seahawks

Hi Justme. Congrats on having the surgery. My port-site took the longest to heal. It was about 3 months or so before I realized I couldn't "feel" it anymore. It wasn't necessarily sore, I was just aware of it. From time to time when I'm doing laundry, or if I do abs a few days in a row, I feel a bit sore for a few days. It's not a bad pain, I just feel it. No rhyme or reason really. My surgeon said that is typical. Nothing to worry about as long as it's not sharp or agonizing pain. Good luck on your journey!

Happy Monday ladies!! I hope everybody had a great weekend. I was a bit anxious for the weekend since my unfill, but I stepped on the scale and lost a pound from last Monday. I'm officially at my pre-surgery goal I set. It was my all-time, where I would really like to be goal. I figured I would be closer to 150, but the surgeon said I should make a few goals and see what happens. Now I'm going to focused on maintaining this weight until my fill on next week. Thanks so much to everybody for helping me, encouraging me when I needed it, and giving me a stern chat when I needed it! I appreciate it so much. It's nice to see so much traffic here. I'll have to start stopping by on the weekends so I can stay up to date. Brandy & Carol - I'm also thinking about Colorado Chick. Has anybody heard from her? I know her daughter had surgery at the end of the year. I just want to make sure everything is working out okay. I hope Leslie is taking care of herself. She's such a funny lady, I wish great things for her!

Hi DRH. Congrats on losing 40 pounds. That's awesome! There's not many of us shorty's out there, it's good to hear from you. Sorry in advance for a long post. A few ladies on this thread have really helped me out, so I'm happy to share what has worked for me. I was filled too tight for quite a few months, so I've had a complete unfill for a few weeks. I haven't gained any weight and am still focused on my caloric intake. Finding your sweet spot should make a big difference. That's what really helped kick start my loss in July. Hopefully that scale will start moving for you soon. Are you getting enough fluids each day? If I had a slow loss or no loss week, I could usually look back and see I didn't drink enough. It's hard for me to drink enough when I'm at a good restriction, so I have to make an effort to get enough in. The number 1 thing I changed starting August 1, was to count calories. I focused on keeping my calories right around 1k per day. One of the gals in this group, Bea, gave me a great formula. I'll copy it below so you can see if it will work for you. My current BMR + exercise is 1870 to maintain. Cutting out 500 - 750 calories per day still has me losing 1 pound per week average so far in 2009. Sometimes I wouldn't lose, because I wasn't getting enough calories. It took a month or so to really get it dialed in, but the results started showing up and made it easy to stay on track. After my surgery, I knew I couldn't change everything at one time so I focused on different areas until they became a habit. For example, I focused on walking and riding my bike from April - July. Once I had that under control and felt like it was part of my daily routine, I added in counting calories. It was a lot of work for about 3 weeks. After that, it was simple to look back at the previous weeks to find the caloric information in everything. From August - December, I focused on counting calories. My exercise was minimal. Walking August - October, break in November and Pilates in December. Like you, I haven't been walking because of the weather. In December, I started doing Pilates at home to help tone my legs. I do the 20 minute DVD 3 - 4 times per week. So, from December - March I focused on counting calories and doing Pilates. Starting this week, I'm heading back to the gym. I miss lifting weights and am looking forward to getting back in there. To mix it up a bit, I'm going to do Water aerobics twice a week and lift weights twice a week. Having a complete unfill was a bit scary, because I'm not sure if I've made the mental changes necessary to do this on my own even for a few weeks. It's only been 5 days, but I feel great. I'm looking forward to more restriction, but managed to lose 1 pound last week to get to my goal!!! Good luck with your journey. Please keep me posted. I'd like to know how you get past this plateau. I have a few pair of Levi's that are in really good shape. One of them I only wore twice. They're both size 12. If you'd like them, I'll mail them off to you. I've taken all my clothes to Goodwill, but hate to give them such expense jeans that are in great shape. They're too short for most folks:smile: Your BMR figures the calories you burn at your weight, height, and age just by being alive. Women: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years) Men: BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years) Then if you wanted you could use the following formula to determine how many calories you should take in to maintain your current weight. Then subtract 500 calories per pound of weight you would like to loose per week. So for example if you want to loose 2 pounds per week, you would subtract 1000 calories. Harris Benedict Formula: To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows: If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) = BMR x 1.2 If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) = BMR x 1.375 If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) = BMR x 1.55 If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) = BMR x 1.725 If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) = BMR x 1.9

Happy Monday everyone!! 1 more pound gone. Yahoo. 1 pound to go for this short term goal. I've reached the goal I first set when I got banded. Trying to determine a new weight goal, but will probably give it a few weeks. Good luck!!

Great Job Everybody!!! Name___________StartWeight___CurrentWeight______Goal_________ToGo *****:tt2:************************:eek:************ ********* *** AmethystJade.......231.8..........212.........150.......62.0 Babe...............308............286.4.......199.......87.4 Bellaperdente......196............184.........150.......34 Bklyn1984..........317............256.........165.......91 Bostongurl.........190............188.........133.......55 Brandy.............198............181.........166.......15 Cappy..............240............227.5.......130.......97.5 Chocolate_Snaps....244............224.........175.......49 CubsGirl17.........147............135.........130.......5 Clarebear08........192............176.5.......160.......16.5 Donna113...........183............174.5.......126.......48.5 Ebonie.............307............307.........200.......107 EmmaWang...........241............220.........140.......80 FalloutGirl........282............278.........165.......112 FeliciaLevy75......200............194.........140.......54 FlordiaPete........413............391.........300.......91 GratefulHeart......226............203.........135.......68 GuyMontag..........325............295.........200.......95 health4life........279............239.........150.......89 inri09.............287............254.........185.......69 janesays...........225............208.........160.......48 kimaly.............194............185.........160.......25 Lindar172..........246............225.........150.......75 Linksmom...........234............234.........145.......89 LocomotiveEngineer.311............311.........220.......91 Long2BThin.........216............192.........169.......23 lotzasunshine......270............260.5.......180.......80.5 Loveislovely.......216............210.........175.......35 ltgordon...........284.8..........250.5.......185.......65.5 lucyavery..........205............205.........140.......65 Mair...............231............222.........140.......83 Mamanmidwife.......264............260.........200.......60 mdgarcia31665......220............220.........165.......55 MissNilsa..........180............180.........132.......48 Rhea2d.............283............233.........185.......58 Sandra267..........220............220.........165.......55 Tabithan...........240............240.........200.......40 Tuger..............192............187.5.......130.......57.5 Under200...........242............199.........155.......44 vzghj3.............202............202.........150.......52 Wendy_Wo...........242............218.........142.......76 WOWOX7.............173............157.........125.......32

Welcome Vlynn! The number one thing that helped me in the beginning was hooking up with other folks on this site that were banded the same month. As time goes by, every bandster hits different speed bumps, experiences victories, etc. Having people who are going through the same time line made a huge difference to me. We all lost weight at different rates (based on age, metabolism, etc), but could relate with each other really well. Good luck!

Hi Bunny Girl. I've been overweight as long as I can remember - through elementary, middle and high school until last year. When I decided the lap band was the answer for me, my husband asked me what size I wanted to get to or what weight. I had no idea! I was afraid of saying outloud what I really wanted. I weighed 155 in high school. I'm only 5'1". I decided to make 150 my first goal. When I reached it, I realized I wasn't finished yet. Now my goal is 135. I'm 1 pound away - hope to make it by April 12, my bandiversary! I'm size 6 - 8. I went shopping 2 weeks ago. I took all these size 12 pants in the room with me. Came out and got size 10's. Back out again for size 8's. Size 6 fit really well, a bit snugger then I'm used to by not too tight. So, I bought 2 size 8 and 2 size 6 pants. I was a sweating mess by the time I was finished. The girls working in the store were laughing at me because they tried to convince me in the first place that there was no way I was a size 12. I'm debating if my next goal is to maintain 135 for some time, move down to 130 or perhaps move down to 125. I figure I'll come up with the answer in the next few weeks. My shirt size is medium now (size DD breasts, though they are a HECK of a lot longer now then they used to be!). My sweat pants are size small. I'm so excited for you. When I started dropping pants sizes was when I really believed I could do it. I went to the mall with my mom yesterday just to walk around. We walked by the bathing suits. She asked if I wanted to try one on since it's been years since I owned one. I told her it doesn't matter what size you are, you have to prepare to try on bathing suits! Good luck, make realistic goals, and make best case scenario goals. All of the goals will help keep you sane in your journey to your maintenance weight!

Good morning Ladies. I went to a new doctor yesterday. It's hard to find doctor's in my area that will treat Mexico patients. When I got my last fill in July I had to travel about 5 hours. One of the local doctors finally agreed to see me - after much begging and actually crying on the phone to the nurse. Turns out the perfect time to call and beg for help is TOM!! I told my husband I must have had the right amount of desperation and patheticness!! Anyhoo, I've been overfilled since July (which I suspected right away). Luckily my pouch isn't stretched out, but my esophagus (sp?) is swollen. I only had 1.5cc in a 10 cc band. The doctor said he usually gets about 4.0 cc in my type of band. He did a complete unfill to let my esophagus rest for a few weeks. The minute the fluid came out, the burning in my throat went away and hasn't been back. I'm not too worried about not having fluid in the band. I did okay post-op before my first fill as far as not gaining any weight. I didn't lose after the first week or so, but I held steady. The great thing is, I'm not even thinking about all the "non-band" food I can actually eat now. I thought for sure I'd at least dream about it. But, no!!! It seems this past year my thinking has changed as well as my eating habits. The doctor was very impressed with my weight loss to date - not the total pounds lost, but that I've reached 100% of my extra weight. I agreed to be on his website (testimonial, etc) and he is going to do a metabolic rate test as well as a "Bod Pod" density test. Hot dog!!! It's the test they do on the Biggest Loser contestants where they are submerged in water. According to the quick fat % test they did in the office, I've dropped from 45% in April 2008 to 22% in March 2009. WAHOOOOOO!! I can't believe what a blessing this doctor turned out to be. He went from not wanting to see me to being a part of my ongoing care in the space of ten minutes or so. While I'm not too concerned with being unfilled for a short period of time, I already know it will be a struggle to maintain 136 pounds. I was hungry about 2 hours after eating dinner last night, but drinking a glass of water helped and I went right to bed. This morning I was actually hungry for breakfast, but drank my usual two cups of tea. I'm going to eat a hardboiled egg now, which is about 2 hours earlier then usual. Sorry for the long post. I wanted to get this down and hold myself accountable. Carol is such an inspiration with all she's been through. I just keep telling myself I can do it to. Thanks to everyone for your support. I'll keep you posted on my progress. When he does the fill on March 25 it will be under fluor so hopefully not over full this time!

As long as you're able to get in fluids, I would give it a few more days to make sure the swelling, etc has taken care of itself. If you're not able to get in fluids, I would go back in. I would also be concerned about the 15 pound loss, unless you had some Water retention built up that you weren't aware of. If you feel comfortable enough to give it another few days, it could work itself out. My last fill was in July and about a month ago I was finally able to start eating a little something in the morning. From July - February, I would drink a few cups of hot tea until 10 a.m. or so when I could eat something as long as it was moist (tuna with mayo, etc). lunch was okay as long as I had plenty to drink before hand. By dinner time, I was able to eat more (about 3/4 cup total food). My doctor told me this is not untypical with the band, so as long as I could drink fluids and stay hydrated he said give it time. If you want to be able to eat in the mornings, you may need to get some more taken out for that to happen. Even after all this time, my Breakfast consists of 1 cup of hot tea followed by 1 hard boiled egg. Sometimes I don't finish the whole egg and wait an hour or so before finishing it up. From July to present, I've lost 63 pounds (2 pounds per week average). That's within the range my doctor likes. Some weeks was 4 - 5 pounds, and others were 1 -2 pounds. Good luck! Please let us know how you're feeling and what you're doing.

Thanks Brandy! It is very exciting - it's my TOM, so I won't weigh again until next week. Typically, there's no weight loss so will probably be the following Monday when I claim the first victory!!!!! I told my husband I was going to change my goal to 125 - 130, but he convinced me to slow down and enjoy this first milestone. Then if I want to continue - go for it. He's so good to me! Since I'm not quite 5'1", 135 barely gets me in the normal BMI range. However, my blood work tests are so much better now that the doctor said to use the BMI for a goal but not live and die by the number. Of course, the size 6 pants worked wonders for my psyche - almost as much as getting in to the 130's. You're only 20 pounds from your goal. That's awesome. I can't believe how much all of us will have achieved in one year since surgery. I knew it would be life changing, but I didn't take in to account how much my thinking would actually change.

Carol - So happy to hear you can eat food again! I often wonder if I've learned what I needed to in the past year to do this on my own if necessary. Like you, my food cravings have changed. My husband and I have learned to share meals when we go out, because a few bites of something "bad" is more than enough for me. You've encouraged me in the past few months - thanks so much for that!! Gwenn - I'm glad your doctor is taking care of you. I sometimes feel like I'm being a pain in the neck, so I don't phone and check in with the nurse. When I finally go in, they tell me I have to phone and check in on a more regular basis. Good luck with your fill! Brandy - how's the new job? We had a cold snap come through here, bringing more snow and freezing temperatures. I was able to walk outside during my lunch a few times last week. Back in the 20's this week, so no walking outside. Dang it!

Name___________StartWeight___CurrentWeight______Goal_________ToGo *****:thumbup:***********:ohmy:*************:thumbup:***********:crying:* ********* *** AmethystJade.......231.8..........212.........150.......62.0 Babe...............308............286.4.......199.......87.4 Bellaperdente......196............184.........150.......34 Bklyn1984..........317............261.........165.......96 Bostongurl.........190............188.........133.......55 Brandy.............198............184.........166.......18 Cappy..............240............231.........130.......105.5 Chocolate_Snaps....244............224.........175.......49 CubsGirl17.........147............136.........130.......6 Clarebear08........192............176.5.......160.......16.5 Donna113...........183............174.5.......126.......48.5 Ebonie.............307............307.........200.......107 EmmaWang...........241............230.........140.......90 FalloutGirl........282............278.........165.......112 FeliciaLevy75......200............194.........140.......54 FlordiaPete........413............391.........300.......91 GratefulHeart......226............203.........135.......68 GuyMontag..........325............295.........200.......95 health4life........279............239.........150.......89 janesays...........225............208.........160.......48 kimaly.............194............185.........160.......25 Lindar172..........246............226.8.......150.......76.8 Linksmom...........234............234.........145.......89 LocomotiveEngineer.311............311.........220.......91 Long2BThin.........216............197.........169.......28 lotzasunshine......270............262.........180.......82 Loveislovely.......216............210.........175.......35 ltgordon...........284.8..........250.5.......185.......65.5 lucyavery..........205............205.........140.......65 Mair...............231............222.........140.......83 Mamanmidwife.......264............260.........200.......60 mdgarcia31665......220............220.........165.......55 MissNilsa..........180............180.........132.......48 Rhea2d.............283............233.........185.......58 Sandra267..........220............220.........165.......55 Tabithan...........240............240.........200.......40 Tuger..............192............187.5.......130.......57.5 Under200...........242............199.........155.......44 vzghj3.............202............202.........150.......52 Wendy_Wo...........242............218.........142.......76 WOWOX7.............173............157.........125.......32

Hi Ladies! I hope everybody had a great weekend. Bea - So nice to hear from you. I'm glad you're doing well and getting back on track. I also wanted to be at goal by my bandiversary, but have changed my goal by 5 - 10 pounds so I won't quite make it. But, I'm just fine with that, as we're all in this for the long haul and I'll gladly take a few extra months to get where I need to be. Gwenn - I also make up portion-size containers for work. Like you, I tried to bring just a big container of something and take out what I needed to eat. However, I was clearly overeating, or at least not paying close attention to my caloric intake. Now, I bring in 2 - 3 portions on Monday, just in case I need to eat again before going home. I realize in theory we should know how much we're going to eat. But, for me my blood sugar drops and I get dizzy and sick to my stomach. I'd much rather eat 1/4 - 1/2 of a lunch portion around 3, then try to make it until I get home. When I do that, I typically eat a smaller dinner to maintain the calories I need. I know it's frustrating when you need a fill, but you're doing the right things! It seems to work best for me if I identify the problem even though it might be a few weeks before I can do anything about it. It keeps it in the front of my mind and helps me make better choices. You've done well to get your weight back down. Your perseverance will pay off!!! Brandy - Thanks for the great ideas. I'm a bit swamped at work today, but will post a few of my "standards" tomorrow. Congrats on losing a few more pounds!! Married life agrees with you. My husband and I married a few years ago. Everybody keeps telling him that I'm doing things in reverse - I was heavier when we got married than I am now, instead of gaining weight after getting married. I don't take offense to it, but I'm glad they tell him and not me. Only a few people have said it, and I know they are proud of me and not being mean.

Great job, everyone!! I finally updated my number after a few weeks. I forgot to update last week, so I'm showing a two pound loss right now. Two pounds to my April Fool's goal!!! Seven pounds to my year end goal

Brandy - Congrats on size 12 being loose! That's awesome. And, way to go with the extra 3 pounds!!! Carol - I'm glad to hear you're getting back on track, slowly but surely, with your fills. You've shown great self-control and that will pay off over time! I went shopping yesterday and bought 4 pairs of size 6 jeans. Wahoo! I have three large garbage bags of clothes to take to Goodwill. My closet has 4 pairs of pants, 3 pairs of sweat pants, 7 shirts (size medium) for work, and a few XL sweatshirts. I'm anxious to fill it up again, but will need to do it over a few months time.

Hi Brandy. Can you check my math and tell me if I figured my percentage out correctly? I started at 217 pounds. I'm currently 138 pounds. I'm 5 feet and 3/4 inch - in this case I'm rounding up to 5'1". According to BMI calculations, I'm barely in the normal range right now. 135 puts me 1 point lower, so I chose that as my goal weight. I'm not sure if you used BMI to calculate your healthy weight. If I'm figuring correctly, my excess weight is 217 - 135 = 82 pounds. I've lost 79 pounds or 96% of my excess weight. Thanks for your help! On a seperate note, I have 2 pair of size 12 petite SHORT Levi's (denim color). One pair I wore twice and one pair I wore pretty steady to work for about a month. They are both in great shape. If you're interested, I'm happy to send them to you. Not sure if the SHORT length works for you, but you're welcome to have them. I'm happy to be out of size 12, but not really wanting to spend a lot of money on pants right now.

Hi Everybody. When I first phoned local doctors, nobody would take Mexico banded patients. I contacted Dr. Spitz' office last week and they are not seeing Mexico patients. I phoned Dr. Pennings in CdA and they said they now see Mexico patients. There is a one-time $300 consulation fee. Fills cost $125. Their phone number is 208-262-0945. Hope this helps!

Titan Tiff - I contacted Dr. Spitz' office and they won't see me because I was banded in Mexico. Do you mind if I ask where you were banded? Perhaps they saw the girl mentioned above because it was an emergency situation? I just want to make sure the receptionist didn't give me wrong info. I'd much rather find somebody local than drive to Richland. Thanks for your help.

Hi everyone. It's so good to see posting traffic here again! Brandy - Congrats on everything! I checked out your blog and your photos are beautiful. Carol - You're doing amazing by not gaining weight with little or no restriction. I need to make an appointment for a slight unfill. I hope I can show your restraint! GDF - Good luck with the ice cream battle. I crave ice cream a few times a week, and force myself to indulge only every other week. You're doing great. I hope everybody has a wonderful weekend.

Oregon Daisy - After I posted, I went back through and read the earlier posts. I don't need clitorial stimulation to orgasm. Not just with anal sex - I think I'm one big set of nerves. I can orgasm with a massage, kissing, breast play, etc. Lucky me I suppose! I find that if there is also clitorial stimulation during anal sex it almost pulls me out of the experience and takes longer to orgasm. When I first started having orgasms from anal sex, my guy would pull out because the feeling was so intense. He doesn't need to now that we've been doing it for 8 years. I actually have 2 - 3 orgasms per "session" so yah for me! Regarding size - my guy is well endowed and just takes longer to make sure I'm ready. Because he's my only experience I have nothing else to compare it to.

Before my husband and I started dating, we were great friends (still are for that matter!). He told me he enjoyed anal sex with his girl friend. I had never tried it and was absolutely horrified that she would even do it. After we started dating and became intimate, he told me with his first wife he went about it all wrong. He was young, inexperienced and in a rush. He asked if I would even try it and I said I suppose if he would make it worth my while! It was never painful, but was uncomfortable for the first few months. I had the same experience when I started having vaginal sex (petite frame, etc). After about six months - probably about 10 experiences - I had my first orgasm. WOW!!!!! I think I relaxed enough to really let my mind and body enjoy it. We're married now, and he created a monster! We enjoy each other 5 - 6 times per week, and at least half that time is anally. For me, the biggest turn on and the reason I kept trying it was the taboo nature of it. The orgasm is different than what I have vaginally or orally. It's more severe and tends to last longer. I don't know from a medical stand point why it feels different, I'm just glad it does! For those on the fence about giving it a go, make sure you're with somebody who will stop at any point. I imagine if my first experience with him was like his ex-wife's experience then we wouldn't have tried it again!

79 pounds lost since April, 2008. 3 pounds to goal!!!

Name...........Start lbs..........Current..........Goal.......To Go Barb12590..........176.................176...............170.........6 Bklyn1984...........263.0..............261.0............253..........8 Bobbie155...........255.8..............255.8............245.........10 .8 Burgygirl.............230.2..............230.2............220........1 0.2 coloradobanding...236.................236...............220........16 crzytchr..............239.................238...............229....... 9 CubsGirl17...........139.................138...............134........ 4 fordgal88...........202.................199...............195........ ..4 gingerbug...........179.8...............179.8............167.8......12 irishgal...............197.................197...............185...... ..12 Janesays.............214.8..............213.6............202.........1 1.6 JuneAct2.............198.6.............169.5.............155........14 .5 Justmeyouknow.....165.4.............165.4.............155.......10 Kaninag.............219.................219...............209............10 KikiVal315...........212.5..............212.5............206.......... 6.5 Kristilaw.............264.................264..............250........ .14.0 lcwils01..............223.................223..............215........ ...8 lindar172............229.4..............229.4............219.......... .10 Long2BThin.........202.4..............199.4............192.4.........7 ltgordon.............250.5..............250.5............240.......... ..10.5 mair...................225................222...............215....... ..7 Merda................270.................270...............260........ .10 mljalways...........215.................215...............200......... 15 MsNickelback......179.................179...............167..........1 2 pvtash61............228..................218.............200.......... 18 sue in ne...........257 ................256.............. 245............ 12 ValJean..............266................266...............254......... 12

Congrats Long2BThin! Name___________StartWeight___CurrentWeight___Goal______ToGo AmethystJade.......231.8..........212.........150.......62.0 Babe...............308............294.........199.......95 Bellaperdente......196............189.........150.......43 Bklyn1984..........317............261.........165.......96 Brandy.............198............189.........166.......21 Cappy..............240............235.5.......130.......105.5 Chocolate_Snaps....244............224.........175.......49 CubsGirl17.........147............138.........130.......8 Clarebear08........192............176.5.......160.......16.5 Donna113...........183............177.........126.......51 Ebonie.............307............307.........200.......107 FalloutGirl........282............278.........165.......112 FeliciaLevy75......200............194.........140.......54 FlordiaPete........413............397.........300.......97 GratefulHeart......226............211.........135.......76 health4life........279............239.........150.......89 janesays...........225............214.8.......160.......54.8 kimaly.............194............191.........160.......31 Lindar172..........246............229.4.......150.......79.4 Linksmom...........234............234.........145.......89 LocomotiveEngineer.311............311.........220.......91 Long2BThin.........216............199.5.......169.......30.5 lotzasunshine......270............262.........180.......82 Loveislovely.......216............210.........175.......35 ltgordon...........284.8..........250.5.......185.......65.5 lucyavery..........205............205.........140.......65 Mair...............231............222.........140.......83 Mamanmidwife.......264............260.........200.......60 mdgarcia31665......220............220.........165.......55 MissNilsa..........180............180.........132.......48 Rhea2d.............283............233.........185.......58 Sandra267..........220............220.........165.......55 Tabithan...........240............240.........200.......40 Tuger..............192............192.........130.......62 Under200...........242............199.........155.......44 vzghj3.............202............202.........150.......52 Wendy_Wo...........242............218.........142.......76 WOWOX7.............173............161.........125.......36

Hi Ladies. How is everybody doing? There hasn't been a lot of activity lately - hope everyone is doing well. Carol - How's it going with limited restriction? Brandy - How was the wedding? Nurse - How is it going with more restriction? I'm doing well. I had a great moment on Saturday. JCPenney was having a sale on pants ($4.97 each!!). I have two pair of pants that fit relatively well, but I have to wear a belt with them. I grabbed a size 12 and headed to the fitting room - too big! I grabbed a size 10 - still too big!! I ended up with a size 8 - just right!!! Holy Buckets, I can hardly believe it. They are "stretch" denim pants, but I'm still in a single digit number. I was size 12 in middle school and high school, so I didn't even know what to expect. I think I need to have a slight unfill. I have bile issues at night. I wake up with my throat hurting, where bile came up and I swallowed it before waking up. Do you think it's worth it to get .1 cc or .2 cc removed? I don't want to get too much taken out, but would really like this new development to go away. I hope everybody has a wonderful week!!!