Believe me, I get it. Staying motivated after a hysterectomy is sometimes harder than it sounds.
When I got back home after my surgery, I was frustrated that I couldn’t jump back into my chores, exercise or move freely around in bed. I was in excruciating pain, which surprised me. I figured that my cramps would all go away once I had a hysterectomy, but they didn’t.
Turning over in bed – or getting up – for that matter, was extremely difficult those first few days.
Being an overachiever and always staying busy, I couldn’t wait to get back into the exercise routine that I was accustomed to each day. After all, it was these workouts that helped me somewhat deal with those awful cramps before my hysterectomy, even if the relief was short-lived.
Now, the doctor was telling me that I needed to rest and heal. I wasn’t allowed to lift any weights for at least four weeks, and I was afraid that I’d start losing muscle. I was only allowed to walk, but couldn’t do anything moderately intense. Talk about getting frustrated.
My mind raced back to my fears of gaining lots of weight post-hysterectomy. I knew I should be happy with being healthy again, but I didn’t want to be unhealthy in other ways.
I stepped on the scale and sure enough, my 131-pound weight had slowly increased to 133/135 lbs. It held steady for a few weeks, and then, it increased to 138/140 – and again, stayed there for another few weeks. I stayed at 140 for a few weeks and started feeling comfortable with my new weight. Okay, I thought, 10 pounds isn’t bad. But then I noticed that my weight had slowly increased again to 142-145 lbs.
This happened even when I ate the right foods, exercised regularly, drank plenty of water and got adequate rest. It was as if my body had a mind of its own. I practically had to watch every single thing I put into my mouth.
When I finally hit 150 pounds, I thought, “Enough is enough.” This post-hysterectomy weight gain was no joke. “I’ve got to do something to change this,” and so I did.
At 48 years old at the time, I’d never had trouble losing weight before and keeping it off. So, it was depressing when I felt powerless to change my body. Was there hope after a hysterectomy?
If you’re feeling like me and you’ve tried everything to stay healthy after your hysterectomy, don’t despair. I believe that there is an answer for women like us.
Reprogramming your mind to think differently about food and using it as fuel is the key to changing your body. It starts with the mind. The battle is fought and won there. If you win the battle in your mind, your physical body can’t help but comply.
These tips have helped me — and I believe they can help you too, if you need a little motivation or start losing faith.
Surround yourself with positive people.
This is extremely important if you’re trying to stay healthy as a whole. Negative people can bring you down and drain you.
If you have people in your life who are constantly telling you you can’t do something or who are silently hoping you’ll fail, you don’t want to be around those types of people.
Align yourself with a good mentor.
Find mentors who have made it through the hurdles you’re encountering today. Find someone who will challenge you to do better and keep you accountable for your actions.
Read positive books.
I’m constantly reading books that motivate me and empower me to become the best version of myself. They change the way I think and make a difference in how I approach life in general. Check out some of the books that keep me motivated.
Keep a journal.
A food journal is great, but I go a step further by completing a daily journal. This was vital to my success, particularly after my hysterectomy. It showed me how I was progressing, how I felt through each step, how to tweak my eating and exercise plans, and eventually succeed in my journey.
My journal was more like a diary, and it helped me stay on track, even years after my hysterectomy.
Set goals regularly.
I don’t just set goals at the beginning of the year. I set them daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly as well. Writing down the goals helps me own the goal. After the day, week or month, I revisit the goal to see how far I’ve come.
I look at the goals each day and check off what I’ve accomplished. If there are any goals I didn’t make that day, I add them to my goals for the next day.
Evaluate your goals and adjust them accordingly.
It’s important to also evaluate your goals over time. How are you doing with them? Are you crossing things off your list or constantly moving them to another day, week or month? This is not to criticize yourself, but to ensure that you’re accomplishing the goals that matter to you.
If you’re constantly moving goals to another day, you may have too many things on your plate or need to break the goal into smaller goals.
Sometimes, other projects or activities may be interfering with my goals, in which case, I determine whether the activity contributes to or hinders my overall goal.
If it’s a hindrance, I take the necessary steps to remove it from my list or to do so in time. Not every project is beneficial, and saying no to something allows you to say yes to your goals.
Reward yourself.
I also like to reward myself if I’ve met a goal (particularly a huge one), which motivates me to complete it by my deadline. The reward doesn’t have to cost money, but it should be something you enjoy that won’t undo your hard work towards your goal.
Position yourself for success.
Keep healthy foods around for snacking, mealtime, etc. Bring healthy foods you like to eat to parties and events, so you can indulge in foods you can eat.
Set aside a specific place for your meals, where you can focus on your food, rather than overeat, preferably not in front of the television or your computer.
If you must eat at your desk during work, grab one healthy snack or meal and make a decided effort that once the meal is finished, you are done with your breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner.
Take one day at a time.
You didn’t pick up the extra pounds overnight. Be easy on yourself, especially if you just got a hysterectomy. It can be frustrating if you’ve done everything right, but still don’t see the pounds melting away. (I’m preaching to the choir here.)
Take it easy.
If you’re only allowed to walk for exercise, do that. Pace yourself. In time, you’ll be able to increase your exercise level once you heal. This was a lesson that was extremely difficult for me since I was used to exercising at a higher level every day.
Have an accountability partner.
Your accountability partner can be a friend, co-worker, family member, trainer or even an online partner who you can confide in and ask to keep you accountable in your journey.
Don’t beat yourself up if you make a mistake.
No one is perfect. We all struggle. The key is getting up. It takes practice to change the way you think. It takes practice to set a routine, and eventually, a habit. The same is true for working out regularly and eating healthily most of the time.
Allow yourself a chance to indulge every now and then.
Allow yourself to have fun and enjoy life, in general. If you really want a treat, it’s okay to have one, but do all things in moderation. Remember how you’ll feel when it’s all done.
Weigh yourself regularly, but don’t go crazy.
Weighing myself helps me stay on track and ensures that I’m still within my target weight. I get on the scale around the same time each morning, even when I don’t feel like it.
I’d encourage you to weigh yourself at the same time once a week, preferably in the morning or before your first meal of the day. That way, you’re not left with any surprises. The scale isn’t a true indication of your actual self, but it’s still important when you’re setting a goal.
Measure yourself occasionally.
Where the scale fails, measuring picks up. If you’re unsure of how you’re doing, take some time to measure your arms, thighs, hips and stomach to see where you were before and how far you’ve come.
Seeing where you are from one day to the next will keep you motivated. It takes one step at a time and isn’t an overnight change. Hang in there, and you will see a difference in how you feel and eventually look. You’ve got this!
