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the sweet spot that is known as the green zone. Some are lucky and never have to worry about it and some of us have to figure out if we are really in it or not or if it even exists. Since my last fill on Jan 29th I can certainly say it exists. I can easily go 5 hours with need to eat and I never have the cravings or desires to snack. Jan 29th I weighed 346 and this morning I was 313. Today I also had my one year follow up visit and the Center was happy with everything they seen and heard and they feel I am in a very good place right now. They decided that they only need to see me every 6 months but if I have any problems at all with anything or think I need adjustment then call sooner and get in. I still have a long way to go in my journey but sometimes it is good to take a step back and look at the big picture. My Doc took all my measurements this morning and then gave me this print out for a little perspective. I am 93lbs from my personal goal but I am more motivated then ever. My advice to all the new folks considering this option. Patience...this trip requires a lot patience but if you're true to yourself and follow your Docs advice and guidelines you can be successful. With anything there are ups and downs but you have to grind through the low points. Lapband surgery one day and weight loss the next does not happen. It can take some time for the ball to really start rolling.

Making a Lifestyle change... In January my husband and I decided to commit to the lapband journey as soon as possible. first we had to finish saving the money, at the beginning of March we knew the finances would come together I started drinking a protein shake for breakfast and lunch but I also started fixing healthier food for my family, march 21 I met with my Dr. and his staff and scheduled operation for April 5 at this point I had lost 8 lbs. I've always drank alot of water and cross my fingers that it wasn't just a bunch of water weight but I'm sure plenty was though When we got home my DH husband and I threw away all junk food in the house, went to the store bought light mayo, lower calorie cheeses, yogurt, leaner meats, everything. we're making a lifestyle change, not just for he and I but for our kids as well. we have 3 daughters and a son 2 of my girls are teens and the third is right there. all of my kids have normal bmi's but 2 are at the higher end and I can see both of them copying my lifelong bad habits, not stopping when their no longer hungry, eating bc it tastes good or just bc their bored...NO it has to stop now. We completely stopped eating out we started counting calories for each of their age groups and started teaching portion control. we're still eating all the meals we used to eat with just a few healthy adjustments, but still delicious. dinners now are no more than 500 cals. total, everything we put into our bodies are healthy. when snacks for the kids are allowed its healthy. and they have to drink water, water, water. don't get me wrong we've discussed that occasionally we will have some junk food, just not everyday and when we do we need to limit it. also we've discussed if we're craving something it's probably better to have a little than to eat a bunch of other stuff trying to curb the craving. my husband has lost 12 lbs of the 20 he wants to lose and he stopped drinking soda. he says he feels better, he's sleeping better and guess what.. no more heartburn, my daughter's with the higher bmi's have lost between 3-7 lbs. we're going for walks and playing in the yard more. but it's more than that, Easter holiday my kids wanted their favorite holiday meal so I made a nice feast for them, still healthier but a feast none the less, usually they would have polished off most of the food, but not this time, they each had a small plate, they only ate half their chicken. everyone ate 1/3 of what they would have usually eaten eaten. They were full It's working!!! then yesterday my daughter came home from school (and I talk about her weight bc about a month ago at school the class weighed each other, and my daughter's friends are petite and my daughter has been very small as well but lately, as stated above she was getting into some bad habits and she weighed about 10lbs more than her friends and some comments were made I don't think purposely to hurt her feelings but it did, I realized I needed to change my families habits) anyway she came home and said some people in my class today brought in some donuts, I thought about having one but I wasn't hungry and I had eaten dessert at lunch so I passed, I didn't care if she had the donut but she was proud of herself for recognizing she didn't need it, IT'S OKAY TO WALK AWAY. I also no longer make my kids finish whats on their plate. I know their bad habits are my fault What I've realized is we needed a lifestyle change I'm proud of my whole family. and I've got this, I'm sure there will be bumps but I have support and I'm excited about our future

Hey guys I just had to post a little entry about all of my little (or not so little) NSV of the week! (Sorry in advance for all the colors..lol Made me think of being in middle school again. hahaha) So the first thing I noticed this last week was that my rings are getting loose. I have this one ring my sister got for me, and I just love it. It used to fit on my ring finger but I have had to move it to my pointer finger because it was about to fall off the other day... (It used to be tight) Second... I went down a full pant Size!!! Ya know how jeans can vary in size? Well I was in a size 22 when I started and about a week ago I was able to fit into my big 20's... But today I got into my small 20's Oh ya.. And they fit and look good So excited! That is one step closer to being back in the teen digest Third... I can tie my shoes so much easier! I used to have to sit down try to reach for my feet across my huge tummy. Now its no problem Forth... I have noticed that my libido has just launched to a whole new level..lol It seems like every other thought is about sex... ha ha ha... AND!!! to top it off... I have lost 19 inches over my whole body !!!! Yay for me I hope all of you out there are having as much success as I am. I hope your finding the little things that encourage you and push you through each day. Keep your eyes out for the little details that make you smile. Cloths that fit different, The fact that moving is easier, You feel different, You sleep better, your off some meds... etc... What are your none scale victories of the week? Please share!!!!

Today I did my week three weigh in and I'm down to 283.4! I was so excited to see those numbers! Its the end of the semester so I've been swamped with all my big school projects and haven't been able to squeeze in workout time, so I genuinely didn't think I'd come down more than a pound or two. This brings my total weight loss to 32 lbs! SO AWESOME! My first goal weight is 270- that's what I weighed two summers ago, and more or less is the last consistent weight I was before I started gaining rapidly.240 will be after that- that's what I weighed all through high school. I'm so exited because I just feel like for the first time that these are TOTALLY attainable goals. This week I get my tax refund back and the first thing I'm doing is renewing my gym membership. I actually love working out, and once I'm in a groove, I'll do a couple hours in the gym no problem, but lord know that first three weeks blowwwwws. Its so weird to be able to remember being roughly this size last year and working out 7 days a week and it being easy breezy, but right now I don't think i could do more than an hour and be dying afterwards. Conditioning is a b***h. I've been adding in more 'real food' and it seems to be going pretty well.. Just trouble with portioning still because of the weird link in my head between 'this is the amount you need to eat to feel full' and 'eat this cup and be done'. I'll get there haha. Its only two weeks until my first fill!! I'm so, so ready to kick this thing into high gear! Any advice for the first one? Will I be able to go to work afterwards or should I plan on being sick to my stomach? I'm not really sure what to expect!

Your roses are a reflection of your beauty!

My stomach didn't tolerate salad/broccoli/cauliflower/or any kind of fruit till about the 3rd month. Week 1 was pretty much nothing - I was feeling so much pain, I couldn't eat. Week 2 - 4 was protein drinks and Cream of Chicken soup. Weeks 5 - 8, I was eating grilled chicken I ran through the food processor, refried beans and salsa pretty much 24/7. Since then, my stomach will grumble but tolerate - tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, and (insert any fibrous vegetable here). And it grumbles but tolerates any fruit I've tried - apples, bananas, strawberries, grapes, pineapple. All you can do is test your stomach with a very small bite and wait a few minutes to see how it responds.