It's still me!

So, it has been a while since I've posted.  I found my phone app to be less than helpful in getting posts up.  I'll keep working on it.
At the gym the other day one of the trainers commented that she had to do a double take because she wasn't sure it was me.  Then, the following day another trainer commented that I'm a whole new person.
Yup,  I am.
I've lost 75lbs since December.  It feels amazing.  I've increased my strength as well.  I'm down to a size 16 (sometimes an 18, depending on the makers) from a size 24.  It is really UN-REAL.
I owe my life to my lap band.  I love my band.
It's not always easy.  There are days where I just can't eat anything and I survive on protein drinks alone to avoid starvation.  Still, with all of the bad days I would do it again.  I'm healthier and happier and my children are 100 percent following my lead.
Just for fun:

Inspirational...ME???

Apparently I've been inspiring others.  Damn, that feels awesome.  Who knew that I would ever have such a positive impact on people.  I hear from someone new about once a week telling me how something I've said or done has inspired them.  One woman at work calls me her hero.  (I'm far from that, I keep trying to assure her!)
Just today I got a message via facebook from a friend I have not seen since 1999.  She was always athletic and was a runner and a cyclist.  She told me that she hasn't run for 6 years but thanks to my Facebook posts/pics/quotes she got back into running and just did her first 5K in 6 years.  Wow.  Never in my life would I have imagined that I would be a source of inspiration for this woman.  She has always been so dynamic and I've always sort of slinked in the shadows of my life.
I think I'm going to start a new blog in addition to this one.  I'm going to dedicate it solely to running.

As for post surgical stuff:
I lost count of fills.  Probably has been 5, going on 6.  I get stuck almost daily and I hate it.  BUT, I wouldn't change this decision for the world.
I've lost 60 lbs in almost 6 months.  I've dropped from a size 24 to a 16/18 (I forgot how sizes dramatically differ from store to store in this size range!).  I now can shop between the plus and regular sizes.

Two coworkers have now gone through the surgery.  I'm glad that I'm open about it.  I know it's not for everyone but for me, it was the answer to the biggest problem in my life.

Movement

I keep running. I have now done three 5K runs in 3 months. I am at the gym 5 dYsfunction a week and can physically do more Ghana ever before.
However, with no restriction and a delay in fill appointments I have not lost anything. I'm disappointed in myself and need to take back my motivation. I know where the problem lies and I have not done anything about it yet. I have been making poor food choices. I do have a fill scheduled for tomorrow so I am hoping for a motivation boost from that.
I should be overjoyed that my most recent race was at an average of 12:30 mile. My first mile was 11:30 which is the fastest mile I have done in my whole life. I am proud but I have that nagging monster yelling at me for all of my craptacular food choices lately.
this is it though. This is the reason I choice surgery. My fitness level shows my ability to be dedicated to exercise, it is the food that has trapped me in fat for so long. I can run a 5K in my sleep but I can't put that darn fork down!!! Why can't my willpower transfer across all areas of my life?  I did the right thing with this surgery and it is helping me keep these demons in check since I can't do it alone.

Plateau

I've hit a plateau.  I have lost only one pound in the past 4 weeks whereas I was losing an average of 9 pounds a month.  I'm slightly disappointed buy I know I need to keep making changes.
I am trying out different group exercise classes to try and keep my body guessing. It is entirely possible that my body just got used to my routine. I have been doing the same thing every day for months. It is time for a change.
I'm down to a size 18 and have even bought a couple of XL shirts in the regular women's section of walmart.  I won't be buying expensive clothes for some time. I want to make sure I am at maintenance before really investing in clothes.
My husband and I have been struggling with my new schedule and new priority list. We are working together but it isn't always easy. I have to remind myself that he isn't used to me being so active and having so many friends. Not that he doesn't want me to, he just needs to adjust as much as I do.
I still find great difficulty in feeling my changes are real. I can see the weight loss in pics but I have yet to internalize. 
It is a journey and I am happy to be moving in the right direction.

Update

On March 31st I completed my first 5K.  I jogged the whole thing!!  It is simply amazing. Just a few short months ago I could barely walk a mile and now, I jogged 3.1 miles without walking!  My time was 40:39.  I have another 5K scheduled for the 28th of this month.  I hope to improve on my time.

I spend a minimum of 5 days a week in the gym.  I love every minute of it.  I never would have thought I'd be someone that loves running and loves exercising.
Now, some of you may be wondering how I got to this point.  It wasn't easy.  HELLO - I went through SURGERY to get to this point.  LOL.  I just kept telling myself after surgery that I didn't go through surgery to sit on my rear doing nothing.  I went through this process to become healthier.  My goal has not been a size/weight goal. My goal is a healthy habits goal.  My first goal was to complete a 5K and I did it!  My next short term goal is to improve my time.  I have a goal for this summer, to be able to take my girls on rides at the county fair and not be afraid I'm too big to fit!  I think that's a super special goal.  I have a longer term goal too.  By next February I want to be able to run my first half marathon.  I think that is totally doable.  I have a couple more 5Ks scheduled and after that I'll schedule some 10K runs to start working up to a half marathon.
That was pretty long winded.  Let me simplify:
my goals are health/fitness related
I keep reminding myself WHY I had surgery
I'm completely open with everyone about my surgery
I give in to cravings (GASP!  What?!  -Yes, I have cake or candy when I want it but I only have a small amount and that's it!)
I let people support me (I talk, sometimes way too much!)
I started slow, really slow.  Even now, I increase slowly.

There are probably more things that I do but those are the things that I found to be most helpful in really changing my life around.

I lost count of the number of fills I've had, I'm guessing 4 since it's April.  I feel like I'm at a good place.  I can eat, but not much.  I sometimes get sick and it sucks.  BUT, it's always because I didn't chew well enough or ate too fast.  I have to work on always chewing super well and eating super slow.  I still eat with baby forks and spoons whenever I am able.

As of now, I've lost 50lbs. Crazy.  Absolutely insane to think....I've lost more weight than my 3 year old and nearly equal to my two kids combined!

I love life and am so very happy to have had Lap Band surgery.

3rd fill

I had my third fill today. It was only a small one since last time I had about 2 weeks of getting stuck.
I am scheduled for my first 5k at the end of the month.  
I have discovered something I never knew about myself. I can be inspiring. Who knew?!  I certainly had no clue. People seem to be coming out of nowhere to talk to me about my weightloss and my new found love of running.  I never imagined I, of all people, would be inspiring other people to be healthy. Trust me, this has come as quite a shock.
One thing I have to say is that runners are amazing people. There is no shortage of runners offering to help me. It is like long term runners are drawn to new runners like myself. They are extremely supportive. Runners rule!

Just keep swimming

I'm so bad about juggling my time. My kids always ALWAYS win out. I keep saying it's because I know they'll only be little for such s short time.
I'm at the gym doing a light bike ride after a light run. The light run was accidental. I was supposed to be on week 4 day 1 of my couch to 5K but I hit the wrong button and did week 3 day 2 on accident. I'm ok with it since I am feeling a little sick. Tomorrow I will do week 4 day 1 and get with the program. I knew the run intervals felt short but didn't check the time until I was more than halfway done. C'est la vie.N'est pa? </p>
<p>So weight loss is going ok. Of course I would love to see a faster decline. I really can't complain though being 40 pounds down since December. </p>
<p>I'm ready for another fill. I'm sure about that much. I can still eat quite a bit of food. I had like 2 cups of lentil soup today. granted , it's not a bad food choice. I just really need a teen tiny bit more restriction. I don't want to hit a plateau too soon. I do love my band. We went out for hibatchi and I ate about 1/3 of what I used to eat there. I'm happy with improvements.<br>
I had a great non scale victory this weekend. My girls wanted me to chase them and I was able to chase them until they got tired! That was one of my goals for this surgery!&nbsp; it is the most exciting thing so far.&nbsp; I can't even say that my dropping 2 dress sizes is anywhere close to being that awesome. I can chase the kids and the dog and ENJOY it! <br>
A friend I met at gastric surgery group meetings is getting her bypass in two weeks. I'm so happy for her.
We talked the other day about surgery snobs. We bother know people that are so into their own surgery that they don't give any other surgeries any respect and that is not right.  I know the band was right for me but it doesn't mean it is right for everyone. I wish folks would accept that everyone has to make their own choices and we cannot compare ourselves. I love that my friend and I both support each other in our different choices.