tonya66

I personally took off 2 weeks, the first week was rough, very nauseas the first 3 or 4 days. I think I could have returned after a week but glad I took the 2nd week off. I personally would plan on 2 weeks to give your body time to heal.

I had BCBS, but when I had the Band in 2007, I had United Healthcare. So when my doc and I discusses a revision his insurance coordinator did her research and found that Anthem BCBS treated it as a total new WLS, they didn't require the 6 mos diet, but required all the test, it took me about 2 months to do everything but once the paperwork was submitted, less than 48 hours to

Get my approval. It was worth the wait! Best wishes

I have learned your body is going to do what it's going to do. I'm 7 months out and am down 45 lbs when a lot of people have already reach goal. I'm also a revision patient, had the band in 2007 and converted to sleeve November 20, 2013.

Just stick to the rules and you will lose, slow sometime and sometimes fast. I will give you an example, for the past 3 months I have not done anything as far as weight loss goes, I've bounces around with the same 5 pounds for months. Everyone says after month 6 it slows down and I was really worried because it was already slow but suddenly from month 6 to 7 my weightloss has done the opposite and I'm almost down 10 lbs this month, so everyone is different. Focus on you and your journey, that's what I have to keep telling myself as well because it's easy to compare yourself to others. Best wishes to you!

<p>i thought the sleeve didnt cause reflux , only in people who already had it to begin with. which is true?</p>

I can't say the sleeve caused my reflux cause I has it before. I have Barrett's esophagus, my reflux is controlled with meds. Once the reflux is no longer controlled or get out of hand, RnY might be a route I have to take, but so far I can control it as long as I takes meds, avoid coffee, no spicy food etc.

I too had great success with the band, was banded in 2007 and then after a slight infill I lost restriction completely, after 23 fills, still no restriction. My doctor recommended switching to the sleeve and said my band simply quit working, they could not find a leak.

I started with the band at 250, got down to about 145 and gained back up to 214, that was my weight on my surfer date for the sleeve.

I was sleeved 11/20/13, losing weight slower than those younger than me, and those that are virgin bariatric patients (no precious WLS) but I will take it. I'm almost 7 months out and down to 165, 50 lbs in 7 mos.

I do have reflux, I have Barrett's esophagus and had this before the sleeve, so I can't blame the sleeve.

The only con I can think of is you can't take ibuprofen, ever. And u do have Vitamins to take for the rest of your life. I have arthritis in my knee and the ibuprofen really helped with inflammation. But losing weight is also helping.

The pros, (which I used to think was a con) is it's permanent. Once they cut that stomach, it's gone. Dealing with the band and all the fills, I'm glad it's a permanent solution.

I can eat anything, just not much of it. I can eat about 3 oz of food at a sitting and I am 7 mos out. For example, I split meals with my hubby and the other day I had my first hamburger since 2007, and I ate 1/4 of his burger and that was all I could eat and about 5 ff. I normally don't eat bread, but I wanted to test the sleeve and see if I could eat it. I never could eat a burger when I had the band.

I haven't thrown up once with the sleeve, I have got nauseous a few times, especially in the beginning which is usually due to eating or drinking too fast, according to my nutrition or it's something my sleeve doesn't agree with. Everyone is different.

Feel fee to ask any questions.

Best wishes to you

I was banded in January 2007, I loved the band in the beginning, but after losing a lot of weight needed more fills, anyhow, long story short I never could find the sweet spot after 23 fills, lost all restriction and gained about 70 lbs back. Finally converted to sleeve on November 20, 2013.

Band weight 248

Gastric sleeve weight 214

Today's weight 165

Goal weight 145

Happy? Heck yes I'm happy. Best decision ever.

Have you been successful w losing weight?

I have read that people that revise surgeries tend to lose slower, and I am compared to many, a slow loser. However, with that being said, I am happy with my results and I continue to lose. I figure Im not in a race but on a journey.

My stats are:

Began the lapband at 250

dropped down to 145

Complications arose, and got back up to 214 which is what I was on my date of surgery

Gastric sleeve sugery 11/20/13 at 214.5

Today my weight is 165, Im almost 7 months out, so about 50 lbs in 7 months

From what I read, most people start to slow down at about 6 months, for me its been the opposite. Ive been at a stall for a few months and barely losing, this month Im going to hit around 10 lbs I think. So I've actually started losing more after 6 months.

The thing I like about the sleeve is no more "stuck" feeling, I can pretty much eat whatever I like but not much of it. I try and make healthy choices though and stay away from the carbs and sugar.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Hi Susan, I had to comment because your journey sounds like mine. I has the band in Jan 2007, I loved it and did great. Then one time I got an overfill and had to take some Fluid out. That's when all my issues began. I had 23 fills trying to find my sweet spot and could not find it. Finally last year in November we removed the band and converted to sleeve.

I have Barrett's Esophagus and have been dealing with acid reflux for years, my hernia was removed but I still have the after effects. I do have acid reflux with the sleeve, but I had it worse with the band and had to sleep sitting up. Medication does help and I will be on it for the rest of my life I am sure.

Feel free to ask any questions.

Best wishes to you

Tonya

Confused - do you still have your gall bladder? The reason I ask is when I had my gall bladder problems (I didn't know it was gall bladder) I felt like a punch in the stomach, it felt like I had fallen from a high place at times and fell onto my stomach and it would take my breath away at times. Just a thought for you to consider if they find its not your band.

I hope everything turns out for the best for you. The brite side is, at least you will find out exactly what is causing the pain, right? Keep us informed on how it turns out.

Hello everyone, just checking in. Things are going good, Juno, good for you for getting back to the gym! And 10 lbs per month is great!!!!!!!!!!!

I have slacked in the exercise area, but I know I need to get back. I was planning on going last night, but I got a kidney infection and just didn't feel well, been on antibiotics now for a couple of days and it is starting to feel better, so maybe I can head over to the gym after work :smile2:.

I have 25 days until I leave for my cruise, so I really need to focus on my exercise..........

I hope everyone is doing good and enjoying the summer!

Well, not a bunch......But you do need a mixing needle. and if you are going to inject, you will need a supply of injection needles. Some states sale them in the pharmacy without a perscription, I'm told Walmart does for $6 for a 30 day supply, but I think my state requires a perscription, that is why I actually ordered online. I'm told you can actually get a mixing needle at a pet supply store, but I havent verified that.

You might have to spend an additional $15 on the extra stuff to mix with the HCG.

You see, the HCG you buy is 2000ius and is mixed for one injection (women use it as a fertility drug) so thats how it is mixed. You cannot take that much so you have to dilute it, either for orally or injections.

Have you watched any of the youtube videos? Momaclock has some good ones that explains it.

I added my cost up and I spent about $1 a day.

sunshine- do you use the injectable or the under the tongue HCG? You have me looking into it. I have a question about the alldaychemist.com website, I have looked at the HCG there and don't know how it comes when I look at the pictures (injectable or oral). I also was wondering should I order more then 1 when I order, and does it take a while to get it?

your new addition is adorable!!

I've done all three - I wanted to try each and every way to see which way I liked. I was very leary of the injections, but now I think I might like them the best because you do it once a day and your done. I did not think I could give myself a shot, and I was afraid it would hurt. I promise you, if you get the right needles, you do not feel a thing. Boy scouts honor!

As far as the HCG, they will all say injectible use, however, its the way you "mix" it that makes it sublinqual or injectible. When I did mine, I bought the 5000iu's and mixed with 2cc of colodiul silver and 13 mils of vit b-12. You take .5 cc's 2 x's a day. I did for the sublinqual dosage.

However, I now would recommend the 2000 ius. The easiest way to explain it is look at the 2000 ius as the number of pills in a bottle, so 5000 ius will give you more dosage than 2000ius. However because the HCG loses potency after about 2 to 3 weeks, I think its better to mix more often and then you don't have to worry about it losing potency, hence that is why I would recommend 2000iu's.

When you get the HCG, you have to mix it - either for injections or to take orally. You will mix each different. If you are doing injections, you won't have to buy as much because you do 1x's per day, sublinqual you do 2x per day so you use twice as much, but you don't have to buy the injection needles, so the cost is about the same.

I mixed 2000ius for injection with 4cc of bac Water. You must get bac water for injections and nothing else. I got my bac water from bodyinfluence.com - they have the best prices and quick at shipping. I actually bought the "pre-mixed" hucog that had 1cc mixed in it, so I withdrew the 1cc of mixture, added 3 cc of bac water into a seperate sealed vial (I bought my injection needles and sealed vials from researchsupply.net as they have the best prices), I injected .30 cc a day giving me a dosage of 150ius. Dr. S said 125ius works for most, or up to 200ius. I have heard from many that 200ius is too much and it actually will make you too hungry, so I decided to try somewhere in the middle and 150 ius worked for me, probably 125 would have worked too.

I bought my mixing needles from ebay. They were cheap. You can also buy hcg kits for sublingual use - comes with everything you need to mix sublingually, momaclock has some on ebay that are reasonably priced. But you really don't need a kit. If you decide to do it, PM privately your address and I will mail you a mixing needle, I have tons of them that are still wrapped sterile. These are just for mixing, not injections.

So the first thing is to decide which way you would like to dose, injections or sublinqually? Its up to you which way because they work the same as far as weightloss. It just depends whats easiest for you.

Let me know if you have questions, I will be happy to answer what I can. Again, I'm by no means an expert, but I feel very confident in the program and happy to share with anyone that is interested.

My mom has started it and for the first time in years she has had to lower her insulin level, her blood sugar is finally becoming "normal". The manuscript says diabetics can be corrected in as short as a week, and this is happening with my mom. She is so excited that she might be able to get off her diabetes medication.

It sounds very confusing and trust me, I was totally confused when I first started and I just continued to dig and dig for information and watched a ton of youtube videos, read tons of blogs, and joined a yahoo group called HCGdiet that gave me the best information and there are a lot of women who have maintained for years on the HCG diet and still are on the blog just to help people out.

So it depends on what you are wanting to do, or what will be easiest for you, sublinqual or injections. I have found they work the same, even the homeopathic brand works and many take that too, I bought my homeopathic brand from healingpowerwithin.net.

I hope I didn't confuse you more :thumbup:

What an adorable pup.

I know, I love her so much! She is so sweet!

I'm not too sure about weighing in every day...that might be too frustrating, but certainly back on my weekly schedule. I have done it for over three years with rare exception. So, I need to get back on track.

It can be frustrating to weigh everyday, but is is also kinda fun to see the scale go down EVERY DAY! There were a few occasions that I stalled, like for 4 days, but I knew that was to be expected. Sometimes I even would go up a few ounces but I always knew when the scale went up, that I would be losing the next day. My body will always gain a few before I drop a bunch - its always been that way. weird I know.

I wonder where some of my motivation is.

I sometimes feel the same way. I can do so great for so long then all of a sudden I lose all my mojo and just don't care. Not sure why that is.

I think about the HGC...to get me the final bit, but it just seems extreme. And if you're doing 500 calories a day anyway...wouldn't you lose, anyway? Does the HGC control appetite? That is what i"m reading. And what is maintenance. I know...you gave me all the links to that stuff and I need to get to reading. It is certainly tempting

I thought the same thing, it took me over a year to go ahead and try it after I learned about it. But first let me explain a few things, you really are not living off 500 calories, your body is tapping into your abnormal fat and it is actually supplying you with an additional 2000 to 4000 calories. The study or the discovery that was done on HCG in the 50's was that when a pregnant woman starves herself, your body goes into a protection mode for the fetus. This is what happened to the pregnant women in Africa, they were malnurished, they were hungry, they were pregnant, however when the babies were born, they were at a healthy weight and no malnurished was discovered in them. Thus, this began the study of why that is?

So, what the Dr. S found out is our body produces HCG when we are pregnant, if you do not eat properly, the HCG taps into the stored fat/abnormal fat which carries nutrients in it and feeds the fetus so it is healthy. Makes sense to me since God created us that way. Anyhow, if your not pregnant but taking HCG, your body "thinks" you are and when you are eating low cal, it taps into the stored fat.

Now, the about 500 calories, you are right, anyone will lose on a 500 calorie diet. The difference is they could not do it long term, you would be weak, you would lose muscle not fat. With HCG this has not happend and I've done it for over 100 days! There is no way in hell I could do just a 500 calorie diet for that long. I would be starving, with HCG, no hunger! I had a little in the beginning but it was a manageble hunger.

The biggest problem I had was at about the 15th day, I noticed I just could not stomach another piece of grilled chicken or fish, then I discovered a cookbook for HCG and that made a world of difference, I started making food that tasted really good and discovering a whole different way to eat my chicken and fish, lol.

I was not sold on HCG before I started it, I really wasn't, very skeptical. But after tyring it and realizing that there really isn't hunger with it, and for the first time my thighs are shrinking where all other diets, they never would. I'm sold!

When your not losing weight, the scale isn't budging, I was still shrinking. Thats why the manuscript is called "Pounds and Inches", you don't just lose pounds but you lose tons of inches. Its crazy.

The con to HCG is it is very strict, if you go over the calories, then your body is thinking your getting enough, so the HCG will not tap into the stored fat, and actually will store the extra calories for future starvation, so you will gain. There is no cheating on it, so a little cheat can cost you. Thats the con. I have cheated a few times, but for the most part I stayed pretty true to the plan and this morning I weighed in at 147.4.

Maintance is when you end the HCG, you do 3 weeks of basically Atkins style. The rule is you can eat anything you want except no sugar, and no starches. So no breads, no pies, no Pasta etc. You do this for three weeks while your body stabalizes - this is when you are reseting the hypothalamus (it controls your thyroid, your body set point). After the three weeks - you move into the next phase for 3 week, this is when you SLOWLY introduce carbs/sugars back into your diet. You see how much your body can tolerate before it gains. You will know how many fruits you can have a day, how many breads ect. Then after you do this for three weeks, you can either 1) do another round of HCG if you have more to lose, or 2) continue maintaining for the rest of your life.

The rulse of the maintenance phase is you have to weigh everyday - first thing in the morning after going to restroom and naked, if ever you go over 2 lbs of your last dosage weight you must do a correction day that same day. For example, my last dosage weight was 147, if I ever get to 149.1, I must do a correction day. Dr. S. describes one where you go all day, no food just Water or tea, then that evening you have a huge steak and either a small tomatoe or apple. This will correct the gain and you should drop back down within the 2 lb range. I bought a book that gives numerous correction days, like eating eggs all day long, or alternation between eggs and nuts. Anyhow, I've had to do one correction day and it worked. I've been holding steady at my last dosage weight and I am eating more than I ever have. Its weird that my body is letting me stay this way, in the past I've gained weight so easily, but now i'm having a hard time gaining. I love it.

That is one thing that appealed to me was being able to reset my body set point, the scale always goes crazy on me and I have never been steady at my weight.

But anyhow, sorry to ramble on and on and on, I just think so many people have a misconception of the 500 cal diet.

But again, it is not for everyone, some people just are not in a position to eat the strict list of foods you can have. When your traveling etc it makes it hard. Eating out is difficult because you don't know how they are preparing your food.

I order my RX HCG from alldaychemist.com. They are out of India and all the reviews I have read is they are the most honest and reliable and cheapest, I've been very impressed with them and I can say that the HCG I've received from them has worked.

Some people chose not to do the perscription HCG and chose to use a homeopthic brand. I've also tried that and it works. Its really no HCG in it, but its been mimmicked like the real hcg and somehow works off the vibration of your body, not sure how the whole homeopathic stuff works, but I can say It worked for me. The best place for that is healingpowerwithin.net. Its the cheapest, they are honest and not there to rip you off. A lot of the internet places are charging $160 for a 40 day supply.

I buy RX HCG for about $30 plus shipping, the homeopathic cost me about $55 plus shipping - the pro to the homeopathic is you get it within 3 or 4 days. I started with homeopathic until my RX came in, then I switched to the RX. You can do that right in the middle of a round, its not a problem.

Well, I hope I explained it better for you, if not, feel free to ask more questions. I'm by no means an expert, and I've learned most of my information from a yahoo group called HCGDiet, also from youtube videos, tons of them out there with hundreds of success stories. Momaclock is one of the youtube people I watch and she has taught me a lot!

I've been banded now for over 3 years. I had the exact same fears, you can read my journey in my blog if you like. I totally freaked out the closer I got to surgery.

3 1/2 years later, I would not change a thing. I do eat bread, occasionaly, I do have a cookie, occasionaly. I still enjoy life, and I still eat things but I eat it all in moderation. Its all portioned controlled.

I used to go thru an entire box of oreos - and no I'm not exagerating! I ate the entire package with 2 or three glasses of milk! I no longer can eat the entire package, I might have 2 or 3 very rarely, and only when I really want it.

I have gone from a size 18 to a size 6 now. Bought new clothes this weekend and realized, the size 8's are just too baggy so I moved to size 6 and they fit!

Let me tell you, I loved food, still love food, but nothing taste as good as being thin is! So don't let the fears stop you from being who you deserve to be.

Best wishes to you.

Sula - one thing I now do is weigh myself EVERYDAY. People say you shouldn't do it, but it keeps me honest. The HCG program requires you to weigh yourself everyday and if every you go over the 2 lbs of your last dosage weight, you have to immediately do a correction day. So far I'm staying around the same, I haven't gone over or under the 2 lbs since I started the maintenance phase.

I'm going back to my band doctor to get a slight unfill. I love the restriction I have, its perfect. However, I am having too much acid reflux at night, I have Barrets Esophagus and having acid reflux is dangerous especially if you have Barrets Esophagus, so I called and they will take just a little out today and see if that helps. I think 1/10th of a cc should do the trick.

I will be leaving on my cruise next month and I'm so excited to be at a size 6 now. I still would like to lose another 10 lbs, but I'm happy if I don't too. I'm pretty happy with my weight now. I still need to do some toning and maybe some nip & tuck - Tummy Tuck and my arms fixed, and maybe a lower body lift.....but who knows. It all takes money and lots of it and not sure I can do it all.

Well, I hope everyone is doing good. I've had a busy summer so far. My daughter and son were involved in a bad car accident, so that was scarey, they are both okay, but going thru physical therapy and still having some back issues and neck pain. My daugthers car was totaled, so we've been sharing cars until we found her a new one. Found her a good deal last night on a car and will pick it up today. So that will make my life a little easier.

My son is working full-time in the ER while he is attending medical school, so the wreck was not good since he is on his feet all day long. The pain in his back really gets to him, I bought him a new pair of shoes that were $160 last night, hoping they will ease some of his pain.

We also go a new addition to our family. She is the cutest thing ever and I absolutely love her! She is 8 week old Maltese. My pointer is not too fond of her, but we're hoping he grows to love her as much as we already do. She is so good too, no accidents in the house as of yet, she lets us know when she wants to go potty, and she just loves to snuggle up to us.

Today is my first day back to work after a week off, and I'm having major withdrawals from leaving her today. I feel like a new mother that has to leave her newborn baby for the first time. lol. I think I might have to make the 30 mile drive back home today at lunch just to see her. Her name is Pearl.

Sunshine, That is terrific. I did a little looking at the HGC but decided it wasn't for me. Maybe I'll change my mind down the road aways..who knows. I've not been moving much on my weight or exercise. Trying to eat a little more balanced however and this week has been good.

I am two months out from my breast reduction and am very pleased. It is so nice to be comfortable!!

I'm going to make a better effort to check in here because I know I do better when I do!!

that's great ur doing good after breast reduction. I agree with u on the HCG diet, I don't think anyone should do it unless they are totally commited, it's very strict and any wavering from the diet can cause weight gain. It took me a lot of research and an article I read is what convinced me to try it. It wasn't the article itself, it was a negative article but it was all th comments after the article. Hundreds and hundreds of comments disputing the article. It convinced me to just try it. The first 10 days were he'll, lots of carb withdrawals, but then it got so easy. There us no way I can do it over the next few months because of all the traveling we are doing, so I have ended it and now on a maintenance phase.

I am really restricted now too, I am finally to a sweet spot - I love it! Tonight we went out for Mexican and I could only eat about 1/3 or less of my meal. I got very full fast. My band will keep me from over eating during the next few months while I'm doing the maintenance phase.

Now I must get back to my exercise routine and hit it hard!

PS, I got one more little fill, and I might have overdone it a bit, I can eat meat and everything, but I'm finding I am having bad hurt burn and acid reflux in the evening. I'm trying to ride it out for a week or so and see if it loosens up.

I thought I would update everyone on my progress. I'm finally into the 140's, first time in the 140's since 1988. I weighed in a few days ago at 149.9, barely in the 140's but I'm in. I've been hanging there for the past few days.

I've been on and off the HCG program, I order mine from India and mix it myself, it cost so so so so much less than the US. I also ordere Latisse which cost me $10 vs $120 in the US. My eyelashes are amazing! I love it!

Besides the band, the HCG diet is the best thing I have discovered. If I had discovered it before the band, not sure if I would have even gotten the band. Its really giving me amazing results, I am just in shock at how much my body has changed. Not just weight, but the inches, it has given me curves, shrunk my thighs (I never could shrink my thighs). I am really pleased with it.

I am going to end the HCG at the end of the month and do a 3 weeks (phase 3) and 3 week (phase 4) program - its basically maintenance to reset your hypathalamus and thryroid, then I head out for my cruise. When I get back from the cruise, I will do one more short round of HCG, about 23 days. This should put be at goal.

My original goal was 145, but now I want to get to 135. The best thing I found is I logged my wieght into fitday.com, and it came back that my bmi was 24.89, which is in the "healthy" range. I'm no longer overweight, I was so excited!

I just don't want to be at the top of the charts, and getting down to 135 will put me closer to the middle, it gives me a little wiggle room.

Life has been busy on my end, as I know it has with everyone else. I hope all is well and your families are doing great. I wish everyone a great summer too, I'm really looking forward to my summer and vacation time with my family.

are you still checking this sight?

Yes, but probably not as much as we should, everyone is so busy and its hard to get back here sometimes. How are you doing?

Hello everyone, just swinging by since its been so long since I visited..........

Sula, I know what you mean about winter not wanting to go away, but I think it finally is where I live. Today is 83 degrees, so I'm hoping it stays this way.

Juno - dang girl 200 swats? You go girl! There is no way I could do that. Does sound like a bit much with your running program, so I'm glad your giving it up, you don't want to "over do" it for sure. It could result in injuries, and trust me, I've had it happen to myself by over doing it. Then it sets you back because you have to wait for the injury to heal, its a vicious cycle.

Confused - good job on the 4 lb loss, you are getting back on track. Sometimes we all need a pitty party, gawd knows I've had plenty of them. lol

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.

BTW, scale is down 3lbs!

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.

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!