Has it really been over a month since I have blogged? The newbies won't even know me! Well let me introduce myself. My name is Julie. I was banded 8 months ago in October and have lost 107 lbs.

Yay me! Now let's talk turkey.....

The band and I just had our first big battle. Now don't get me wrong. The band is in charge, as always, but for the first time I started to get a little pissy at it...always thinking he knows just what I can and can't eat.

My son left today for overseas on a 10 day trip, I have hit a plateau the last few weeks and I was feeling like I needed a little old fashioned comfort food. For me that is pizza.

What a coincidence.... I just happen to have some homemade (from scratch) pizza in fridge left over from last night. The first time I cooked pizza from scratch in 8 months! Last night I just picked off teh toppings and such. Well none of that sissy crap for me today. I wanted P-I-Z-Z-A dipped in sauce!

So the band said no. .....then I said "DO YOU WANT TO MAKE A BET? I'LL EAT SLOW AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME!!!!!"

Then the band said in a small yet confident voice..."Go ahead honey. Just give it a try. You will regret it. I wish you would listen to me....but if not we'll see what happens."

So the band won...then I tried another battle and he won that one too. :confused: It wasn't pretty. So I sat down with some ice cream and HE couldn't stop me from eating that so I feel like crap now. Blah.....

So I am going to lay off of the weight training and get back to more cardio and add some Zumba classes. I have been at the gym 5-6 days a week all summer and I need to be careful I don't burn out.

I'm going to surprise my family at the end of this month. They still don't know I have lost all this weight and I want to tell them I had surgery.

I have been just a couple of pounds away from no longer being obese, but that might have to wait while I realign my routine.

Stay cool this 4th of July!

High /Surgery/Current/Goal

285.5/ 271 / 177.5 142.5

Banded - 10/29/08 Four fills - 4.7cc/10cc

Read My Blog: My Secret Journey

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You look amazing, great job! I was banded in Feb of this year, and have lost 29lbs so far. I've had 3 fills so far (currently at 2.8cc), and not able to eat much per sitting, about 1/2 cup of food. If I go over that, it is a very unpleasant experience usually resulting in it coming back up. How much food are you able to handle per sitting? I have 44lbs to go to get to my goal weight of 135.

I can eat a cup or more at a sitting, but usually don't. I don't need an adjustment because I have to be careful and take small bites or I get stuck.

You have done great! Keep up the great work!

It has been a month and I"ve been wondering where you were!! You look FABulous and I'm betting the family won't recognize you. Congrats and keep up your great job! You're an inspiration to all of us.

Not only do you look half the size you were before, but for some reason you look like a younger person in your after picture. The excess weight almost made you look older? Anyway, I have not been banded yet, so I read stories like yours to pass the time during this long wait. You look amazing...have fun surprising your family!!

It's all in my blog. Take your time and read through it. almost a year's journey in there and 8 months worth of lessons learned, diet tips and guidelines. I hope you enjoy!