Recognizing and Overcoming Limitations

[DivaStyleCoach 89]

To all Current and Future Bandsters:

How are you doing with recognizing – and overcoming - limitations regarding this major change in your lifestyle, and are you ready, willing and able to Celebrate what you CAN Do?

Using affirmations can help you to gain perspective regarding your limitations, and can show you how to start (or continue) celebrating what you can do. Remember that consistency in living a banded life is very important – consistency in your exercise routine, consistency in your eating plans, and consistency in working with your medical team will all help you to build a lifestyle you can stick with and to get consistent results over time.

The mental side of living a lap-band lifestyle is critically important. Doing the right thing day after day is much harder when you’re fighting your own mindset. One way to conquer a less-than-optimal mindset is to use affirmations.

An affirmation can be defined as “emotional support or encouragement” – and no one is better at providing you with just the emotional support and encouragement you need than YOU, yourself.

You understand what you’re going through…you know intimately what you are feeling and thinking, and one of the most powerful weapons you have in your arsenal for success is your own mindset.

Use the affirmation sequence I’ve written below to help you move into a more positive frame of mind and a more positive mindset. Feel free to print out this affirmation sequence and repeat it out loud – first thing in the morning, and at night before you retire to bed.

Feel free to repeat it throughout the day if you need to – as many times as you want. It takes 21 – 28 days to create a new positive habit, so commit right now to practicing this set of affirmations for at least 21 days to give it a fair trial.

Comment below and let me know how the affirmation has worked for you – and if you’ve modified the language to fit your particular circumstances and personality, please let me know that as well.

I’ve found that for me, mindset is very important to ensuring my continued success in living my banded life – I hope you find value in it as well.

I accept my limitations as a lap-band patient and Celebrate what I can do to build a healthy and strong body, mind and spirit.

Limitations are opportunities to be explored – but not necessarily accepted. I may do things differently than some people, and there are many things I am good at. I do what I am capable of to stay healthy and on-track and I do those things well, creating and sustaining healthy habits. Nothing has the power to stop me or drag me down – I am determined to succeed!

I am brave and courageous, and I can do anything I put my mind to – including losing my excess weight. No matter what comes against me, it will not defeat me. If I run into limitations on my journey, I work within them to be successful while building the strength and ability to overcome them.

Everyone has limitations along their journey - they could be financial, time-related, a physical constraint, or something else. It's perfectly normal to have limitations, and I work through and around mine. I am stronger than I think and I can do more than I realize. I am building a healthy life and I am increasing my self-worth.

Limitations do not negatively affect the value of the person. I am very valuable just the way I am. I have encountered these limitations for a reason, and I will use the gifts I was given and the strength I am developing to overcome them. I will focus on the good things in my life, and the bad things will just melt away.

There are many good things I am capable of doing while living this journey to better health and a stronger me. Limitations aren't important. I find joy, peace, and love in my life, and I know I am valuable just the way I am.

Today, I intend to accept who I am and focus on the things I can do to build a lifetime of success.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. How can I look past the limitations in my life to find peace, joy, and success beyond surgery?

2. What is the best way for me to stay focused on what I am capable of doing right now?

3. How can I continue to make positive progress, despite any limitations I may be faced with?

[Sojourner 2,446]

Though some would say this topic may be a illustration of semantics, I believe that we are able to reframe our beliefs. Anything we may view as a "limitation" can be a challenge to be overcome and an opportunity for personal growth. as we achieve short term goals, it serves to help as a motivation to achieve long term success.

The best part of setting and achieving short term and realistic goals for yourself is that success is built on success, and therefore reinforces the individual's belief in their own self efficacy to become successful.

If we believe in the concept of limitations, it casts a negative and doubtful positive outcome to the belief system of the individual.

If we view these as challenges, it does build a positive belief about the ability to be successful and self determined.

Others mileage may vary...just my thoughts...

[DivaStyleCoach 89]

Hey Sojourner!

I agree with you - I choose to see "limitations" instead as "challenges" - to me, that puts them in the category of something I can overcome, not something I have to live with. I, like you, had to reframe my beliefs. If I had chosen to believe that I was doomed to be overweight (due to a combination of my own bad eating habits and my family history) then I would not have followed through with my research and gotten my lap-band. I believe that I can overcome ANY challenge - hence the post above.

Congrats on your weight loss - 95 lbs is a great success - and I wish you nothing but success in your future! :-)