A year later...

Well, on November 16 it was my band-iversary. My stats are:

Official weigh in stats:
Starting weight: 234lbs
Current weight: 169lbs
Overall loss: 65lbs
Lbs to goal: 20lbs

I thought I'd try and think of some questions that people might have. If anyone wants to know anything, please feel free to ask in the comments. No question is off limits as I hope people get some value out of this.

How many fills have you had? Two. 1st fill – 1.2cc – 12/21
2nd fill – 1.8cc – 1/25. I stuck with the second fill for quite some time, but honestly it was too tight. I had an unfill and think that right now I am at about 1.4cc. I have remained at this point and plan to. For the most part, I consider it to be my sweet spot. Except during my period when I get really tight and some days have to stay with liquids and soft foods. Lesson: track your body. That way you can find the trends. If I had not been doing that, I would not have figured out that the tightness was corresponding to my period.

Are you upset you aren't at your goal weight? Nope. Because it was my choice. I was not exercising as much as I should/could have been and not always eating the right thing. But this works for me. Why? Because how I am living is reality. Not always eating right and not exercising all the time. I will get to my goal weight. It will just take longer. My current weightloss is at a pace of 1.llbs per week. That is really good for any weightloss plan. The best thing - I KNOW I will keep the weight off as I know it can easily be maintained. With the effort I have been putting in, I have been continuing to lose weight.

What are you going to do next? I am going to keep going as I have been. I plan though to join the weightloss hysteria in January. I find that when everyone around you is dieting it makes it easier. So, what the heck? Gonna join in on the madness and look to lose the 20 remaining pounds.

What size clothes are you wearing? Generally, a 12. Clothes are so inconsistent it depends on the clothes. I think I'll be an 8 when the last weight is gone as I fit in a 10 now, it is just tighter than I like. This might sound big to people reading this, so I'll stress that I'm 5'8". I will definitely be considered thin at an 8 and might think I'm too thin smaller than that. In college I was a 6 and looking back at pics - looked too thin. So that's the scoop. Shirt wise - totally depends on the shirt as my boobs remain to be on the bigger size. (That is also fine with me - ha!). Generally I'm a medium.

What do you eat in a typical day? I always start with a venti non-fat latte from Starbucks that I sweeten with equal for breakfast. It helps loosen me up, I get protein, and a good calcium fix. For lunch, pretty much whatever. If I'm tight - which you can tell over time - I'll have something soft. For dinner, I'm loosest then and eat pretty much anything. I pretty much stay away from pasta and bread. I can eat it, but honestly it isn't something I have to have in my diet and have pretty much gotten used to not having it. When I do, it might be a bit of pasta or crackers. Dry meat has to have sauce. Chicken breast is tricky.

Do you drink soda? Nope, not supposed to and totally got used to it. So I don't. I paid $20K (self-pay) and it isn't worth the risk even though there are a lot of mixed reviews on does it or doesn't it pose risk to the band.

Was it worth it? Yes, it was. I stress though that I would only recommend it as a last resort. I felt I was there. I could get the weight off, but just couldn't keep it out without exercising and watching what I ate ALL the time. Now, I live a life of moderation on everything and the weight stays off. I have consistently remained the same or lost weight.

Have you had any problems? Yes. You'll see in the beginning of my blog that shortly after my surgery I swore my stitches in my port popped. Everybody told me no way and not to worry about it. When I went in for my fill, it had. So it is on it's side. Right now I do not plan to get it fixed, but think that it might be necessary. When I am at my goal weight I think it might be noticeable.

Have you pb'd? Yep. When I was too tight, a lot. Now, I pretty much know how and what to eat depending on the tightness of my band. When/if I have problems, it is around my period. I have learned sometimes it is best not to fight it and let it happen. This seems to work for me and then does not lead to repeated pb's or irritiation. (BTW - What is a pb? Simply put - throwing up. It seems to be a nice way of saying it for bandsters.)

What rules do you follow? Eat slowly. Take small bites. Don't eat first thing in the morning. When I feel full - stop. Don't drink with meals. No soda. That pretty much sums it up. There aren't a lot of them.

I really can't think of anything else. Please let me know if you are wondering about anything.