A Visit To Apollo Endosurgery!

Guess what? It's that time of year again...

When us Lap-Band patients and obesity patient advocates gather in Austin, TX at Apollo Endosurgery.

Apollo makes the Lap-Band. Cool fact of the day #1.  You're welcome.

Aren't we pretty?

You can't deny it.

Can you believe that this was the FIFTH year of this annual meetup?!

And of course, we all were ready to catch up. We picked things up right where we left off last year. Do you recognize any of these Lap-Band super-stars?

You know that we OWNED that back row of the shuttle bus!

Word.

At our meetings we got to Skype with Lap-Band surgeon extraordinaire and Aussie: Dr. Dixon.

Don't be jealous.

He really knows how to rock a PowerPoint presentation.  A master of the slides.

You can hear the most amazeballs podcast interview with Dr. Dixon HERE.  He's kinda pretty too. Don'tcha think?

He told us cool stories about successes with the Lap-Band patients that he works with and even a story about medical studies with RAT BANDS. Yep, teeny tiny Lap-Bands that go inside rats where doctors learn about obesity. Cool fact of the day #2. You're welcome.

Next, Amy shared her story of her weight loss with the Lap-Band. Go check it out HERE. You will learn what a half-lesbian is.

Then we heard from Rachel Blind. Nurse practitioner who works daily with Lap-Band patients. She even shared with me her workout habits (but I've been sworn to secrecy):

We talked about myths too.

One myth that's floating around there that is FALSE: Lap-Bands are not being used anymore. So FALSE! Did you know that over 40,000 new patients received Lap-Bands last year? Cool fact #3.

I am short. That is all.

With the man who invented the Lap-Band.
He would like to remain anonymous on this blog. Very secret-agent like.

Dinner & Fun Times! Yum.

I can't wait for next year's visit with Apollo!

Super Star Links:

LapBand.com
Land of Cheese & Sunkist
Bariatric Pal
Banded Wendy
After The Band
WLS Matters
BariMart
BariatricGirl.com
Obesity Action Coalition



A few photos above courtesy of BariatricGirl.com

Friday Weigh-in Day -- Lost 3 lbs this week

Friday Weigh-in Day! 

I have weighed-in each and every Friday since August 2009.  That's more than FIVE years of weekly weigh-ins.

Here's today's weight and last Friday's weight. 

I'm down 3 lbs!

How did I achieve this?

• 100+ oz water each day
• 1200 cals, 60+ proteins each day (I WROTE IT DOWN)
• 5 x 30 min workouts this week
• Took my vitamins 

This last week of dedication and hard work reminds me of the 14 months of when I was in my "Losing Phase" of my weight loss journey. These are the same behaviors and choices that I made to lose about 115 lbs in 14 months.

What does this past week also tell me? 

If I do the work, then I am successful on the scale.

PS: My capri pants are lose this morning. Pretty baggy on my hips. Non-Scale Victory (NSV) alert!

I've Kept Off 115 Pound Weight Loss For Over Four Years with My Lap-Band

Summer.

A time that I enjoy MUCH MORE now.

The heat and hot temperatures are easier for me not being a big girl.

I'm not so sweaty.

I'm more comfortable.

Don't even get me started on the thigh chub-rub of wearing shorts when I was 260lbs.

Now at 145lbs, I don't have to be hot and sweaty carrying around my extra 115 lbs of weight on my body.  

Long gone is my "fat" blanket" as I like to call it.. 

I was always so sweaty! Gross.

But now.

Let me tell you about how Summer time is for me NOW at 145lbs:

I enjoy wearing dresses now.

I like to wear cute shorts now.

Tanktops? Yes!

A bikini? Abso-freakin-lutely.

I've been in maintenance for over four and half years now.

Please join me...Let's travel back in time.

And here are the summer pics to prove it:

((Cue that time travel music!))

 

4th of July 2015:

 

 

Summer 2014:

 

Summer 2013:

Summer 2012:

Summer 2011:

And now one last reminder of where I began.  At 260lbs before I had got my Lap-Band. Winter 2008: