Is it easy or is it hard?

Losing weight is like walking a tightrope. Some days you have the grace and style that enables you to walk effortlessly across the rope without a quiver or a stumble. Other days, life is out of balance and even one step across the rope portends an imminent fall or crash. People ask me how the lap-band is doing and honestly it is one of the easiest weight loss tools of my life. But on the other hand, it still takes commitment and dedication.

In some ways it is like Christ’s invitation to take upon ourselves His yoke. He says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. But I don’t think anyone would disagree that Christ’s yoke is somewhat uncomfortable at times (I mean it is a yoke, right!) and easy is a comparative word. It’s easier than Satan’s bondage because it gives one peace and peace of mind is a great blessing. But also it is a long-term commitment whose rewards are not instantaneous, but rather accumulative. So I would say that a lap-band is like the still small voice that tells you to keep going and keep picking yourself up after tumbling into the net below. Unfortunately, because it is a still small voice, I can override it with my actions, so I have to be pretty committed and have to keep going and keep using the lap-band as a tool rather than the solution. Losing weight is work. And I am working hard, but with a lap-band losing weight is also easy and light.

Sometimes when I am very hungry or at least think I am very hungry and just want to gobble any and everything in sight, the lap-band will pull me up short with a terribly uncomfortable feeling that says, “Oh and by the way, you didn’t chew that enough, you didn’t eat slowly enough, and you definitely will be coughing and maybe coughing up what you thought was so vitally important to stuff in your mouth.” Then there comes that moment of illumination when you say, “Oh, yeah, right, I do want to lose weight and this might not be the smartest thing I’ve done.”

So it needs recommitment every day and it needs a moment or two to get back on track and say, “Keep going, overcome the plateaus, think past the moment frustrations, and keep working at it.” Whereas before the lap-band, my remorse at overeating occurred after I had eaten thousands and thousands of calories. Now, I do get an immediate sensation after only a couple hundred extra calories and that is a great blessing. As my stepdad, Bill would say:

Patience is a virtue
Achieve it if you can
Seldom found in women
And never in a man!

So I try to think of the ultimate goal and when I am hungry and want something like a Costco chocolate muffin, I grab the fresh raspberries and strawberries and say, “Not today!” It is hard and easy, a mind game and an impulsive thirst. But being able to have a non-human, unemotional device that reminds me, “HEY!! Stop eating!” in a very kind and effective way, makes it EASY.