What does "Who Are You" have to do with the gastric surgery patient? Absolutely Everything. If you don't know who you are - minus all of the negative programming- you will probably not be able to hold on to your weight loss for long.
Physical appearance following a gastric surgery is something the patient has to readjust their mind to.   Where did the rest of me go? When the post gastric surgical patient looks at themselves in the mirror they can, in fact, feel as though they are looking at a stranger, or maybe this person could be better described as a new friend.  The person looking back at them from this reflection is someone they’ve only very recently met, somebody they don’t really trust (because this person has let them down in the past) but would like to get to know.  However, one of the biggest questions that more than likely still remains is the following;
"After all this work... and all this pain... and all this weight loss... Why Do I Still Not Love Myself?"

You are the result of your past. The result of all of the "programming" you received as a child. Think of any newborn you may have seen recently... this child is like a clean slate. This child has no negative opinions, no fears (with possibly the exception being the fear of falling) no hate, no bias, nor any prejudice. And if you watch this child over the next two years or so, you would notice how he or she lives life with enthusiasm and excitement and looks at everything as a new discovery. Now I want you to imagine the top of this child’s head opening up like a vase. Use your imagination, to see how everybody who comes in contact with this child, willingly or unwillingly, pours their opinions, their fears, their prejudice, and their anxieties into this child’s "Vase". This is a good example of the reality that takes place on a daily basis. Every child is being programmed by the input of everybody around him or her. It is this input that is developing this child’s belief system about himself or herself. But here’s the thing....this child’s head remains open... until the child is old enough to decide... that what he or she is hearing ...is something he or she wishes to reject. When a child reaches the age of eight or nine they develop opinions of their own. Unfortunately, at this point, the damage has already been done. The negative opinions that have been implanted in this child’s mind, will remain there like seeds in a garden. Every time this child hears a statement or accusation that connects one of these negative beliefs, the seed of negativity is once again fertilized and grows even stronger. As the years pass and this child takes control of himself or herself, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to overcome these barriers. Those barriers that have been so firmly placed in their mind during the early years. What are we to do? How do we deal with this issue?

As you continue to read through this program, you will realize that what is offered here is a way to overcome this negative programming. You will be shown how understanding and knowledge about your current situation, will indeed give you the ammunition you need to progress to the next step. How to reprogram yourself. How to undo the damage that has been done by others. How to take back ownership of you.

Loss of Ownership-of-Self creates low self-esteem. The need to please others is overwhelming in those with low self-esteem. The idea that you have the freedom to be yourself, without caring about the opinion of others, is, to many, inconceivable. The reason for this is because the real you was buried long ago by the input of others. For example, one of those programs you might have picked up was fear of heights. Every time somebody said, "be careful you might fall off and hurt yourself" that re-affirmed this fear as true. The fear is then cultivated. Do you then wonder why you cannot climb a ladder to put up a hanging plant or picture? You can stop wondering. Some generous person in your past, gave you that gift of fear of heights. Then many others along the way fertilized that fear to make sure it grew... hence the fear of flying. After all, that’s the ultimate height.

Negativity is rampant. Yes, it is everywhere. From the time we start to notice our surroundings until the day we die we are allowing negativity in all forms to dictate our lives and our futures. This is most likely to take place in the "spongy personality". A person who soaks up everything that everyone else says and accepts it as true. A person who is trusting and lovable and who wants to believe that others have only good intentions in mind. This type of personality is a prime target for negativity.

As a practicing hypnotist, it became quickly apparent just how this negatively programmed personality is in need of constant reinforcement and praise. They live their lives trying to seek the approval of others. There are many underlying causes for this low self-esteem and each one is unique to each specific individual. However, one thing is for sure, dominating parents, school bullies and abuse by superiors or family members are all contributing components to the malady of low self-esteem.