Looking over my blog entries since my banding last November, I came to the conclusion that this "journey" is really a roller coaster ride. I've been up, down, sideways and all over the map emotionally and physically and I find that as I approach my one year anniversary of banding, I'm pretty much where I hoped and expected to be when they strapped me in and put the bar down. There are so many other changes that I hadn't anticipated. Some are simple, some are complicated but I'm rolling with it. A few observations - simple first:

1) It's a lot easier to wear heels when you're 100 pounds lighter. Besides having giant feet and not being able to find cute comfortable shoes, the pressure on the soles of your feet is geometrically related to how high the heel is and how much you weigh. (Science lesson for the day). The more you weigh, the higher the heel, the greater the pressure. That much less weight means that much more height in comfort. And, wedges are the best.

2) Exercise really does work. Although I did not lose much weight this summer, I dropped at least one pants size. My band was loose and I was eating too much but I was pretty much able to maintain my work out regimen and it paid off. Those CK jeans I mentioned a blog or so ago -- too big now -- and my underwear is so big it's bunching under everything. I'm reticent to buy too much because I feel another big weight loss surge coming on after my re-fill so... check out Macy's clearance online. Got a Michael Kors dress for $23.88 and it's totally adorable.

3) Here's where it gets complicated - emotionally, I am still a giant fat woman. It is really taking a lot of time for me to wrap my head around the fact that I am merely overweight and not circus-fat-lady fat anymore. Every time I walk by a store window that shows my reflection, I find I'm looking to make sure I'm not as big as I sometimes think I am. And some days, I'm convinced I am - body dysmorphic disorder at work or just difficulty adjusting to someone I haven't seen in 30 years -- myself? I may seek some help with this one.

So, here I am, 1 day shy of 10 months since my banding. 95 lbs down. Wearing a size 18/20 (I'm 5'10" and started at a size 32). Working out 3x per week. Having more energy and joi de vivre than I ever remember having in my whole life.

Was it worth the ups and downs? You bet your much smaller ass it was! Next posting to announce the 100lb mark! Look for it.

:smile: