Eating Out with the Lap Band

I've gotten to a point since my surgery that I am now able to eat solid foods. I just have to listen to my band and follow the pointers it gives me in the form of discomfort or fullness to make the decisions on what to eat. I've found so far that white meat is easier than red meat, but only in small bites. Me and ground beef, so not friends. Not in any form. Steamed and sauteed veggies are the best, and scrambled eggs are the perfect am meal especially when paired with half a white corn tortilla. My eating habits have changed since the surgery but not just in the amount of food that I am capable of consuming. I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat as much, but I didn't expect that having the surgery would make it easier to make the right decisions at meal times.

Eating is still something I enjoy, it has just become something that takes a little more effort. I find that instead of eating what ever is placed in front of me or sounds good I reply with: "I can't have that," "That doesn't settle well," and my favorite "I don't want that." Sometimes the band is what stops me from eating something but I am finding more and more that I am stopping me. Like today for Veterans Day I went to lunch with a friend recently back from Iraq. The waitress seemed determined to serve us dessert, and they looked fantastic. I was super craving sweets, and I wanted to go ahead and place an order for that dessert but I was resolved and tore my eyes from the menu. While my shrinking fat cells screamed for that dessert, I was resolved to make the right decision, plus I had enough left overs as it was.

I am thankful everyday to Dr. Keshishian and Delano Regional Medical Center. The surgery has changed my life. It has changed who I am and what I feel. I still have much more weight to lose but I am already to a point where I have more self-confidence and can stand up for myself. I feel so much more positive about who I am that I am striving to better myself even farther and not just in a physical sense I want to advance my education, refine my taste in music and entertainment. I don't want to hide behind the mask of a funny fat girl any more, and I won't.