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And I missed it! I may have a brand new band in but I still consider the 1st August 2008 to be the first day I became a bandster. And despite the ups and downs, it has been a game changer for me. It transformed my life in so many ways that I can't even begin to articulate. Not just in my weight, my health and my prognosis for my future health, but in my confidence, my view on life, my career and my value in myself. Happy bandiversary to me! It's been an amazing 5 years and here's to many many more to come.

I’ve been so lazy since being on vacation from both jobs but not too lazy to not workout. Thursday was my 3 month bandversary! I can’t believe it been 3 months since I’ve been banded. So what have I learned? I learned that God has blessed me with the best support system in the world. I learned I am getting much better with time. I learned how to be sociable again. Also I learned its okay to have a cheat day. So how did I celebrate my 3 month bandversary? I went shopping! I am not going to lie to you guys I’ve been avoiding shopping like the plague. It’s all mental for me. I remember going shopping and I will find a very cute outfit but it never came in my size. So I decided to save myself from the embarrassment and shop on line. I can’t do that now because I am over 50 pounds lighter. Yesterday was one of those days that I really wish my best friend Lesley was there with me. She would have told me to get over it and be proud of the fact that I am 50 pounds lighter! Anyway I started slow. I grab a size 14 and a size 16 pair of pants to try on first. The 16 fit fine but the 14 I was able to put on but wasn’t able to button up. It’s okay tho because I have a new goal now. Anyway so I tried on a size XL shirt it was a little too big so I garb a large and the large fit! I didn’t cry on anything but it was overwhelming. So I just brought the shirt and a couple of accessories but next time it will be different. I had a follow up appointment with my primary doctor. Last time I seen her I was weighing 236 pounds but yesterday I seen her weighing 214 pounds! She told me that she was very proud of me and she knows that I can do this. Also I no longer have high blood pressure and I am not longer morbidly obese just obese. So that is an improvement. Today I ran 2.5 miles and I am tired. I need to clean out my closet and get rid of my size 20 clothes and 1X shirts so I can make room for my new clothes. I don’t see that happening today so let try again tomorrow. Life is good and I am loving my band! Thanks for reading.

I got the call this morning that will change my life forever - I'm approved for weight loss surgery. It's scheduled, in pen. I'm not turning back now. It's time. Time for me, time for change, time to get healthy. No more size 20 pants. No more hiding in cover ups when I'm in my humongous bathing suits. I'm done with the way things are and so happy to be on this new road.

To the weight loss surgery patient slider foods are the bane of good intentions and ignorance often causing dumping syndrome, weight loss plateaus, and eventually weight gain. Slider foods, to weight loss surgery patients, are soft simple processed carbohydrates of little or no nutritional value that slide right through the surgical stomach pouch without providing nutrition or satiation. The most innocent of slider foods are saltine crackers, often eaten with warm tea or other beverages, to soothe the stomach in illness or while recovering from surgery. Understanding Slider Foods The most commonly consumed slider foods include pretzels, crackers (saltines, graham, Ritz, etc.) filled cracker snacks such as Ritz Bits, popcorn, cheese snacks (Cheetos) or cheese crackers, tortilla chips with salsa, potato chips, sugar-free cookies, cakes, and candy. You will notice these slider foods are often salty and cause dry mouth so they must be ingested with liquid to be palatable. This is how they become slider foods. They are also, most often, void of nutritional value. For weight loss surgery patients the process of digestion is different than those who have not undergone gastric surgery. When slider foods are consumed they go into the stomach pouch and exit directly into the jejunum where the simple carbohydrate slurry is quickly absorbed and stored by the body. There is little thermic effect in the digestion of simple carbohydrates like there is in the digestion of protein so little metabolic energy is expended. In most cases patients in the phase of weight loss who eat slider foods will experience a weight loss plateau and possibly the setback of weight gain. And sadly, they will begin to believe their surgical stomach pouch is not functioning properly because they never feel fullness or restriction like they experience when eating protein. The very nature of the surgical gastric pouch is to cause feelings of tightness or restriction when one has eaten enough food. However, when soft simple carbohydrates are eaten this tightness or restriction does not result and one can continue to eat, unmeasured, copious amounts of non-nutritional food without ever feeling uncomfortable. Many patients turn to slider foods for this very reason. They do not like the discomfort that results when the pouch is full from eating a measured portion of lean animal or dairy protein without liquids. Yet it is this very restriction that is the desired result of the surgery. The discomfort is intended to signal the cessation of eating. Remembering the "Protein First" rule is crucial to weight management with bariatric surgery. Gastric bypass, gastric banding (lap-band) and gastric sleeve patients are instructed to follow a high protein diet to facilitate healing and promote weight loss. Bariatric centers advise what is commonly known among weight loss surgery patients as the "Four Rules" the most important of which is "Protein First." That means of all nutrients (protein, veggies, complex carbohydrates, then fat and alcohol) the patient is required to eat protein first. Protein is not always the most comfortable food choice for weight loss surgery patients who feel restriction after eating a very small amount of food. However, for the surgical tool to work correctly a diet rich in protein and low in simple carbohydrate slider foods must be observed. The high protein diet must be followed even after healthy body weight has been achieved in order to maintain a healthy weight and avoid weight regain.

Today is a bad day physically. My right leg is in a great deal of pain. My knee feels like it has an extremely tight band wrapped around it. I can barely bend it and walking is very difficult. And my calf is radiating pain down to my foot. ( vascular) Yesterday I felt pretty good overall and I was able to go grocery shopping. I spent extra time looking at things and reading labels, which kept me on my feet longer. So needless to say I am paying for it today. I do not fathom how people live with chronic pain for years. While my knee has been pretty bad for a few years now, it was manageable. I could stay off my leg, ice or apply heat and take meds to keep the pain down. But since I can no longer take my anti inflammatory medication ( due to taking warfarin) the pressure and pain has gotten out of control. And add to that my new pain from vascular swelling...It is more than I can take almost. I am at the end of my rope so to speak. If I do not get this weight off and get some relief I could very easily end up much worse off. I would either become a pill popper with pain meds ( I can take those, just not the stuff that will actually HELP my leg!) or a cripple. Neither is an option as a single parent of a four year old. That is my main reason for turning to bariatric surgery. I need it. I have so much empathy for those who have pain that there is no cure or treatment for. Losing weight won't "cure" me, but I have no doubt it will vastly improve my situation. On the plus side, I have been making changes I need to for success in my future. Yesterday I started eating a lot less, making sure it was full of protein while low in fat, calories and carbs. This is how life will be post op, so might as well get used to it now. And any weight loss I achieve from changing now is just a step closer to where I need to be!