Is it worth it? Is it worth the effort? Worth the money? Worth the pain? Worth the time? These are questions we ask ourselves on a daily basis. In the month since my gastric sleeve surgery, I’ve learned what’s worth it for me and what isn’t.
The first thing I would tell anyone who asks is that this surgery was totally worth it for me! I am feeling like my normal self for the first time in years. I can walk for more than a block without my feet hurting. I am starting to have more energy. My self-esteem is getting better every day. I am satisfied with a very small amount of food. In fact, navigating the world of food is really the only challenge I have right now.
Before I eat I have to ask myself if the amount of protein in the food is worth it. Is it worth the amount of fat, sugar, and carbohydrates? If I can’t say yes to the question, I choose something else. After I eat I have to ask myself if the food is worth the way I feel. Most of the time the answer has been yes. Only two foods have not been worth it. Those two were meatballs and a cheeseburger (without the bread) if you’re curious. The meatballs were too dense for me. I could only eat half a meatball. That is not worth it at all. The cheeseburger just left me feeling gross. Tasted good going down, felt not so good later.
Here is a bigger list of things that are worth it and things that are not worth it for me. Some are food, some are not. I’ll update the list as time goes on.
Worth It | Not Worth It |
Taking a walk at the end of the day | Meatballs |
Premier protein drinks (so much protein, good flavors) | Cheeseburgers |
Oikos greek yogurt (good protein, so many flavors!) | Keeping toxic people in my life, even if they are family members |
My therapist | Stressing over mistakes/imperfections |
The myriad of vitamins I need to take to meet my nutritional needs | Stressing over what people think of me |
Taking the time to listen to someone who clearly needs to talk, even if they are annoying | |
Taking time off for appointments | |
Cottage cheese | |
Sugar-free hot chocolate |