Wow, I'm always amazed by this wonderful band!  This week I have lost 7 lbs!!!! AND THE BEST PART IS THAT I MADE MY NON-SCALE VICTORY OF WEIGHING WHAT I WEIGHED WHEN I GOT MARRIED 4 YEARS AGO!!!!  I've lost 75lbs total so far!  I've got 65 more to go. What a huge victory!!!!! =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D =D

Yesterday I had a slight fill.  .2 ccs to 7.2.  Didn't realize it at the time, but I was at 7.0 for my tremendous weight loss last month.  LUCKY # 7!! Let's hope 7.2 is a lucky number as well!!  I've done really well with my previous fill at 7.0.  I had very few pbs.  I'm really getting the hang of this Band.  My doctor was really impressed by the weight loss as well.  We agreed that a small fill would help me get over this plateau since August 29th.  I was satisfied though not losing just because my body was catching up, so I expected it to happen.  Today is liquids and I'm staying fairly satisfied on them. 
My Grandma came for a visit a couple weeks ago.  She hadn't seen me in 2 months.  She really pisses me off.  She's really oblivious to me and everything going on in my life.  My cousins, however, she knows everything and actually cares to know.  All day she didn't say a word about my weight.  Nada.  But instead said how great my mom looks even though she's gained weight.  BIOTCH!! So, I told her that since she's seen me that I'd lost 20 lbs.  She didn't act shocked or thrilled.  She just said, "Oh, really?  That's good."  That was it...nothing else.  I'm not expecting a Congrats party or anything, but maybe just some initiation and acknowledgement without me saying it first!  To be completely honest, I've disowned her since I graduated high school.  She's disappointed me ever since then and the only time I see her is when my parents invite her up for the weekend.  We never see her or initiate anything. 

So, other than a grump for a Grandma things are good.  I'm still exercising everyday.  It's 2nd nature.  I'm even dragging myself to a step class, which I dispise, but it's exercise.  I love my kickboxing still and my Zumba dance classes.

I'm still addicted to sweets and chips.  They are the only bad foods I can get down and I do and I don't care.  The chips fill me up very quicly, so very little harm in them.  The same with the candy.  I hate feeling deprived--I deserve it.  Plus, I lost 12 lbs last month still eating this stuff. 

Oh, and I'm fitting in clothes that I bought years ago that I couldn't fit into then, but swore I'd fit into them someday. 

IT'S ALLLLL GOOOOOD!!! =P

It's almost hard to believe, but I'm down 11 lbs so far this month.  The weight has just been melting off.  My recent fill has been very successful.  In fact, I felt the fill almost immediately.  I'm still eating alright, but it's more restricted.  Many times, I eat about 1/4 cup of food 3 meals a day, with maybe a snack. I haven't journaled lately because of the restriction, but I am still keeping a mental tally and I'm around 600-800 cal. a day.  This has always been the best way for me to lose weight consistently.  I stay full for much longer too.  Very happy with my progress so far! =]  My husband even told me this morning to eat something--that I was getting too thin.  LOL!!! I reminded him that that was the whole point! LOL!!

Last fill on 8/12/08 - 258

  8/30/08 - 247!!!  Less than 3 weeks later!

  7 lbs till my wedding weight!!! =] =] =] =] =] =]

You'd think I'm bipolar with my thoughts on this WLS subject, but I've got my own reasons for being this way.

I had my 8th fill---YES, 8th fill.  .4 ccs every time.  Maybe this explains why I'm 8th months out and have only lost 57lbs total (9 of which is from pre-op diet).  I have 7.0 ccs in my band now.  When am I ever going to get to restriction?  I hope I'm not a failure.  A co-worker of mine had gastric bypass 3 months ago and is already down 50 lbs.  Here I've been working at this for 8 months and only down 57 lbs.  I know, I know, I can't physically lose as fast as gastric bypass, but it's such a bummer.  The only way I lose weight is when I cut my calories to 800 do I lose lumps of weight, and even then I'm searching for food because of physical fatigue---really, it's not a head thing.  I get headaches when I don't get something to eat.  I know I workout much harder than many Lap-Band people.  Most people are lucky to get on the treadmill for 30 minutes 3 times a week.  I take kickboxing classes everyday at lunch and Zumba dance classes for 2 hours 2x a week.  I burn a lot of calories in a given week.  But, I'm the one stuck, and their the ones losing.  What?!?! I don't get it?  My husband is even getting disappointed/worried about me.  He thinks I eat like a bird as it is, or a mouse on a good day.  He says its so disappointing to dine out anymore because I always have a hang up with whatever we order and have to run to the bathroom.  He spends most of the dining out by himself while i'm hacking up my 2 bites of whatever.   When I told him last night about needing to eat even less, I could see the disappointment on his face.  I always tell him that if I had to do this again, I definitely would.  Unfortunately, he says he wouldn't let me.  He hates that I have to go thru this---all this work---to get anywhere.  He hates that this band has caused me to give up so many foods that normal people can eat.  He hates my band-not me, the band.  He'd love me if I weighed 500 lbs. 
My friends and co-workers don't really know how to support me in this journey.  No matter how I explain things to them, they still don't understand.  My mom had WLS gastric bypass 4 years ago and never did finish losing all her weight.  She's not very helpful, in fact, a very poor mentor because she eats like she did before her surgery.  I still love her, but could never depend on her for advice, whereas, I'm the one offering her advice.  The only friend/co-worker that I know who has the Lap-Band has a pretty flaky story on her 121 lbs weight loss in 10 months.  I heard from her friends that she would eat yogurt for breakfast and lunch.  When I've asked for advice, she's always said to drop my calories to 600-900 cals, which is some sound advice that has worked.  But, then we had lunch together and she was able to eat 2 helpings of pasta and 2 helpings of salad, whereas I was only able to eat 1/2 cup each. And then she told me the other day that her recent adjustment was the first time she'd felt restriction....THAT'S STRANGE?!?!?!?!  121 lbs lost and no restriction until now?!  I'm missing something.  Then I had very conflicting advice from my nut and my doctor.  Thanks to everyone on OH who reassured me to stick with my doctor's advice, that I will definitely heed.  No more skinny chick's advice.

And since this fill, I've been "Drinking" non stop.  No, not in that way, just all my meals are liquids and nothing sticks.  I'm hungry all the time.  And with that being said, it makes things even worse to know that I have to keep "Eating" to stay satisfied.  I hope this fill allows me to give up my evening cravings. 

Well, I'm feeling a little better about my recent fill, but still feeling slightly defeated when I look at the whole picture.