Well, I am going to attempt this again. 2 nights ago I sat down and typed our a great story of my journey thus far and somehow clicked on something and the whole thing was gone. Hopefully it works better this time....

I was officially banded on Dec 5th and today is Dec. 14th. As of yesterday, I had lost 30 pounds!! I started my 2 week preop diet and was very strick. I only ate one meal a day, and it consisted of protein and veggies. On the day of my surgery, I had lost 23 pounds in 2 weeks. I honestly don't think that I have ever done that before in my life. What a great way to start this adventure. Since the surgery, I have been eating clear liquids like I was told, and then on Sunday, I could not take it any longer, I had to eat something so I ate some Tomato Basil soup from Panera...and it was maybe the best thing that has ever crossed my lips. Since then, I've been eating soup..after soup...after soup. Carb filled soup!! So today I've actually gained a couple of pounds back and I'm not very pleased. I'm ready to be able to eat meat so that I don't have to eat carbs. Don't get me wrong, if I had it my way, I would be one of those people that could eat mashed potatoes with a side of french fries and a baked potato on this side and still lose weight, but that is not me. I have to stay away from carbs in order to lose weight. I think I am going to try to just eat tuna for the rest of the week. Wish me luck!

As far as my journey, I've been curious about weight loss surgery for a few years. It is honestly something that I never thought I would go through with. I figured that it would be way to expensive for the most part. I used that and many other excuses to keep myself from ever looking into it. About 9 months ago, I spoke to one of my junior high teachers that I have remained very close to. She had the procedure done and was very pleased with it. She told me that her insurance covered the cost of it (after a battle). Finally in November, I decided that enough was enough. I was tired of being tired....my knees were starting to hurt...I had to get a CPAP machine because of my sleep apnea and most of all, I just didn't fill comfortable in my own skin (and fat suit) anymore. I strive everyday to be the best I can be at work and in my personal life, but I was missing out on so much because I wasn't being the best I could be to anything by not taking care of my health. I finally got up the nerve to make an appointment and meet with a Patient Advocate. During our meeting, I found out that my insurance would not cover the cost of the surgery, which I expected, but was still a little bummed out by. My Patient Advocate suggested that I get tested for a hiatal hernia, based on some of the symptoms that I had described. So I scheduled myself for a (insert medical terminology here) procedure for 2 weeks later. I ended up having a hiatal hernia, and it actually worked in my favor. My insurance covered the cost of my hiatal hernia repair, so I only had to pay for the portion of the surgery devoted to my lap band. In all it ended up saving me about $4,000.

So here I am today, writing my first blog (again), and very excited about my future. I'm already ready for my first fill, and I hope that my doctor is a little agressive with it. I'm ready to drop some pounds! I actually went Christmas shopping on Sunday and decided to buy myself a shirt as well. I went down a shirt size, from a 3xlt, to a 2xlt. I'm 6'2 and have a long torso, so the T is not going anywhere, but was so excited to go down a size.

I'm so excited to have a place to get advice and to be able to learn from others. Hopefully, someone will be inspired by my journey as well.

Until next time....