Things to be thankful for...

For the past month and a half I have been trying to listen to my body and what is it "sayng" when I eat.  The Lapband (when adjusted properly) is there to help me feel fuller faster, which means I eat less food.   Part of this is to learn to listen to when my body is telling me I'm full.  For the past month and a half I have been trying to pay attention to see if I needed to be adjusted or not.  Two weeks ago (11/3/11) I finally had my first fill.  I was so nervous about it since I was not sure what to expect at all.  The whole thing took less than 5 minutes and was no big deal at all!  I laid down on the table, the nurse practitioner felt around on my stomach to find where my port was (sown into my abdominal wall), she then pinpointed the port with a sonogram (or ultrasound, not sure exactly), numbed the area with a needle of lidocaine, then another needle was inserted into the port and saline (1cc) was added to the band.  When the needle of saline was put into the port there was A LOT of pressure, almost felt like she was trying to touch the table underneath me through my abdomen.  The pressure lasted less then 1 minute and was much easier this second time around since I knew what to expect. Post fill I am required to go back to the same plan as post surgery, only on an abbreviated timeline. 

First 24 hours is liquid only, next 2 days is 3 protein shakes, 4th & 5th days I can re-introduce mushy foods for 1 meal and then finally 6 days post fill I can go back to eating my one meal of regular foods along with my 2 protein shakes each day.  This was MUCH harder then I even imagined it would be!! At first I thought "No big deal, I dealt with it for longer right after surgery".  It is much different now that it has been 5 months and I am used to eating.  By the second day I felt awful and I was starving!  I was pretty cranky and actually had to give in a little early and had some mushy food (3oz) on my third night.  I had another fill this morning and I am happy I know what to expect and have warned all of those around me that it would be best to steer clear of me until at least sunday :-)

At my appointment this morning I weighed in at 61 lbs less then the morning of surgery and I have knocked off 12 points off my BMI!!!  I am know only consider Obese, instead of Morbidly Obese.  My weight is also now under 200 lbs (1st time in at least 10 years) and today I wore a skirt from NY&Co size 14!!  I also was planning on waiting a few more months to start wedding dress shopping but have decided I can't hold out any more.  While I am down on LI next week for Thanksgiving I am going to go try on wedding dresses for the first time!! While I am not going to order one until I am closer to goal I can't wait to start the process!

                      My size 14 skirt from NY&Co!!!

Sometimes I look at the life I am living and I wonder to myself "How did I get so lucky?"  With Thanksgiving right around the corner I am taking this time to look at my life and be grateful for all the people in it.  I have the most amazing fiance, phenomenal family members, and fantastic friends (including all my Facebook friends).  

I appreciate all of you coming along on this weight loss journey with me.  Posting about everything keeps me honest and accountable.