Another potentially dangerous holiday has come and gone...Mother's Day!:w00t:

Normally, this day (who am I kidding - the entire weekend!) would have been marked by breakfast at a local restaurant, some type of pleasant activity, lunch at another restaurant, the food coma for the afternoon, and then more food at night, plus something like an ice cream cake for dessert.

Now, because I'm banded - and a woman with a goal to be under 220 by the end of the month - my day was very different. My family made me breakfast - a little scrambled egg, 1 sausage link, two bites of a pancake, and juice.

Went to church services and enjoyed them, but passed up the baked goods and treats after service in favor of fresh fruit and yogurt...went to the movies and then home for dinner, which was some of the food I didn't eat for breakfast! :cool2:

Far fewer calories, and because I also went for a nice walk with my daughter and our dog, I was in better shape at the end of the day than at the same time last year. :biggrin:

I made the decision to get the band because I wanted to change my life - I was tired of getting what I had been getting and tired of gaining a few more pounds every year.

I've done what a lot of people have done...Weight Watchers, liquid diets, just plain diets, exercise, fasting, etc, etc, etc. Not until I made the decision to qualify for the Lap Band did I really take the steps necessary to be successful. The length of time for me from start to finish (banding) was not that long compared to some, but the time was important for me to review and renew my commitment to the process. Now I've been banded for nearly 6 months, and while I haven't lost as much as I might have imagined I would, I know this time the loss is permanent.

It does not depend on my willpower, a overly restrictive eating plan, eliminating certain food groups, or exercising 6 - 8 hours per day. It does depend on me following the bandster rules, moving more than I sit still, and being careful (not obsessively so) about what I'm eating.

This I can do for the rest of my life - and I plan to!:crying: