Entering the land of the bloggers!

Welcome to MY BLOG!

I am Tracy, I was banded 4/26/2007 and as of this writing I am down 47 lbs.

I am not new to weight loss, as a matter of fact. I've lost 70-80 lbs 3 times in my adult life and 20-30 lbs, more times than I can count. The most sucessful of those trips down the scale were lost on a Low Carb (Atkins Style) eating plan. My problem has always been MAINTAINING the loss. I am a HUGE believer in following a High Protien/Lower Carb WOE... and I have an ATKINS baby (now 4) to prove that is helped my PCOS induced infertility, but that is another post for another day.

Even now as people start to notice my weight loss enough to comment on it, I'm hearing... "Trace, I see your losing weight again!" I laugh and say... "I'm losing this fat ONE MORE TIME AND THAT'S IT!!!!!!!" (Hence the title of my blog)

I didn't start a blog before now simply because I was in such a deep pit prior to banding. Not only had I regained all my lost weight (again) but and additional 20 lbs. You hear this all the time and folks it is not a joke it is a sad part of a professional dieters life.

I have two dear RL (real life) friends that have underwent the RNY Gastric Bypass. One is going on 5 years and the other is working on her 3rd year. I love these women like sisters, and I've watched as they both lost an amazing amount of weight, but I knew for ME that my path would not lead to the RNY. Instead I chose to be banded. My insurance paid the majority of it and I was off work for only 2 days. Surgery on Thursday, work the following Monday. Two days of PTO and no one at my job even knows, well no one except ONE coworker friend (unless somehow they stumble accross my cyber life).

To band or not to band?

I first heard of surgery for weight loss way back (years ago).......... I think it was a segment on 20/20.. a strange little doctor had invented something called the "fobi pouch". That was the first time I had even heard of such a thing as weight loss surgery. My then husband declared it "CRAP" and that was really the extent of even speaking the words Weight- Loss - Surgery aloud. Only now do I know that people like Rosanne underwent the fobi pouch procedure.. there are others but there is not much info on it, as the RNY was the predominant procedure (done in the US)

Anyway, I had traveled up and down the scale many times and had also watched my two friends have the RNY.... I am so proud of them, but I do believe that each of us has our own journey to take not that any ONE journey is better than the others.. just different......

I debated, argued, and beat myself up for two years deciding whether or not to seriously look into having LapBand surgery. I was really pissed off that I couldn't maintain my losses. It is VERY frustrating to spend as long as a YEAR on plan only to have it derail within months. Those who congratulate and cheer you on while you are loosing.......... click their tongues and stop making eye contact when you start the regain process. It is a self sabotaging cycle of guilt and failure..... one that I have EmPOWERED myself to stop.

I really chose the band over any other kind of surgical intervention for the sole reason of MAINTENANCE. If my band starts getting to lose, and I start eating too much.. I will RUN (not walk) to my doctor and demand a fill, if in time that my band needs revision/replacement... I say bring on the new and improved version! The band is adjustable meaning that I can get a total unfill if I need to take meds that might cause me to swell. It is my little silicone fist waiting patiently inside me to tell me STOP eating now! It is great.

I am a volume eater. I am an expert dieter. I suck at maintaining........ I am 4 months banded and loving it!