Two Years of Banded Life-the good, bad & ugly!
2 years ago today, Banderella came into my life. Of all the decisions I've made in life, and there have been many, she is by far the best one I made for myself!
Here is the start: I was actually down 32lbs from preop diet and three weeks after surgery.
My highest weight RECORDED was 335. Did I probably weigh more than that at one time. HELL YES! But when someone who I worked with talked to me about a surgery she just had, called lapband, 335 was what I weighed the day I attended my first seminar to see what it was about! I went to my seminar in January, saw the doctor in February and was approved in March. And on that faithful rainy day in April, two of the best bariatric surgeons placed my Banderella!
In the beginning it was a rocky road. Having this diet coke addict told that she would no longer function daily with her 5 cans was painful & the withdrawl horrifying! Headaches that I never want to experience again in my life! I did great on the liquid diet, although lets be honest, on day three, I went thru the drive in at McDonald's & ordered Nuggets & fries! I had old friends I had to say goodbye to. And a noodle or two jumped into my mouth when having the broth from some soup! But for the most part, I stuck with it and lost 22lbs before surgery.
The first two months after surgery were slow loses for me. But by doctor's standards were just fine with 8lbs a piece. After that when I really got with the program the weight was flying off at 12-17lbs a month. Did I pb or slim or have stuck episodes? YES. Because this was a learning process. I had to teach myself how to eat slowly and enjoy my food instead of inhaling it like previously.
My first 100lbs came off in 7 months. At 2 yrs out, I kind of wi**** had come off slower. Because when I stopped losing at the rate I had previous lost at, it thru me in a funk. But that coincided with me losing my job so I think they went kind of hand in hand at the time. But what did I do while I was unemployed? I thru myself into exercise! If you were looking for me, odds were you'd find me at the gym or in an exercise class. I did it to keep from eating every bit of food in my house! It worked and distracted me from food. Exercise became my serious cross addiction! It replaced food, alcohol, soda, friends, family~EVERYTHING! For the first time in my life I could focus only on myself. Am I advocating this for everyone? Heck no! Did it work out for me! Oh how I'd love to tell you life is roses & it got me to goal. But nope! But has it gotten me healthier and beat down my comorbities and helped to keep other illnesses quiet or managable~YES! What it did was make it a habit for me! If you are a friend on facebook, you see my check ins at Club Fitness at all hours of the day or night! I sometimes go at 4:30-5am or after work. Or sometimes both. I try to do it daily, but not always! You get to hear what I did that day & how many calories I burned! Aren't you lucky?
When I got my band, my expectation was that I'd be at my goal weight by my 1yr anniversary. Well when that didn't happen, I told myself that it would happen at 2 yrs out. Ummmm, that didn't happen! Am I depressed about it? Somedays to be frank and honest with you, I am. But, I have to remind myself (or my banded *****es remind me) that it's about the journey and not the destination. I have the drive and determination to get to that destination, it just may take a little longer that expected. I counsel others to not compare themselves to others. But do I do it? Yes I do. It isn't easy getting thru that one for me! I feel like Violet from Willy Wonka sometimes stomping my feet & saying "but I want to be at goal too!". As my girls remind me, I didn't put it on overnight and I will not take it off overnight either!
Let's be honest here! My band keeps me full and satisfied anywhere from 3-5 hrs and sometimes I can go 7 hrs without being hungry. Does she keep me from eating ice cream & M&M's? HELL NO! Do I still eat them? Ummmmm, I gave up ice cream for lent in hopes that it being gone from my life with break my desire for it. Those damn M&M's jump into my basket every single time I'm at the store. I'm getting better, but those suckers go down smooth when nothing else will!The same goes for popcorn! Oh how I wi**** wasn't a slider food for me! Can't even have it in the house. If I do, I'll eat it. And don't say, "oh just have a cup!" Be real! I can eat a whole damn bag & be fine! That's the point. My band doesn't stop me from making bad choices, I stop me from making bad choices (oh yeah the bb's stop me too)!
So what has helped me be successful in these last two years? First, following the rules 80% of the time. Yeah, I guess if I gave it 100% I'd be further, but again, it's a learning process for each of us! 2) Protein first always~FYI Peanut M&M's have 5 grams of protein in case you were wondering. In my crazy mind, it is how I justify them! 3) Water- 64-100 oz a day. No excuses! It doesn't have to be pure water. I drink Fuze, Fruit 20, Vitamin Water Zero & Crystal Light. My NUT says if the tea is decaf I can count that too. If I drink caffeine, I need to drink an extra glass of water to counteract the caffeine effects on my body (again, just MY NUT's suggestion) 4) Exercise! Not saying you have to be a demon about it, but you need to move your body 30 minutes a day, 210 a week. More is better, but if that is the least you can do, DO IT! My favorite quotes~You can make excuses or you can get results, but you can't do both! And EVERY DAMN DAY! Just do it! 5) SUPPORT SYSTEM~one of the most important parts of this journey. Whether it be coming to OH, support groups thru your surgeon or bariatric group or just friends that share your journey. I can't express enough about the importance of an accountability partner(s). I'd be lost without mine! Very few people are allowed to yell at me or put me in my place. If other people tried to put me in my place I'd either go off on them, ignore them or cut them from my life. Jac & Lis are the two lucky ones that get to push me around and let me have it when I need to! If you didn't read Lis's post yesterday about smelling roses, you need to! She gave me the kick in the pants that I needed!
But overall please remember that this journey is yours and yours alone! There is no "one size fits all" or even "one size fits most!" It is yours and yours alone!
Enjoy the photos attached!
I wore a tight 3X and now a Large!
Size 24W to 14 Misses! Woot!
My First new pair of LEVI's! EVER!
New Dress
Two yrs later! Smelling the roses for sure!
Here is the start: I was actually down 32lbs from preop diet and three weeks after surgery.
My highest weight RECORDED was 335. Did I probably weigh more than that at one time. HELL YES! But when someone who I worked with talked to me about a surgery she just had, called lapband, 335 was what I weighed the day I attended my first seminar to see what it was about! I went to my seminar in January, saw the doctor in February and was approved in March. And on that faithful rainy day in April, two of the best bariatric surgeons placed my Banderella!
In the beginning it was a rocky road. Having this diet coke addict told that she would no longer function daily with her 5 cans was painful & the withdrawl horrifying! Headaches that I never want to experience again in my life! I did great on the liquid diet, although lets be honest, on day three, I went thru the drive in at McDonald's & ordered Nuggets & fries! I had old friends I had to say goodbye to. And a noodle or two jumped into my mouth when having the broth from some soup! But for the most part, I stuck with it and lost 22lbs before surgery.
The first two months after surgery were slow loses for me. But by doctor's standards were just fine with 8lbs a piece. After that when I really got with the program the weight was flying off at 12-17lbs a month. Did I pb or slim or have stuck episodes? YES. Because this was a learning process. I had to teach myself how to eat slowly and enjoy my food instead of inhaling it like previously.
My first 100lbs came off in 7 months. At 2 yrs out, I kind of wi**** had come off slower. Because when I stopped losing at the rate I had previous lost at, it thru me in a funk. But that coincided with me losing my job so I think they went kind of hand in hand at the time. But what did I do while I was unemployed? I thru myself into exercise! If you were looking for me, odds were you'd find me at the gym or in an exercise class. I did it to keep from eating every bit of food in my house! It worked and distracted me from food. Exercise became my serious cross addiction! It replaced food, alcohol, soda, friends, family~EVERYTHING! For the first time in my life I could focus only on myself. Am I advocating this for everyone? Heck no! Did it work out for me! Oh how I'd love to tell you life is roses & it got me to goal. But nope! But has it gotten me healthier and beat down my comorbities and helped to keep other illnesses quiet or managable~YES! What it did was make it a habit for me! If you are a friend on facebook, you see my check ins at Club Fitness at all hours of the day or night! I sometimes go at 4:30-5am or after work. Or sometimes both. I try to do it daily, but not always! You get to hear what I did that day & how many calories I burned! Aren't you lucky?
When I got my band, my expectation was that I'd be at my goal weight by my 1yr anniversary. Well when that didn't happen, I told myself that it would happen at 2 yrs out. Ummmm, that didn't happen! Am I depressed about it? Somedays to be frank and honest with you, I am. But, I have to remind myself (or my banded *****es remind me) that it's about the journey and not the destination. I have the drive and determination to get to that destination, it just may take a little longer that expected. I counsel others to not compare themselves to others. But do I do it? Yes I do. It isn't easy getting thru that one for me! I feel like Violet from Willy Wonka sometimes stomping my feet & saying "but I want to be at goal too!". As my girls remind me, I didn't put it on overnight and I will not take it off overnight either!
Let's be honest here! My band keeps me full and satisfied anywhere from 3-5 hrs and sometimes I can go 7 hrs without being hungry. Does she keep me from eating ice cream & M&M's? HELL NO! Do I still eat them? Ummmmm, I gave up ice cream for lent in hopes that it being gone from my life with break my desire for it. Those damn M&M's jump into my basket every single time I'm at the store. I'm getting better, but those suckers go down smooth when nothing else will!The same goes for popcorn! Oh how I wi**** wasn't a slider food for me! Can't even have it in the house. If I do, I'll eat it. And don't say, "oh just have a cup!" Be real! I can eat a whole damn bag & be fine! That's the point. My band doesn't stop me from making bad choices, I stop me from making bad choices (oh yeah the bb's stop me too)!
So what has helped me be successful in these last two years? First, following the rules 80% of the time. Yeah, I guess if I gave it 100% I'd be further, but again, it's a learning process for each of us! 2) Protein first always~FYI Peanut M&M's have 5 grams of protein in case you were wondering. In my crazy mind, it is how I justify them! 3) Water- 64-100 oz a day. No excuses! It doesn't have to be pure water. I drink Fuze, Fruit 20, Vitamin Water Zero & Crystal Light. My NUT says if the tea is decaf I can count that too. If I drink caffeine, I need to drink an extra glass of water to counteract the caffeine effects on my body (again, just MY NUT's suggestion) 4) Exercise! Not saying you have to be a demon about it, but you need to move your body 30 minutes a day, 210 a week. More is better, but if that is the least you can do, DO IT! My favorite quotes~You can make excuses or you can get results, but you can't do both! And EVERY DAMN DAY! Just do it! 5) SUPPORT SYSTEM~one of the most important parts of this journey. Whether it be coming to OH, support groups thru your surgeon or bariatric group or just friends that share your journey. I can't express enough about the importance of an accountability partner(s). I'd be lost without mine! Very few people are allowed to yell at me or put me in my place. If other people tried to put me in my place I'd either go off on them, ignore them or cut them from my life. Jac & Lis are the two lucky ones that get to push me around and let me have it when I need to! If you didn't read Lis's post yesterday about smelling roses, you need to! She gave me the kick in the pants that I needed!
But overall please remember that this journey is yours and yours alone! There is no "one size fits all" or even "one size fits most!" It is yours and yours alone!
Enjoy the photos attached!
I wore a tight 3X and now a Large!
Size 24W to 14 Misses! Woot!
My First new pair of LEVI's! EVER!
New DressTwo yrs later! Smelling the roses for sure! 
Thank you. I don't have much more at the moment just being a week out, but after reading a lot of the "I'd never get the Lap Band" posts I had started to get a little afraid. You helped me to redirect myself to remembering the research I did and why this is going to work for me!!!
"Accountability first to yourself, then nobody else matters"
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!! (no wonder your boss was trying to get you to work, that my friend was a BOOK!) 
If there are any posts to learn from, this is MOST definately one of them!!!! This is the good bad and ugly just like you said...
Being honest with yourself, thats what keeps you so successful..
Keep it up Banded *****!! and I know you will, because if you dont, Lis and I will kick your ass...
If there are any posts to learn from, this is MOST definately one of them!!!! This is the good bad and ugly just like you said...
Being honest with yourself, thats what keeps you so successful..
Keep it up Banded *****!! and I know you will, because if you dont, Lis and I will kick your ass...
Your results are amazing Pam..
1. I'm jealous your a Large
2. you inspire me everyday
3. you always help me feel better about myself
4. you remind me not to act "crazy" and go off into la la land for too long
The dress is very pretty and I love the jean shirt.. I had one semi similar but it was longer and I wore it with tights man I loved that mini dress but sadly it got too big and it was gifted..
How grateful am I to meet such great friends on OH
You are a very strong woman Pam and you have endured a fair share of very difficult things in your life and you keep on succeeding..
1. I'm jealous your a Large
2. you inspire me everyday
3. you always help me feel better about myself
4. you remind me not to act "crazy" and go off into la la land for too long
The dress is very pretty and I love the jean shirt.. I had one semi similar but it was longer and I wore it with tights man I loved that mini dress but sadly it got too big and it was gifted..
How grateful am I to meet such great friends on OH
You are a very strong woman Pam and you have endured a fair share of very difficult things in your life and you keep on succeeding..
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