Okay, it is October 29th and I have been banded for almost 8 weeks now. I have lost a total of 8 lbs. (13 pre-surgery). I had restriction from the surgery for about 2 weeks then it faded or completely diminished overnight! :omg: Then, I started to eat like I did prior to surgery! I did get a fill on the 16th of Oct. of 1.6 which is good but not my sweet spot. I continued to push my band to the limits with overeating. I could not eat bread because it would get stuck but I ate everything else. I was very discourged and finally reached out to a couple of people on the boards about a week ago. I received some great advice from a couple of really awesome gals, Bridget S. from OH and Sisteqh here on LBT. For some reason I felt that I should be able to eat what I want because I deserved it! What a crock! Who do I think I am? Well, Bridget responded to me about fighting her band and the day that she had a "lightbulb" moment; July 4th - her day of freedom!! She told me what I needed to hear. That advice started me on a new track. I was truly inspired!!! Since then, one week ago (10/22/06 - My personal day of freedom) I have lost 3 more lbs!!!

On another subject. I am somewhat bothered by others here on LBT that seem to think or show in their posts that those with lower BMIs really don't deserve to have the band. As if we have not fought against our weight like they have. It is a shame that people are that biased! All I can say is grow the heck up!!

Okay, I am going to set a mini goal for New Year's Day. Here is how I came up with it: My lowest weight that I acheived was 163 with Weight Watchers in 2003. I would love to beat that by one lb. So, my goal is to be at 162 by New Year's Day and to fit into my size 10 jeans. I can do it! I am going to up my exercise routine - 3 days treadmill 2 miles and 1 or 2 days hiking. For safety reasons, I do need to find a hiking partner!