Dakota1984

June 7th, 2007 was the day that I was banded. I weighed 286 pounds. Over the course of the next 18 months I made it all the way down to 206 pounds. Then my band slipped and I had to have corrective surgery and it scared me to pieces. Long story short.... the weight came back. Dang. Today I weighed 258.8 pounds. My goal weight is 186 pounds. This blog is going to be my daily record of what I am eating, how I am exercising and a documentation of the emotional journey that I am taking. I have heard it said that if I can lose it the second time I will never gain it back again. I don't know if that is true but I am willing to do it one more time.... on the thought of being healthy and athletic. Talk to you all tomorrow... Blessings, Michelle

I managed to keep it a secret for 15 months. Two very close friends were the only ones who knew, the girl who drove me home from the clinic and my best friend since childhood. Two and a half weeks ago my band slipped and I had to have emergency surgery. Now everyone knows including my mother, brother, children, friends and acquaintences. C'est le vie.

Hi Rhonda, Welcome! I know we are all ready to get back on the "band"wagon. So far I think we are all setting very realistic goals. Good Luck! Michelle

Hey Suzzzie, Glad to have you. It has been a good week - at least I haven't gained. I am going to start exercising tomorrow. Just walking for the time being, unfortunately I had surgery two weeks ago so heavy exercise is still a month away. Thanks, Michelle

Hello June 07 Bandsters, I don't know about everyone else but I have stalled out a little the past couple of months and am looking to kick my motivation back into gear. Hopefully you all will join me in getting ready to make 2009 the best year of our lives. My goal is to be under 200 pounds by January 1, 2009. Only a few pounds to go to get there but it will take some serious effort. Lets start sharing our ideas, our frustrations and our victories! We have come this far and I am really excited about what comes next. Compared to where I was before my band I feel so much healthier, so much younger and in general so much more alive. But I want more .... eventually I want to get to my ultimate goal weight of 154 pounds. My gut feeling is that most of you are wanting more out of your lives too. So I challenge you to join me in jump starting the goals we set in June of 2007. You all remember how this works. Just copy and paste to update your information and we will keep a running total. Name........Challenge start wgt.......current wgt.....chall. goal.....To go. Dakota1984....... 211......................211......................199................12 Good Luck, Michelle

I lost about 14 pounds from my all time high when the first photo was taken before my surgery. That means I am 91 pounds from my all time high and 77 pounds since surgery.

Hi Flygirl, I am also a patient of Dr. Smith and live in Pueblo. I was banded 6/7/07. I would love to chat. Michelle

I had a lot of shoulder pain starting at about 6 weeks post op. It would radiate from my shoulder down to my port area. Usually taking OTC meds and laying down would make it go away relatively quickly. My doc even ordered a CT Scan to make sure that I wasn't suffering from a blood clot. After awhile they pain lessened and now (six months post op) I very rarely suffer any pain at all. Have hope!!! Michelle

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I was able to limit myself to one small plate of food - which was so good BTW. Stayed away from the bread and only had one very small piece of pumpkin cheesecake. All in all a pretty successful day - especially compared to how much I was able to pack away last year. Name ..... start wgt .... current wgt ...goal .... To go Dakota1984 ..... 246 ....... 242 ....... 234 ..... 8 MJSafari ....... 237 ....... 237 ....... 227 ..... 10 Wombat712 ...... 162 ....... 162 ....... 150 ..... 12 SueMagoo ....... 243 ....... 243 ....... 230 ..... 13 Missrhondalynn.. 255 ....... 255 ....... 235 ..... 20 MM ............. 211 ....... 211 ....... 199 ..... 12 BeckieT ........ 248.8 ..... 248.8 ..... 240 ..... 8.8 Suzzzie. ....... 312.1 ..... 312.1 ..... 299 ..... 13.1 HUNTERSMOM...... 170 ....... 170 ....... 165 ..... 5 LULUC .......... 182 ....... 182 ....... 170 ..... 12 SWEETY ......... 188 ....... 188 ....... 180 ..... 8 Joeygirl........ 226 ....... 226 ........220.......6

Good Morning All, I would like to wish you all a Thanksgiving full of blessings and joy. Michelle

Name........Challenge start wgt.......current wgt.....chall. goal.....To go. Dakota1984....... 246......................246...................... 234................12 MJSafari............237.......................237. .....................227................10 Wombat712.........162.......................162... .....................150.................12 SueMagoo............243.......................243. ......................230................13 Missrhondalynn 255.....................255....................... ..235................20 MM.........................213.4.................. .213.4......................203..............10.4 BeckieT................248.8..................248. 8.......................240..............8.8 Okay - I took a reality pill this morning and adjusted my goal down from 20 to 12. I would really like to get my average back to 10 pounds per month but realize I probably shouldn't try to do it all in one month. I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. Michelle

I am really excited about this holiday season, from the standpoint that I won't be able to gorge myself the way I used to everytime I sit down at the table. Has anyone else noticed how the "bad" food tends to go down much easier than the "good" food? For instance I can literally inhale Reeces cups but have to chew a piece of broasted chicken forever and then can still only eat about 1/3 of my meal before I feel like if I eat another bite it will be coming back up. Name........Challenge start wgt.......current wgt.....chall. goal.....To go. Dakota1984....... 246......................243...................... 226................17 MJSafari............237.......................237. .....................227................10 Wombat712.........162.......................162... .....................150.................12