Nine Months

As I've mentioned before, I'm planning to compile my experience into a lap band users guide when I finally hit goal. As part of the research for my book, I purchased all four existing books on the lap band recently. I've read two of them, and I'm reading the final two now. These are all largely clinical books, and they are very helpful to the potential bandster. My book is going to be different, in that it will focus more on living with the band, and hopefully, it will be a little funny too. I'd like to write a book that can help anyone trying to lose weight, but specifically, those who are contemplating or have had the lap band.

One of the books I'm reading now is called _Weight Loss Surgery with the Adjustable Gastric Band_, by Dr. Robert Sewell and Linda Rohrbough. There is a section in this book authored by G. Dick Miller, a psychologist who has worked extensively with obese patients. Miller says: "People need about nine months for their new thinking to take hold and their body chemistry to change."

The problem people have when they become really overweight is that their metabolism is practically useless at this point. Even if they drastically change their eating habits, they won't have the same results of a smaller person because they don't have their body chemistry on their side. If it takes nine months for your body chemistry to change and for your metabolism to catch up with your healthy eating habits, I can see why most diets fail!

Who is going to have the patience to wait nine months? Not many people. It is good to know, though. I've always heard that it takes 1-2 months to make or break a habit. Apparently, at least according to this source, that is not the case with trying to make new habits after decades of poor eating choices.

One of the reasons the lap band is so effective is because it helps take some of the challenges off the table - mainly immense hunger, so it's easier to get the other pieces in order, such as mindless eating, emotional eating, making healthy choices, etc...

I feel as though I'm in a good groove, but I'm excited to know that in just a few more months, these changes will be even more solidified, and my body chemistry is going to get even better!

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Today I'm down another lb for a total of 108. I can't go anywhere now without people noticing. It's affirming, but it's weird to get used to. I lost so much without anyone saying anything at all, and now it's almost constant. I guess the weird part is when a colleague yells down the hallway to me: "Hey skinny! Where'd Kristen Go? Where'd she go?!" I don't have that kind of relationships with my colleagues at work, so it's just odd to get used to that kind of behavior. I have no problem with it at all - it's just an adjustment.

People really do like you better when you're thinner. People have always liked me, but since my weight loss is more noticeable (and maybe this is all in my head), it seems like people are even warmer to me than they were before. I've heard of this happening to other WLS patients, so maybe I'm projecting, but I don't think that's the case.

Maybe I'm warmer because I like me more, and that makes people warmer to me. Either way, it's really interesting to see. (PS - Who would have thought I could have possibly liked myself more?! LOL)

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Update on my back - I took the day off from the gym. As I said to TJ, I'd rather miss one day healing than one month because I caused a real injury. Today my back is sore, but it's much better. I think I'll be fine to work out, but I'll take it easy, and I'll stop if I have signs of pain that's not the good pain.

Be good to yourselves today!!