"The adoption of any new behavior, or the application of any new skill or strategy that improves your diet, should be considered a success. A healthful diet and its benefits will likely be achieved in steps. Each step along the way is commendable. Make sure you give yourself appropriate credit; we do!"
- - The Way to Eat
by Dr. David L. Katz
This has been my biggest challenge: to stand up for myself against the food pushers and saboteurs. Conventional self-help books tell me to stand-up to the food pushers, tell them how I need their help and confront their envy and jealousy. Self-help books assure me when I ask a food pusher/saboteur to please support my new lifestyle all will be right and congenial. Well, this just isn’t true. Maybe I’m too weak from years of belittlement over my obesity, but I simply did not have the moxie to stand-up for myself. How about you?
So if I can’t stand-up to them do I cave to their pressure? Do I ignore it? Do I avoid known food pushers? What should I do? One of the most difficult things to comprehend is that the people around us who become food pushers/saboteurs make us feel guilty for taking care of our own health.
I have learned that firm declination without explanation has worked to foil many food pushers. When a coworker repeatedly offers me a nutritionally void food I say, "No thank you," and "No thank you," and "No thank you." Because I don’t offer an explanation I don’t expose myself to debate. Over time as I lost weight and gained confidence (which for me are directly related) I became more firm in my resolve to a healthy lifestyle. My physical appearance was indicative of this. While members of my work community and my family felt betrayed because I had changed right before their eyes they lost their resolve to derail me and I grew the confidence I needed to feel good about nurturing myself.
How to Listen to your Body After WLS
On a positive note, with all the attention the "obesity crisis" has received lately it is quite trendy to be publicly engaged in the pursuit of healthier living. There are more people in pursuit of a healthier life than ever before. If you can, surround yourself with these people and become their cheerleader. After all, you know what it feels like to be undermined by the food saboteurs, but you also, hopefully, have enjoyed a cheerleader along the way. Give back and make the road a bit easier for someone else in this tough life-long battle.
