JulieNYC's bandiversary

[JulieNYC 4]

Today is my first year bandiversary! I have lost 173 lbs this year and have gone from a size 28 to a size 14, from super morbidly obese to obese and teetering on the edge of overweight.

This is a weird post to write. It feels like emotional homework. For whatever reason, I don't feel like taking inventory of all the things that have changed for me this year -- the new me is so good that I don't want to waste a single second on the time I spent unbanded. Not that they were bad years in every way -- of course not -- it's just that who I am now is who I'm supposed to be. I'm so content and so confident that I've found the long-term solution to my weight management that I don't need to focus on the way things were anymore. Does that make sense?

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Anyway, for those of you just starting out, I thought I’d give you my top 10's:

10 reasons to get banded:<O:p</O:p

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(1) I lost from 358 to 185 in exactly one year without doing anything I'd consider extraordinary. I'd like to lose 30 or 40 more, but if I don't, who cares. Life in Onederland can't be beat.

<O:p</O:p(2) I can travel so much more comfortably. Since I live 10 states from my family, that's a huge deal. I can fly Air Tran and not pay to select my seat ahead of time because if I get stuck in the middle, it simply doesn't matter. I don't live in the world of seatbelt extenders anymore. In fact, I almost like being in the middle seat because I can sit there just as comfortably as anywhere else.

(3) food has lost its importance in my life. I don't count the minutes or hours until my next binge. I don't order 2 (or more) Entrees at a "to go" place and come home and eat until I fall asleep. I actually enjoy going to a restaurant or cooking a good meal more now because I still feel good afterwards, since I only eat a reasonable portion for my body. food doesn't kill the whole night.

(4) I fit into life again. I used to walk up 4 blocks to make sure I got a single seat on the bus. Now I don't bother. If I get a double seat on the inside, that's fine too. I fit in a subway seat. I never worry about getting into a friend's car and whether the seatbelt will be comfortable. I don't worry about breaking office chairs our lawn chairs or whether a theater seat will accommodate me.

(5) I've found other things that are almost as fun as food. Manicures. Pedicures. New clothes. Haircuts. Even exercise. I didn't do any of those things before. It was too hard to voluntarily look in the mirror.

(6) I'm an extrovert. I was always an extrovert, then somewhere along the path of gaining 200 lbs, I became an introvert. Except I wasn't really an introvert, I was a closet extrovert who acted introverted because of the limitations of my size. That's painful and I don't do it anymore.

(7) I don't worry about my health on a daily basis. I used to think every little pain was a sign I was about to have a heart attack, whether it was a pain in my arm or a heart palpitation, etc. Now I know I'm healthy.

(8) I take no medications. I don't need blood pressure meds. I'm not a walking time-bomb for diabetes. I don't have Migraines, lower back pain, or foot pain when I get out of bed in the morning. I have excellent bladder control, even when I sneeze.

(9) I'm starting to feel comfortable telling my "story." I didn't tell many people about getting banded. Now I'm more comfortable telling people. I truly don't get bogged down in anyone thinking it's the "easy way out." Anyone who thinks that doesn't understand WLS. And, even if it were the easy way out, who cares? I want the people I care about to have an easy way out of a horrible disease. I don't go out of my way to tell people I have a band, but if I'm asked directly about the weight loss, I don't try to hide it anymore. That feels good.

(10) When I daydream about the future, it doesn't make me sad. I'm starting to believe the things I daydream about could actually happen.

10 Things That Helped Me and Might Help You With Your Banding:

(1) Just hold your breath and get banded. Quit second-guessing yourself. I second guessed my decision for 3 years of "research" and if I'd just accepted that needing the band is a responsible solution to weight management and isn't a sign of failure, I'd be at goal right now instead of having wasted that time. Yes, I could have lost the weight on my own, as I'd done before, but the band is the only reasonable tool to lose AND keep it off.

(2) Once you're banded, quit expecting to lose tons and tons of weight before you get a good fill. Being banded but without a good fill is almost like not being banded. Your cravings won't be dimmed until you're filled. Quit expecting this to be anything other than what it is. Get filled and you'll lose weight. It's frustrating because you just had WLS and it isn't really activated yet, but it will be, so hang in there.

(3) Exercise at least a little as soon as you're physically able. Realize this has to be part of your new life in order to lose steadily and maintain for the long term.

(4) If you're not losing 1-2 lbs a week, count your calories for a few days or weeks to see where you're going wrong. I happen to believe all weight loss is calories in compared to calories out. Not everyone believes it's exclusively this, but everyone believes it's at least in part this. You don't have to count calories all the time, but if you're frustrated with your progress, it's one way to speed things along.

(5) Once you're 4 or 5 months into it, consider finding someone to mentor. It'll help you stay focused on your own journey to help someone else with theirs.

(6) Don't worry about sagging skin. You may have some, but it's more attractive than fat, and even if it isn't, if you've lost so much weight that you have sagging skin, think of how much healthier you must be.

(7) Don't worry about having to have a revision surgery. Lap band surgery isn't that big of a deal, in terms of surgical recovery for most people. If you have to have a revision, so be it. At least you'll be 100 lbs thinner and having surgery to STAY thinner, not to get thinner. Your recovery will be a ton easier at a lower BMI.

(8) Accept the fact that being too tight is not healthy and won't necessarily help you to lose quicker. Get an unfill if you even suspect that need it -- if you suspect it, you really do probably need it.

(9) See a therapist as often as you can during the weight loss phase, if you can at all afford it. With very limited exception, there are emotional reasons why we carry extra weight. Even for those with medical reasons for weight gain (PCOS, etc.) there are emotional issues that come up from carrying the weight, even if the emotions themselves were less of a factor in the actual gain. As the weight comes off, you have to deal with those issues or else you might stall until your mind catches up.

(10) Quit blaming yourself for being fat. You're a cool person. You're doing something about your weight now. Forgive yourself for not doing something about it before. Just jump on board and do something about it now. There's a whole new world waiting on you.

Thank you to all the moderators and members of LBT who have gone through this life changing year with me. You have been my most stable and constant source of support and I am so very grateful.

[Boo 3]

Julie, this is a beautiful post, from a beautiful person. Thank you!! You are a true inspiration for good.

[waterlily1072 5]

Great Post Julie! Happy bandiversary

[She Smiles 2]

Happy Bandiversary! I am sure that your post will help and motivate some new comers as well as us already-bandsters! Thanks for sharing your wisdom and insight!

[Reesh 0]

Congratulations!!! That is so awesome, you lost a great deal of weight in 1 year. Thank you for your advice and giving me hope that I too can get to the point where you are at taking it one day at a time and not putting too much expectations on myself. :clap2:

[Denise 0]

You are an inspiration!

[libra 13]

Julie...congratulations! You're an incredible person and deserve this. Your post is so inspiring and giving to the rest of us! Thank you so much.

BTW, you're a "cool person" too!

[TracyinKS 7]

OK Julie, this post gave me goosebumps, I'm going to print it out and keep it in my "Band File".

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this emotional homework.

To say your an ispiration, doesn't begin to really explain how much your posts (and others like it) help and motivate me on a daily basis, and I can only aspire to be a similar inspiration in the years to come.

Thank You

[juliegeraci 7]

Julie, I truly love your post and can identify. Thank you for taking the time to write it. Julie

[SillyWillyMommy 2]

Thank you Julie... that was quite inspirational. :-)

[Ollie 0]

thank you for sharing that.....and congratulations on your hard work.....you have given me hope.....

[losingjusme 12]

Julie,

happy bandiversary ... what an incredible post! you are an awesome inspiration!

[Alexandra 55]

Phenomenal post, Julie. Congratulations on an amazing year!! :biggrin1:

[CaraDFW 0]

Wow, this was awesome. I can't wait to get my band next week!

[faithmd 14]

Julie, thank you so much for writing that very inspirational and phenomenal post!