Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Everything I've Been Through

I scheduled my first fill for August 11. I'm noticing hunger between meals the past few days. I'm also finding that I could keep eating when I'm done with my food, more food than I was able to choke down until the past week. So I went ahead and scheduled my fill. They'll only put in a little. See how I do. Put in a little more. See how I do, until I hit what people call "the sweet spot." At which point, as far as I can figure, things become easier.

As long as I follow the basic food plan and the protocol for when to drink fluids, which I described in an earlier blog, hunger and the desire to eat both diminish greatly. Not everyone reaches that point. You can still eat around the band by drinking with your meals, you can eat things like ice cream which slide past the band, you can consistently make less than healthy food choices. Your results won't be as good.

Weight loss surgery, no matter what kind, is just a tool. I have to keep doing the footwork. I'm finding a lot of support on-line on the Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum. I'm hoping to find a non-shaming support group to help me deal with my food issues and gently hold me accountable. I plan to continue writing in this blog as various issues come up. Just the discipline of writing every night helps hold me accountable.

I feel amazingly empty of feelings and thoughts tonight. I think I drained myself (temporarily)talking about shame and guilt, ADHD, and, especially, yesterday's post on codependency. That was a difficult post to write. I learned a lot about codependency and addiction in my years attending a 12-step program for people who have been impacted by someone else's addiction.

Addiction is a family disease and not just the addict or alcoholic's problem. Food helped me cope, it helped me survive, but it, too, becomes an addiction. It's an unhealthy relationship that stabs you in the back. Codependency has to be dealt with in order to recover from food addiction.

There's a song going through my head. We've been singing it in church fairly frequently.

Lord I offer my life to you,

Everything I've been through,

Use it for your glory.

Lord I offer my days to you,

lifting my praise to you,

As a pleasing sacrifice

Lord I offer you my life.

Amen.

I'm experiencing the same thing. AFter first fill I'm still hungry and can eat too much food. I go back On Aug. 3rd and hope to get another fill to get some restriction. My doctor goes slowly, too.

Hello, I was banded May 27, 2008. It is very common to not feel full being that your band is not tight. Believe me, hang in there, the day will come that you may wish to eat alittle more but that great tool won't allow it. I love my band and if I had to do it over, I would. Pain and all. Down 141lbs. woooo hoooo! Just today I went through my closet and found a blazer I saved, size 32. Wow! I am now a 14/16 and am soooooo happy.

Thanks guys. I've been doing well with the food but for the next few weeks its going to be willpower