Mourning the Loss of Your Old Life Following Weight Loss Surgery
Weight loss surgery opens up a door to a new life if you are courageous and motivated enough to walk on through to the other side. It is not a quick fix or an easy way to simply shed the pounds that you have been struggling with for - in some cases - many, many years. There is a process to losing weight even after weight loss surgery and that process includes adjusting both physically and emotionally to a new body and a very new lifestyle.
One of the things that weight loss surgery patients often struggle with following their procedure is mourning the life they are leaving behind. It may sound crazy considering that life included an unhealthy lifestyle, an overweight and often sick body, and a host of medical conditions that may have impeded their daily activities.
When you move onto a new life with a healthier lifestyle it will eventually elicit positive changes but that doesn’t mean that you won’t feel sad saying goodbye to your old life and old habits - especially for someone for whom food is connected to emotion. Food has been a friend when you have felt sad, bored, angry, or lonely and it can be tough to say goodbye to those habits that have soothed you over the years even if they have ultimately made you overweight and sick.
Mourning your old life is normal even as you move on to a new, beautiful, healthy life. Here are some things you can do to help smooth the transition:
Make an appointment with a professional. Just as you had a professional surgeon provide you with the physical tools you need, so too should you rely on a mental health professional to provide you with the emotional tools you need for success. Saying goodbye to old habits can be difficult and it’s best to have all the support you need to make it a smooth and easy transition.
Count on friends and others in your same situation. Peer support is enormously helpful for those who are facing a new life following weight loss surgery. There is comfort in being with people who have faced similar circumstances and who have come out the other side.
Help build new habits. Part of letting old habits go is replacing them with new, healthier habits. Take up a new hobby, enroll in a class, join a book club, start an exercise program, and more. Look for something that makes you happy, brings you comfort, and supports your new healthy lifestyle.
One of the things that weight loss surgery patients often struggle with following their procedure is mourning the life they are leaving behind. It may sound crazy considering that life included an unhealthy lifestyle, an overweight and often sick body, and a host of medical conditions that may have impeded their daily activities.
When you move onto a new life with a healthier lifestyle it will eventually elicit positive changes but that doesn’t mean that you won’t feel sad saying goodbye to your old life and old habits - especially for someone for whom food is connected to emotion. Food has been a friend when you have felt sad, bored, angry, or lonely and it can be tough to say goodbye to those habits that have soothed you over the years even if they have ultimately made you overweight and sick.
Mourning your old life is normal even as you move on to a new, beautiful, healthy life. Here are some things you can do to help smooth the transition:
Make an appointment with a professional. Just as you had a professional surgeon provide you with the physical tools you need, so too should you rely on a mental health professional to provide you with the emotional tools you need for success. Saying goodbye to old habits can be difficult and it’s best to have all the support you need to make it a smooth and easy transition.
Count on friends and others in your same situation. Peer support is enormously helpful for those who are facing a new life following weight loss surgery. There is comfort in being with people who have faced similar circumstances and who have come out the other side.
Help build new habits. Part of letting old habits go is replacing them with new, healthier habits. Take up a new hobby, enroll in a class, join a book club, start an exercise program, and more. Look for something that makes you happy, brings you comfort, and supports your new healthy lifestyle.
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