The HEAT is ON!

Reason #326 for loving my Lap Band!
Without my Lap Band, I would be sporting a 100+ pound cloak. 
Just thinking about that 100+ pound covering makes me wonder how I ever did it.
Goes to show you just how tolerant I could be.....
Miserable but tolerant.  
Isn't it funny how we settle for discomfort and misery when we feel so hopeless?

Speaking only for myself---thus not siting any medical study or research---I can honestly say that 100+ pounds ago, my ability to enjoy life when the temperatures sizzled was in the zero range. 
Not just because of the soaring outdoor temperatures that made it almost impossible for me to enjoy being outside doing anything other than sitting in a pool or at the water's edge.....
But also because of all of the horrid effects that obesity ravaged on my body.
The unsightly sweating.
The painful thigh rubbing.
The uncomfortable tug of clothing across my body.
The icky feeling of sweat pooling between the layers of skin.
The annoying wetness on the seat of my pants after sitting for any length of time.
The _____________________________________________________________.
       (fill in the blank)

For the past six years, I have been singing the praises of what my Lap Band has given me.
Yet, I am acutely aware that the Lap Band has not been the answer for so many others who have embarked on their journeys with just as much hope and care and hard work. 
I know there has been heartbreak and disappointment and feelings of failure among many Lap Banders. 
Clearly, the Lap Band was NOT the tool for them.  
Let's face it--life is full of trial and error.  
 I applaud each and every one of them for acknowledging that fact with dignity and grace and going forward by seeking their answers to reaching their goals.  
 I am also extremely sensitive to the fact that not everyone thinks that weight loss surgery is the answer to their struggles with their weight.
 I support and respect whatever method or program they choose and stand by them as they embark on their own journeys of life improvement. 
I cannot and will not sit in judgement of the lifestyle choices people make when we are so much alike......we all desire to live life healthily and happily by overcoming our weight battles.
We are all the same...regardless of how we choose to reach our goals.
Striving to live the lives we all deserve and reaching for the tools to help us get there without fear of failure and judgement is a God-given right. 
So, today (and everyday), as I sing the praises of my Lap Band, I want you to know that I encourage everyone to find the tool that works for them.
And, I ask each one of you who are finding their own personal ways to beat the battle of the bulge to let me join your cheering squad.
Because I just love pom poms.   
And megaphones.