How do you eat an elephant?

A new lifestyle includes so many facets of our being. I started this journey centered on losing weight in order to improve my health. I saw the only option was gastric bypass surgery. I had tried so many different diets, supplements, fads, programs, techniques, etc. You name it and I probably tried it. I continued to see not just the weight pile on and the scale rising higher, but I saw the co-morbidity numbers increase. At one time I counted 17 different things I could contribute to my weight. So I set out to have surgery. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I knew it was my last option. My first thoughts when researching the procedure were “How can I possibly think I can eat just a cup of food?” “No one can live on a cup of food.” “A cup of food isn’t even enough for a bird.” “How can I give up that?” “I love that and there is no way I could never eat it again.” “How am I going to have Thanksgiving?” “A stomach the size of a walnut? No way!” “I’ll starve!”

It's not all about weight. It is also about emotions and thoughts. I have been an emotional eater for as long as I can recall. Just because I had weight loss surgery doesn’t make that go away. I am finding that out more and more the farther out from my surgery date I get. As I settle into this new lifestyle and being able to read the signals of my body, I find I also get more lax about what I eat and how often. The part of the equation I haven’t had any problem with is the amount I eat. I am very tuned into my body’s signal that I am full and I am able to stop. Now to get myself tuned into the emotional side and eat just when I am actually hungry. In the last few weeks I have seen the old habits of eating “just because” (boredom, loneliness, sad, happy, etc.) sneak back up on me. I have seen some foods that are “comfort foods” for me sneak back into my diet, just in a slightly different form. Instead of Ding Dongs, Suzy Q ' s, ice cream, Frosty’s, French fries, Big Mac’s, Snickers, $100,000 bars, Dark Milky Way’s etc. I am eating sugar free cookies, sugar free candy, crackers, etc. Yes, a better choice, but still with calories. They are okay when used as an occasional treat. I have been trying to be more conscious and keep tabs of how often I eat them---too often! I am glad spring is on the horizon and fresh fruits and vegetables will soon be here. I hate spending .89 cents for a cucumber. I hope to be able to grow some of my own this year (actually dad is the gardener). I would like to be able to take vegetables to “munch” on. I have found I do much better if I plan a snack in the late afternoon. I know I can do this! I need to get focused again.

Sacrifice, Discipline and Patience is what it will take. A lot of prayer too. I have done well in the exercise arena. I am exercising more than I ever have and actually enjoying it. I am now part of a team of 6 people from work. We are all dispatchers and we are calling ourselves the “Street Walkers”. We have joined the K-State Extension Office and the City of Salina and we are going to “Walk Across Kansas”. It is 243 miles. They say if you do 2 ½ hours of exercise a week you will walk across Kansas in 8 weeks. They give you 1 mile for every 15 minutes of activity. This program also tracks the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat. It encourages you to eat whole grains. It is a means to help you get into a healthy lifestyle. It has been neat to listen to a couple of the gals on our team talk about the foods they eat. It has been fun to watch them change their snack foods to work this program. They are finding foods they never realized they liked. We officially started the program today (March 8th). I hope it will inspire them to continue the “trend”. I also hope it will inspire me to get back on track!

So, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Remember, you don’t change behaviors overnight, so keep trying.

A key factor in happiness? Reaching out to people.