Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Mental Lap Band


It seems though I have lost my blogging mo-jo or my blo-jo if you prefer.

I think I need a jumpstart.

For those of you who expressed an interest in how I dropped the weight:


1) Falldownthestairsandbreakyourleg

2) Spend two weeks in the hospital/rehab not eating hospital food

3) Spend a another month or so eating whatever food your husband makes

In addition, I also came to the realization that I am indeed a sedentary person, so why was I eating like a weightlifter?


Now this part sounds a little silly, but I was also thinking about how when people have weight loss surgery their stomach is made smaller so that they get fuller quicker and eat less. I never even considered surgery (I was after all, just overweight, not the half-ton woman) so I decided to install a mental lap band. I trained myself to do the following:

My mouth to open less.

My stomach to differentiate between true hunger pangs and cravings.

My eyes to read the label for suggested serving size

My hands to bring no more than the suggested serving to my mouth.


Slowly but surely it worked.


I still eat Oreos but only three instead of six. I still drink soda but only 8oz at a time and not every day. Vegetables are still anathema but I eat them because they are good for me.


Exercising would probably help me lose the last 25lbs I need to get down to the weight I was when I got married. But my stamina/capacity for exercise is limited. So if anybody wants to give me some good exercises I can do sitting in my chair in front of the computer, I'm willing to give it a go.


This is me as of 5/6/09:
That is Laura to my left and Cathe to my right. I'm looking pinched and unhappy because we just came out of the restaurant into the frigid (for May) rainy night.


For a reference point - this is me July 4th of 2005:

The wee bundle of baby is nephew Alex. He is a great, big boy of almost 4 now. We were watching fireworks and he slept through the whole thing. Never even flinched. Nerves of steel, he has.

11 comments:

Betsy said...

You look fabulous!!!!!

Melody said...

Your intiial suggestions sound much like my mother. Through all her medical trauma, she has lost 35 lbs. That is over three months period - way too fast. When I commented that I really needed to focus on losing weight, she replied "I don't recommend my diet."

You do look great - love the sassy hair.

Ami said...

I love your "mental lap band". :)

You look awesome! What an accomplishment.

Misty said...

you look fantastic! you should be really proud of yourself!

Anonymous said...

Jennifer! You are beautiful and always have been! I love, love your hair do!
A "Mental Lap Band ?"....hmmmmm....are you going to market it?! How do you sell strong will and gutsy determination?
Aunt Benita

Sanna said...

... i thought you said 'thumpstart'..hahaha

Jeremiah said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jeremiah said...

I know the feeling...I have lost 17.2 pounds, but without the whole painful "falldownthestairsandbreakingyourleg" thing. I wish I only had 25 lbs more to go! I must say that you look happier in the before photo than you do the after photo and if I wasn't such a lousy typist I wouldn't have to delete my comment, correct it and repost it!

Missy said...

Sorry I haven't stopped by for a little. So I have just seen your picture and you look awesome!!!!!

Jen said...

Looking FAB-U-LOUS!

Jenster said...

Wow, you do look (in the words of your friend Laura) "hot as shit!"

I like your mental lap band method. I can't stand any diets that make you feel deprived. Sounds as if the changes you're making are ones you can live with and won't make you miserable. More power to you!