loss process. This is not to say we should knock ourselves down when we reach these varying changes, rather we should embrace them, reflect upon them, and learn from them. Because that is the only way we are going to be successful long term.
If we can better understand what we are (and are not doing) correctly regarding our exercise programs and our daily food intake, then we can effectively apply that knowledge to our ever growing arsenal of bariatric information, and from there utilize it to the best of our capabilities.
This is not to say we should live and die by our daily numbers. In fact, the opposite can be argued. Allow me to give you an example. As previously stated, I was notorious for stepping onto the scale throughout the day. Finally I decided to have my wife securely tuck the scale away in a designated area that I know nothing about. Once a week (usually on Saturday) she will pull out the scale and I will record my success for that week. This seems to be serving me well in that I am no longer obsessing over a number. I now recognize it is about a reduction in size more so than what the scale reads. And for that, I am grateful.
When I began this journey I was a 44 waist and a 2-3XL shirt. I am now a 34 waist and a L-XL shirt, and I couldn't be more pleased. I am still around 240 pounds, but the clothing sizes do not lie. In fact, they tell an all-together different story of my journey thus far. Would I like to lose more? Absolutely. But if I never lose another pound, but can remain at this size, I will have considered my surgery and weight loss journey to have been a major success.
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