Hello all! Now officially two days out from banding, and still surprised at how well I'm feeling (thrilled with that of course!!). I am still sleeping in a recliner, but will try the bed tonight - we'll see.

Anyhow, not the point of this blog. The point of it was - that I was feeling hopeful :frown: and thinking about the months to come. I know with any goal, people say that visualizing is a great tool. Well, for me - my goal would be visualizing myself as a "healthy weight" person. But I'm finding that SOOOO difficult to do. It's not upsetting me or anything, it's just that I've honestly never been skinny, not even in childhood. I just don't know what I'm supposed to picture. It's a foreign thought in my head really.

I guess I'll just have to look at it as a series of surprises over the next year or two. At any rate it will be a surprise I'm looking forward to. :ohmy: More than anything, I will probably be focusing more on how I feel, and how much more I am able to do, as opposed to how I look. I think that's a healthier way for me to approach it - but still, I will continue to have this curiosity about what a "skinny" me will look like.

Anyone else been there/done that?

I know what you mean. I have never been thin even as a child. I am now 25 years old and I feel like I spent most of my life as a monster.

I am having surgery on August 12th and I can't wait to see the results! But I still cant picture myself thin.

Wow..The scary thing about you post is that I would have thought I wrote it and I have not even had the surgery yet. Since I have comitted to do the surgery, this seems to be all I think about. I would love for you to keep me update on your Journey. I am getting banded in November or March. Good luck and hang in there!

I can totally relate. Even when I was working out twice a day as a college athlete, I was around 215 at my thinnest. (I'm 5'10 and very muscular, but that's still a lot of weight!) My primary care doctor has never had another patient banded, and was very skeptical of the entire thing. (oh, the begging I did to get her referral!) She told me to expect that I'd end up around 220-230 at best. I'm around 245 right now and would never be satisfied with that!! I can't picture myself "thin", but I also can't picture myself giving up before seeing 199, either!! Good luck---your vision will improve with every pound lost! :frown:

I too can relate. At 9 years old, I was 5'6 and 135 lbs. Now, that's not fat by any means...but when the rest of your classmates are less than 5' tall and less than 100 lbs...that's gargantuan.

Right now I'm 5'10/320 lbs. At age 34, I have no idea what it's like to shop in regular sizes for anything other than accessories (not even shoes because now my foot is a size 12).

That whole picturing myself walking thin thing is really foreign. I even went on my virtual model to get a better idea...still it was very nebulous.

However, like you, I'm looking forward to the journey.

Congratulations and good luck with the surgery and everything beyond.