Happy 2nd Bandiversary!!

Yesterday was my 2 year bandiversary!! Time sure does fly by!

I remember all so well the months before my surgery preparing to make one of the biggest decisions of my life. Going to numerous nutrition classes, doctor visits galore, sleep studies and the list goes on and on.

Until finally October 23, 2009 came and marked such an amazing day in my life. I can proudly say I am a much happier, healthier, smaller, more confident version of myself. I am staying pretty consistent in weight loss from last year to this year. Within my first year of having surgery I lost 41 pounds. Within my second year of surgery I have lost 42 pounds. And in total, since beginning my lap band journey, I have lost 83 pounds. I am 8 pounds shy of my goal of being in the 160's by my 2 year bandiversary (yesterday) but I am thankful for every single pound lost. My scale read 177.2 pounds this morning and I am well on my way to my ultimate goal of 160 pounds.

Not only have I changed physically but I am a better person mentally and emotionally. Going from a size 22 jeans to a size 12 is wonderful. But as a female, being able to cross my legs is priceless. Being able to swiftly walk up stairs and not be out of breathe is amazing. Seeing that I actually have collar bones is great. Looking forward to eating healthy and going grocery shopping for healthier food is fun. I never thought I would look forward to working out and sweating to death in the gym. And seeing people I haven't seen since before my surgery and having them not even recognize me is amazing beyond words.

Thank you to all of you who have offered such kind words of encouragement to me over the past couple of years. We have grown together as family and we can all relate to each others struggles and accomplishments. That is priceless and thank you for your friendships.

Getting back down!

Happy Tuesday everyone!!

Let's jump right in. Time for my weigh-in:

This morning I weighed 178.2 pounds.

(Last Monday I was at 180.8 pounds)

Hey, I will take a 2 pound loss in a week anytime!! My main focus right now is not just eating around 1,000 calories per day but making sure they are 1,000 good, nutritious calories. Making healthier snack choices, drinking plenty of water and not eating absolutely anything past 8 p.m.!

*Side note: I think back before my surgery when I used to eat anything and everything if I was hungry. My job at the time had me getting off work at 11 p.m. and at least 4 times per week I would go through the drive-thru at either Taco Bell or Wendy's and eat around 800 calories at that time alone!! I was hungry after working and wanted a "snack". I can't imagine now putting that many unhealthy calories in my body at 11 p.m. much less 800 calories and sometimes more!!

But my goal still stands....to be in the 160's by October 23rd. That would require losing 9 pounds in the next 19 days! Approximately 3 pounds per week. Hard goal? Yes but I'm going to give it a go! My dad and I have been exercising more so this is a plus. Last Thursday and yesterday we mapped out a 3-mile walk in my neighborhood which was pretty intense with all the steep hills. I also went to the grocery store last night and splurged on $130 worth of healthy foods. I went a little overboard but I wanted to be prepared for the next few weeks. I made sure to get nutritious meals, low-calorie snacks and lots of protein! To me being prepared and planning out your meals is key and will help you to not overeat or eat the wrong foods.

Also, the nutrition and weight loss seminar at my church starts tonight and I am super excited about it! My dad and I are both doing it and it lasts the whole month of October every Tuesday night. It is completely free to come and the man leading it is a weight loss/nutrition/health freak who lost something like 100 pounds in 6 months. I have heard he is inspirational and has tons of good tips and tricks to teach us. If I learn anything super interesting, I will fill you in!!

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I have been looking at all your pictures from Chicago and it looks like y'all had a blast!! I hate that I couldn't go this year and I miss seeing all my friends from last year. I know there were a lot of new girls that got to go this year too and I hate that I couldn't meet all of you but hopefully next year!! Everyone looked wonderful and it was good to see your smiling faces again :)