A slight un-fill should make a difference

May 24, 2010

I called my surgeon's office yesterday and left a message for his nurse telling her I think the fill I got on Friday was a little too tight. She back yesterday afternoon and said he wanted me to come in today at 7:15am. That's pretty fast. I think he squeezes people in before surgery begins.

When I go into the room, I wait a few minutes and he comes in. His nurse reviews the weights-- 246 in January and 223 on his scale today. He's really happy with that. He asks why I think I'm too tight and I explain what I've experienced. Mostly, it's the issue with lean protein. He agrees and removes .15 cc's of the .35 he put in on Friday. Not a huge amount but it's 1/3 of what he put in. I think I am truly at the fine tuning stage with my band.

He then tells me that he thinks I am at the stage in life where the band isn't the major component in my overall success. A little in or out isn't going to make a huge difference. It's the measuring portions, making healthy eating decisions, exercising regularly and so on. He said, "Michael, you are at the season in life where you basically decide you need to lose 10 or 20 lbs and just do it. The band is intended for people who need to lose 50 - 100+ lbs and you have already done that. Now you need to maintain your weight the same way normal people do."

I think he basically feels like I have done it. I've reached a normal weight range in his eyes. That whether I add a little or take a little out of the band, it's not really going to make a huge difference. Most of the real work is up to me. I have always known this anyway. It does a great job of dimming my appetite but it does not change what foods sound appealing or what I put into my mouth. How could it? There is a big part of this journey that is mental and requires a huge comittment to change.

So here I am just shy of one month before my 3 year anniversary being all introspective. I believe there is so much more change I have left to do. Nobody will really see the changes as they are not physical. What is wonderful about this process is it's not a roadrace-- there is no finish line. I am constantly learning and evolving.

4 Comments