The WLS Wars~

It’s interesting to me how WLS patients insist that their surgery is the best!  I believe the Lap Band is the best, the best for me!  It may not be the best for someone else, but for me, I couldn’t have agreed to have any other surgery. 

I needed something that was going to allow me to keep my body intact, not have malabsorption issues and something that, to be quite honest, made me accountable.

The Band is perfect for me!  I am forced to pay close attention to my body’s cues.  I am able to eat just about anything I want and I must use my willpower to keep on track.  But if I wanted a bite of a homemade cookie or a small bite of cake, I could have it.  It forces me to prepare my meals with nutrition in mind. 

I believe it’s made me grow up!  Unfortunately, I must admit, I wasn’t using my head when I’d eat previously.  If I was hungry I ate.  If I happened to be driving past my favorite fast food place, I’d pull in and order something I felt was good.  Good tasting, perhaps, but not good for me.

They say the Band isn’t good for people with higher BMI’s.  Why is that?  Is it because they think, if you allowed yourself to get to a BMI of 60 - it must mean that you’re lazy, addicted and unmotivated to lose weight, if you have to do any of the work?  I heard this from my insurance company when I called for coverage.  “We don’t pay for the Lap Band.”  and then she went on to say, “With your BMI, you better get the most drastic procedure.”  What was I, some mindless blob who had to have my body drastically altered in order to lose weight?  I was offended by that remark and I am offended when I see the surprise on people’s faces when they hear that I’ve lost weight with the Band.  It’s not rocket science, after-all.  It takes a mature approach to eating, planning and forgiveness. 

A mature approach means - seeking good and nutritious meals.  Planning ahead of time, knowing that once hunger hits, it’s very difficult to resist the bad - easy to grab foods.  And it means forgiveness - forgiving myself for the past, for overeating for 20 years, for mindless eating and for allowing my body to trap me in a sedentary lifestyle that just kept slowly destroying my well being.  It means forgiving myself - if even today - I mess up.  I’m human.  I do mess up occasionally. 

I have nothing against any of the other WLS’s.  Everyone has to research and do their part to find the best choice for their life.  The Band doesn’t work alone.  It really does very little to help you.  It’s only a tool.  If you a snacker, a grazer or someone who is addicted to sweets, it will be more difficult to lose weight with the Band.  I could easily eat my small meal, wait an hour and then eat another small meal.  Or I could drink with my meals, pushing the food down below the Band. 

I could gain all my weight back by not following the rules.  Scary, isn’t it?

October 17, 2008 | Filed Under My Everyday Life

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I’m a Member of the Century Club~

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October 17, 2008 | Filed Under Fun Stuff

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We did it!!!~

We did it!!!  My daughter and I just completed our first 5K Susan G. Komen - Race for the Cure!  What a blast!  I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many people in my life!  People from every walk of life!  Young,younger, old, older, wealthy, middle class, and ME!  Me!!! 

We took the Light Rail to the Race since we knew parking would be impossible!  AND I saw on the news they were closing Speer and I don’t know any other way to get to the Pepsi Center!  Yes, I’m an idiot!  My friend keeps reminding me they do make maps for people like me!  I’m just waiting for him to remind me they now make navagation systems too!  Anyway, the Light Rail worked well!  We got there in time to take some pictures, attach our “In Memory” and “In Celebration” bibs and then try to find a place in line. I have never in my life seen that many people, seriously!  As far as the eye could see up the road were white, pink and blue shirts!  Miles and miles of people! 

We positioned ourselves on the street, the high school cheerleaders were on the side lines cheering us on - after 4 steps you could hear one girl yell, “You’re doing great!”  I looked over at this lady who was walking next to me and said, “We just started, we better look great!”

The lady was walking with her father.  They were walking in memory of her Mother and her father’s wife.  The sweetest people you ever wanted to meet.  We kept up with him and his daughter.  Actually, they had the entire family along, cousins, aunts, sisters, uncles, kids!  It was beautiful.  There was a group of women caring a flag pole with a Race for the Cure hat from last year on it.  Underneath the hat was a picture of a beautiful young woman wearing that same hat.  She walked last year.  Today, they joined together to walk in her memory.  I cried. 

It was hard to keep the tears away.  I thought of my friend and her three children and husband.  I thought of how she fought so hard until the final end.  I thought of my sweet little Grandma and how she wanted to live.  Cancer is such an ugly disease!  It’s evil! 

I also walked in celebration of my good friend, Wanda, my adopted Mom.  She had her surgery in August and is still in treatment.  I’m praying for her and she’s fighting the good fight!  Another brave solider in the war against Breast Cancer.

Today, I did something I could have never done before.  I did it for my Grandma, I did it for my friend, Sandra, I did it for my sweet Wanda!  AND I did it for me.

Thank you Lap Band!

October 5, 2008 | Filed Under Fun Stuff, Milestones & NSV's

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