Six Months Post-Op Progress

It's hard to believe six months has gone by since I had lapband surgery.  Even though the progress hasn't been as much as I was hoping for, my life has transformed in a way I didn't think possible. 

The lapband is a bit tricky because you can't just rely on it to keep you from eating large amounts or bad foods-- you have to make a conscious decision every day on what to and what not to eat.  And I can honestly say I still have a lot of work to do in this area.  I still eat bad things for me and when I'm hungry at 10p, instead of just going to bed, I'll have a bowl of cereal or something else not very healthy.

However, I do eat about 50-60% of the amount of food that I used to, which you can imagine cuts a lot of calories out of my diet.  Instead of gaining weight like I was doing for the past two years, I have been losing... even if it has been at a slower rate than I would like.  I have also started drinking protein shakes in the mornings instead of cereal or oatmeal, which is helping me make sure I get enough protein in every day. 

6 Month Appointment & Bloodwork
Last week, I had my fifth fill at my six month post op appointment.  I now have 8.5cc in my band that holds 15.  Most people are in the "green zone" when they between 6-8cc, but I guess I'm a "special" one who has not really felt restriction or the band working until the past two months. I have been able to tell a big difference since last week.  Unfortunately, it's been a lot of trial and error with me eating certain foods that I have been able to digest fine the past six months, but now they seem to be getting stuck. 

I think yesterday was the first day since my fill that I did not get something stuck to where I had to throw it up to get it unstuck.  Sorry, I know that's gross, but it's a reality of life with lapband.

During my appointment last week, they also took 12 tubes of my blood to do my six month blood work.  My veins have always been hard to find and they had to stick me in three different spots to get enough to test.  I wanted to pass out, but just kept telling myself, this is part of the process of me getting healthy again.

The test results came back the very next day and for the first time in a long time I did not have elevated blood sugar or elevated cholesterol.  EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. Woop Woop!

Working Out
Even though I broke my streak of working out 146 days in a row, I have still consistently been going to the gym 5-6 times a week or running outside to make sure I keep going on my progress.  Also to be expected, my body at times gets pretty worn down where I have to take a step back and allow it to recover.

This happened last week while I was lifting and ended up pulling two ribs out of place.  Luckily, my friend Alexia is a chiropractor who was able to pop them back in. (Thank you so much for that!!) Four days of cardio instead of lifting and everything is about back to normal.  It's very strange how stir crazy I was going in just those four days not being able to lift.  I really have grown to love it again.

My Progress
It is hard for me to see a difference in my body from pictures over the past few months even though I know I've put in a lot of work and feel better than I did back then.  These pictures usually make it easier to see the difference, but for me, the changes are becoming harder to notice.  I'm not sure if that's just the "fat girl" in me that will always see me a certain way or if I really have stalled as much as I feel I have.

On a positive note, I am down to 217 for a total weight loss of 34 pounds so far.  I know that's great, but I catch myself comparing my journey with others who have lost more than me in only three months.  I know you aren't supposed to compare, but it's easy to do... especially considering how many WLS people I follow on facebook and instagram.  But I also know I am building a ton of muscle because even though I've only lost seven pounds in the past four months, I've lost 4.25 inches in my waist, 3.5 in my hips and 1.5 in my bust during that time. 

So while I have a long way to go, in order for me to continue to bust through this plateau, I'm going to celebrate these past six months and push even harder going forward.

So here is the breakdown-- in the past six months I have lost...
-- 34 lbs
-- 8.45 inches in my thighs
-- 3.75 inches in my arms
-- 8.5 inches in my waist
-- 6 inches in my hips
-- 3 inches in my bust
-- Total of 29.7 inches

My goal is to be under 200 by the end of the year, but it will take a lot of hard work and will power to make it happen.  Wish me luck!