Welcome Dear Readers:

Welcome to what I intend to be a brutally honest diary and chronicle detailing my victories and challenges with a pretty drastic change that I am about to make in my life. I am going to get banded, that is, I am going to have a gastric lap band surgically inserted around my stomach. This procedure will result in a new chapter in my many attempts to maintain and manage my weight.

However, this time it will be different. The use of a gastric band is not a "miracle cure all" for losing weight. It is also not the easy way out.
It is a weight loss tool. A tool that is designed to help one manage how you eat, what you eat and when you eat. It is a tool that works, when you use it properly.
This will not be just another shot at loosing weight, or another best selling text book applied approach to getting healthy. This time, I want to view this as THE SOLUTION.

Proclamation Number One:
I am an emotional eater.

I thought long and hard before deciding to move forward with setting up this blog. But in doing so, I will fore warn you that I am going to put it all out there.
There is always the remote chance that I could fail. Note to self : In general, I do not like to fail in life. But let's be honest, I have failed with diets and keeping the weight off in the past. So I have to say there is a chance. So there is a good chance you may read some colorful emotional rants on this blog.

Proclamation Number Two:
I am morbidly Obese. Ouch, that was tough to type.

According to the many charts and graphs, when you look at my height and my starting weight, it calculates a BMI of 40. And yep, that by definition is considered morbidly obese. Nice job.

Proclamation Number Three:
I am going to change Proclamation Number Two. Those days my friends, are now behind me.

As part of the preparation for the gastric lap band I was required to do a 10 day pre op liquid protein diet. That little adventure was enough to drop my BMI down to 36 and have dropped 15 lbs. That was a big psychological win for me. I did it on my own. I have will power, I just don't have stay power.
The band will help me achieve this.

Proclamation Number Four:
I am not alone in this journey.

I can not tell you how inspired I have been by the people who I have met on lapbandtalk.com. Unbelievable people, who can relate, who have succeeded (and stumbled) and are there to pick you up and guide you through the obstacles.

Proclamation Number Five:
I will succeed.

Tomorrow I will go to the bariatric center at 6:15 am sharp for my surgery. I am excited, I am nervous, I am proud of my decision.

Stay tuned. this should be interesting.. more to come.