So it began....

Just a little back story for ya; I had been a big, beautiful, confident, empowered woman my whole life. I was never vain or ever really concerned about that people thought of me, I was just unhealthy. When I was little I remember making a promise to myself that when I turned 21 I would be skinny. Being the eternal procrastinator that I am, right around my 21st birthday I started looking into medical weight loss procedures. With a BMI clearly over 40, and such co-morbidities as: sore hips, approaching pre-diabetic status, and sleep issues my insurance decided to cover the procedure! YAY!!! I had originally opted for the Gastric Bypass procedure, but after a miserable tonsillectomy I decided to go for the less invasive Lap-Band Procedure. Best decision of my life I recovered in 5 days, had NO post op complications, and with the band; I have been better able to control the speed and intensity of the weight loss. Here is some information about the lap-band:

Adjustable Gastric Banding (Lap-Band®)

The first gastric band was placed in 1982. An evolution of innovative design concepts and modified surgical techniques have led to impressive standards of success with very low risk. The band of today is made from non-allergenic material, and most importantly, is adjustable at the bedside.

The band induces and maintains weight loss by restricting how much food you are able to eat at each sitting. The band is connected to a port that lies beneath your skin. The port can be felt, but not seen. Saline is placed into the port with a fine needle to adjust the diameter of the band, thereby adjusting how much food is restricted. Fine adjustments over time lead to slow, but sustained, weight loss." (http://www.drmonash.com/lap-band-tucson.php)

In October of 2008 I asked my wonderful doctor: Dr. Jeffery Monash (http://www.drmonash.com) to remove some of the saline to make my band less restrictive thus making me have to work harder to achieve the results I wanted. Well, like any woman in my family I was up to the challenge, continued eating right, exercised regularly, and changed my relationship with food.

Long story short: I have gone from a woman's size 26 to a 4-6 in less then 2 years, but regardless of how I look the most important thing is: i am finally healthy!