It's been 7 months since my LAP-BAND surgery. And I must say - what a journey it has been!!

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WHOA, I'VE LOST WEIGHT!

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Since I started my pre-op diet a few weeks before surgery, I have now lost a total of 111 lbs.!I'm really proud of myself that I have achieved this milestone.

Take note, my weight loss has slowed down dramatically within the past few months. I've been losing 25-30 lbs monthly during the first 3 months, but it slowed down to 10 lbs or even 5 lbs a month after that. There were weeks that I wasn't losing any weight at all. But I noticed that I've been losing inches instead. From a size 60inch waist, I'm now down to 48 inches. A few more inches, and I can now buy pants at Target or Wal-Mart!

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"DO YOU FEEL LIGHTER?" - OH YES I DO!!

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Aside from "How many pounds have you lost?", that's the most common question I get each day. And I must say that I do feel lighter. I can walk longer distances now. No more knee or hip pains. I even joined my family in a trip to Hong Kong, where all we did was walk! I was surprised that I was able to last 3 whole days of walking without feeling sore.

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MY OLD CLOTHES DON'T FIT ANYMORE......WOOHOO!

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This was one of my favorite parts of my journey so far.....clothes! Because this is where I really see that I'm getting smaller each day. Like what I said before, I started with a 60 inch waist, wearing 6XL shirts. I'm now down to a size 48 inch waist, and I now wear 3XL shirts.

I'm glad I can have my old clothes altered here in Manila for a cheap price (Alteration of pants cost only P100 each -- equivalent to $2 USD!!) Even our family tailor got surprised! He's been our family tailor since forever, and he has all the numbers to prove that I'm shrinking.

Since I still can have my clothes altered, I resist the temptation to buy new ones. There's no point in buying new clothes that I wont be able to wear anymore in 2-3 months.

OK, I lied. I bought one shirt a month ago, just so I can say I was able to buy a shirt in a "regular" store. And man, it felt good!

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EVERYTHING FITS!

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- I can now ride the plane without an extension seatbelt.

- I can now fit in chairs with sides/armrests.

- I can now comfortably watch a movie or a show in the theater.

- I can now fit in the car seat and drive comfortably.

- I can now go ride roller coasters and scream to my heart's content.

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IT'S NOT ALL ROSES FOR ME

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With all the achievements I have made the past few months, there were down moments as well.

- I had an emergency appendectomy two months ago.

- After 3 adjustments, I get "stuck" more than ever. It's still my fault though......I eat too fast, especially when I drive. No P.B. episodes yet, that I'm thankful for.

- I get tummy aches once in a while, mostly gas pains. (Nothing that GAS-X can't cure.)

- My weight loss has slowed down dramatically. I guess I'm in a plateau stage. I'm still losing inches though.

- As you can see in my progress pic, my skin has been sagging fast. But hey, no complaints here! I'll take the sagging skin anytime. (By the way, I've been using products from Underworks.com so I can work around this problem. More about this on my next blog entry.)

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The past 7 months have been great, and I'm looking forward to where my Lap-band Journey will bring me next.