Update

What can I say... I am a horrible blogger. It's mostly because the excitement of my weight loss has slowed down. I am still losing but it is at a slower rate and takes a little more dedication on my part.

I have finally lost 120lbs (I have some great photos to post) but it has been slow going. At least I'm not gaining, that's a huge improvement. lol.

Well, hope you all are doing good. I'll get those pictures posted soon. And then I'll post as I c an.

First time on an airplane since surgery

All I can say is.... "I LOVE BEING THINNER". WOW! What a difference it makes in almost all aspects of my life.

I just got back from a weekend getaway with my hubby. I haven't been on a flight since I traveled for my surgery. (over a year ago)

I have to be honest and say that I was hoping there would have been a little more room in my seat then there was. I fit, YES!, with the arm rest down!!There just wasn't a whole lot of extra room. It was a reminder to me that I am only at the beginning of where I actually want to be.

I didn't have to ask for a seat belt expander. I didn't have to beg my seat neighbor to leave the arm rests up. I didn't have to worry about my thigh pressing the seat recliner button on the arm rest and then having to use my stomach muscles to keep my chair up right while the plane lifted off. (true story)

It was beautiful.

It was amazing.

Life is good.

But I still want to lose more... so my seat has even more room next time. : )

Under 200lbs... WOW!!!

A huge day for me! I am hoping that this picture comes thru my phone to the blog.
I am on vacation with my hubby for his high school reunion. (Tulsa, OK) Maybe reaching "onederland" is fitting for this week because I haven't weighed under 200 lbs since I was in high school. I don't know where my Lap-band journey will take my weight to.... but I like the direction. lol.
Happy onederland to me!

Neglected, yes... but not forgotten.

Yep, that's me and my girl... my chicken Anna.

A HUGE, SORRY to my followers and friends. I am only now able to finally commit to writing a post.

My father passed away on Easter Sunday. He spent a week in the hospital after having an unexpected stroke. We had to take him off his breathing tube because the damage in his brain was so severe. He was 54 years old.

It's been forever since I felt like I had anything extra to give. So blogging was put on the back burner. I could barely function as a mother and wife for awhile.

I didn't lose much weight during the last few months. I have finally started getting back to normal habits. I am at 202 lbs... that's 111 lbs if you are counting. ( I am ) lol.

I think my body is changing and shifting. People are really commenting about how I look. Men are hitting on me. And I feel great! : ) Though the random men hitting on me is really weird. Thank goodness my hubby is a good sport about it all.

I really need to get back to the gym on a regular basis and I need to quit cheating on sweets. Just 2 lbs to go and I can finally be under 200lbs. How cool will that be.

Thanks for letting me ramble. I will try to post more regularly.

1 Year Bandanniversary!!! 100lbs GONE...

Well, it's here! A whole year and exactly 100lbs lighter. I kinda gave up making any sort of weight loss goals for the last month. I figured I would get where I got and that was good enough.

I weighed myself this morning and what do you know... 213.4 lbs.

I couldn't have imagined this kind of success a year ago. In fact, before my surgery, my husband and I were talking about my weight loss goals. I told him that I would be very pleased with 80lbs lost in 1 year... but I wasn't counting on it.

: )

A year later I can look back and say... THANK GOODNESS for my band. This has been a life changer. I am curious what the next few years will bring...

I am 33lbs from my initial goal of 180 lbs... I am 75% of way to that goal.

I am feeling truly blessed and grateful this day!!! Happy Bandanniversary to me!!!


Stay tuned: for updated 100lbs lost pictures!

UNDERgrown.... Lane Bryant?

I was looking for some longer sleeved undershirts that I could wear this summer under my short sleeve work clothes... figured I'd swing my Lane Bryant because they have always been good to me. (not the price! lol. but they have always fit!)

I asked the gal who worked there for some help, she lead me to the shirts and grabbed a size... she then held it up and apologetically said "the lowest we go is a size 14-16". I automatically said " no problem" thanks. It wasn't until I was in the dressing room that I wondered why she said it that way... I tried the shirt on and what do you know... that shirt was too BIG! Yep, I have under grown Lane Bryant.

Surprisingly, I wasn't very happy about this news.

I was kinda of in shock... like, GREAT... where do I go now? I guess you could say I was in mourning. I know, I know... weird huh? I should have been jumping for joy! I think because I wasn't prepared for the moment to happen.. it took me by surprise.

Of course, after digesting the info... I can now say that I am ecstatic to be moving on. I called a girlfriend of mine (who has lost over 100 lbs) and we figured out a few possible locations to find what I am looking for. So, there you have it. A NSV!

PS!! Just 2 days until my 1 year Bandiversary (Sp?)... CRAZY!!! I'll be posting more on that day.

The ugly...

Here is my belated ugly posted...

Right after my fill I wondered if I was to tight. I had only gotten... .25 cc (not much) and I was doing fine during meals but for two nights in a row I... how do I say it... I burped food/stomach stuff while sleeping. Talk about freaking out... I have tried to be such a good bandster and when that happen twice in 2 nights... I was thinking that I was going to have to go in for an unfill. I held back because I was eating perfect bandster meals during the day and not feeling over tight. Tight, yes, but not OVER tight. What I finally figured out was that with my new fill I can no longer go to bed within 1 hour of eating. That adjustment seems to have fixed the whole scary night burping thing and I seem to be on the right track.

Now for the really ugly part...


So, right before the funeral I came down with a very bad cold. (and I am positive that there is a relation between a cold/mucus that causes my band to swell.) I was so tight on our way down to Texas, that I was drinking warm liquids before every meal just so I could get any amount of food down during a meal. (warm liquids before a meal tend to help open my band up) Anyways... I was being extremely careful because I had never felt such restriction... (my fill had been 2 weeks earlier and I HAD been fine) I was nervous taking a trip while being so tight but funerals don't wait.

I did pretty well until the day of the funeral. I was at the family luncheon we had before the funeral. I wasn't able to get a hot drink prior to eating and I took some food including a small piece of homemade fried chicken. I think it was the chicken that did it. I felt that feeling of... "you better stop cause things aren't moving, better wait till it passes" feeling. So I took a break and sat there... the feeling got worse and worse. Finally about 5 min later I told my husband that I was going to excuse myself because I was having some band issues. I ended up in the bathroom with a serious stuck feeling... I felt the burn telling me that I need to throw up but I held on figuring it would pass (like normal) but it just got worse and worse. I started the drooling part and finally figured screw it... I was going to have to let give in and "toss it up" into the porcelain. What shot out was pure slimy clearness... no food at all. I felt some relief but still felt like crap. Then within 5 min it was starting all over again... I was like... "what the crap" this has never happen before. The bathroom started to fill up with extended family and I moved my agony out to an empty part of the church... and I ended up throwing up into a church trash can and STILL no food. Just clear slimy stuff... (my apologies to the church staff)

Finally, something like 45 mins later I was able to rejoin the family. Just in time too... my insides felt torn up and sore. I was so scared that I had just caused serious damage to my self and all while out of town. It was horrible.

I ended up staying on liquids for OVER 24 hours and I DID recover. But I was sore inside all that night. It was truly my UGLEST banding moment.

UPDATE AS OF TODAY: I truly am tight but I don't think overly tight. I can eat just about anything (very little to none... rice, pasta bread) but my meals are about 3/4 a cup to 1 cup. I always go to bed at least 1 hour after eating. And I pretty much feel like I am at my sweet spot. My weight has been consistently coming off and I am feeling great. If I get a cold I will be sure to watch how my band is doing. This truly is a different way of life but as I reach my almost 100 lbs gone mark I am SO grateful for this little tool of mine and I'd do it all again. I am learning to respect the band and work with it. I am willing to put off my desires for the "rules" of the band.