6 Month Bandiversary

I celebrated my bandiversary in Portugal last week.  It was actually a non-celebration, as I completely forgot about it on June 9.  But it still happened.  So where am I half a year post-surgery?

    

I am down 68.6 pounds.  I lost 20 pounds on the liquid diet, but this is still almost 70 pounds in 6.5 months! 

    

I am easily fitting into 18W clothes, and most are getting very baggy.  Before surgery I could barely cram myself into a 20W or 22W. 

    

I can breathe.  I am no longer huffing and puffing all the time.

    

I can walk without sweating.  It is so nice to walk to see my friends and not be covered in sweat after a short stroll!

     

I fit into airplane seats and can consistently fasten my seat belt.

    

I am excited about the next step!  Weight loss has always been something outside my grasp.  The few times I did lose weight, I knew it probably wouldn't stay off.  Now I know that my success will continue as long as I focus on it.  What a relief!!!

       

So now onto my trip.  To sum it up, the week was fantastic!  Mom and I had such a nice time in the Algarve.  We spent a week laying out (under an umbrella), reading our Kindles and going out to yummy dinners.  We chatted and relaxed.  More importantly, she relaxed.  She is always super stressed with work, and it was great to see her decompress.  My driver is bringing her to the airport as I type, and I already miss her.  We are close friends, and I like when we are together.  I go back to NJ on Monday, so I will see her next week.  Not too shabby considering that we live 3,500 miles apart. 

    

While I see my mom on a monthly basis, this was our first vacation together post-band.  I think she was a bit concerned that I no longer eat three meals a day.  Breakfast was included in the room rate, so we sat for breakfast every morning.  Before surgery I was a breakfast buffet whore, and that is the Nora mom remembers.  I ate omelettes, sausage, bacon, smoked salmon, rolls, butter, and fruit.  Now, I have little interest in breakfast.  During the week I ate some kiwi, pineapple and grapes for breakfast.  One morning I tried a bite of bacon and a little fork full of scrambled egg- yuck.  I was much happier with a bit of fruit than with any of the typical breakfast offerings.  Back to my mom...  even though she knows that the whole point of this band is to eat less, the reality freaked her out a bit.  I had fruit for breakfast, maybe an octopus salad for lunch, grapes or pineapple for a snack, and fish of some sort for dinner.  Even though most bandsters will probably read this and say WOW, you can really eat a lot, she sees the drastic reduction from what she is accustomed to seeing me consume.  By the end of the week she was better with my eating pattern, but it was funny to see her initial reaction.  

     

Has this happened with many of you- that even people who know about the surgery want you to eat more than you should, not in an effort to sabotage you but due to concern for your well being?