Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Enhance your calm

Haaaaaa. The prodigal daughter returns with her calm enhanced. My apologies kiddies, for my previous ranting and raving … I was thoroughly fed up, frustrated and exhausted. Having this lap band is by far the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to contend with in my effort to lose the lard. Re-learning to eat. Learning the art of patience. Dealing with frequent disappointments.

But … my faith in my band has been restored. Why? Not sure exactly. I don’t want to throw in the towel prematurely. A couple of days ago, I placed a post on the message board of a forum (for bandsters) regarding my disappointing lack of restriction. I was flooded with replies reassuring me that what I was experiencing was perfectly normal. I was relieved to hear stories from other bandsters who have a similar 10cc band who wrote that it took up to a cc capacity of 7 to 8cc to get good restriction. Phew! LOL! Maybe I misunderstood the fill/restriction thingy … but I was under the impression that fills provided gradual restriction ... a little this time, even more the next.

I think I may have a little restriction. I say may because I have no real idea what it’s meant to feel like! That said, I can say with absolute confidence that it sure as hell ain’t the coveted ‘sweet spot’ restriction! *belly laughs* So what’s the deal, you ask? Umm … let’s see. This morning I ate some yoghurt & muesli (3/4 cup total) for breakfast (at around 7:40am). I didn’t think about my stomach again until 1pm … at which point it started to make some serious noise. Noice! I mean, last week I felt hungry only an hour or two after eating! My restriction isn’t fabulous in the afternoon/early evening though. I seem to be getting quite hungry at around 4-5pm. Not quite dinner but eating a snack at this time leaves me with no appetite for dinner at around 7pm. But then, if I don’t eat at 7pm because I had a snack, I’m then ravenous at 8:30-9pm. Sigh. What to do? I guess a tweak or two more in my band and I should be home and hosed … on the way to losing some serious lard.

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My calm has also been considerably enhanced by taking care of myself. I have been to the dentist (Oh my! What a faaarking big needle he put in my mouth!). I moved my arse both yesterday and today (swimming and power walking). I’ve added a good ‘ole vitamin B6 supplement to my diet to pep me up. I have been grocery shopping for quality, whole foods. I’ve reduced the number of Saturdays I had scheduled myself to work (up until September I have been working EVERY Saturday on top of a full work week). I have been eating okay (admittedly, not perfect … bad habits are going to be slow to break). And I’ve given myself some things to look forward to through the week – dinner with friends, a spa appointment and a night out to see a West End stage play.

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