One more pound and I will have hit the 40 pound weight loss in my (almost) 5 months of being banded. I am now down to 287. It is incredibly sllllooowwww, but so worth it. I can tell a little difference (mainly in how my clothes fit-----or, not really fit anymore, I should say), but other people say they can tell a big difference. I am to the point where I really need to go out and get some new clothes.

After my last fill, my band keeps me in CHECK! If I eat too fast or take too big of bites, i get stuck, feel miserable, and eating time is o-v-e-r. I really have to remember to chew chew chew. And, sometimes (with dry chicken, steak, etc) that is not enough. And, some days are different than others. My husband make steak on our anniversary last Thursday. I took a few bites of the 4 oz steak, felt sick, and dinner was done (even though I took small bites and chewed). I brought the leftover steak for lunch the next day and got it down fine. However, when I tried to eat my small baked potato afterwards, I got two bites in and that was it.

My husband and I just shared our 4 year anniversary this past week. I went out to dinner with him Saturday evening to McCormick and Schmicks. It was sooooo good! They brought huge chuncks of fresh bread out (my heart really sank), but I did clip off a tiny smidge (and I do mean TINY!) and dipped it in butter just to try it. And, I did order a tuna tartare appetizer, salad, and stuffed salmon for dinner. Yes, I still think sometimes like the fat girl I became over the years, but this time, I ordered knowing I'd have left overs for a couple meals and could take it home :-) It's a fantastic restaurant, why not have leftovers? I ate the appetizer and some of the side salad. I ended up bringing home my full entree. And, how nice was it to actually slow down and enjoy the flavors. REALLLLLL NICCCCCE!!!!

The next day, we had lunch with friends. I ordered a tuna appetizer and a side salad. I ate the side salad, felt full, and brought the tuna home. I must say, I like leftovers!

I really like the restriction and tightness that I have now. I would definitely rather be a little too tight than not enough. Sometimes I am not as wise as I should be and the band now seems to "smack my hand" if I have something I shouldn't. I love that!

I have pretty much kissed goodbye all bread products, pizza, donuts, etc, but I am totally okay with that. Stringy fruits (oranges, grapefruits, pineapples) seem like ages ago since I haven't been able to eat those for awhile now. I can still get down all veggies (I love asparagus and thank the Banding Gods for allowing me to still eat that), but potatoes pose a problem unless they are mashed. Thankfully, too, chicken wings don't go down good anymore. I really needed my band to help me with those as they are my weakness. I do miss regular chicken and steak sometimes (as it seems to be 50/50 if I can even eat a little bit). But, really, I have found that fish goes down perfectly and is much better for me than red meat.

If I could completely rid myself of my Starbucks addiction, I would be doing even better. Starbucks is sabotaging me...even when I ask for nonfat milk with my white chocolate mocha. I have made an agreement with myself to treat myself on Fridays, but NO other time. It is amazing on how many calories that actually adds to my day. Seriously, I would be nailing my caloric goal everyday if it wasn't for those days I got Starbucks. Thank you sparkpeople.com for showing me how ugly this coffee can be In the art of compromising, so I don't sabotage myself, I iron out 100 calories everyday for my cups of coffee and creamer. I love it to much to completely let it go, but 100 sure beats 500!

I still haven't joined the gym but AM planning to. I just need to narrow down which one. I would like to do Curves, but I don't think it will be feasible for me to get to considering where I live, kids, and the fact my husband has a completely different work schedule than me. I think a 24 hour place will work good. I do like my Zumba video but would LOVE to do it at a gym. I find when I work out, I feel better and I drop a pound here and there like no one's business. I can definitely improve on the working out! Fortunately, a friend of mine has created a facebook group to help address this with everyone. It's sort of an online support page where we can become accountable to others. I really am looking forward to working this page for all it's worth :-)

Whew, how therapeutic it was to write!