Hello Again

You were probably thinking I dropped off the face of the earth. But no, alas I am still here. I have been lurking, reading, keeping up with everyone's progress - but just not posting or commenting. Part of the reason was that I forgot my login password. I know, pretty weak excuse since I can just click on password help and get back in (like I just did now), but I just didn't. I hope to be more regular with posting even if it brief, just to keep up with things.

I just got back from a 5 day cruise with my family. We went to Cozumel last week and were actually on the ship for Thanksgiving. It was a nice trip. My three kids and their significant others went, along with my parents and my hubby. 10 of us in all. It was great spending time with them, but by the end of the 5 days I was ready to be home and have a little less "family time". We did have some difficult moments trying to make 10 people happy all at the same time, but for the most part it was lots of fun. :) It was really great being on the cruise and being able to eat what I wanted and not have to worry too much - cause I knew I wouldn't be able to eat much of it. I did go to the gym 2 days on the ship but, I did manage to gain 3 lbs, but I think that will come off soon. I did wear a swimsuit and tank tops (sleeveless is a big deal for me cause I don't like the looks of my arms!) and actually felt pretty comfortable. I will try to post some pictures later today.

As for a banding update, I had another fill on October 30th (fill #3), which I believe was about .5cc. So, I think that puts me at 4 cc total - but I am not real sure. Of course, the weight loss is still really slow, so I am focusing on the % of excess weight lost more than the pounds each week. I just hit 40% on the day I left for my cruise - so technically I need to get these 3 lbs back off to be at 40%, but I am happy about where I am at so far. I still have a fair amount of restriction and have days where is seems like everything is difficult to get down. So, I don't think I need another fill just yet. My next appointment with the Dr is Dec 30th, so the restriction that I do have will have to last me through Christmas. Which is good because I don't want to be miserable through the holidays.

I wouldn't say that I have noticed a huge difference in the way that I look, but thankfully my clothes are fitting differently. I have started shopping in the back of my closet (clothes that have been too small for a while but I wouldn't get rid of). Some of my favorite jeans are now fitting nicely (size 10). The smallest size I have in my closet is a pair of size 8 pants - which I never actually wore. They fit when I bought them and then I started gaining weight and I never got to wear them. I would love to fit into them again. I cant say that I am in love with them any more, but I would love to know that I could wear them if I wanted to! Maybe by the first of the year. I really need to clean out my closet again. So, there may be things that I could pass along if anyone is interested. They will probably be size 14's and some 12's? I will check it out in the next few days and post some pictures. I did buy a new pair of jeans recently at a store I have never shopped in - not for myself anyway. My daughter (21) shops at Buckle, and she always has the cutest jeans. I thought I would splurge, jeans are not cheap there! I went in and was a little nervous cause I thought they wouldn't have jeans in my size or I would feel like I was trying to dress too young....but the girl that helped us was actually very nice, and pulled lots of things for me to try on. It was really a great experience. There were people of all ages in there and I was not at the high end of the size range for the store. I was so excited with my pair of jeans that I bought!! I bought a size 31 - which I have no idea what that means in regular sizes (like 8,10, 12, etc) but I do know they are only one size bigger than my daughter's and I consider her to be skinny! So overall - very happy with that.

I should go now, since I have been rambling for a while :)