Plateau and Frustration :/

Hi again!
It has been a while since I have posted because I have not had a lot to share unfortunately :/ I am bummed to report that I seem to have hit another plateau and think it is from a combination of things. My schedule has gone back into serious full swing again (working two nanny jobs, graduate school, honor society etc.) and I have not had the time (or I guess I should say have not made the time) to exercise as much as I was, and although I am still eating pretty well, since my addictions course ended, I have re-picked up a few bad habits (such as diet soda drinking, drinking while eating, etc). Needless to say, I have not lost any weight since my last post :( I have not PUT any weight on, which is a plus, but feel stagnant. I am also really frustrated with my lap band overall, currently, because things have been getting stuck more than usual that shouldn't be and I have been getting sick a lot.

I have taken some serious steps in a new direction this week that I would like to share. I realized that no matter what surgery I have, I will NEVER truly grasp control over my weight and become and maintain a healthy weight until I conquer my compulsion to eat (even when I am not hungry) and the emotional aspect of my eating. Yesterday I called an eating disorder center that has a staff of outpatient therapists that work with all types of eating disorders and troubled eating, such as myself (who may or may not be considered a food addict). I am going to start seeing someone once a week for a few weeks to see if I can work through some of my issues with food, which is a huge step in the right direction.

Another step I am CONSIDERING (not for sure about yet) is switching from the lap band to the gastric sleeve. My lap band doctor thinks that I would fair better with the sleeve, and I found out that medicaid would cover the entire switch as long as I attend one 4 hour nutrition class once a month for six months (which is what I had to do to get lap band covered). The classes are free and offered at my doctor's office, so I am going to start attending this month. I still need to speak with the insurance woman in the office to find out exactly how much I would be paying out of pocket etc.. but after doing quite a bit of research on the sleeve, I think it truly would be a better fit for me. In fact, many other bandsters I follow blog-wise are considering the same switch. The band was a good fit for me when I had nothing else to focus on but losing weight and nannying, but with planning a wedding, going to graduate school, being an officer in the honor society, working two nanny jobs, and getting a little R and R in-between! While no surgery is going to "fix" my problem for me, the sleeve seems like a much better fit.

Here is a video that explains the sleeve:
How Gastric Sleeve Works

Here is a page comparing the sleeve to the band:
Band VS Sleeve

With the lap band, the fills have been painful, it requires frequent tweaking, and I have been getting sick a lot. The gastric sleeve is more invasive, but Dr. Brown (my bariatric doc) thinks that I will have much more success IMMEDIATELY (think 90 lbs or so in 3 months) and overall for my busy lifestyle, the sleeve will work better. As I said, it is just something I am considering right now, but will let you all know what I ultimately decide of course.

Anyway, Steve and I had our 9 year anniversary this month and we celebrated it by going camping with our new pup Lola! Lola is a sweet little wiener dog/jack russell terror mix and we love her to pieces. Here is one of my favorite pics from the trip :)

I will post again soon with progress reports on all issues above. 

Warmly

Caroline