Proud of myself and enjoying life

[nina874 48]

I thought I would post this as a boost (hopefully) for people just starting their journey.

Firstly let me say that I LOVE MY LAPBAND!!!!! lol

I have been at my goal weight for over a year now and have kept on losing without really thinking about it, the lessons that I learned whilst trying to lose the weight have stayed with me and my life is so much simpler now! I started out at a US 14/16 and I am now a US 2/4.

In the first three months I lost about 40lbs and then it has just been a slow steady decrease, I hit my goal about a year ago and I am now over 20lbs under it. You have to have faith in your band and work with it not against it. There will be times when it is easier to shovel down something sloppy rather than take the time to cut up the good food and chew it well, but dont fall into the trap! Even when you think that 3lb a month is a pathetically slow weight loss, add that up over a year and it is easy to see how with time you will pass your goal.

I had a very complicated relationship with food prior to my band, it fell into the love/hate category, as in looooooved it most of the time, had to declare war on it if I ever wanted to diet! I still love food, I still enjoy all of my meals, I just dont obssess about it anymore. I no longer gorge just because it tastes nice, but I have learned that a little bit of what you like will not harm you, instead of the entire bowl of trifle I have a few spoonfulls and I am very satisfied with it. I never deny myself anything, I just only have a tiny portion, once I stopped that feeling of denial ( I am soooo a ' wants what I cant have' person) my life simplified. Now I know that I can have anything that I want, I'm not actually that bothered about having it!

I have discovered a love of excercise, I work out 3/5 times a week and love kicking my a** in the gym, I look and feel 10 years younger and have so much more energy and confidence. I lift weights and I am now enjoying watching my body change shape, in fact food wise I have to make sure that I eat enough as my DH has announced that I am too skinny!

I cannot remember the last time I felt GUILTY about eating something, and I cannot tell you how refreshing that is after years of beating myself up.

I treated myself to a Tummy Tuck ( dont listen to people that tell you that exercise will get rid of it, loose skin is loose skin and after 6 kids I felt that I had earned it) and I am going to have a BA this year as unfortunatly the girls have suffered as a result of the fat loss and ironically the weighlifting! People may call it vainty, I call it a reward for all my hard work.

In fact my DH has been so amazed by the change in me that he is going to have his gastric band fitted next friday! He reckons after watching me make all the mistakes that I made in the early days he will be going into it ahead of the game, I hope so, and I hope that he ends up as happy at the end of his journey as I am at the end of mine.