Dear Future Banded Self,

I guess if you are reading this, it's because you are having one of those days. The one where you have "fallen of the wagon", having a two year old tantrum "why me?, or it's not fair" or your favorite excuse " I need to have-----" ( insert whatever food that you are not supposed to have). This letter is to tell you to CUT ...IT....OUT! Let me remind you why we did this, since you seem to have developed short term amnesia.

1. Remember how scared you were of taking a small airplane to one of your rural assignment? Not because you are afraid of flying, but what if you didn't fit in the seats? I mean they are single seats and we both know we don't fit in single seats.

2. Talking about planes, how about that fear when you realize the seatbelt just fit, if you gain any more weight, it will be the extender and you are already at the end of your rope .... Literally!

3. Let's not forget clothes....you don't feel comfortable in anything.... Spanx works for the overweight, not for the obese. Remember when the guy who does you nails asked if you were pregnant? Yes, we did stop going to him, but the constant fear of someone asking that questions lingers. When was the last time we went out to shop? Aren't you tired of doing it online only?

4. Let's not forget the episode where you sat in a chair and when you got up the chair got up with you. Everyone laugh including you but deep down, you were crying. I know we have developed a sure fire technique since then but wouldn't it be awesome to just sit in a damn chair without thinking of the aftermath.

5. Let's remember health... You deluded yourself that you are overweight and healthy but we both know that the last year showed that our body is breaking down. Three hospitalizations in 2011 -all believed to be obesity related. Do you want to have diabetes and hypertension before it' serious.

6. Most importantly, let's remember your slow withdrawal from social events. No pics, no meeting of past friends, I mean then they will see how big you've gotten.... The look, the after talk.... So you make up stories and you hide....so now you have a title of anti-social when you have always been a social butterfly.

So listen future banded self, get off the Pity Party and get back to work. "It's not fair" but life never is. "Why me?" REALLY! Don't piss me off, there's no reason for that statement. It's hard, well if it was easy you would not have to spend $17 000 to get on track. You will not wake up skinny. You will not lose 100 lbs in 2 months and there will be days, you want to hit the wall! But keep going, you can do this I've booked you for 18 months to learn, change your lifestyle and the rest of your life to maintain and enjoy.

Anew77

Disclaimer: this not intended for anyone else but my future self so any similarities to your circumstances is purely coincidental;)

I could go on and on about all the different ways being obese have impacted my life, but this letter isn't about discouragement. It's to remind me when I'm banded and not effectively using my tool, why I did this. I believe that in any disease when the "treatment" becomes unbearable or the temptation is too great, we conviently forget what it was like before. So who better to give me a Swift Kick but currently un-banded me.