ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Today is my 1 year anniversary of having my lap band. I started out at 275 and I have lost 72 pounds total this year. My total BMI before surgery was 42 today it is 33. I have learned so much over this past year; My band is a tool and not a quick fix. My band might like food one day and tomorrow it might not! Losing 1 pound a week is better than gaining. Bread will not be my friend ever again. chips and dip go down but a piece of chicken might not.

It is all about choices!

I have had months where I snack everyday on candy. I don't work out as I should and as I hit my 1 year mark the weight loss could have been more.. BUT.. my goal for 1 year was 70 to 75 pounds down.. I"VE DONE IT!

Next year I'll lose the other 40 pounds to be in the overweight/healthy USA guild lines.

I have no regrets about getting my band, sure I'd love to eat like a normal person but face it if I was normal I would not have the band in the first place.

Goals I gave myself a year ago that I have done:

Fit into my leather pants-11/11/03, fit into my white pants 12/29/03, ride a roller coaster 6/04/04, not use a seat belt exstention on an airplane 6/29/04, be under 200 pounds-SOON!

fit into my wedding dress.. Well, I have a few more pounds to lose to fit into my dress but I can now get it on over my boobs!

Total inches lost;

Chest 7inches

Waist- 11 inches

Hips- 13 inches

Next years goal:

BMI in the 30 to 25 range

Fit totally into my wedding dress

Run a mile

Be off all my meds

I have pictures on my family website www.jgejdavis.com

Under pictures and on my journal page.

Here is to another year of weight loss..

That is phenomenal! You have done a wonderful job and sounds like you have set great goals to achieve in the next year!!!! Best of luck to you and I'm sooo proud of you, your doing great, keep up the good work!!!!!!!

Katie

Great photos, Ginger! You have a lot of courage to post that wedding dress photo;) -- and you have a great attitude, too! I know you'll meet your goal for next year. Thanks for posting this wonderful reminder that change takes time, but it WILL happen.

Whoo hooo!!! Ginger, congrats!!! You have a great attitude, and I know this second year will see you arrive at your remaining goals!!

Thank you for posting -

As someone who is newly banded, it is always good to hear about people that are not 'perfect' with their band, but are still very successful. Those are the most inspiring stories to me.

Congrats! You have done a wonderful job. Great pictures!

You have done great in a year! This next year should be a piece of cake ... without eating it, of course. Your pictures are great. You don't have too far to go to fit that dress. Keep up the good work!

Ginger, you are truly an inspiration!

One thing I need to commend you on - with your husband's "job", I would STAY stressed out and EAT all of the time. Heck, you lost 70+ pounds with everything youve gone through this past year - goodness girl.... you have this thing nipped in the bud!

BIG (((HUGS))) to you for a successful year!!!

Congratulations to you! It's great that you set some NSVs as your goals and that you kept track of when you met them. What a great idea!

Nancy

Love your post..Love your attitude and enthusiasm

What an accomplishment. I can tell by reading your post that you are very proud of yourself as you very well should be.

Hope the next year brings you just as much success & happiness!

No lie, my eyes just watered up at your post. What an amazing way to end my day. There's hope for all of us.

Can I ask you... have you ever pouch-packed? Did you ever eat past the point of being full? I have a lot of good days, but on my bad days I often overeat. I usually do really well as far as food choices. I've sliced my junkfood intake to a fraction of what it used to be, but I still think my portions are too big, so I'm contantly concerned about stretching my pouch.

I don't want to hi-jack this post with my problems, but can you tell me if/how you overcame this problem, or have you stuck to tiny portions. Please tell us more about how you made it through the entire year. I love your goals!

Great job!! I love that you have taken this slow and steady.

Are you in Ft Hood?

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I do feel good about myself these days and it is hard. My husband is in Iraq and the kids and I are living on post at Ft hood. I am from Indiana, away from my family and friends. I have days where I just wanted to pig out on anything just because I was stressed. I can't.. I told my husband if I did not have the band I'd be over 300 now with him being gone. The days are long but the nights without him are endless.. Old habits are hard to break!

THANK YOU for all the post!!

I really needed it this week-I'm really missing my husband