Note: I thought I had this cued up to post automatically Saturday on my Blogiversary while I was away, but apparently I’m still very tech-challenged…

Today is my first Blogiversary (to think a year ago I didn‘t even know what a blog was). Before I started this I made a point to read a few blogs (not on LBT) that I came across while I was researching the LB the summer before I joined LBT. I found that, while some of them were well written, I got quickly bored with the ones who didn’t have much depth-didn’t give me the ’real deal’. While I work hard to surround myself with positive people, like I strive to be, I also got bored with the ones whose lives were a bed of roses everyday…I don’t like negativity, but again, I like to get the ’real deal’…my life isn’t perfect…I’m not a perfect Bandster. So I made a conscious decision just to be myself and put it all out there…I figured if I wasn’t true to who I really am that I wouldn’t be able to attract people who had similar thinking that I needed for support.

It’s my moment to be a little narcissistic so I’ll apologize now. I decided to start this blog primarily for support as I didn’t feel like going to my hospital’s support group, which has more RNYers. I quickly found support (shout-out to Julie Ann for my first comment on my first blog) and I found out that I was learning so much from everyone here. I also found that as I finished each phase of my journey that I felt a strong need to ‘Pay It Forward’ through spending extra time with more research/details on subjects of my blog and by supporting others in theirs.

I decided to take a look back at my blog and see what others thought was helpful. WOW, some interesting realizations came out of that:

- 41,598 Views of my blog

- Almost 500 Comments from others

- Someone gave me ‘stars’ on one blog…I didn’t even notice that there was a rating system for blogs!

Wow, that was cool…

And then I looked at the top viewed blogs (you can use the calendar to your left to click on to get to any of these by the date):

- I’m a Bunny (4/3/09)

- My Wii Hates Mii (5/12/09)

- My Heart’s in the Right Place (8/12/09)

- Head Hunger and Bandster Hell…or maybe it‘s just Hell (5/2/09)

- I Peed My Pants! (11/10/09)

- LB Picasso (3/4/09)

- Steeler’s Nation and a Funny Song (1/31/09)

- Restriction…Finding the Balance (6/18/09)

- The Buzz about Coffee (3/12/09)

- Scale ***** (2/22/09)

- Dorm Décor (6/29/09)

- Hospital Packing List (2/24/09)

- Off with her head! (4/15/09)

- Dear Abby’s Daughter (2/5/09)

- Band Firsts (5/26/09)

- Scale Whores Anonymous- Semi-Annual Meeting (8/12/09)

The only one I’ve directed people to, more often than you’d think, is my second blog as I run across a lot of people here who are right on the cusp of either a 35 or a 40 BMI when they’re starting out (‘I Peed My Pants!). Ahh well, I’m still going to believe that I helped someone somewhere along the line…at least I know I helped their site with their ‘hits’ with getting sponsors LOL.

As I’ve progressed in my journey here I feel like I’m starting to have less to talk about regarding my Lap Band. I often feel a little guilty about just journaling for myself about my life and not about the LB. I feel like I’m misusing the site blogs and that those looking for LB info. might be disappointed some days. I’ve had a lot of messages all along over the year suggesting I take my blog to a more universal site, but I‘ve always felt that while I‘m still blogging mainly about my LB journey that this spot was the best way for me to ‘Pay it Forward‘ and for me to continue learning. I’m not sure where the next year will take me, or how much I’ll continue blogging, but like the rest of this journey, I’ll take it as it comes.

*Portion of Post Deleted For Lap Band Book

I know one thing, this blog has given me everything I’ve wanted from it and many more things I’ve never even expected. I’ve enjoyed it much more than I ever thought possible. I’ve gotten so much support and made so many great friends here (if you’re ever near Pittsburgh, let me know)! I’m constantly surprised by what I end up writing about and by what I learn through this process.

Most of all on this Blogiversary I want to say I love you all and want to say THANK YOU for your support and friendship! This past year would have been such a lonely journey and I would have struggled so much more without you all. It would have felt like I have on every other ‘diet’ I’ve been on constantly for the past 20 years. Even surrounded with great friends and family, the WL piece of my life, even with all the temporary ’successes’ was always a very lonely, frustrating and even shameful piece of my life. I’ve never gone through a WL process where I’ve felt so positive even at moments where things weren’t going perfectly. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for always being there for me.