I havent started a lot of discussions on here but I had to share this one! I have been doing very well with this band so far. I was banded on August 8, so just a little over 8 weeks ago and I have lost 51 pounds so far(that includes my pre-op preparation), I have had so much more energy and feel so much better! I am playing volleyball on an adult league at the Y. I suck at it but I sure am having fun. I have been riding my bike usually about 10 miles a few days a week. I am simply enjoying life.

But heres the kicker! I went shopping with my 17 year old daughter (who has a perfect body btw) last weekend. I have been putting off buying clothes as long as I could since I still want to lose 60 more pounds but my clothes (even the smaller sizes that I have been saving for years) are getting too big for me to keep wearing. I decided i would buy a couple of outfits to keep me going till I lose more. When I went into the mall, of course I immediately went to the big girl stores that I always had to shop at. But guess what! Nothing would fit me there. I had to go to the stores that I have always dreamed of shopping at and shop on the NON-plus side of the store. Not only did I have a great time trying on clothes because they actually looked good, but my daughter had a blast. She was acting like Stacy and Clinton on "What not to wear". She kept bringing me trendy outfits to the dressing room saying "Try this on Mom! This is gonna look great on you! I was in heaven!

That really motivated me! Now the only problem is I am gonna go broke because for once, I love shopping! My daughter and I are going to the mall again today! lol!

When you are tempted to eat something you shouldnt or you just dont feel like going to the gym, think about moments like these. Which is better? The couple of minutes I would enjoy that piece of chocolate cake or that whole day that I am going to spend bonding with my daughter and enjoying some great time with her. We are going to Busch Gardens in a couple of weeks and I will ride every roller coaster with her without fear of emabarrassment for not fitting on the ride. We are also planning a trip to the mountains and are going to go ziplining and horseback riding and I dont have to worry about exceeding weight limits. My job requires me to stand in front of a lot of people facilitating training sessions and doing a lot of public speaking. Now I proudly move around the room as I speak instead of trying to find a podium or table to hide behind. Boy, life sure is different when you feel confident about the way you look and when you have the energy to get moving!

So People- Put down that popcorn or piece of cake and get off the couch and start living!!!!

EXCELLENT POST!!! i can relate to everything you are saying! i'm down 53 pounds since banding july 5 (you are doing very well by the way - way ahead of the weight loss curve for only being out 8 weeks!!). I have to stand in front of groups as part of my job too and i always hated it - but it's getting easier as the weight comes off. I too am looking forward to shopping in normal stores and wondered if i would start really spending there (never a problem in the past since i hated shopping and only bought the bare minimum i needed to get by). Thanks for this motivating post - and have a wonderful time with your daughter - i just have a 5 year old son so no shopping buddy for me at home LOL - but my mom and sister in law could shop every day for sport - so i'm sure i'll have a buddy when the time is right. LOL - BEST OF LUCK TO ALL OF US ON OUR JOURNEYS!!!!!

Congrats!! I am so happy for you and this awesome experience you had!! Not only do you have confidence, you are building happy memories with your daughter! Keep it up!!

That's great. So you don't go broke, try your local Salvation Army stores. The have really nice clothes at awesome prices. It's a good place to get transitional clothes to get you through to your goal weight.

Great job!!! I remember my first shopping trip after I could no longer fit in any of my clothes. It is such a wonderful feeling. At the beginning of the summer I bought a couple nice pairs of capris, size 14 and tops size large. I work part time in retail so I had to have a couple decent outfits and I figured they would get me through the summer. Within a couple weeks, my new clothes were falling off of me. I tried on some clothes at work and was thrilled to fit in a size 10 bottom and medium top. I now fit in a size 9 bottom and medium top in juniors. I even bought a skirt yesterday that was a 7 Keep up the great work and thank you for the motivating post!!!

Great NSV (non-scale victory) post ! I am so happy for you. You have done a great job so far. :clap: Keep going all the way to goal!