These are the questions I've been asking myself a lot lately with some answers I think are important to share...
Is the lapband the reason I lost 52 pounds over the past year? Not really.
Was getting the lapband a catalyst for me to take back control of my life and health? Absolutely.
Would I recommend the lapband to someone in my situation from a year ago? I don't know.
You may think the first two questions are the same, but they are not. Looking back now, I had very high and unrealistic expectations of what getting the lapband was going to mean for me. I thought I'd lose weight quickly... as in be at my goal weight in the first year. I thought I would eat close to nothing and never be hungry nor want to eat food that was bad for me. I thought it was "my only option left." I actually said that in my very first blog post.
But here's the truth.... here's how I lost my 52 pounds this past year:
1. I eat 50-60% of the amount of food that I used to. That is the one thing the lap band has helped me do.
2. I also eat slower due to the lapband, which helps me feel full without eating more food-- another habit from having lap band, but those without one can get in the habit of doing this, too. (When I don't do this, you will find me throwing up in the bathroom-- yes, gross, but it's my life with lapband.)
3. I eat healther-- this is one I am still working on one year later. But I can say that I now know what is healthy and what is not, which is probably the most important thing considering there are so many people who don't realize they are eating all the wrong foods in the name of "Healthy Eating." I also stopped drinking alcohol except for at an occasional party or wedding with friends.
4. I exercise a minimum of 5-6 days a week. This includes crossfit WODs, running, walking and the occasional tennis or disc golf match. There are no more excuses as to why I can't work out any given day. Remember-- I worked out 146 days in a row-- if I can do that, you can do it, too.
That's it, guys. That's all it took for me to lose 52 pounds. Was the lap band a magic fix? The easy way out? The solution to morbid obesity? No.
I was wrong. All of my early blog posts were wrong.
But what wasn't wrong was my desire to be a better person. My commitment to make sure that this time I was not going to fail. My determination to make this drastic change. Something that made me realize there was no turning back-- it was time to be the happy, fun, healthy athlete that I used to be.
Even though I am still 40 pounds away from my goal weight, I can tell you that I will succeed. I will get there. And I will do it following the four habits I outlined above and also with the love and support of my family.
My husband, who has not been mentioned near enough in these blog posts, has been my encourager, supporter, teacher and stickler this past year. I finally believe that I am as special and loved as he has always told me I was. Knowing I had him in my corner has really made all the difference.
I've shared my journey with you over the past year because I wanted you to know the truth. What is lapband? What is it like to be morbidly obese? What does it take to be in control of your life again?
What I've found though from having this blog is so much more than just me typing my thoughts out on my computer screen.
--This blog has helped me connect with others who have common interests and struggles.
--It has allowed me to open my life to you so that maybe your struggles don't seem too bad or too hard for you to overcome.
--It has helped me hold myself accountable to keep going because I have this whole network of people depending on me to share my progress.
So thank you for reading and checking in on my page from time to time-- your support is really the fifth reason I lost 52 pounds this past year. Because without it, I'd just be a chubby girl with a story and no one to listen.
Here are a few more progress pics on my one year Bandiversary!
