Loving Yourself after Weight Loss Surgery

Finding a positive body image can be a struggle for a lot of us, especially following weight loss surgery. Even though your surgery provided you with an opportunity to lose your excess weight and promote better health, you may still be holding on to the negative thoughts from your past. Struggling with obesity is a difficult barrier to overcome; mentally and physically. It is important that after weight loss surgery, you find a way to love yourself and your new body. You’ve worked hard, and you deserve to reap the benefits.

Learn to Love the New You with these 6 Tips:

• Recognize your own negativity. This is the first step to loving yourself more. Sometimes negative thoughts are subconsciously sneaky and unavoidable. When you hear your inner negativity begin, stop yourself and take a moment to determine what is triggering these thoughts. This will help you to eliminate these habits and stop beating yourself up in the future.
• Don’t back down, challenge yourself. When you begin to acknowledge why you are saying or thinking negative things, don’t just accept the reasoning. Challenge it. Find the value in yourself and your accomplishments since your weight loss surgery.
• Write a declaration. Try writing positive affirmations somewhere so that you will see them daily, maybe on your mirror or in your journal. Repeat these affirmations daily. An example of a positive daily affirmation may be something like, “I love my body”. Simple repetitions like that can make a world of difference next you look in the mirror.
• Check the reflection. Don’t avoid reflections. By avoiding looking into a mirror, or viewing your reflection, you are promoting and provoking negative self-image. Your weight loss surgery took an amazing amount of courage and determination. Don’t be scared of a mirror, face it head on.
• Clear your head. Meditation can help to clear the mind of negative energies that may be lingering after your weight loss surgery. Take the time out of each day to clear your head of negative thoughts. Meditation can help you slow down and focus on a more positive self-loving energy. You can reflect on your daily affirmations and strengthen your ability to promote a kind, positive body image.
• Think realistically, don’t compare. The worst thing you could do after you weight loss surgery is to compare your journey, or your body to someone else. Especially if that person is a media image or celebrity. Your weight loss journey will be unique and special to you and your lifestyle. Keep that in mind.

Instead of critiquing and knit-picking yourself, try complimenting yourself more. Pat yourself on the back. You’ve made leaps and bounds for yourself and for your health; you should enjoy what is to come from your weight loss journey.