You know the saying "old habits die hard"? Isn't this the truth? It's especially true after weight loss surgery. Behavioral changes to prepare for surgery don't happen overnight. At New Jersey Bariatric Center, we try to impress upon every patient that if you don’t work on changing your mindset and habits, long-term success after surgery will be very difficult.

This was the topic of July’s weight loss surgery support group, where we read an article by psychotherapist Kristin Lloyd, MS, LPC/LMHC. Lloyd says that the way to avoid weight regain after surgery is to develop a new mindset. She writes, “shifting your mindset is so important for the lifestyle change following bariatric surgery. Mindset and habit shifts are instrumental for bariatric patients to utilize so that they lose the weight and gain the long-term success they desire.”

How does one develop a certain mindset? Your mindset is made up of belief systems about yourself, your circumstances, what’s possible for you, and your perceived limitations. Many of us focus on what we cannot do and what we are losing after surgery. We need to shift our mindset to what we can do and focus on what we want to achieve and gain in life.  Lloyd stresses the importance of altering your beliefs about yourself and then acting on your new beliefs.

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The group particularly liked these tips:

• Write down all the things you’d like to achieve while you are losing weight and the things you’d like to do once you’ve lost weight. Create incremental steps. (Example: When I lose 40 pounds, I will __________. When I lose 60 pounds, I will ______________.)
• Build the muscle of belief regarding what you can do, and look for one new “can” each week. Then keep a weekly success log of what you’ve accomplished. (Examples: I can ask the waiter to box half my meal when it first come to my table. I can walk an extra 5 minutes on the treadmill.)

For more great tips on how to change your mindset, check out the rest of the article here.

We had a great showing at our July meeting and hope you will join us in August! Visit our Facebook page for dates and topics.