B
Be Better
– Thomas Jefferson
B
B is for Be Better. Here's the thing about "doing your best" — it actually doesn't leave room for improvement. It tricks you into feeling safe: "I did my best, so what more could I do?" Feels good, right? Except you can never really know if you actually gave it your all.
Instead, try this: aim to be better. Better than last time. Better than yesterday. Had five diet sodas yesterday? Have four today. Then three tomorrow. You don't have to jump from five to zero overnight. Just keep trending in the right direction, and you'll get where you're going.
This goes way beyond weight loss. Be a better parent, partner, or friend. A better cook, gardener, or runner than you were last year. Being better means learning new skills. What worked a decade ago probably doesn't work now. Don't react to things the way you did when you were sixteen. Grow. Evolve. Don't get comfortable.
Carl Jung put it well: "Our problems cannot be solved. They must be outgrown." That's what being better is all about.
Excerpt from Dr. Vuong's book, "Weight Loss Surgery Success: Dr. V's A-Z Tips for Losing Weight and Gaining Enlightenment."
Related: Weight Loss Surgery Success Tip E
E
Eliminate Criticism, Embrace Empathy
"Consciously choose to smile, whenever it crosses your mind not to do so."
– Dr. Duc Vuong
E tells you to Eliminate All Criticism. Start with yourself. Stop judging yourself for having surgery, or for ending up in a place where you needed it. Stop criticizing the emotions that come up after surgery. You're not weak or selfish. If buried emotions need to come out, let them. Then look in the mirror and say, "I forgive you."
E also tells you to Embrace Empathy. Once you understand your own feelings, you'll have more empathy for other people. Forgive yourself, and forgiving others gets easier too. Empathy lets you connect with people in a real way — and honestly, it's the emotion most of us never fully develop, even though it matters more than we realize. To get there, you have to let go of criticism completely. Criticism is at the root of most unhappiness. Let it go.
Excerpt from Dr. Vuong's book, "Weight Loss Surgery Success: Dr. V's A-Z Tips for Losing Weight and Gaining Enlightenment."
Weight Loss Surgery Success on Amazon
Related: WLS Success Tip C: Compassion and Change
Compassion and Change
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
– Dalai Lama
C is for Compassion. Without it, life stays small. You get so caught up in your own weight loss struggles that you miss the bigger picture — the world around you and the part you play in it. Without compassion, it's hard to feel at peace with the new, healthier version of yourself. The world we experience tends to reflect what's inside us. Do you see the world as kind or hostile? Loving or cruel? Compassionate or critical? Compassion doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes it's just saying something kind to someone instead of judging them. Try one act of compassion today.
C also stands for Change. You can't change what's outside without changing what's inside. Jim Rohn said it simply: "If you want your life to change, then you must change." Some people think surgery will make them the same person in a smaller body. But as you lose weight, things will shift — you will shift. Everything has to shift. If nothing changes, the old patterns come back. Change one thing about yourself today. A new haircut. A different word you use to describe yourself. Something small.
Excerpt from Dr. Vuong's book, "Weight Loss Surgery Success: Dr. V's A-Z Tips for Losing Weight and Gaining Enlightenment."
Related: Weight Loss Surgery Success Tip F: Forgiveness
F
Forgiveness
"Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it."
– Mark Twain
F is for Forgiveness. Nelson Mandela once said, "Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping your enemy will die." The only real path forward is to forgive whatever happened in your past — as hard as that sounds — because you can never have a better past. You have to forgive the people and events you've blamed for your weight.
"But how can I forgive when it hurts so much?" Keep thinking thoughts of forgiveness toward the person who hurt you, and eventually, you'll feel it in your heart. That's where it has to come from — the heart, not the head. After you forgive them, send them the same things you wish for yourself: love, peace, and prosperity.
Don't say "I forgive, but I'll never forget." That's just another way of saying "I won't forgive." You can't change what happened, but you can shape what comes next. Forgive the past, and build a better future.
Excerpt from Dr. Vuong's book, "Weight Loss Surgery Success: Dr. V's A-Z Tips for Losing Weight and Gaining Enlightenment."
Related: WLS Success Tip D: Dream Big Dreams
D
Dream Big Dreams
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
D tells you to Dream Big, Dream Bigger, and Dream the Biggest Dream of All. Don't give up on your dreams. When we're kids, we dream all the time — and then life has a way of crushing that out of us. Don't let it. Ask yourself: "Once I reach my goal weight, what's one new thing I'll do that I've never done before?" Then ask: "Why wait? Why not do it now?"
Stay stubborn about your dreams. Keep the desire alive. And desire comes from setting big dreams — small ones don't move you. Commit to making them real. They're your dreams, and nobody's going to chase them for you. Don't let them go unrealized. Make a plan today to accomplish one dream you've had since you were a kid.
Excerpt from Dr. Vuong's book, "Weight Loss Surgery Success: Dr. V's A-Z Tips for Losing Weight and Gaining Enlightenment."