tonya66

Well, back on the HCG diet - started it again on 4/01. I did pretty good until Tuesday night (3/30). Had a late dinner and did not make good choices, ate fried chicken tenders, fried shrimp, and french fries, then had two drinks!!! Can you say yuk? Anyhow, by Thursday morning was up 7 pounds. Good news, I'm down 5 of the 7 pounds in 4 days. I know a lot ot it that I gained was water weight, alcohol seems to do that to me. Anyhow, will stay on HCG until 4/21, leaving for my puerto vallarta trip on 4/22. So I will be taking another "break" for about 4 or 5 days from the HCG diet. I will "try" and not over indulge in to much fruity alcohol drinks, but can't make promises. :tongue: I just love sipping on an umbrella drink by the beach or pool! I love the sunshine, I hate the winter! Wearing a size 6 - thats right a size 6 capri pant today!!!!! I love it! I am totally loving my legs these days. My cellulite is even disappearing, I still have some, but not near as bad. I really am seeing the changes in my body, the fat is truly melting away. I'm a believer!

Hey gang, how is everyone doing. Louisianagirl - good to see you back online. Seems like many of us are down to our final 20-25 pounds, its the hardest to lose I have found! I have about 20 more to go I think, maybe just 15. I'm at 155 and would like to get to 135 or 140. I was thinking 145, but now I think I want to go slightly lower. I'm thinking about a tummy tuck too, maybe next year. :smile2: Confused - I know its sooooo hard to fit exercise in, I do great for awhile, then I slack. Right now, I've been slacking. I must get back into the grove of things! Now that spring is on its way, I'm going to start riding my bike and get some kind of exercise that way. I took a break from my HCG diet - its also called a "Planned interruption" for a week. Well, I was supposed to eat low carb, and I started out that way, but before you know it, I was eating everything in sight, and I had over indulged in some alcohol on my girls weekend. Put on 7 pounds!!!!!! Grrrrr. Well, I started back on the HCG again last Thursday (4/1) and have lost 5 of the 7 I gained. I learned my lesson, I'm planning another interruption this month on 4/22 thru 4/25 when I go to Puerto Vallarta, but this time, I will be more sensible and not eat just because its there. I'm going to stick to good proteins and EXERCISE and limit my fruity alcohol drinks on the beach! I plan on taking some crystal light and getting some vodka shots for my drinking. Anyhow, hope everyone is doing good and had a great weekend.

I'm off HCG now, taking a week break or otherwise known as a "planned interruption". I ate so much yesterday, stayed away from sugar and carbs, and I was worried stepping on the scale this morning, but I lost another .6 oz. Crazy, but I did. Down to 157.5 now. Yay! I am just in shock at my thighs, I can't say enough about them. They are my biggest problem area, always have been and now they are shrinking! I have not been this small in 21 years! Its amazing! Life is going good these days. :wub: Menu today Bfast Coffee with coconut milk creamer (yum) strawberry jam (crushed strawberries with stevia) with melba toast Lunch Spinach/ricotta cheese stuffed chicken breast (yummy again) dinner Steak, salad, blue cheese dressing ***I'm eating lower carb this week while taking a break from HCG diet. Will continue HCG on 4/1 until 4/18

I'm off HCG now, taking a week break or otherwise known as a "planned interruption". I ate so much yesterday, stayed away from sugar and carbs, and I was worried stepping on the scale this morning, but I lost another .6 oz. Crazy, but I did. Down to 157.5 now. Yay! I am just in shock at my thighs, I can't say enough about them. They are my biggest problem area, always have been and now they are shrinking! I have not been this small in 21 years! Its amazing! Life is going good these days. :blushing: Menu today Bfast Coffee with coconut milk creamer (yum) strawberry jam (crushed strawberries with stevia) with melba toast Lunch Spinach/ricotta cheese stuffed chicken breast (yummy again) dinner Steak, salad, blue cheese dressing ***I'm eating lower carb this week while taking a break from HCG diet. Will continue HCG on 4/1 until 4/18

Great!!!! Your doing good! I remember the days of being a new mother, and you have two little ones at home (my kids are 25 mos. a part) and I remember how hard that is. Let alone to try and eat right. sigh. Im amazed you are sticking to the program with all that is going on in your life! You get an A+!!!! I stopped taking the HCG on 23 (or my last dose was on the 23rd) Last night, 48 hours after my last dose, the hunger came on. And some major cravings. I made a suger free chocolate, made with coconut oil 1/2 cup, and 1 TBSP of coco powder, 2 tsp of stevia, 1 tsp of vanila, a squirt of Agave nectar, and 1 big heaping TBSP of Peanut Butter, mixed it all up and poured into a plastic container, and placed in the freezer for 5 minutes. I broke it up into pieces and planned on eating it thru the week. Well.....................one piece led to another, and another and before I knew it, I ate the entire bag! I was so scared to step on the scales this morning, I just knew I had gained, but nope, lost another pound! crazy! I did drink a lot of Water yesterday. But I ate so much of that chocolate, my stomach hurt! Made me sick, lol. But it was good. :tt1: I've heard coconut oil speeds up the matabolism, wondering if its true? Anyhow, I'm happy no gain for me! My goal is to maintain the next week, so far so good.

Juno - looks good to me, I like adding a TBSP of Peanut Butter to my Protein shakes. It gives you the healthy fats, and a little bit of flavor (only if you like peanut butter). I buy the pure Omega -3 peanut butter, smart balance is the name. Seems to keep me full longer too. I am sooooo looking forward to my Protein Shakes next week while i'm off the HCG. Today is day 2 off of the medicine, but I still have to follow the diet because it takes 72 hours for it to leave your system. Next week I will just eat normally and watch my weight very closely. I'm curious to see if it stabalizes like they say it does. I can't believe I am going to have to go shopping again! All my 8's are literly falling off of me, Its crazy! I spent a fortune on clothes last summer, my DH is going to die of poverty with all my shopping excursions. lol. I am going to have to repeat it this summer it looks like. I am going to wait though until I'm at goal before I shop anymore. I am just going to have to wear belts and make these clothes work for me! Leaving for Mexico next month for a 4 day trip to Puerto Vallarto, so I'm excited about that. Plus its a totally free trip! My cousin won a trip at her company and gets to take 1 guest, she took me last year too, and its an all inclusive 5 star resort, all the booze and food is included. I plan on just lounging around the pool the entire time. Then we (my DH and kids and I) are leaving in July for a 8 day cruise (only 115 more days - but who is counting?). I am sure hoping to be at goal by then! Well, lots to do today at work so I better get with it. Talk to everyone later.

Thanks Maria! I'm so pleased with the results. Not sure if I could do it without the band? But I belong to a yahoo group of HCG dieters, and they are doing it without the band, so Maybe I could? But I'm thankful I have my band too. I am still searching for the sweet spot and probably need one more fill. I've finally found some restriction. The doctor quit taking all my fill out and just continues to add each time and that made a world of difference. Another think about the HCG is it melts inches like crazy. My thighs have never been this small. I'm pear shape so my thighs are my problem area, and it really has done wonders for my thighs. I ordered my HCG online from a overseas pharmacy, the clincis in my town charge $700. Its crazy! I got mine for $45, the yahoo group I belong to all use the pharmacy so I knew it was trustworthy one. I learned how to mix it on Youtube, so I didn't need the clinic! Anyhow, my last dose was yesterday and I will not start it again until 4/3. I am taking a week off. I hope everyone else is doing good.

Day 1 - loading days 178.2 Day 2 - 178.5 (another loading day) Day 3 - First day of VLCD 179.8 Day 4 - 176.2 Day 5 - 175.6 Day 6 - 173.4 Day 7 - 172.4 Day 8 - 171.1 Day 9 - 168.9 Day 10 - 168.9 Day 11 - 168.8 Day 12 - 169.0 Day 13 - 168.2 Day 14 - 167.6 Day 15 - 167.5 Day 16 - 166.9 Day 17 - 165.8 Day 18 - 165.4 Its so nice getting on the scales and seeing them continue to go down. And its nice not experiencing any hunger! Today's menu Bfast 1/2 grapefruit, 2 cups of green tea snack melba toast Lunch Shrimp salad, celery Dinner HCG approved chili Applie crisp made with stevia - yum Wt this morning - 165.4

Yes, your missing a lot. You don't know about HCG. I would suggest google pounds and inches by Dr. Simeons.

So sorry guys that I've been MIA. Life has just got so busy, lots of layoffs at work, which means I have a lot more to do. sigh. Anyhow, I've been on the HCG diet for 39 days now, taking a break from it for about week due to some commitments and entertaining, but will jump back on it around 4/2. I started putting on weight, and I found out about HCG, combined with my band, its working beutifully. If you want to know more about it, google Pounds and Inches by Dr. Simeon (sp?). Its a must read. Anyhow, below is my progress: Day 1 - loading days 179.8 Day 2 - 178.5 (another loading day) Day 3 - First day of VLCD 179.8 Day 4 - 176.2 Day 5 - 175.6 Day 6 - 173.4 Day 7 - 172.4 Day 8 - 171.1 Day 9 - 168.9 Day 10 - 168.9 Day 11 - 168.8 Day 12 - 169.0 Day 13 - 168.2 Day 14 - 167.6 Day 15 - 167.5 Day 16 - 166.9 Day 17 - 165.8 Day 18 - 165.4 Day 19 - 164.8 Day 20 - 166.1 (started cheating) Day 21 - 167.1 Day 22 - 166.8 Day 23 - 165.3 Day 24 - 164.8 Day 25 - 163.7 Day 26 - 163.3 Day 27 - 162.4 Day 28 - 161.2 Day 29 - 162.4 Day 30 - 161.2 Day 31 - 162.3 Day 32 - 162.2 Day 33 - 161 Day 34 - 161 - My body is stalling big time! Day 35 - 161.7 Day 36 - 159.3 FINALLY BROKE THE STALL Day 37 - 158.1 Day 38 - 158.8 Day 39 - 158 - Last dose of HCG Total loss 21.8 pounds!!!!! I probably would have lost 25 or so if I had not fallen off the wagon, but I am happy with my results. Smallest I have been in a looooong time. My size 8's were very very tight, moved up to a 10, now back into my 8's and they are loose. Yay! I will post more often, I need to catch up and reading about everything in here and see whats been going on with everyone else. Missed you guys!

Today is day 39 on the HCG diet. I'm taking a few days off, also known as a "planned interruption". So today is my last dose of the HCG, then I will follow the diet for 72 hours until the HCG is out of my system. Then I eat "phase 3 style", or avoide my sugars and starches, I will be back on it around 4/2. I just have an event this weekend, and on the 30th. My plan then is to stay on it until 4/21, I will be leaving for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on 4/22. Once I return, right back on the program. I believe I should be at my goal weight by the end of May or first of June if I still to the program. I did have a few cheats on this round, but I still managed to drop around 22 pounds in 39 days. Not bad in my opinion. I probably could have dropped 25 if I had not swayed from the program. Here are my daily results, I'm sure you will be able to tell when I cheated because the scale would go up for a few days. Day 1 - loading days 179.8 Day 2 - 178.5 (another loading day) Day 3 - First day of VLCD 179.8 Day 4 - 176.2 Day 5 - 175.6 Day 6 - 173.4 Day 7 - 172.4 Day 8 - 171.1 Day 9 - 168.9 Day 10 - 168.9 Day 11 - 168.8 Day 12 - 169.0 Day 13 - 168.2 Day 14 - 167.6 Day 15 - 167.5 Day 16 - 166.9 Day 17 - 165.8 Day 18 - 165.4 Day 19 - 164.8 Day 20 - 166.1 (started cheating) Day 21 - 167.1 Day 22 - 166.8 Day 23 - 165.3 Day 24 - 164.8 Day 25 - 163.7 Day 26 - 163.3 Day 27 - 162.4 Day 28 - 161.2 Day 29 - 162.4 Day 30 - 161.2 Day 31 - 162.3 Day 32 - 162.2 Day 33 - 161 Day 34 - 161 - My body is stalling big time! Day 35 - 161.7 Day 36 - 159.3 FINALLY BROKE THE STALL Day 37 - 158.1 Day 38 - 158.8 Day 39 - 158 - Last dose of HCG Total loss 21.8 pounds!!!!! Wow, I am in the 150's, I'm doing a Happy dance today! So close to my goal of 140!!!!! I am going to try and not gain too much while I'm off the program this next week, I want to continue going down!

Today is day 39 on the HCG diet. I'm taking a few days off, also known as a "planned interruption". So today is my last dose of the HCG, then I will follow the diet for 72 hours until the HCG is out of my system. Then I eat "phase 3 style", or avoide my sugars and starches, I will be back on it around 4/2. I just have an event this weekend, and on the 30th. My plan then is to stay on it until 4/21, I will be leaving for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on 4/22. Once I return, right back on the program. I believe I should be at my goal weight by the end of May or first of June if I still to the program. I did have a few cheats on this round, but I still managed to drop around 22 pounds in 39 days. Not bad in my opinion. I probably could have dropped 25 if I had not swayed from the program. Here are my daily results, I'm sure you will be able to tell when I cheated because the scale would go up for a few days. Day 1 - loading days 179.8 Day 2 - 178.5 (another loading day) Day 3 - First day of VLCD 179.8 Day 4 - 176.2 Day 5 - 175.6 Day 6 - 173.4 Day 7 - 172.4 Day 8 - 171.1 Day 9 - 168.9 Day 10 - 168.9 Day 11 - 168.8 Day 12 - 169.0 Day 13 - 168.2 Day 14 - 167.6 Day 15 - 167.5 Day 16 - 166.9 Day 17 - 165.8 Day 18 - 165.4 Day 19 - 164.8 Day 20 - 166.1 (started cheating) Day 21 - 167.1 Day 22 - 166.8 Day 23 - 165.3 Day 24 - 164.8 Day 25 - 163.7 Day 26 - 163.3 Day 27 - 162.4 Day 28 - 161.2 Day 29 - 162.4 Day 30 - 161.2 Day 31 - 162.3 Day 32 - 162.2 Day 33 - 161 Day 34 - 161 - My body is stalling big time! Day 35 - 161.7 Day 36 - 159.3 FINALLY BROKE THE STALL Day 37 - 158.1 Day 38 - 158.8 Day 39 - 158 - Last dose of HCG Total loss 21.8 pounds!!!!! Wow, I am in the 150's, I'm doing a Happy dance today! So close to my goal of 140!!!!! I am going to try and not gain too much while I'm off the program this next week, I want to continue going down!

Congrats on reaching goal, I think Humming bird's suggestion might be a thing to do. lol, after all, what better way to show off your new body? LOL.

Day 1 - loading days 178.2 Day 2 - 178.5 (another loading day) Day 3 - First day of VLCD 179.8 Day 4 - 176.2 Day 5 - 175.6 Day 6 - 173.4 Day 7 - 172.4 Day 8 - 171.1 Day 9 - 168.9 Day 10 - 168.9 Day 11 - 168.8 Day 12 - 169.0 Day 13 - 168.2 Day 14 - 167.6 Day 15 - 167.5 Day 16 - 166.9 Day 17 - 165.8 Day 18 - 165.4 Its so nice getting on the scales and seeing them continue to go down. And its nice not experiencing any hunger! Today's menu Bfast 1/2 grapefruit, 2 cups of green tea snack melba toast Lunch Shrimp salad, celery Dinner HCG approved chili Applie crisp made with stevia - yum Wt this morning - 165.4

Well, I started a controversial diet on 2/16 and so far it has been going good. I have read lots of negative stuff about it, mainly from doctors. I am always surprised at the comments from readers which are all positive, they had all done the diet and quite please with it, so I decided to try Dr. Simeons HCG Protocal. I did something similar to it back in the 80's but it wasn't quit the same. I am down to my last 20 lbs to lose and I'm finding it very hard with just the band. So I decided to do the HCG diet which is pretty strict and so far I have not cheated one time. I've followed it to the T and am down about 13 pounds (This is about the weight that I've gained thru the winter so no need to get too excited) Day 1 - loading days 178.2 Day 2 - 178.5 (another loading day) Day 3 - First day of VLCD 179.8 Day 4 - 176.2 Day 5 - 175.6 Day 6 - 173.4 Day 7 - 172.4 Day 8 - 171.1 Day 9 - 168.9 Day 10 - 168.9 Day 11 - 168.8 Day 12 - 169.0 Day 13 - 168.2 Day 14 - 167.6 Day 15 - 166.9 (total 12.9 pounds) I have about 25 more days to go. My goal is to lose a total of 25, but its slowing down, so I will be happy with a loss of 20. Its amazing how little hunger I have. With the band and the HCG, it seems to control the hunger. I'm proud of my will power too. I have stayed on the protocol and have not strayed at all. I've become creative with my snacking too. Today I made "apple chips". Sliced a green apple up (peeled it first) and sliced it very thin, sprinkled stevia on the slices and cinnamon and baked in oven and made the apple chips. They are great for snacking and I can have a few thru out the day. I get 2 fruits a day. It also helps with my "sweet tooth". Well, thats whats been going on in my life lately. I will post more in my journal. PS - I would appreciate no negative comments, I was reluctant to post this however, I am keeping this blog for my future reference and have kept it updated from the very beginning of my research with Lap band, therefore, I decided to detail the HCG in my blog. Thanks!

HCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. I take the hormone in a sublingqual form vs injections. You can read about it here - Pounds and Inches Away: About the HCG Protocol

Well, I started a controversial diet on 2/16 and so far it has been going good. I have read lots of negative stuff about it, mainly from doctors. I am always surprised at the comments from readers which are all positive, they had all done the diet and quite please with it, so I decided to try Dr. Simeons HCG Protocal. I did something similar to it back in the 80's but it wasn't quit the same. I am down to my last 20 lbs to lose and I'm finding it very hard with just the band. So I decided to do the HCG diet which is pretty strict and so far I have not cheated one time. I've followed it to the T and am down about 13 pounds (This is about the weight that I've gained thru the winter so no need to get too excited) Day 1 - loading days 178.2 Day 2 - 178.5 (another loading day) Day 3 - First day of VLCD 179.8 Day 4 - 176.2 Day 5 - 175.6 Day 6 - 173.4 Day 7 - 172.4 Day 8 - 171.1 Day 9 - 168.9 Day 10 - 168.9 Day 11 - 168.8 Day 12 - 169.0 Day 13 - 168.2 Day 14 - 167.6 Day 15 - 166.9 (total 12.9 pounds) I have about 25 more days to go. My goal is to lose a total of 25, but its slowing down, so I will be happy with a loss of 20. Its amazing how little hunger I have. With the band and the HCG, it seems to control the hunger. I'm proud of my will power too. I have stayed on the protocol and have not strayed at all. I've become creative with my snacking too. Today I made "apple chips". Sliced a green apple up (peeled it first) and sliced it very thin, sprinkled stevia on the slices and cinnamon and baked in oven and made the apple chips. They are great for snacking and I can have a few thru out the day. I get 2 fruits a day. It also helps with my "sweet tooth". Well, thats whats been going on in my life lately. I will post more in my journal. PS - I would appreciate no negative comments, I was reluctant to post this however, I am keeping this blog for my future reference and have kept it updated from the very beginning of my research with Lap band, therefore, I decided to detail the HCG in my blog. Thanks!

Hello all, just swinging by to check in. I've started a controversial diet, but its working and I love it! Because of my esophagus surgery, I pretty much ate ice cream every day!!! I gained up to 178.9. Being on this new diet, I'm down to 168.9 this morning in 10 days! So I'm happy about that. My sugar cravings are leaving me finally, and I've stuck to the diet like glue and haven't cheated once. I will be on on it for 40 days, then you do a three week maintenance phase, then a three week break phase, and then you can start another round if you have more to loose, if you have less than 20 to lose, you do 23 days, if you have more than 20, you can do up to 40 days. I think my next round I will be pretty close to goal! Anyhow, its a doctor supervised diet here, but its so expensive I decided to do it on my own and ordered the stuff online that I take. And I will say, it is working! Its expensive, but its working. I have absolutely no hunger, its like when I first got the band. Anyhow, just thought I would share that with you guys. Sula - hang in there, my eating got way out of cotrol, I was ready to throw in the towel and just except me and my weight for what it was. But I couldn't bare to see the scales keep going up. So I am trying something a little different. Have fun on your trip! Confused - I hate being overfilled! I finally convinced my doctor to quit taking all the fluid out each and every time, when he does that, it messes with the positioning of my band. And now that he has quit doing that, I'm finally getting some real restriction. Being overtight is just as bad as not having a enough fill IMO.

My latest fill is still pretty good, I think I might need just a tad more then I will be done. I'm so glad he finally listened to me and quit taking all the fluid out each time. My way is working!!!! I am finally getting some restriction! My menu today: bfast 1/2 grapefruit, green tea Lunch - saute'd grape tomatoes, with 3 oz of grilled chicken breast Snack 2 melba toast, sliced apple Dinner 4 oz of talapia (grilled) cabbage - steamed

My latest fill is still pretty good, I think I might need just a tad more then I will be done. I'm so glad he finally listened to me and quit taking all the fluid out each time. My way is working!!!! I am finally getting some restriction! My menu today: bfast 1/2 grapefruit, green tea Lunch - saute'd grape tomatoes, with 3 oz of grilled chicken breast Snack 2 melba toast, sliced apple Dinner 4 oz of talapia (grilled) cabbage - steamed

I used to have acid refulx really bad before the band, but now I really don't. The only time I have had reflux is when I eat late. I make sure I eat at least 4 hours before I go to bed and I don't have any problems. I dare not eat right before bed or I will be up all night with problems. I learned this the hard way. lol.

Fill #1 - 3/6/07 - 2.2cc's Fill #2 - 4/17/07 - 3.0cc's Fill #3 - 7/6/07 - 3.5 cc's (I think it was only 2.5cc's because when I went back for fill #4, he could only w/draw 1.8 cc's) Fill #4 - 7/20/07 - filled me back to 3.0 ccs - He should have filled me more! Fill #5 - 8/17/07 - 3.4cc's Fill #6 - 10/08/07 - filled me to 3.8cc's - the best restriction I've ever had,but still could eat big bites of food, so I figured I needed to be tighter. Fill #7 - 11/21/07 filled to 4.0 cc's. By the evening could not hold anything down, not even my saliva. PBing all night - horrilble experieince UNFILL #1 - 11/23/07 - unfilled to somewhere between 2.5 to 3.0 cc's - NO RESTRICTIONS AGAIN :tt2: Fill #8 - 1/18/08 Went in and the doc filled me back up to just right under 4.0, according to Flouro, it was perfect. Well, by next morning, could not hold down saliva again, ended up back in hospital UNFILL #2 - 1/19/08 - Doctor had to unfill me to 3.0 again because of the swelling from all the PBing for being too tight. Again, NO RESTRICTION - Fill #9 - 2/12/08 - 3.5 cc's - was tight for about a week, now feel lose again. grrrr, still have "some" restriction, just not quite enough! Next fill scheduled for 4/7/08 - I hate that it takes sooooooo long to get in to see the fill doc. FILL #10 - 4/7/08 The doc just added .4cc's, making me at 3.9cc's. I think this might be the one! FILL #11 - Was scheduled on 6/25/08 - but the doc did not fill me up, I was leaving for a cruise on 6/27 so he didn't want to risk me being too tight, so did not get a fill. FILL #11 - 8/5/08 Went for a fill, this time the doc took all my fill out and all he could get out was 2.4 cc's. Filled me up to 4.0 cc's, I left, had to go right back because I could not drink, he took out a little over .2 cc's, he said I'm somewhere between 3.5 to 3.7 cc's. - I had great restriction for 2 weeks, but It has now loosened some. I feel I might need a tad more. I'm worried I have a very slow leak. UNFILL #3 - 8/5/08 - Took a little over .2 cc's out, had pretty good restriction, but still a tad too lose. FILL #12 - 9/17/08 - Added just 1/10th of a cc - I think I'm somewhere between 3.8 to 3.9 cc in a 4cc band. I am hoping and praying this is the fill that I stop with! I do not have another appointment for another fill, will wait this one out and see. Fill #13 - 10/06/08 - Doc added about 2/10's of a cc. He took everything out and put it all back in and said I was about 3.7 to 3.8cc's. - which is where he said I was last time. FILL #14 - 11/10/08 - Doc took everything out and I had about 3.6cc's, which is pretty good. He then filled me up to just under 4.0cc's I believe I'm about 3.9cc's. I ate some canned peaches and set around the office for a bit, made sure none came back up. Seems to be doing good so far. I hope this is my last fill! FILL #15 - 08/10/09 - Added about 1/10th of a cc. I think I'm right at 4.0 cc. Wt on the morning of my fill was at 165. But was very bloated from steroids I was on for the previous week. FILL #16 - 8/31/09 - My last fill lasted 2 weeks then I felt wide open. Went in for another fill, this time he did not take any out and just added 2/10th's of a cc. I think I'm just a little more than 4.1 cc's in a 4.0 cc band. I feel great restriction so far. I'm hoping this last. I'm sick of fills. lol. :w00t: - I could tell my fill was wide open, I was starving all the time, wt at the time of fill was 170! grrrrrrr FILL #17 - 10/30/09 - completely drained me, checked for a leak - no leak YAY - added 4.6 cc's - I feel like he didn't add anything, feel wide open! Hungry all the time FILL #18 - 11/09/09 Doc did barium swallow test - I think he thought I was full of it. He saw what I was talking about and agreed I was way too loose. He added 2.5cc's. I feel restriction again, but not a real tight restriction. I have no idea where I'm at these days and I really don't care anymore how much CC's I have, I just want RESTRICTION!!!!!! Fill #19 - 11/23/09 - I had a some restriction, but not enough, the doc added 3/10ths of a cc. I feel pretty good, not too tight, which means it probably will get looser. I will ride this fill out and see what happens. Very discouraged at this point. FILL #20 - 12/28/09 - did not take any fluid out, just added 4/10th's of a cc. Still feel lose, but on the fluro it showed I was tight, so we'll see how it goes.........

Sula, your too kind. Yes, I'm a size 8, however, its not a true 8. It depends what designer I buy, I have even bought 1 size 6 bants. But lately I noticed my size 8 are a little tight. I think if I went to try on clothes today, I would fit more comfortably into a size 10, I just feel so fat and bloated. Your right, when I look at myself in the mirror, I see all the imperfections, and I know thats a self image problem. Also, I have read somewhere that the average size of a woman is a size 14. But I also know that 50% of Americans are overweight, so I don't think a size 14 is healthy. I know that for me, a size 14 I was still on my diabetic medicine. I also still have sleep apnea and need to lose probably another 10 pounds in order to get off my cpap machine - another reason I am desperate to lose. I have also noticed lately, my sugar levels have gone up, so another reason I need to get down my weight. A lot of the reasons I want to lose are vain, I will admit that, but a lot of it is also health. I'm not a spring chicken any longer and I can see what diabetes has done to my mom. She is very very very unhealthy and only 16 years older than me. She just turned 60, but acts like a 80 year old woman. It really makes me sad and makes me realize that I do not want to end up like her. Okay, enough about me, how is everyone doing with the new year? I just had my esophagus surgery and its going good. A little hard to be on all liquids, but I'm surviving. Thank gawd for Protein shakes. I've gotten addicted to Jillian Michaels Protein Shakes, they are really good. Hope all is doing well and everyone, check in!!!! Let us know how your doing, good or bad, we want to know and we want to help.

Hello all, I'm pretty much being a slug as well. I'm having a minor surgery on Thursday so I've been using that as an excuse not to exercise this week. I won't be able to eat for about 7 days after my surgery, so I'm hoping that will help me lose some weight! lol. I'm having some polyps cut out of my esophagus and my esophagus stretched. So, I will have to be on liquids for 7 to 14 days, depending how much swelling I have. Anyhow, because of knowing that I'll be having surgery, I seem to be eating all the bad stuff. I need to focus!!!!! I ran into a friend of mine the other day who had gastric bypass, she was so tiny and looked so good, made me a little jealous! Also made me realize I need to get my butt in gear and quit screwing around! Confused - good job on running and lifting some weights! Keep posting and telling us about it, maybe you will get us all motivated. Juno - so happy for you and your band babbies! I'm glad your almost ready to exercise again. Give yourself some time, they don't call it labor for nothing you know. Sula - When I "used" to have TOM visit me, I always was so tired and so run down, there is no way I could exercise when TOM was around. So it will be over soon, and then you can jump back into the swing of things! Okay, I better get to work, just wanted to check in with everyone. I'm really going to try and do better at checking in, it holds me accountable to post.

Now that the doctor has quit taking all my fluid out every time I get a fill, the fills are slowly but surely getting tighter. Fill #20 did pretty good, but still too lose, so I just had fill #21 and I'm having a hard time drinking my shake. I have to slow down a bit on it, that is GREAT! My fingers, leggs and toes are all crossed, hoping that this fill is the one that works - I am hoping to keep the restriction! I am to be on liquids for the next 48 to 72 hours. Fill #1 - 3/6/07 - 2.2cc's Fill #2 - 4/17/07 - 3.0cc's Fill #3 - 7/6/07 - 3.5 cc's (I think it was only 2.5cc's because when I went back for fill #4, he could only w/draw 1.8 cc's) Fill #4 - 7/20/07 - filled me back to 3.0 ccs - He should have filled me more! Fill #5 - 8/17/07 - 3.4cc's Fill #6 - 10/08/07 - filled me to 3.8cc's - the best restriction I've ever had,but still could eat big bites of food, so I figured I needed to be tighter. Fill #7 - 11/21/07 filled to 4.0 cc's. By the evening could not hold anything down, not even my saliva. PBing all night - horrilble experieince UNFILL #1 - 11/23/07 - unfilled to somewhere between 2.5 to 3.0 cc's - NO RESTRICTIONS AGAIN :bored: Fill #8 - 1/18/08 Went in and the doc filled me back up to just right under 4.0, according to Flouro, it was perfect. Well, by next morning, could not hold down saliva again, ended up back in hospital UNFILL #2 - 1/19/08 - Doctor had to unfill me to 3.0 again because of the swelling from all the PBing for being too tight. Again, NO RESTRICTION - :mad3: Fill #9 - 2/12/08 - 3.5 cc's - was tight for about a week, now feel lose again. grrrr, still have "some" restriction, just not quite enough! Next fill scheduled for 4/7/08 - I hate that it takes sooooooo long to get in to see the fill doc. FILL #10 - 4/7/08 The doc just added .4cc's, making me at 3.9cc's. I think this might be the one! FILL #11 - Was scheduled on 6/25/08 - but the doc did not fill me up, I was leaving for a cruise on 6/27 so he didn't want to risk me being too tight, so did not get a fill. FILL #11 - 8/5/08 Went for a fill, this time the doc took all my fill out and all he could get out was 2.4 cc's. Filled me up to 4.0 cc's, I left, had to go right back because I could not drink, he took out a little over .2 cc's, he said I'm somewhere between 3.5 to 3.7 cc's. - I had great restriction for 2 weeks, but It has now loosened some. I feel I might need a tad more. I'm worried I have a very slow leak. UNFILL #3 - 8/5/08 - Took a little over .2 cc's out, had pretty good restriction, but still a tad too lose. FILL #12 - 9/17/08 - Added just 1/10th of a cc - I think I'm somewhere between 3.8 to 3.9 cc in a 4cc band. I am hoping and praying this is the fill that I stop with! I do not have another appointment for another fill, will wait this one out and see. Fill #13 - 10/06/08 - Doc added about 2/10's of a cc. He took everything out and put it all back in and said I was about 3.7 to 3.8cc's. - which is where he said I was last time. FILL #14 - 11/10/08 - Doc took everything out and I had about 3.6cc's, which is pretty good. He then filled me up to just under 4.0cc's I believe I'm about 3.9cc's. I ate some canned peaches and set around the office for a bit, made sure none came back up. Seems to be doing good so far. I hope this is my last fill! FILL #15 - 08/10/09 - Added about 1/10th of a cc. I think I'm right at 4.0 cc. Wt on the morning of my fill was at 165. But was very bloated from steroids I was on for the previous week. FILL #16 - 8/31/09 - My last fill lasted 2 weeks then I felt wide open. Went in for another fill, this time he did not take any out and just added 2/10th's of a cc. I think I'm just a little more than 4.1 cc's in a 4.0 cc band. I feel great restriction so far. I'm hoping this last. I'm sick of fills. lol. :rant: - I could tell my fill was wide open, I was starving all the time, wt at the time of fill was 170! grrrrrrr FILL #17 - 10/30/09 - completely drained me, checked for a leak - no leak YAY - added 4.6 cc's - I feel like he didn't add anything, feel wide open! Hungry all the time FILL #18 - 11/09/09 Doc did barium swallow test - I think he thought I was full of it. He saw what I was talking about and agreed I was way too loose. He added 2.5cc's. I feel restriction again, but not a real tight restriction. I have no idea where I'm at these days and I really don't care anymore how much CC's I have, I just want RESTRICTION!!!!!! Fill #19 - 11/23/09 - I had a some restriction, but not enough, the doc added 3/10ths of a cc. I feel pretty good, not too tight, which means it probably will get looser. I will ride this fill out and see what happens. Very discouraged at this point. FILL #20 - 12/28/09 - did not take any fluid out, just added 4/10th's of a cc. Still feel lose, but on the fluro it showed I was tight, so we'll see how it goes......... FILL #21 - 02/01/10 - Doc did not take any fluid out, added 1/2 a mil then I told him it was still too loose, so he added another 1/10th of a cc. Feel really good right now - but as always we will have to wait and see.