Recently I went to see Dr. Jay in Dallas for my 4th fill. I now have 3.0 CC in my band. I really believe this is the restriction I need to finish my goal. I can’t eat anything really until late afternoon. I sometimes try in the mornings, take a bite of egg or oatmeal and then I am reminded, NO WAIT till later to eat. HAHA! My mornings consist of about 4 cups of coffee from 6-8 am and then my protein drink. Later around noon I have a Soup on Hand by Campbells or 4 oz of Chili, about 2 or 3 I try a piece of string cheese or 3 small raw carrots (you really have to chew them or they get stuck). Around 6 or 7 pm my hubby and I have dinner. I try to eat salads, steak, chicken and veggies. Though, sometime I will splurge and go out and order what I want. Breads and tortillas don’t work very well these days. haha (that is probably a good thing).

I am not killing myself with this weight loss. I keep remembering Dr. Ortiz saying, “You should be able to eat anything, just very small portions.” That is what I am doing. I can tell you that I have heard of people losing 100lbs in a year, but it was not an easy road for them. I believe to lose that fast, you must be really tight and do liquids for an extended period of time. I am not willing to suffer through this. I want to enjoy time with my family and friends with food. Seriously, how many family and friend functions do you attend where food is NOT involved? I also believe you will not succeed with your band without exercising. I have an elliptical at home which I have started using again, I did get cardio lazy for awhile. I was so encouraged when I did it again for the first time and lasted 40 minutes! I believe making a daily commitment of doing this will lead to better results.

So, I say all of that to say, this is not a race for me and it should not be for you either! Yes, I want to one day be itty-bitty, but being healthy is MUCH more important to me! Besides, I would have never lost this weight and kept it off for this long!

Good luck to all of you with your upcoming surgeries. I would do this again in a heartbeat! I have learned that I can live with small portions at the same time be satisfied. My band is doing it’s job!