JARS517

I hate baggy clothes, and wearing my size 40 jeans made me feel sloppy. I am currently wearing 38"comfortably, but I decided to try on 36" when I went shopping. Here are the results:
 
 
Now this is uncharted territory, but I am more than happy to keep on exploring. Going where Terry has never gone before. Band, warp 9!

I was going to wait on making a blog entry until next month as April 16 is my one year mark of my surgery. Today I stepped on the scale and I was 321. I had a sudden realization of how thing have changed in just a short month and a half. I'll explain shortly.
 
Since I was banded in April of 2012 I always had this thought that weight would slide off seeing that I was so big and typically big people lose quicker. As time went on I realize that is not how it works and I begun to accept that. Even though I understood slow and gradual movements on the scale I never seemed quite pleased. Now before you scoff or judge me because yes I have lost a ton of weight in a short time it still didn't seem quite right. It seemed I would lose two pounds then the scale wouldn't budge sometimes for like 3 weeks. Sometimes even longer. I often times got really frustrated in the beginning but slowly I adjusted to it.
 
So going back to today. Today I weighed in at 321 and when I got my last fill on Jan 29 I was 341. I have lost 20lbs since my January appointment. My food intake changed drastically as did my attitude. Eating a cup of food is more of a chore then ever as of late. I thought before this latest fill I was in the green zone but as I crept closer to January not so much. Now since this last .5cc I am actually there and for the first time I am seeing the weight move like I originally expected. I am hoping it keeps up for a little while but I know the more I lose the slower it will become.
 
So take it from someone who is someday hoping to become an actual veteran bandster that the green zone can be very allusive but once you find it...WOW.
 
Missy (Mis73) told me time and time again that .5, yes a just half of cc can make a whole world of difference. She wasn't kidding!!
 
I hope the downward trend continues and I hope you're all losers....just like me.
 
Have a wonderful healthy day and weekend!
 
-Jim

This morning I gingerly stepped on the dreaded scale, and much to my delight, it showed me I was down 20 pounds since pre-op! Of course I did a happy dance, and then turned around and checked myself out in the mirror. Something I haven't done for a while. To my amazement, I noticed I lost a roll in my back. I went from two to one! I'm starting to get a waist back again, and I feel lighter. Then, to add to my reverent state of mind, my husband comes up to me telling me his underware is like hanging off of him, and he needs to go buy new underware. We are both obese, and since I've started this journey, he's been by my side, and doing well for himself too. He's lost now 18 pounds I think? He said to me, "When you're doing good, I'm doing good too." Awe.

So I started my journey on January 7 and has since lost a total of 26 pounds. Now I'm happy about my weight loss but I'm really happy about fitting into a pair of jeans I haven't worn in a whole year. It's the little steps that count. :wub:

So.. I have signed up to do a 45 day challenge with my weight loss support group from my surgeon's office. The challenge is we have to exercise every day for 45 days. We then have to post a pic or a video of us doing the exercise or being active in some way on the group's facebook forum page. The prize is a chance to win a gift card.
 
So today, I joined a gym. I have a friend who did the RNY surgery today. She goes to the same gym and will be working out with me when she is back on her feet. I don't really care about the gift card. I am excited to be excited about working out. This has never happened to me before. I usually hate the thought of any kind of physical activity.
 
I feel good when i get up and out of the house for a while. I feel great after I dance with my daughter. I might not have dropped a ton of weight yet (who has at 4 weeks?), but I have a ton more energy.
 
I am down 25 lbs so far. I am looking forward to seeing what I will look like and feel like after the 45 day challenge. Once it is over, I will post an album of the daily pictures so we can see the progress. If people want to see it. I thought it might be cool to see what a one and a half month transformation looks like.

This weekend my husband & I went to Lubbock, Texas for the Wine Chocolate Fantasia at Llano Estacado Winery. This is an annual event and is both a fund raiser for the ACF Texas Panhandle Chefs de Cuisine and the West Texas Parkinsonism Society; as well as a chocolate competition. There are entries from amateurs, professionals and chefs. The evening includes many of Llano Estacado’s wines for sampling.
 
It was quite enjoyable hanging around barrels of aging wine, sampling some interesting chocolate creations and sipping on my favorite wines.
 
I consumed about 800 calories this evening; pure sugar and fat calories. My total calories for the day were 1600. I am at goal and that is the only reason I chose to attend this event. I would never recommend anyone still losing to attempt managing an evening like this. I don’t know the actual calorie count for the chocolate I sampled nor do I know their actual weight so I took my best guess.
 
Why am I telling you about this? Two reasons; it was fun and I want to share my experience managing the maintenance lifestyle. I know that I am going to attend things where the only choice is wasted calories, full of fat. As long as I stay in moderation I will be successful.
 
I planned for this event I knew I would be eating chocolate and drinking wine. I knew about how much I wanted to have before I arrived and I stuck to that. The evening was an absolute blast.

Cleaning our closets out finally got to me, so I went in to do mine, and it is only about a quarter full now. Got a nice NSV in the process as well. 2005 I hit the lowest weight of my adult life when I went from 324 to 249.8, I stayed there for a couple of weeks and then started gaining again. During the that time I bought a couple of nice sports shirts that I really loved, but haven't been able to wear since, and I ran across them while I was cleaning. On a lark I tried them on and they fit.
 
Now looking forward to the sale at Kohl's in a couple of days with a 20% off coupon in my hot little hand.

Previously I cut all ties with my publisher for personal reasons. So I decided to submit my manuscript to one of the hardest to get published, publishing companies in the United States. I did this about six weeks ago and figured well they said I would hear something in two weeks. So I gave up. I continue to write everyday because I love to do it and well..... I think I am pretty good at it.
 
So today came the email and I didn't want to open it because I knew it was a rejection email. After all this time it had to be right? WRONG WRONG WRONG!
 
Not only did they accept my manuscript but said this:
 
Congratulations Cheryl! Tate Publishing has accepted your book,"The Prevalence of Love" for publication. This email is to inform you that we would love to move you to the next step in this process and get you a contract to look over. I have been reading through your submission and I am certainly impressed. This is a project that we are really interested in taking on. I just want you to know upfront that I really enjoyed your work and we are excited about this opportunity. Please take some time to read through the material and let me know if you have any questions.
 
It is important that you know what it is about your book that caught our eye and you need to realize that a lot of time and effort goes in to each review of every submission that comes to us. Your book has been chosen on the basis of writing ability, concept and most importantly- marketability. It is with great pleasure that we welcome you as one of the 4% chosen out of tens of thousands each year to become a published author with us. Congratulations![/font]
 
I was moved by your short stories and the encouragement that radiates in your writing. We are very honored to have you come our way and look forward to working with you on this project. [/font]
 
Yes they read every single submission they get and my book was picked! Over the years my writing has improved drastically. I not only just produce books but I write for Yahoo Voices, The Examiner, Angies Diaries and many other websites. With perserverence I have been given an opportunity that most authors never have the chance to get. It is hard to get published and while I have been publshed for quite some time by another publishing company that is being sued by many authors for their lies and deciet, I have broken through to a publisher that is by far hard as hell to get published by. So today I do my happy dance and now you all know what I do instead of thinking of food. I write.[/font]
TIME FOR A BIG HAPPY DANCE

Like the title say day 4 post-opt and boy do i feel a lot better, not quite 100% yet but I feel good just the same. I'm able to move a lot better and the gas, well I still have it just not as bad. Just wanted to give a little update.

It's only been a few days banded but I wake every morning with gratitude. Gratitude for my healthy happy kids and husband. Grateful my cavings are at bay...if only for today...gratitude I had the courage to finally go through with the lap band and make the commitment to change my life.
 
A goal without a plan is just a wish.

It is important for me to share my journey with others. I will be honest about what I am feeling so that new people or people thinking about getting banded can have an honest view point. I believe most people are this way but there are also some trolls out there with weird agendas that want to scare people. There will be ups and downs as with anything, I am sure. It is my goal to honestly portray what it is like to be banded.
 
I am 34 years old with a start weight of 305. I have a large blended family. Between my husband and I we have 6 children and a very busy life.
I am 8 days post op today. My surgery included a hernia repair, lapband and plication. My band was not "primed" at time of surgery. My first fill is scheduled for 6 weeks post op.
 
To be quite honest, I am one of those people who don't do well with any pain meds. They knock me out and generally make me groggy. That is what happened this week. Not only was I groggy but I experienced discomfort like never before in my life. This was me being unprepared as I have never had major surgery before. The gas pains alone threw me. They are not your standard gas pain. Until you have it you really won't know what people mean when they are talking about the gas. When you have your band do what everyone says and walk, walk, walk. The first three days after surgery, I was happiest when walking. Working out the gas pressure is a relief!
 
My relationship with food this week has been an emotional roller coaster. In the beginning of the week, I felt like I had lost a dear friend. I am still on the clear liquid part of my post op diet. It seems like every commercial on TV is about food. Food I don't even normally like looks delicious. Now, at the beginning of my second week Post OP, those commercials no longer bother me. I have accepted the stage of the diet I am on and I know that eventually I will be able to eat "real food" as long as I keep it healthy I WILL succeed!
 
My relationship with my husband has gotten stronger. I am 34 years old and needed help taking a shower, getting dressed and making broth for myself. He stepped up and did all of these things for me. He took the kids to school, cleaned house, and made their dinner all while holding down a job of his own. I could not have done as well this week without his loving support. When I was ready to start doing things on my own again he did not smother me. He is letting me take control back one step at a time, as I am ready. I am truly blessed to have him in my life. I hope everyone can find support in this journey as I have.
 
I have had a lot of time to think this week. I took a long hard look at myself and have decided I will not fail my band. Notice I did not say the band will not fail me. I will not fail the band because I have made a decision to follow doctor's orders, to be honest with myself and to let my support system help me. I made the decision to take this step in my life for my health. Let's be honest here.. I also have dreams of feeling sexy again. I am 34 not 90. It is up to me to see that this tool helps me reach my goal. I believe with all my heart personal responsibility needs to be a big part of the healing process.
 
So flash forward to post op day 8. I feel fantastic today! I have no more pain. I have not had to take my pain meds for two days. The gas is all gone. Food commercials no longer bother me. I am not weak or groggy anymore.
 
So I promised in my title two NSV's (non scale victories) and one SV (scale victory). So already I am encouraged by progress.
My first and a very important NSV is I was able to get my wedding rings back on. Not only are they on but they are comfortable and no longer cutting into my fingers! As I was heartbroken and sorely disappointed in myself when I had to take them off, I am overjoyed to wear them again. My husband is also very proud I am wearing his rings again.
The second and also very important NSV.. I was able to sleep in my own bed last night! This was the first time in 10 years I have had to sleep apart from my husband when in the same house. We have never let a fight make one of us sleep on the couch. I spent the entire last week in my recliner because it was the only comfortable spot to sleep. I am so HAPPY to be back in my own bed.
 
And drum roll please... My scale victory... As of this morning I am down to 289 from 305lbs. 16 lbs lost! I have not seen the scale move backwards in years and never has it moved 16lbs! I can do this. If you are a new person with doubts and questions.. YOU can do this if you want to. Do research. When you think you have done enough.. do some more. It is not easy. Oh boy is it not the easy way out.. It is a tool for you to use.
If you want success, reach out and grab it. It is there for you. Remember success comes with bumps in the road. These are just things we all have to get through. It is part of life.
 
I am sure I will have ups and downs. Lets be realistic. Of course there will be ups and downs. I will share as many of these as I can that I feel people considering this journey should hear. If something goes wrong (unlikely), I will be honest about it and what caused it. I will share the victories as well.
 
Thank you for reading my first blog. I wish you all success in your own journeys no matter what road they take. I am happy to answer any questions I can if you have any. =)