I'm back!

Aug 14, 2009

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted or gotten on the site... but, I am doing awesome!  I weighed in at the doctor's office on Wednesday at 275.  That makes 95 pounds total loss.  I planned a drastic haircut for my 100 pound mark, and ended up getting in for it earlier than expected.  Everyone has loved the new cut.  I've been walking 1 hour at work everyday with friends, and a few weeks ago I joined the YMCA, and have been working out 2-4 times a week. 

Eating has become easier, but it has taken a long time to figure it out.  So much of why we do what we do is in our minds, it's not physical.  Breaking that mental pattern is the most difficult part.  Normally when I diet, I have willpower, and then for some reason I break mentally and just have to go out and eat that Whopper and fries.  The band is a great tool for when you break mentally, because even though you've broken down mentally, physically you still cannot overeat.  It forces you to get back on track sooner. 

I hope anyone considering the surgery will take some time to reflect on the reasons for doing it.  Observe yourself and others while eating.  Recognize habits, and patterns in what you do, or how you eat.  Notice how fast people eat and how often they talk about food.  Order only a drink while everyone else gorges on their favorite food, or order a small dinner salad, but do not drink 1/2 an hour before you eat, while you eat, or 1/2 hour after.   Note how you feel, and be prepared to feel that way almost every single day.  Plan a huge get together, cook all the food and serve it to your guests.  While everyone is enjoying what you've made, eat a few crackers with cheese and nothing else the rest of the night.  Note how you feel emotionally, and plan to feel this way when hosting guests after the surgery.  It is the mental aspect that needs to be noted... not the sensation of hunger, but the way you feel watching others indulge while you do not, or cooking something fabulous and being able to partake.  THIS IS THE MOST DIFFICULT part of having a "tiny stomach" surgery.

Honestly, before the surgery, I expected the band to "do more".  And although most people give credit to the band for my weightloss, I know different.  I take full credit for what I have accomplished.  The band was the "tool" I needed to get me over that hump.  I still make food choices everyday that can make or break my weightloss and I make a choice everyday to intentionally exercise, or sit on my butt.  I am still accountable for those choices, with or without the band. 

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