It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. We set ourselves up by getting off track again and again. And again. As if it were even possible to undermine a year’s worth of healthy WLS efforts in one fell swoop.

What is a “fell swoop,” anyway? My cat Lucy will demonstrate: In one “fell swoop” she scurries across the top of my desk, releases the contents of my inbox to the four winds, and lands belly-side up on top of my computer keyboard.

You may not be able to sabotage your hard work in one fell swoop — at least not as deftly as Lucy — but if you are serious about getting off track with your WLS efforts, here’s what you do:

 

1. Drink alcohol carelessly. Post WLS, depending on your surgery type, your new body may not metabolize alcohol the same as it did pre-surgery. In essence, your two drinks will get you drunker now than they would have before surgery, which can lead to a “surprise” DUI.

Some WLSers also will develop a dependency on alcohol, even though they did not have a problem with alcohol before surgery. So, drink with caution, or better yet, don’t drink at all.

2. Eat sugar. Introducing sugar into your diet after a gastric bypass can cause dumping, but people tend to try sugar anyway at some point after WLS — especially during the holidays.

When they do, some of them are “off to the races.” Once they start, they can’t, or won’t, stop. If you had trouble with sugar before surgery, you are very likely to have trouble with it after surgery. So, if you haven’t tried it yet, don’t!

3. Isolate yourself. Many people isolate during the holidays, and holiday depression is rampant. So, get help if you’re depressed.

And for goodness’ sake, don’t deny yourself companionship during the holidays. If you do not have family or friends around, find someone who needs cheering up at holiday time more than you do, and make their day!

4.  Exhaust your financial resources. Overspending during the holidays not only leads to more debt you will stress-out about, it also can lead to depression, which can lead to isolation. (See # 3.)

The truth is you don’t need to go into debt at all to make someone happy.

5. Over schedule yourself. A proper saboteur will forego his or her routine exercise regimen to “save face” and “make an appearance” at all “necessary” holiday functions. A crazy-busy schedule is a great way to undermine your regular WLS routine.

Are you setting yourself up to get off track during the holidays? What if you have trouble getting back on track? You don’t have to cave in and cater to others’ whims. Why not be kind to yourself this year and avoid the temptations that wreak havoc on your WLS endeavors?

In one fell swoop, you can eject the cat from your laptop and get back to work — or say no to self sabotage!

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