There's a lot of talk in Bloggerland lately about whether or not the band is the right choice or if it's the easy way or weak person's way out. Some have even gone so far as to say that a very small percentage of us will succeed. My question is then: what is your definition of success?
My definition of success is: changing my relationship with food to a healthy one, attaining a healthy weight, and being happy with myself when I look in the mirror. My definition of success is NOT: calorie counting the rest of my life and sticking to a strict meal plan. So when all is said and done: if I can maintain 160 lbs and be happy with myself OR I can follow a calorie plan and be hungry all the time and be 150 lbs, guess which one I'm gonna choose? 160 lbs. Why? Because it's more than a number. It's about being healthy AND satisfied. I'd rather be a little more plump and happy than a little smaller and a total drag.
So if only 2% of us are destined to lose all of our excess weight, who the hell cares? Even if the band stopped working now (and keep in mind I still have another 60-70 lbs to lose), I'd say all the time and expense and effort was worth it. It is worth it because it was the catalyst as Amy says. It is the thing that helped me re-evaluate what I was putting into my body and how I was treating my body. And if it took $7,000 out of pocket to have this realization, it was worth every damn penny.
Ideally I want to lose 100% of my excess weight, but I won't count myself a failure if I don't. I already see myself (and a lot of other fellow bandsters) as successes because we are learning to change our habits and ways of thinking long term. To me, THAT is what matters. If this doesn't produce the ideal results, we'll still be successes. Whichever path we take to get to a healthy weight doesn't really matter, as long as we're not struggling with eating disorders. For some of us, it took the band to push us to the point of change. For others, it was just a matter of willpower. Good for them!
So that's my definition of success. And anyone who calls me a failure can just beat it. ;)
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
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i feel as though i am already successful, i've changed my relationship with food (i have some backslides but always get back on the wagon) and in the past 6 months i've lost 66 lbs. that is success in my book, for me.
ReplyDeleteI am certain I will not lose 100% of my excess weight. I just won't, for a number of reasons. But even losing 50-ish pounds has been a total relief, and sent me to "normal" sized clothes, even if the BMI charts don't count me as "normal" yet.
ReplyDeleteI think there is probably a whole lot of truth to those statistics. Most of us will not lose all of our excess weight. But you said it right - who cares? We are 100% better off losing even half of our excess weight.
Thanks for this post.
Carmen, I agree. That's what success is! It's in the long-term results.. and that's what we're doing.. changing our relationship with food for the long-term.. not so we can drop 100 lbs fast.
ReplyDeleteGen, I also think you're right. All of us probably won't lose 100% of our excess. But if having this surgery has made us re-evaluate our food choices and activity, it's worth it. We are definitely better off losing some rather than none. :) But I plan to kick those statistics in the ass!!! lol.