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ok my anniversary will be may 20th! my goal was to be in a size 12 top and bottom(those of you that follow my blog, know how that's been going). well today i got a pair of size 12 jeans in the mail i ordered and tried them on just to see. OMG THEY FIT! now they are snug, but still comfortable. I COULD JUST CRY! i cant believe i made it and before my year! YEAH ME!!!!!

I went to the doctor again yesterday for another fill. My last fill was at the beginning of April and with this fill I have been able to notice restriction finally. I have been feeling great and can really tell if I eat too fast or too much. I stepped on the scale at the doctor, and in 4 weeks, I'm down 7lbs. I am so happy with that. I know some people see much faster weight loss, but I am satisfied with how I am progressing. As long as I see the scale moving in the right direction, I will feel like a success. I have been TRYING to avoid stepping on the scale too often, but I have been trying to watch at least once a week to make sure I am on track. I feel so good about where I'm headed. My roommate moved out a week ago, so I have my basement back and can finally start using my treadmill again, which I know will help too. Its been hard with all the rain to get out and walk too much, and I cant leave the kids home, so I havent been able to do as much as I want to. Now at least I can watch tv while walking on the treadmill. I am walking a 5K in 2 weeks, so I would love to get prepared for that as well.

I will be starting my second week on the c25k. I had an aftercare appt today and I am down another 4lbs! I am totally happy!

Before I got the sleeve I had a ever so slight (more like OMG I can't help myself more more more!) addiction to anything peanut butter flavored. My favorite cookie? Peanut Butter chocolate chip. And yeah, there couldn't be just one. I loved peanut butter. Fast forward 2 weeks and I'm struggling to get down protein drinks. My sleeve, The Sheriff, is very stern and very strict. He loathes lactose and anything sweet which means I've barely been able to stomach anything thats not watered down crystal light. My dad, however, decided to change up the protein mix for me and used soy milk and some reduced fat peanut butter. Which scared the crap out of me because what if I suddenly found myself launching through the space/time continuum in search of my favorite peanut butter choc chip cookie? So, hesitantly I took a sip...then another sip...and guess what?!? Yeah, I could eat it because peanut butter no longer tastes sweet to me. It's okay, and kinda chalky, but it's nothing that I would write home about! I would rather eat something crisp and fresh tasting instead! Isn't this awesome! I'm totally uninterested in tracking down the nearest PB confection like a blood hound! YIPPPEEEE! I LOVE The Sheriff!

Today was my first fill and I can say it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.. They put in 5.5cc's in and now I feel full even after a few sips of water.. I'm so happy I'm onto this part of my journey now where I can start eating solids again.. 6 weeks of liquids and creamy soups, I can now say I'm done with that.. It's been 6 weeks and I'm already down 40lbs.. YAY Me!!!

Yay! I finally hit my first self-imposed goal: 25 lbs down!!! WooHOO! (******cue dancing poodles and waving sparklers******) Tomorrow will mark 3 months of being banded (surgery was Feb 1st), and in that time (well, including pre-surgery liquid diet) I have lost 25 lbs. Forgive me for repeating myself so often, but this is big for me. I think one of the reasons I set my first goal as one that would take some time to accomplish was because I needed hard evidence that this "band thing" could actually work for me, that I might finally have found a way to lose the weight I've been battling for as long as I can remember (I was a normal kid until I started school at age 5... I don't remember what it feels like not to be heavy). Trust me, I've been on every diet on earth, and I've always been able to lose a little weight, but it was always a slow, hard battle and it always seemed to take forever to see results, so I needed to set myself a goal that would be a "real" loss, not just the 5 or 10 or even 15 lbs I've lost so many times before. Been there, done that, gained it back plus some, not impressed. With 25 lbs, I'm finally impressed. Dieting has been part of my life since I was 9 years old. In that time, I can't count the number of pounds I've lost and regained (and gained and gained). Also in that time I've tried every diet in creation, and let me tell you, they've all of them had one thing in common: they sucked! All of them felt like a constant battle, pitting me and my willpower again my hunger and my love of flavor (I would say love of food, but in this case I'm really not talking about food as comfort or emotional band-aid, but as a pleasurable sensory experience). Every time I've dieted, I've felt miserable and constantly walking a tightrope over the canyon of all the things I wasn't allowed to eat. In the past, keeping myself limited to 1500 calories a day felt like absolute torture. Seriously, it should have been covered by the Geneva convention. But with the band that's all different. I eat between 800-1200 calories a day (usually around 1000) and I'm only hungry when it's actually time for a meal or a snack. I enjoy everything I eat, but I'm able to stop myself when I've either had my allotted portion or I'm feeling satisfied. I'm able to eat things that truly give me pleasure and stay in control so I don't overdo it. I just can't describe what an amazing feeling that it. It just rocks. The band has changed my life in so many ways that can only be called positive. I finally have hope... no, I finally have confidence that I can and will take off this burdensome weight. I might not be one of those people who loses every excess pound within the first 6 or 9 or even 12 months, but now I know that it will come off. Let me sit with that for a minute, because that's huge. This is the first time in my life I've ever been able to say that and really mean it. That makes my heart swell with happiness. I can do this now, with the help of my band. I can and I will. So, my next goal is a little one: 5 more lbs for 30 lbs total. It's a small one because it will encompass 2 accomplishments in one shot. First, it will be the most I've lost in one attempt in my adult life, and second, it will put me back in onederland, 2 things I've been hoping for for a long time. Plus, hey, 30 lbs is a great round number. I can hardly wait. Even better, I know I won't be waiting long.

So, I spent ALL day at the hospital doing pre op tesing which consisted of the normal, EKG, LABS, Chest Xray, and PFT. Also, had my meeting with the nutritionist about pre op and post op diet. After nutrition class, went to visit my surgeon for the first time. He is such a busy man!! I couldn't believe how many people that were in the office that had surgery already and/or about to have surgery. I really like Dr. Follwell and feel I made the right decision in choosing him. My surgery date is set for May 21st as I first thought. I'm a little worried though because since I've seen a cardiologist before for PVC's they may want clearance with him before I have surgery. I explained to them that I've had evey test under the sun for my heart and I'm fine!!!! I don't want to have to go through any more testing. I've even had a heart cath. There were no blockages at all! My PVC's are considered to be benign. So, I'm just hoping that doesn't delay my surgery. I paid surgery fees today so I think everything will go according to plan. I still don't know a time as of yet. Of course, I'm still nervous, scared, and excited all at the same time. I was noticing people that came in for their one week post op appointments today. Most didn't even look as if they had surgery. I was so surprised. I was expecting them to be more in pain or sore or something! LOL But they seemed great and happy. I pray that is how I feel one week after. Well, I start my pre op diet next monday. Still trying to figure out which protein powder to go with. My diet consist of 5 shakes a day and of course popsicles, sugar free jello, and clear broths. I can also have 4 oz of 100 percent fruit juice mixed with water, 3 times a day. I sure hope I do well. I know it will be hard but I'm going to do the very best I can. I'm just so excited. This is the real beginning of my journey. Can't wait to be on the other side.

So for the last few years I've gone up and down the same 10-15 pounds. The lowest I've been is 260 and that's when I've dieted until life had no joy, but if I so much as looked at a piece of bacon I immediately jumped to 270-275ish. And, man, you can really feel a difference in your body at that weight! Yet today I jumped on the scale and it read 257.4!! It might not be onederland, but I'm just as happy! Go Lyra! *happy dance*

Okay so i recieve a letter in the mail that I have to come in for my pre-op testing. I got so excited. This was saturday. Then as i was sitting at my desk i realize that my appointent was with a surgeon that I did not know. Because of my insurance the sugrical team had to hand me over to another member of their staff. I was like OMG i wanted the man I liked from the start. I have to meet with this new guy in a week so I hope I like him. Well I waited a year for this (my insurance did not cover lap band, so i had to switch plans) so i am going to have my band still on May 30th. i wanted Dr. Strom but at least they are part of the same bariatric team! Lap Band HERE I COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited... and i just can't hide it ..... no no no no no ...... I'm about to loose control and I think I like it .... Oooohhh yeahhhh ..... lol

So I'm here at the hospital in one of their 'hotel-style' rooms. Very comfy. My check-in is at 7am for a 10am surgery and I know that this is right for me. My feet are on the right path and my head is in the right place. I don't know whats going to happen after surgery and what life will be like, but I have faith that everything will work out. I am calm. I am ready. Bring on the scapel, Doc, and let's do this. Tomorrow is the day, thank you to everyone who has been with me so far on this journey and I'll keep ya'll posted. See ya on the flip side! ~Lyra PS: A Note To My Stomach Dear Stomach- We've been together through thick and thin, literally. We've had good times, great times, and "how many tequila shots and burritos did I actually eat" times. Looking back on it, we've had a good run over the last 29 years. Granted, you were always a little bit finicky about lactose, and good at making epically loud grumbly noises that were better suited for the soundtrack of Star Wars (the part where the Death Star exploded, to be exact) but overall our relationship has been just a bit too good. For whatever reason you didn't have any boundaries, and I was a champion at crossing mine. So, in all due respect for services rendered...I want a divorce. Don't worry, though, my dear stomach, part of you will live on inside of me. We will still have a relationship, albeit a much healthier one. Remember the humiliation I felt when I couldn't get on the rides at the state fair? Yeah. I'm not saying it was all you, I definitely had a hand in it, but we're just not good together. You're just too much stomach for me to handle. Please don't look at this 'divorce' as a forever goodbye. We will still enjoy food, just in smaller and much healthier amounts. Overall my happiness and future will be brighter because of this decision. Together we will strive for a better future. Together we will succeed, and together we will ROCK OUR SLEEVE! So, goodbye dear stomach. In the morning we will go to sleep and when I awake I will no longer have a demanding and lazy stomach. Instead The Sheriff will be born, and a new sheriff will indeed be in town. With love for the last 29 years of overly dedicated service, and with hope and faith for the future- ~Lyra