Question of the Day

For those of us just starting out, can you please post what one or two things have helped most with your lap-band success?

Crossroads

I hit a crossroads last night. There was a Mom's Night Out at a local restaurant, open bar and passed appetizers for two hours. Before I left I was so busy getting everyone organized that I didn't have a chance to have dinner. I planned to have a few apps and a glass of wine.

I had a sea scallop, three risotto balls and three pieces of shrimp tempura, plus a glass of pinot noir. (Skipped the sliders, pot stickers and spring rolls.)

It was a lot, but I had planned for a high-calorie day. I'm not sure exactly how many calories I consumed with those appetizers; it's hard to tell with food like that. I vigilantly weighed, measured and journaled everything I ate up until then, counted the wine, drank lots of water yesterday, etc.

The thing that kind of scared me was, I felt pretty normal. If I had tried, I might have been able to eat a slider, roll and all. But I am terrified of going down that road, because I think I will end up sabotaging my weight loss and fighting the band at every step of the way.

I need to make a big decision: Am I going forward really focusing on changing my habits and putting to rest my compulsions, or am I going to push the envelope and eat as much as my band will "allow" at any moment?

Last night I did a little of both. I stayed away from the sliders because I didn't want to know if I could get one down.

If I had eaten dinner before I left (or even sipped a protein shake on the way), I could have had a glass of wine and stayed away from the food altogether. That would have been the best choice. It's tricky - I don't want to NEVER eat at functions like that.

The scale showed me up a pound today, which is mathematically impossible since my daily calorie intake hasn't topped 1000 calories more than twice in the 2.5 weeks since my surgery. And it's often been in the 600-800 range. So intellectually I know it's water (fingers are STILL swollen) but that doesn't make it less upsetting.

This leaves me with plenty to ponder. I think I'll take my measurements; hopefully those numbers have gone in the right direction and that will cheer me up a bit and help keep my eyes on the prize.