20.2 lbs gone!

Since I started the drops, my first mini goal was getting under 200 lbs, which I've done.

This morning, I weighed in and have lost 20.2 lbs, which was my second mini goal! YAY!

My losses are slow, but each time I think about going into Phase 3, I'll have another nice loss, and I get motivated to stay in Phase 2 a little longer. I weigh 196 lbs right now....I'm thinking getting to 190 would be good :)

Down!

This morning I weighed in at 197.4...so very excited! Our annual BBQ is 3 wks away and I've been debating whether to stop the drops and move into maintenance. I just don't know yet!

ONEderland...again

It's been a long time since I was under 200. It feels wonderful. I'm so excited to jump on that scale every day and watch the weight just melt away. This morning's weight was 198.0.

It's been 30 days since I started using the Omni drops. My loss hasn't been as fast as others, but I just take it in stride. It may take me a little longer, but I will ultimately get there. I plan on staying on the drops at least 45 days, and possibly 60. I know I won't have lost all the weight I want to lose in the next 15 days, but I'd love to get to 190. If that takes 60 days, so be it. Then three weeks of maintenance, and back for round 2.

Success, at last!

I woke up this morning to a very lovely number....199.6! Praying that it STAYS below 200, but I'm finally there!

YAY!

Oh Scale, how I hate thee!

I'm down again today, back at 200.2 where I was 3 days ago. I just can't get under 200 and it's annoying! Still, a total loss of 16 lbs.

However, I know I'm losing inches, so I did measurements.

Chest - No change from start
Waist - Lost 5.5 inches!
Thigh - Lost 2 inches!
Hip - Lost 2 inches!
Arm - Lost .75 inches

That's an overall loss of 10.25 inches since March 8! I can live with that :)

Better!

R1P2D23 - Back down .6 lbs to 201.4, I think primarily due to the fact that I drank a laxative tea last night.

However, today I committed the sin of having red meat (taco salad) at both lunch and dinner, so we'll see if I pay for that on the scale tomorrow. I actually thought about it before I did it and decided what the hell, it's very filling and I wanted to be full!

Up :(

Soooooo disappointed. I had really hoped to be out of the 200s by today, and instead, I gained back to 202 lbs. Having BM issues (sorry, but true). I hate taking laxatives, I'm afraid my body will grow dependent on them, but I find myself needing one every 2-3 days. Bought a tea from Celestial Seasonings that is like Smooth Move, since the Walmart I shop at doesn't sell Smooth Move. Hope it works, and I have a drop tomorrow.

If it doesn't work...I'm going to try adding another protein in tomorrow. I'm thinking this will resolve the hunger issue AND potentially shock my body back into dropping.

I had been taking the drops 3x a day, I've also now increased to 4x in hopes of resolving the night hungers.

*sigh*

Grocery Shopping

Vegetables have always been difficult for me, and even more so with the lapband. Oddly, when I eat vegetables now, I have no problem at all. I don't get it. Maybe I'm eating more soluable veggies?

In any event, going to the grocery store now is fun for me. Picking out the fresh veggies, determining which is ripe, almost ripe, or not ripe....it's all an adventure for me!

Sadly, my weight went up today. I was sooooo hoping to break that 200 lb. barrier, and instead I bounced back up to 202 lbs. I suspect it's because I am, once again, not "moving". So today I bought some tea by Celestial that is supposed to act like Smooth Move, since my Walmart doesn't carry it. Here's hoping it works. I don't want to become laxative dependent, but there's just not enough "movement" on a day to day basis.

I think lunch will be Shrimp and Scallop Cerviche, one of my favorites!

Historical Data

Because I found it necessary to refer back to the blog, I've decided I better post my history with the HCG drops.

Date Weight
3/8 - 214.6 (Loading Day 1)
3/9 - 215.2 (Loading Day 2)
3/10 - 216.2 (R1P2D0)
3/11 - 212.8
3/12 - 211.0
3/13 - 210.0
3/14 - 209.2
3/15 - 209.4
3/16 - 207.6
3/17 - 208.4
3/18 - 207.2
3/19 - 207.4
3/20 - 207.0
3/21 - 206.2
3/22 - 204.8
3/23 - 204.0
3/24 - 203.6
3/25 - 203.2
3/26 - 202.6
3/27 - 201.8
3/28 - 201.0
3/29 - 201.6
3/30 - 201.2
3/31 - 200.2

I keep feeling like this isn't working fast enough, but really, I'm down 14.4 lbs. from the day I started loading, and 16 lbs. from the 1st day of the very low calorie diet (VLCD). To lose 16 lbs. in 21 days is nothing to sneeze at! I have more energy. I'm getting outside again. One of the neighbors remarked the other day that she noticed I had been out more. How sad is that?

I'm doing really well on this program, as far as the food. Nights are difficult because I'd developed the really bad habit of eating at night...ice cream, cereal, whatever. I really feel like the hunger at night is really just that habit kicking in.

*tap tap* Is this thing on?

I had to refer back to this blog today to find out what my lowest weight was after lapband surgery. I read back through every post, and decided that maybe blogging again will help me. I doubt that anyone still has me on their blog lists, and really, since this is for me anyway, that's ok.

After getting down to a low of 175.4, with my lapband fighting me every step of the way, I slowly started gaining weight again.

I hit 215 lbs this year (boo!), after I quit smoking (yay!). I still have the lapband. As far as I know, I still have a .8cc fill in it, but I've simply given up. Having PBs several times a week when I tried to eat "right", and having none when I ate "wrong", just didn't encourage me to eat right. Having been through what I have for the past six years, I would never recommend that someone consider lapband surgery.

Currently, I'm doing hcg drops and a very low calorie diet. Some people consider it not safe, but ya know, I'm eating two fruits, two veggies, and two meats every day, along with my water, and I have only had ONE PB in a month. ONE, and that was my fault, for not realizing that a 93/7% ground beef would be dry. This is obviously easier on my band, easier on my HEAD, and eating this food has got to be infinitely better than all the chips, ice cream, etc. that I was eating because it would go down and stay down!

I began this diet on March 10 at 216.2 lbs. As of this morning, I weigh 200.2 lbs.

Updates

Figured I better make a post to keep this blog alive.

I haven't lost anymore weight. We've had an exceptionally tough year - my mother in law died April 1, our house burned to the ground April 12, and my father died on May 31. My band was so tight due to stress that I had the fill removed. After about 6 wks (and 10 lbs gained), I had it put back in...just in time for my marriage to start getting shaky. All is well now, but that caused my band to get tight again and about the only things I can get down and keep down are the bad foods.

The marriage is back on track, so hopefully, my band will settle down and I can start losing weight again. I don't own a scale yet, so I have no idea how much damage has been done :(

I'm losing again!

After several months of fighting...I finally gave in and got a fill. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired, so I just wouldn't get a fill, and of course, started gaining weight. I gained about 6 lbs and said enough, so I went in the beginning of January, and since then I've gone from 183 to 175.4! They want me in once a month from now on to monitor me better, so maybe I'll make goal yet!

Just a quickie update...I really haven't forgotten people are checking ;)

Update

I've gotten a lot of emails requesting an update, so here we are.

I haven't been updating the blog because I simply haven't been losing weight. I got down to 178 and haven't budged since - well, nothing lower, although occasionally I jump back up to 180, 181, and then lose again.

I need to be exercising, but my job has become so stressful that I'm just exhausted and numb when I get home - all I want to do is veg.

I had to have a slight unfill last month, and I know I need to be refilled because I'm eating way more than I should be able to, but if I get refilled, I'll get sick over everything I eat.

Ya know, if you're reading this and thinking about lapband surgery, don't let it discourage you. I'm in a very small percentage of people who apparently don't tolerate the band well. The bottom line though is that I HAVE lost 55 lbs, and while still slightly over weight (25 lbs), it's better than being 90 lbs overweight!

I'm a little discouraged, but I've maintained for awhile now that I'm ok being where I am with my weight, and Scott is happy with it, so that works for me. :)

Please take a moment...

Tomorrow morning, to remember those who died on September 11, 2001

The scale is moving!

Start weight: 234.5
Current weight: 179.0
Total lost: 55.5


Triple 5s baby! 55.5 lbs down. My fill is one week old and I've lost another pound, finally. Of course, I'm having some food issues (PBing again), but not too badly. I can live with it, just find myself having to do liquids every other day or so. But that's fine as long as the scale is moving again!

A little bitty fill on 7/24

I saw Dr. B yesterday, who seemed very pleased with my progress, despite the fact that I haven't lost much weight in the past 2 months. He said I definitely needed a fill, but given my history with fills, that didn't thrill me. He said it would be just a tiny one, and it was...only .1cc. So far, it seems good...I did liquids for 24 hours and am now doing mushies, but am back to only eating about 1/2 of a cup. YAY!

Five months post op yesterday

Start weight: 234.5
Current weight: 180.0
Total lost: 54.5

It's been exactly five months yesterday since my surgery. I'm frustrated because I feel like I should have lost more weight than this, and I simply cannot break into the 170s.

I definitely need a fill, but I'm definitely not getting one. I'm still having PB issues, just not as frequently, but I can't see walking in and asking for a .1cc fill...lol...could you imagine the reaction? And really, I wouldn't want any more than that. We'll see how it goes over the next couple of weeks. If I'm truly stuck (and geez, like only a 3 lb loss in the past month isn't stuck?), I'll consider it.

I'm down low enough that I can wear a bikini...maybe I shouldn't, but oh frigging well. I'm comfortable in a regular 14...not 14W, they're too big. Let us not forget that Marilyn Monroe was a size 14 ;)

So...ok where I am, and hope that someday I'll get to goal, but I'm not going to stress over it. With all the issues I've had in the past, this is a great place to be :)

However, I have had to really start upping my vitamin intake, and I'm taking a B-Complex and B-12...my hair is falling out at an incredible rate. It almost nauseates me in the morning when I brush my hair! I just started taking the B's yesterday, so I'm really hoping it helps, and I bought some protein bars today with 32g of protein. I also intend to buy those New Whey tubes with 42g of protein. Between the two, that's 74g of protein a day...hopefully, this will all help!

How long has it been anyway? 17 wks post op

Start weight: 234.5
Current weight: 183.0
Total lost: 51.5

The scale has finally started moving again, but very slowly. I've upped my protein and calories considerably this week, and I do believe it's made a difference.

Still PBing a lot, and in fact, when I don't get sick for a full day, it is a very good day. Two days go by without getting sick and I start wondering if I need a fill. Don't worry, there isn't one in my future at the moment. I literally can't imagine getting one, and suspect that as quickly as the weight came off at first, I'm just catching up to myself now.

Scott says he can't imagine me losing another 30 lbs, but I am still obviously "a little" overweight, so I'm not done yet. I'm fitting into most 14s comfortably, but haven't even attempted any 12s yet...I'm not even close.

My hair is falling out by the handfuls. I know it'll stop eventually, but DAMN, it's a lot of hair. Thank God my hair is very thick, or I'd be bald.

I keep saying that I need to start doing ab crunches, and yesterday, I found one of my ab CDs, so really, I don't have any excuse not to. I hereby make a goal to start tomorrow night after work.

*sigh*

Start weight: 234.5
Current weight: 187.6
Total lost: 46.9

OK, so here we are, almost 4 months post op. I've been gaining and losing the same 2 lbs since May. By my actions, it would appear that I need another fill (grazing, looking for food). But some days, I get sick on 2 or 3 bites of something, and other days I can eat more food than I should be able to - like last weekend, I think I ate something like 5 BBQ spareribs, and this week, I ate an entire Lean Cuisine meal (pasta, broccoli and chicken) and didn't hiccup once.

I can't figure out a pattern, because sometimes I can eat something on Monday, and on Tuesday the exact same food will make me sick.

I can't stand the idea of getting another fill. I'm getting sick so often that the idea of closing my stoma up more scares the hell out of me. I'll be living on soup and mushies if I do. I DO intend to make a regular (non-fill) appointment with my doctor, just because it's time (he wants to see me once a month, regardless of any issues) and maybe he'll have some ideas.

The good news is, at 187 lbs, I do feel better about myself. Being only 37 lbs overweight is a lot better than being 87 lbs overweight. If I don't lose any more weight, I'll be ok...not great, but ok.

I AM getting more exercise. My office moved up a floor in our building, and I started having to park a block away. So I'm now having to walk that block twice a day, plus run three flights of stairs each way. Also, my new cubicle is a lot further from the door than it used to be, so taking my breaks involves walking approximately a block by the time it's all said and done. I'm hoping the weight stall is because I'm gaining muscle weight.

So, that's where I am at the moment.

13 weeks post op...a little late!

Start weight: 234.5
Current weight: 189.6
Total lost: 44.9


Up a pound last Sunday, and haven't budged since. I got a fill yesterday. At the last fill, they said they put in .6cc, but they pulled .7cc yesterday, and then added .2cc more, so I'm up to .9cc. I didn't think it was working until I sat down to dinner tonight...OMG...I ate maybe half a cup of food and I'm stuffed. In fact, I took just "one more bite" and ended up with a quick PB...obviously, that was too much. I'm really hoping this will put me back on the road to losing, since I've only lost 5.2 lbs in the past 31 days.

We'll find out Sunday!