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Have you ever gone into your closet and said " I have nothing to wear"? If you are a woman I'm sure you have lol. Anyway I had this great idea that I wanted to share with all of you. If you have a phone with a camera on it, take a picture of yourself everyday in a different outfit everyday try to only include your favorite ones. (The ones where you say "hey I really look great in this") before you know it you will have a outfit catalog to go to on the days you just don't know what to wear :-)
 
 
Amanda Out!!!!

One year and a day I went to have my lap band surgery, I remember being scared and not really know what my future was going to be like. Before i got started my heaviest was 301lbs. I still dont think that i have ever said that out load but there it is. The day of surgery i weighted a good 295lbs, i wore a pant size of 20 shirts where XXXL, bra 44C, underwear 18s, Sweat pants XXL, and wedding ring was a 10 1/2. Today with all my ups and downs i weigh a 185lbs, pants size 11 to 10, shirts Large, bra 38 B, underwear M, sweat pants M wedding ring i finally got sized 8. So was it worth it? HELL YES!!!!!!!!!!! For once i am proud of myself and i might now look skinny as some but to me i am beautiful.
I have to admit there are things that i thought i wouldn't ever get to do again like eat at out, eat food that was yummy, drink a soda every now and then, have a drink with friends, things like that but it turns out i can. I am not limited i just know what i can and cant do and what i should and shouldn't do i know that everything has a consequence and i also know that i am fine with that. I love my band and if it wasn't for me asking for the help i would still be where i was before. Afraid of life not really living life because i let my weight hold me back. Now nothing can hold me back! Thanks lap band for getting me this far and thanks to my family, friends, doctors, and everyone else who has been there this year, without all of them i wouldn't be where i am today!

So what dose a ralph laren Cable knit swetter have to do with anything. Last year at a size 24 all i wanted was a Ralph Laren cable knit swetter. I tryed it on it was to tight. I cryed thinking i just a fat slob i never fit into anything like this. So i hit my dr goal and I was told to celbratte victororys. Well to me this is a virctory how to celbrate. I already had my zumba party I done my mani pedi ( note to self i need another my toes are a mess) So I knew when i saw it Ralph Laren Cable kint sweeter it was ment for me. I proud to say i did not need the EX Large eather. I love my new swetter. I love my new life I love my new closet full of cloths.. I love the fact that I can do things i never dreamed i could.

Ok, so i am ready for the wrath that I'm sure i will get about posting this.... but i really want to know how others feel.
 
How do you feel about Medicare and or Medicaid paying for Lapband?
 
This infuriates me...... I get up every freaking day and head to work for 7am and work till 4.... then I clean office building on the weekends to supplement our family income to be able to get the "extras" in life.
 
I work because i have to and because my family need food, house, car, electricity... and insurance. So not only do we pay for the insurance, but the co-pays, the meds, the deductibles and the 20% after that.
 
In the meantime, people are getting all their pre-certs, surgery and fill...... for free. Why should i have to pay for your surgery when you don't have a job or insurance to pay for it your self....
 
Then come on here and complain about and or wonder if your fills will be covered......Really!!!!
 
I wish the government and other peoples taxes would have paid for mine....Oh and my recent Tummy tuck... i sure could use the help paying that $8800.... any takers
 
Ok, Bring it.....

What an awesome couple of days I have had! First< i cut about 5 inches off of my hair and got some nice light blonde highlights. I think it has really changed my face and has given me a boost. Second, I am down another few pounds to make 27lbs lost! And my biggest achievement is that I finally went to Old Navy for some new jeans. I went in and grabbed the biggest size they carry, a 20. In Lane Bryant I had been a 22/24 so I was a little nervous about the 20's but I tried them on anyway. They Fit!! Plus I got some really cute tops to make some nice new summer outfits. Well I get home and put the pants on and notice they are a little loose! I can pull them off without unbuttoning them. Holy Cow. The thought never entered my head to try on an 18 but that is what I need now.
 
Such a different mind set this is. I used to be so happy when something fit I never would have thought about going smaller. Another added bonus is that Lane Bryant can be pricey and all of my stuff from Old Navy was wayyyyy cheaper! So, new hair and new smaller clothes to go with the new me. Yeah, I could get used to this.

Just got back from having my second fill. This time I know better than to try to predict how it will work until it's had time to settle in. Of course I didn't notice any immediate difference (unless you count belching a couple of times within a few minutes of leaving the office, and with the way I belch after being banded, I put no store in that), but I know it will take time for the stomach to adjust to the additional pressure in the band, so for now, I'm just in waiting mode. Waiting and liquids mode today. Waiting and mushies mode tomorrow.
 
Apparently, I am totally average so far according to my surgeon. He said most people lose 3-4 lbs per month the first couple of months until they get a sufficient level of fill. Yup, I'm right there. I told him that unless I ate a cup or more at a time, I was hungry within 2 hours of eating. Totally normal. And I also mentioned that the first fill actually seemed to make a difference for the first week or so, then the noticeable effect went away. Again, that's normal. Good to know that I'm not somehow an oddball for my experiences so far.
 
He gave me the option of choosing between 3 levels of fill: Aggressive = adding 3cc; Moderate = Adding 2.5cc; or Conservative = Adding 2cc. I went with moderate, which brought my total fill up to 5.5cc in an 11cc Realize band. Aside from my anal retentive soul liking the idea of being at exactly half-full, I also felt this was the right decision at this time. Part of me really wanted to go with the aggressive fill, because, hey, it's not like I don't want to lose as much weight as possible as fast as possible, but the larger part of me thinks that if I can make this journey without ever experiencing a stuck episode or the joys of PBing, that would be just fine with me. Also, I'm a bit of a wuss about stomach discomfort; to me, vomiting is the most horrifying experience in the human repertoire, and I dread it for more reasons that just not wanting my band to slip. I'd rather go through just about any type of illness than have to vomit. I mean that. So the idea of going slowly seems to make sense to me. I knew I didn't want to be super conservative, because I get uber-frustrated when I don't lose, but since my surgeon is fine with filling every 3 weeks, I figured I could do 2.5 until then and see where it takes me.
 
Fingers crossed. In the meantime, I'm going to go make some soup and pay an inordinate amount of attention to any and every sensation between my neck and my belly button.
 
Because I'm obsessive like that. Duh!

Hi fellow bandsters! I had another one of those "then & now" moments today while I was out riding my bike. We were at mile 10 when my son asked if we should stop or do 5 more. What's 5 more was my reply! And off we went.
 
Back before Bandolina became part of my body, that was my reaction when I would get on the scale and it was up 5 pounds. Or when I was eating just about anything....never about moving my body!
 
Thought I wouls share!