You Deserve Great Friends – Regardless of Your Weight

You Deserve Great Friends – Regardless of Your Weight.

You Deserve Great Friends Regardless of your Weight.

What COVID-19 has reinforced this year is our need for human contact and relationships.  It is so important to our psychological health and wellbeing-  an area we quite often overlook. You deserve great friends regardless of your weight.

This can be particularly true if you are overweight or those lacking confidence and self-esteem.  Being larger can indeed be isolating whether its self-imposed or implied by others.  Either way it re-inforces how bad we feel about our current situation.  I’ve been there, I understand it.  I could fill a novel with excuses mine and others, it just seemed to go hand in hand with being overweight.

I wonder how many times you have declined invitations to socialise ie: coffee catch up/weddings etc.. because you felt ashamed of your weight and size.  Granted years ago Fashion did not cater for the larger child or adult which added injury to insult. A legitimate excuse at that time I thought.  Now thankfully there is a myriad of beautiful Fashion available to the larger person alleviating the issue of nothing to wear and eliminating that excuse.

Relationships are a two-way engagement.  It’s important to nourish any good relationships you have and re-think those that do not serve you.

A well-meaning person in my life when I was in my early teens commented..”When you are thin, you look good in anything, when you are fat, no-one wants to chat”!!   So started my journey of non-acceptance of self unless I was a “certain size”.  You can imagine how devasting it was to hear that which was meant to shock me into action but actually had the opposite effect.

 

You Deserve Great Friends – Regardless of Your Weight

 

Quite often when we feel inferior or not worthy, we may attract and attach ourselves unconsciously to others, who, let’s be blunt here, are not good enough for US.  We accept second best in order to feel a sense of belonging and less lonely.  A legitimate psychological reason at the time.  So often I see clients actually defining themselves because of their weight or size.

A major contributor to this definition is the media and publishing houses.  We are bombarded with the bikini clad 50 year old and near naked Kardashians of all ages through all forms of media.  Did you know that when they publish magazines of stars without make-up, those are the most purchased issues of any magazine in the world?  TRUE.

 

You Deserve Great Friends – Regardless of Your Weight

 

We all want to see that these air-brushed people are really just like you and me without make-up and unwashed hair.  We want to know that they too are just like us and I can tell you from experience they are.  Just because someone is slimmer does not guarantee a wonderful life.  They too have relationship issues, eating issues, non-acceptance, confidence &self esteem issues.  I know, these people are my clients too.

The Most Important Relationship you have, is the Relationship you have with Yourself.

I want you to know that your weight or size does not define you.  You deserve wonderful relationships regardless of size, weight or anything else.

Sit down with pen and paper and look to where you may be judging yourself, defining yourself as not good enough because of your size or weight.  How many times is it actually you and not the other person?  It can be quite enlightening to do this exercise.  AND do not judge yourself, just be mindful, be aware of where you may be initiating those feelings of inadequacy and not good enough.

You Deserve Great Friends – Regardless of Your Weight

How many times might you have rejected a relationship/friendship with someone who was slimmer because of a pre-emptive thought of how could they possibly be friends with a person like me?  Have you felt like the token “fat friend” in a relationship?  Yes, interesting subject isn’t it?  One we will delve into more deeply at a later date.

Cherish your real relationships those ones that serve you, that nourish you.  Let the others go as they only serve to bring you down.  You deserve good friends regardless of your weight. If you need help in this or any other area or would like to comment, please contact us through our website.   https://www.savvybariatrics.com

 

You are Enough

 

https://www.savvybariatrics.com

Shame Can’t Be Vitamised

Shame Can’t be Vitamised

So you lose 60 kilos, which is a fantastic achievement! You have worked so hard, only to find yourself in the same cycle of consuming non-nutritious food, in liquid form. 

 

You receive the temporary joy food brings you, but an overwhelming shadow of shame lurks — fat shame. A cruel self-deprecating habit that is often reinforced by miseducation and the ignorance of others. It’s time for change and understanding. Your thoughts form beliefs, validated by the presumptions or perceptions of either ourselves or others. 

Leaderboard for Julia Lorent the Savvy Changemaker

This is not an uncommon story, and we would like to paint you a picture. We want to talk about Jennifer. This is not her real name, it has been changed for privacy reasons.  However, her pain, her trauma and her victory are very real. 

 

Jennifer is 44 years old, and is a sensational sister, partner friend and mother of three. Jennifer is going through perimenopause in this current stage of her life but still maintains her busy lifestyle and career with enthusiasm. What Jennifer doesn’t realise is that on a subconscious level, she has an emotional attachment to food because of a variety of reasons. Jennifer has in desperation, tried every diet, pill, exercise there is, but nothing seems to work, and the mental cycle of shame and negative self-talk ensues and grows. So, she saves up and books in for bariatric surgery. The problem is, however, regardless of the fat removed, or the stomach surgery, the neuro pathways in her brain that formed many years ago, are still there. She has no mental scaffolding for what comes next. After surgery, the weight starts to go off, but the emotional attachments, beliefs and perceptions still exist. 

 

She starts vitamising the food she finds to nurturing, along with an array of habitual processes and actions steeped deeply within. Chocolate, even pizza turned to liquid to fill a need. However, Shame can’t be vitamised.

 

She is at a very great risk here of physical harm post surgery, emotional trauma and a failed surgery. Jennifer comes to us. The program she begins starts to educate Jennifer, understand herself, unlocking the deeply held triggers and reasons. Then begins the process of creating new thoughts, patterns and beliefs. Then comes empowerment, understanding, self belief and success. 

Leaderboard for Julia Lorent the Savvy Changemaker

Bariatric Surgery, a broad term used to identify weight loss procedures such as sleeve gastrectomy, is becoming more accessible for people trying to lose weight in Australia. 

 

According to the AIHW, From 2014-2015, there were 9.7 weight loss surgery separations per 10,000 of the population, with Western Australia with the highest rate at 17.3. Furthermore, around 18,000 (79%) weight loss separations were for female patients and 4,800 for male patients. 

 

This growth in weight loss surgery can be linked-to ABS statistics (2017-18), which state nearly two-thirds of Australian adults are overweight or obese, over 12.5million people!

 

There are physical and mental problems that can derail the success of weight loss before and after bariatric surgery. What is most alarming, however, is the unsuccessful rate of these weight-loss surgeries due to the lack of mental health.

Leaderboard for Julia Lorent the Savvy Changemaker

A lack of postoperative therapeutic follow up by a professional can lead to failure, heartache and even life-threatening physical side effects just like Jennifer. 

 

This is extremely unfortunate given the postsurgical psychological challenges the procedure elicits because of an inadequate psychological support system. Which may result in body image concerns, mood changes, stress, substance use, and weight regain. 

 

“There is nothing worse for a patient than to go through the trauma of a physical surgery on their stomach, lose 60 kilograms and then gain it all again. Why does this happen? Because they put a patch on the hole in the dingy without finding out why the dingy keeps smashing into the rocks. We are the lighthouse. We shine a light on why the mind is triggering behaviours. Then we retrain it, reform it and revitalise the patient,” says Julia. 

 

According to a report from James Cook University psychological support for the mental health needs of obese patients, post-surgery requires more attention. 

 

The psychological impact of having bariatric surgery has received less attention. This study investigated whether patients who receive psychological counselling have better physical and mental well-being post-bariatric surgery. Patients who attended between one and four counselling sessions had significantly higher mental well-being.

 

Weight regain could be reduced with the right mental help before and after surgery, equalling a better quality of life. There is also the new you waiting. How will you feel with a different body and changing attitudes? Get the scaffolding ready to be successful. We are all only human, and you don’t have to walk the path alone. We are here to help you feel empowered, confident and reassured. 

Please reach out today and choose success, choose to make a change, because you deserve your very best life.

Phone me on: 0412 810 078 or Click Here

References: 

 

 

www.savvybariatrics.com

 

Mental Health Preventing Weight-Loss Surgery Success

Mental Health Preventing Weight -Loss Surgery Success

Bariatric Surgery, a broad term used to identify weight loss procedures such as sleeve gastrectomy, is popular for people trying to lose weight in Australia. 

Without psychological help before and after surgery, these procedures have been proven to lead to mental illness and weight regain. 

According to the AIHW, From 2014-2015, there were 9.7 weight loss surgery separations per 10,000 of the population, with Western Australia with the highest rate at 17.3. Furthermore, around 18,000 (79%) weight loss separations were for female patients and 4,800 for male patients. 

This growth in weight loss surgery can be linked-to ABS statistics (2017-18), which state nearly two-thirds of Australian adults are overweight or obese, over 12.5million people!

Gastrectomies are now becoming the last resort for people suffering from health conditions due to obesity, trying in desperation to achieve the quality of life they desire. However, despite the positives presented in this surgery for reducing weight, there is a lack of focus on what can go wrong, particularly if mindset patterns are linked in with the weight issue. 

There are physical and mental problems that can derail the success of weight loss before and after bariatric surgery. 

Bodies post-surgery are not able to absorb all the nutrients in food, with most people thinking the more nutritionally healthy  they eat, the better. However, this is wrong. To eat the right way, for example, using a gastric bypass diet like Roux-en-Y, you also need to consume the correct vitamin and mineral supplements.

What is most alarming, however, is the unsuccessful rate of these weight-loss surgeries due to mental health. 

A study in 2017 by the Current Obesity Reports, ‘Psychological Aspects of Bariatric Surgery as a Treatment for Obesity’ found that there is a higher prevalence of psychological co-morbidities in people who seek bariatric surgeries. There is a higher rate of people getting this surgery with mood disorders, psychological distress, eating disorders, anxiety, alcohol use, personality disorders and low self-esteem. 

Leaderboard for Julia Lorent the Savvy Changemaker

Now with a drastic change like Bariatric surgery, where a part of your stomach is removed, change in thought patterns are required so you can align your beliefs and self talk with your goals.

A lack of postoperative psychological follow up can lead to failure, heartache and even life threatening physical side effects. This is extremely unfortunate given the “postsurgical psychological challenges the procedure elicits” because of an inadequate psych support system. Often resulting in body image concerns, mood changes, stress, substance use, and weight regain. 

We often get calls from distressed patients who are vitamizing their food into liquid for emotional comfort.

Ice cream and even pizza, or chocolate. Thousands of dollars being spent on surgery only to risk physical damage to the internal organs is no fun and dangerous. Often the reasons lurking beneath are not simple and require the help of a professional to gain control over and renew the possibility of success. Doctors refer patients to us post surgery to help them address habits and attitudes, retrain thought patterns and change. We are passionate about helping you achieve your goal and our success stories are inspiring. Re-patterning the brain is possible and we see the positive outcomes daily. 

The study suggests that people can lose drastic weight and appear to have positive physical health improvements post-op. 

Leaderboard for Julia Lorent the Savvy Changemaker

Weight regain could be reduced with the right mental help before and after surgery, equalling a better quality of life. There is also the new you waiting. How will you feel with a different body and changing attitudes? Get the scaffolding ready to be successful. We are all only human, you don’t have to walk the path alone. We are here to help you feel empowered, confident and reassured.  CHANGE IS A PHONE CALL AWAY. 

Need help? Call today on 0412 810 078 to make your best life changes happen TODAY.

 

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