Looking back, looking forward

It's amazing at what losing 40 pounds looks like. I came across this picture earlier tonight on my computer and it was in a photo album from a few years ago. This picture is from 2006 on our family cruise and I weighed right around 260 pounds. This was my highest weight ever. I managed to lose about 10 pounds a few months after this picture was taken but my weight escalated right back up to 260 right before my surgery in October 2009.

The picture on the right was taken last weekend in Atlanta, 40 pounds lighter. Although I wish I had a tan right now like I do in the first picture, I wouldn't wish to look like that ever EVER again. It is easy to forget what we looked like and the state we were in before having the band, but pictures like this help us realize where we started and how far we have come! Go look through your old pictures...it is truly an inspiration!

I have put this picture on my blog before but this picture is one of my inspiration pictures. I printed this one out and it is on my desk for me to look at day after day. This picture was taken is 2004 when I was a senior in high school and I weighed about 180-190 pounds. I think it is great to have inspiration photos to look at because it reminds you of what you used to look like and what you are aiming to look like when you lose your weight. Everyone knows that I believe in being confident in yourself and proud of who you are whether you are 120 pounds or 400 pounds, but I remember how truly happy I was with myself and my body when this picture was taken. It reminds me of what I am working towards.

Have a lovely Wednesday everyone!

Pictures from my BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!

Hey friends!! Here are some pictures from my birthday weekend last weekend!! They are a little out of order but we spent the weekend in Atlanta with our good friends Joe and Ashley and their three kids! We went to a Braves game on Sunday and had a great time!
When we got back to Birmingham we went to dinner with some of my good girl friends from Auburn so it was a great weekend :) Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Also, I am like 99% sure I am going to Chicago!!! As soon as I finalize things with my work and make sure I can have off that Friday, I will know for sure! I am so excited about it! It will be awesome getting to meet all you ladies in person after talking to you for months and months! Is anybody looking into plane ticket prices yet? I need to look that up! And who all is going Friday morning verses Friday afternoon? I figured some people might not be able to go until Friday after work! Anyways, yay!! Cant wait!!

Headed to Atlanta!

Outside of Turner Field...Home of the Atlanta Braves!

Burch and Porter watching the game :)

Burch and I after the Braves big win!!

The whole gang!

Burch and I trying to entertain the kiddos!

The new little kitty!! Aww!!

Birthday dinner with my girl friends, Megan, Samantha and Lalane!

6 MONTH BANDIVERSARY!!

So let me start this blog out by saying where in the world have I been?! I have missed out on some good things in the blog world! First, the Chicago trip?! I hadnt even heard about it until Alexis told me about it on Facebook...other peoples bandiversarys I have missed...goodness! Im my life outside of the blog world I always like knowing what is going on in my families' lives and my friends' lives...so this is not normal for me to be so unconnected. I apologize.

Well I have had a busy life the past few weeks hints the reason I haven't been updating my blog. I started a new job Monday and this has had me busy busy busy. I am an auditor for a landscaping company and I love it so far. I also celebrated my 24th birthday this past Sunday and here in the south we like to drag that out for a week or so! I had a birthday celebration with good friends last night and I have a family birthday tomorrow night if that proves my point haha :) But I purposely waited to update my blog today instead of yesterday because today is my 6 MONTH BANDIVERSARY!! Yay!! Has is really been 6 whole months since my surgery?! Time sure does fly by! Even though I have hit some bumps in the road and had some weight plateaus, I couldnt be more happy that I made the decision to change my life and start living and eating right (most of the time hehe).

When I started this weight loss journey I weighed 257 pounds, with my highest weighted being 260 pounds a few weeks before surgery. As of this morning, I weigh 219 pounds. I have lost a grand total of 38 pounds since surgery. This is 38 pounds I will never EVER carry with me ever again. Goodbye...see you later...adios amigo! During this weight loss journey I plan to hit my goal weight of 160 pounds. 38 pounds down and 59 to go! Im not sure when I will hit my goal but I know I am enjoying the ride and taking it each day at a time. I celebrate with each pound lost and I think that is the right thing to do. I once would compare myself to everyone else and their weight loss but I learned that this will only get you down and depressed about the journey you are on. Because some people have lost 80 pounds during their first 6 months while others have only lost 20 pounds. It is all relative based on our beginning weight and how our bodies react and how well we do with the band. If you have lost 10 pounds, be happy. If you have lost 50, be happy. If you have lost 100, be happy :)

Here are a few things I have noticed since losing 38 pounds:

1. I can now cross my legs with no problem! You know the feeling when you cross your legs and you are clinching them so they wont fly apart haha? Well now there is no problem and as a woman, that feels good.

2. My fingers have gotten so much smaller. I would always have to wear a size 9 ring and now I am wearing size 7 for the most part. My mom's wedding ring is a size 7 and it goes on my ring finger with no problem.

3. I used to wear a size 22 in jeans and pants and a 2x in all shirts...I even have shirts in my closet that are 3x. I am now wearing size 18 in pants...I actually bought a pair of 18's from Target that are too big but Im too nervous to go down to 16's already. All the shirts I have been getting are 1x and I actually just bought a dress from TJMaxx that is a size XL...like not plus size XL, just XL!! This was a big milestone for me seeing that I am a shopping and clothes addict!

4. I do have a collar bone. I noticed this a few months ago but when I weighed 260 pounds, you couldnt find my collar bones if you tried! haha

5. I do have a truly girly figure. I have always been very proportionate with my weight...as in the top half of my body was proportionate to my bottom half. But my waist is getting more and more defined every day it seems. Before surgery I felt more rectanglar shaped because my waist had gotten larger and larger. But with weight loss I can really tell a difference. I think before surgery I measured 45 inches around my waist and as of today I am around 37 inches. My hips need to catch up but I can now see that hourglass figure....maybe a curvy hourglass haha!

But thank you everyone for your continued support! I appreciate it more than you know!! I cant wait for another good 6 months :) I feel like we are all family here and it feels good to have a great support system!!

Im hoping I can go to Chicago...can someone tell me the main details?? That would be so much fun to meet you ladies in person!! We would all be one wild and crazy group of girls!

One more question...can someone tell me how to do comparison, side by side pictures?! I cant figure it out!

Everyone have a great Friday and wonderful weekend!! Pictures from my birthday weekend coming SOON!

Nothing to do with weight loss...

Looks like it is time for another post seeing that I havent blogged in 10 days! Wow! Time just flys by these days...phew! But this isnt going to be too long since it is 1:30 in the morning :) I was reading everyone's blogs and thought I would give a little late night/early morning shout out to my blogger friends!

In some exciting news...I met a fellow blogger, Kim, last week!! We had a fabulous dinner together and had much to talk about! She is a such a nice girl and we discovered that we have so many things in common so that was neat! And yes, of course....we took a picture together (below) outside the restaurant! I have been meaning to post it for about a week now but I have been a slacker! She also had foot surgery last Wednesday, for those of yall who may not follow her blog yet, but it sounds like the surgery went well and I wish her the best of luck recovering!! Hope to see you again once you start to recover and learn to walk on those dang crutches!

In some other exciting news, I am starting my new job on Monday! I will be working as an auditor for TruGreen. If any of yall arent familiar, it is a lawncare/landscaping company. My boyfriend works in their marketing department and told me about the job opening. It pays more than my current job at Anthropologie and the hours are better and more consistent so I decided it was time to move on and take the opportunity. I had an interview last Thursday and the boss man called me Friday to let me know I was chosen for the position if I wanted to take it. I am not good with change and especially since I have been with Anthropologie for 2 years but like most retail jobs, it doesnt pay well and the hours are long and can be late into the night so this will be less stressful and laid back. Of course the huge HUGE downside of this is....NO MORE DISCOUNT :( When you have been shopping at this amazing store for years and gotten the great discount on clothes, home goods, furniture, everything....you get alittle spoiled to it. So because Friday of this week is my last day, my mom and I are splurging and having ourselves a little shopping spree on Thursday night! I am pretty excited about it but sad to be leaving such wonderful merchandise! Anyways....blah blah blah! I am taking this new job head on and I am thankful the opportunity has come my way and I will give it the best I have :)

PS-If any of yall know people that may work for TruGreen or have in the past, let me know!

I guess that is all for now. Hope everyone has a great Tuesday! Biggest Loser and American Idol tonight!! I will be tivo-ing it and watching it late tonight because I am going with some girlfriends to dinner and to see "The Last Song". Have yall seen that movie yet? Feedback? Like it? The boy in it is so dreamy so I am quite excited!


Oh yeah...Birthday countdown for me: 5 days!!


Ok for real this time. Bye :)

4th fill...

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!! YAH! The weekend is here :)

I never updated my blog on Tuesday after my 4th fill so here it goes. I had 6 cc's in my band after my previous three fills but I knew I needed a little more. I had been eating good and losing weight but I wasn't at my sweet spot as we call it. My previous "official" weigh in at the doctor was on February 2nd and I weighed 233.5 pounds. When I weighed in on Tuesday I weighed 221.5 pounds. That is a 12 pound loss in 8 weeks. That is good, not fabulous but not bad. I was pleased and so was my doctor. He seemed extremely happy and didn't understand why I wanted a fill. I finally talked him in to giving me a small, tiny little fill of only 0.5 cc's bringing my total to 6.5 cc's.

At least he gave me something, right? I thought I was going to walk out of there with nothing. And all day Tuesday and Wednesday I ate fantastic! Healthy, lots of protein, no sugary foods, no fattening foods and when I got on the scale yesterday morning I was 219.5 pounds!! BELOW 220!!! I got my mom to take a picture of me on the scale and everything....

Which brings me to this morning. I wasn't feeling too confident because of my dinner with my girlfriends last night. That plate full of chicken fingers and fries made me feel more guilty then ever after my last few days of fabulous eating. And dang it, if my dinner didnt come back and bite me in the butt!! The scale read 221.5 pounds!! So screw that 219.5...I guess it was just a brief teaser! Anyways...Im not too down and depressed. I will get there again soon! :)

Also thank you Band Groupie for my Stiletto Award! I LOVE IT! Someone who deserves the Stiletto Award must be classy, bold, ultra, exotic, sexy and funky so I am honored! Thanks again!

Have a fabulous weekend ladies and gents!!