My (Long-Term) Lap Band Success: Staying Motivated After the Compliments Stop Coming

When I moved cross-country to a place where no one knew me before lap band surgery a really strange thing happened.  People assumed I never had a weight problem.  Now that sounds like a great thing, but it’s actually been kind of difficult for me.  I was already at the point in my journey back on the west coast where the compliments had started slowing down; I was no longer receiving that daily dose of: “OMG you look great!  How are you doing it?  I didn’t even recognize you…”  Those compliments that came many times a day, slowed down to a trickle and when I moved, they pretty much came to a screeching halt.

Since childhood I always fantasized about what it would be like to live in a normal body.  So here I found myself in a normal body confused; I guess that should have been a reason to celebrate – an NSV (non-scale victory).  Instead I felt lost, like someone had shut off a major spigot of motivation for me.  To complicate  matters, I am an extrovert; the definition of an extrovert is that you get energy from others.  I found myself missing and craving those compliments, the constant reminders of how far I’d come which are a huge motivating force for me.  Thanks to my lap band I got what I asked for, now how to keep it…

I found myself needing new sources of motivation and having to accept that I need others to help propel me on my journey. I can’t do this alone.  I don’t want to do this alone.  Some things that have helped me when the compliments stopped coming are:

• Reinforcement from my kids; my daughter constantly reminds me that I am healthy, fit and strong, and even better she models a lot of my behaviors
• Trying on clothes, whether it’s “shopping” in my own closet or in stores; when I am reminded that I wear single digits, I get a lot of reinforcement
• Joining a new gym; people looked at me as one of the fit people at the gym; yes folks keep those compliments coming…
• Talking to my mentor on a daily basis
• Fishing for compliments from my husband (now that’s not beneath me…and if you know my husband, he doesn’t make it easy…)
• Going public with my story.  I was very private about my decision to have lap band surgery – now it’s all over the internet.  I share my story with anyone who will listen
• Reaching out to others and paying it forward
• Listening to others who are on this journey. I’m always in awe of how much inspiration I get from people who are early on their own journeys, on a daily basis
• Going back and re-reading my goals for lap band surgery; re-reading old food journals

And so when all else failed I finally gave in and put up a facebook page – something I had been very resistant to.  OK that’s not the reason I finally got on facebook, but imagine how I felt when all those people from elementary school posted on my wall: “WOW, you look great.”  Now we know what they meant, but it made me feel……..well, great!

Be Inspired!

Sign up below to receive regular inspiration and information direct to your inbox!

Email address

For Email Marketing you can trust