2 Ways that my Lapband is like a Lighthouse

One of my favorite things to do while on a beach vacation is to visit and photograph lighthouses. This week I’ve had an opportunity to see some new ones. The other day I cycled to the North Light on Block Island. It is a beautiful stone lighthouse sitting in dunes surrounded by blooming bayberry. It was well worth the 4 mile bike ride across the island and the half mile walk across a rocky beach.

Today’s new generation of lighthouses are so much less romantic and picturesque than these old lighthouses. They serve the same purposes of steering seamen away from danger and providing a beacon to sailors. The stone, brick and wood structures from the 1800s and 1900s just do it in so much more style.

2 ways that my Lapband is like a Lighthouse

As a warning signal…

My Lapband may not have a revolving beacon of light but it gives me signals that keep me healthy. What differentiates Lapband WLS from RNY is the fact that a medical device is implanted in your body. The successful bandster learns how to form a healthy partnership with the band. Key in this partnership is using the band as a signal when to eat and not to eat. I’ve seen too many people use the band as a punish-er by eating until it becomes painful. This type of band patient responds like Pavlov’s dogs. When they are punished, they know it’s time to stop. To all bandsters I must say that life is much more enjoyable when you use the signals that your band gives you and don’t let it punish you. You are in charge of your band.

Being ever vigilant…

My Lapband is ever vigilant. Like the lighthouse, it’s there day and night, at happy hours and dinner, and on vacation or at a fair. A happy Lapband is a band that gives me a feeling of fullness and satisfaction without me foraging and grazing for food during the day. I must admit that this is definitely a part of being a band patient that relies heavily on this man/band partnership. The band is a device with no emotions or bad habits. Now I am another story. I spent a life developing bad habits around eating. I am easily tempted by enticing displays of food. Breaking these habits and relying more on my Lapband is still a challenge to me. I am grateful for the feeling of satiety that my properly adjusted band gives me.

Understanding the signals that a Lapband gives me and respecting its vigilance in keeping me honest are key in being successful in my weight maintenance journey. I can tell you it’s not an easy journey at times. I am human and at times do my darn-est to work around my Lapband. Three years of practice makes it just a little easier. I think this is true of any weight loss surgery. As you get further out of surgery, you know how to use those signals to your advantage. Long term success is all about managing your human nature in trusting the surgery to guide you. It is hard giving control to someone else even when that someone else is not human and is implanted in your body. Like the lighthouses that stand vigilant on the coast, I struggle through th at times choppy waters of eating to steer clear of danger and keep myself healthy and happy by using my Lapband’s signals.

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