I'm officially halfway to my weight loss goal!:sneaky:

My goal is to lose 110 pounds - and just before my vacation, I was getting close to the 50% mark - 55 pounds gone.

I stalled for a while, but kept following the bandster rules - lo and behold, I got on the scale and it showed my 55 pound loss. I was so excited I wanted to jump up and down!

I even weighed myself a couple of times to make sure I wasn't "interpreting" the numbers incorrectly :tt1: Nope, there it was...a 55 lb loss and halfway to my goal!

Now I see why people can get stalled at this point. I'm really happy with my progress to date, I can fit into a lot of clothes in a size 16 (smaller than I've been since my teens) and I feel tons better than I did when I was at my heaviest!

Don't worry - I'm not going to stop (or even slow down). Having had this taste of success over the long term (I've been banded for a total of 8 months), I'm hungry for more. I want to see what it feels like to be below 200 pounds - Onderland, they call it - for the first time since I was 15 or 16 years old. Yep, I've been overweight THAT long...

Wearing size 16 clothes is a revelation. I should clarify - that's a 16W, not a standard misses 16. There seems to be more room in a 16W - it's sized for a grown woman's body, as opposed to a straight 16, which seems to be sized for a slimmer (perhaps younger) woman. Junior 17's and some 15's are close, but they don't fit me the way I need my clothes to fit, so for now, I'll leave those alone. I may never get back to wearing "Juniors" - they didn't fit me well when I was younger, and there are so many more options out there now.

Happiness is...having to get rid of lightly-worn clothing because it's all getting too big for you, less than 3 months after buying it! All my business clothes are getting loose - and some things (like dresses) I can still use, but skirts and such are getting dangerous. I have a really cute black-and-white cotton skirt with a lovely print that I bought at the Talbots outlet near my office. I put it on this morning (it's always been a bit tight in the waist) and if it were not for the "bump" at my hipline, it wouldn't stay up on me!

I've had to keep checking the skirt all day to make sure it doesn't fall off of me, and this will probably be the last time I wear it unless I get it tailored or replace it.

It's a really good feeling - may seem superficial to some, but I enjoy clothes shopping, and to NOT be restricted to shopping at Fashion Bug, Lane Bryant or Catherine's only because of my body size is a wonderful feeling.

I've started "wogging" - the jog/walk program known as the Couch to 5K. There are links on LBT about it, or a Google search will turn up the program. There are many versions, including one for the iPod / iPhone which lets you use your own music.

My hubby and I have started the program, and I'm (surprisingly) enjoying it! I wanted something to give me more of a calorie burn than just walking (which I do a lot) and jogging was the next logical step. When I tried it before, my knees and back hurt, not to mention that I got winded really really fast. It just wasn't fun - more about pain than gaining fitness - so I stopped.

This time around, sans 55 pounds, I'm enjoying it a lot - so much so that I even went out in a light drizzle to get my "wog" in...totally different mindset for ME!

I love the program so far - and now I'm getting quite the collection of activewear to go with my wogging - some of it quite form-fitting, which I NEVER would have done 55 pounds ago.

I am truly loving my banded life - I still have my challenges when I try to eat too fast or eat something I shouldn't, but overall, I am doing quite well. My blood sugar numbers are good, and my primary care doctor is very happy with my weight loss.

If you are researching the Lap-Band, I encourage you to do as much searching as you can on this site and others so that you are prepared for the experience, but don't wait too long. There may not be a "perfect" time to get the band - but your health is too important to delay a permanent solution forever. I feel the band is a permanent solution for me - as long as I don't have any physical problems with it, I'll have it for life.

Good luck to all and feel free to pm me if you have further questions for me...:thumbup:

good for you .

thanks for talking/blogging about your success. i've been banded for 5 months. i'm happy with the weight loss but it feels like the weight is coming off at snail's pace. it's good to know that the "stall for awhile" will end at some point. again, congrats on your success. it's good to hear/read the story of others.

You are both such inspirations...i am getting ready for my surgery though no date has been set yet as my insurance required a 3 month supervised diet...couple more weeks of that, but I've lost 36 pounds so far. I have come down a couple sizes but can't wait to wear "normal" misses sizes someday in the near future!! My husband and I have started walking but his legs are so much longer! Tell me how to find out about this "wogging program"...