Does anyone find that there are times in their Lap Band journey where they have thought - why couldn't I lose 5 kilo's a week and be done in 10 weeks?! I don't know about you, but patience has never really been one of my best virtues - I am one of those impatient people from way back! The Gastric Band journey is all about patience. It may take some time to get the perfect fill for you and the journey itself may take up to 2 years to take off 50% of your excess weight (according to the doctors).
The Lap Band journey has worked out my patience muscle significantly over the past year. First you have to go through all of the pre-operative procedures, which definitely takes some patience and then after the operation itself, you have to exercise your patience to get through the liquids phase, to get through the mushies phase and then to get through the 'not ideal fill' stage. If that is not enough patience for you, you then need to wait patiently for your weight to come off before you enter the world of maintenance.
So what is this thing we call patience? According to Wikipedia, Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. To me, patience is all about focussing on what is happening now and not looking too far into the future. It is about being happy with what I have achieved so far and knowing that I am moving toward my larger goals.
Here are some tips for you to gain patience on your journey:
* Make peace with the fact that it's going to take time - okay, so no matter how much weight that you have to lose, you know that it is not going to take 10 weeks or maybe not even 10 months. It is most likely a 12-24 month proposition. Practice your acceptance of this fact and realise that it's okay because every day you are losing weight and gaining health.
* Set realistic goals - be realistic with your timeframes. This was a big issue for me as in the beginning I thought I could lose all of my excess weight in 6 months but it took almost that long to get to my ideal fill! Make sure you have goals that you can achieve!
* Celebrate successes on the way - it's very necessary to have minor goals to try and achieve as you continue on your journey. I have around 8 mini goals and I have already achieved 5 of them which I am really proud of. It is important to celebrate these goals so that you feel a sense of accomplishment the whole way along your journey.
* Stay focussed on your smaller goals - the best way to feel completely out of control is to concentrate on the end goal. At the start of my journey I had 50kg / 110 lbs to lose - this seemed insurmountable if I ever thought about it so I just started with my first goal which was to lose 10kg, then I focussed on my second goal. I still have 16kg's / 35lbs to go to get to my goal but I am only thinking of my next goal which is 4.5 kg / 10lbs away - which is not so overwhelming and a lot easier to achieve. Staying focussed is hugely important.
* What is the journey really about, health or looking good? - you may have lost 10 kg's / 22lbs and be discouraged because you still have 40kg / 88lbs to go, but think about the health benefits that those 10kg's / 22lbs have given you. It is important to put your journey into perspective and losing weight can help you to look good and have confidence but what about the health benefits?
* Persist, persist, persist - the only way that we are unsuccessful is if we stop trying. Persistence is all about keeping on going no matter what. If you find you're not eating exactly as you would like, think about what you can do to eat better? Are you hungry, book in for another fill. Not losing weight, look at your amount of exercise, can you do more or increase your intensity. There are a thousand ways that you can persist - what are you doing to persist?
Hopefully you have found these tips of some benefit. I know that over my own journey there have been times that have sincerely tested my patience but I always persist. Why? Well, because of the reasons that I got the Lap Band the first place. For my health, to look good, to be able to do the things I had stopped being able to do, to feel happy about myself. It is these reasons that keep me going no matter how impatient I am because at the end of the day, I will get there.
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Jen Kaminski and Jodie Flynn are Directors of Lap Band for the Mind. If you have had Lap Band surgery, they can help you maximise your chance of success.
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