This summer, starting my eighth year after lap band surgery, I find myself saying once too often, "Oh, it's okay if I have an XXXXX, I'll burn it off tomorrow in the pool, at the gym, or on the bicycle, or sometimes I simply say, "I can handle it." This is a very dangerous place for me to be.  It's dangerous because I am giving myself permission to eat foods that are not healthy, in quantities that are more than just "a taste".  "Bet you can't eat just one" rings loud and clear in my head.  Has this ever happened to you?  Have you figured out a way to deal with it?  Besides the obvious - the potential weight gain, my body does not like high carb, high calorie foods any more so I get lethargic, find myself sitting around more than usual which then results in me wondering what I might find to munch on, and so on and so forth.  Yes, when I get in this routine I am still eating far less than I did when I weighed 424 pounds, but I have no desire to push this limit for very long or I might just figure out how to get back up there again.  Not a pleasant thought, not one that I want to focus on for more than a millisecond.

So how do I get my formerly fat rear end in gear and restart my engine and quit sabotaging my success?  Hmmmm, how about go back to what worked in the beginning?  Time for contemplation.  What are the rules of the band that I need to pay attention to in detail right now?  All of them you say - I agree!

Let's review the Lessons of Successful Lap Band Patients and see where I have strayed and what I can do to get back on track:

1. Eat good quality meals, and don't graze.  The key to my shedding 250 pounds following this rule was to have some pretty basic, go to meals always around so food was not the center of my life.  For almost two years I ate just about the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day and had almost 25 grams of protein and only 200 calories at each meal.

· Studies now back my process, demonstrating that too many food choices result in our eating more food than if we repeated the same meals.  Maybe there really was something to roast beef Sundays at my house growing up?  My 3 ounce can of tuna and 5 crackers certainly worked for lunch during my weight loss stage of this journey.

Chile relleno casserole that I can heat up daily: 165 calories, 28 grams protein.

· To get back in the "swing" I have made my breakfast frittata of chile relleno casserole that I can heat up daily at 165 calories, 28 grams protein.  I decided on curried chicken salad for lunch with canned chicken that I rinsed in a colander to get all the saltiness out, curry powder to taste, raisins, chopped celery, chopped walnuts, fat free mayo and some spicy brown mustard with each portion coming in at 200 calories and about 30 grams of protein.  For some crunch I have pieces of celery to fill up with this yummy mixture.  I measure and portion everything out as precisely as possible.

2. Get enough protein every day.

· With 58 grams of protein by the end of lunch I am well on my way to a personal target of at least 80 grams.

3. Don't drink with meals.

· I follow this almost religiously, waiting at least 1/2 hour before I have anything to drink after eating.

4. Eat, don't drink calories.

· Hmmm, time to reduce the stops at Coffee, Bean and Tea Leaf to once a week for my "treat" of a 200 calorie drink with 15 grams of protein.  Too many of these add up really quickly.

5. Take small bites; chew thoroughly.

· I have a well adjusted lap band.  I can't eat good food unless I follow this or I will get a nasty surprise.  But sweets like cookies or ice- cream are a different story so they must be removed from my list of choices.  This is another instance of "bet you can't eat just one" winning if I permit it to.

6. Learn what foods are difficult and avoid them.

· By year 8 I know.  I may not always be happy about it, but I KNOW.

7. Always have a plan.

· See #1 - I do well when I have some repetitive meals available.  On Sunday I prepare my breakfast and lunch for the work week and bring it to the office with me and stock the frig on Monday.  This helps keep me from "running down to the store " for an ice tea (and whatever else I find in my hands).

8. Journal

· I can't think of a better way to track what goes in my mouth than writing it down, can you?

9. Stay close to your surgical practice and surround yourself with successful patients.

· Can we say regular doctor visits, support groups, lap band buddy?

10. Make yourself a priority

· Eating when I am stressed is easy, I find all sorts of excuses for it, but in the end I get to pay the price with my health and this is NOT what I want to do.  Even stressed I continue my regular exercise routine but lack of sleep and giving myself permission to snack are what start my spiral downward..

Let's see, what's for lunch? My plan is to have a portion of my curried chicken salad with some celery. It's my plan and I'm sticking to it.

Thank goodness I can share with all of you so that I get to review, remember and follow the rules in order to remain a long-term, successful lap band patient.  Now, at about 1pm I am starting to get hungry.  Let's see, what's for lunch?  My plan is to have a portion of my curried chicken salad with some celery.  It's my plan and I'm sticking to it.