jhawkchick75

Good luck Nicole!!!!! Just stick with the basics and i'm sure you will be able to keep it off. Keep us up to date!

Thanks so much! I hope you have a fantastic birthday and get to do something great!

Thanks everyone! I won't be on here again until probably Monday, but i'll definitely give you all an update! I took Monday off and am treating myself to a massage as a reward for the race so i'll try to post my pics Monday. I have a friend that isn't running but is coming to cheer me on and she is gonna take pics as we cross the finish line! Hope you all have a fantastic weekend! Thanks for all your support! Never a year ago would I have thought i'd be where I am now. Got a bit more to lose but it feels great!

Sounds like what I get and beyond that sometimes I also get really hot on my face. Weird, but my face gets hot.

So today I decided I needed some retail therapy - i'm about to have another birthday and not happy about it, you know how that is! So anyhow i've been between sizes for a while and decided just to go for it and try on the smaller size and not be upset if they didn't fit. Well they did and i'll be damned if i'm not in a size 8!!!!!! I haven't been in single digits since probably jr high maybe it is so great! And, to make it better I have my high school reunion this weekend so I bought some new single digit jeans to sport at it. I'll make sure and take pics this weekend it's gonna be a busy one with the reunion and i'm running in my first race - 4 miles. If I don't make it out alive please know I thought of you all fondly!

B: Cheese and crackers L: One cheese enchilada, beans and chips and cheese D: TBA most likely a WW meal and veggies Calories so far: 550 Exercise: Still debating - my knee is hurting so i'm thinking i'll run, but not real far. I am doing the race on Sat so I don't want it hurting so we shall see what I do tonight.

B: applesauce L: Cottage cheese, cheese and crackers, and turkey cubes (eaten in two sets b/c I had a meeting to go to) S: one snack sized candy piece D: Birthday party @ a japanese steakhouse - did my best and did no rice, ate the shrimp and veggies first and a couple bites of ice cream. S: Glass of wine (2) Calories: 950

Definitely will! Mine are bad too - I took pics but haven't had the guts to post them yet. I'll let you know how it goes!!!

Congrats and i'm glad all went well! Here's to the beginning of a lot of great changes for you! Can't wait to hear about your progress!

I am sooo mad my DVR didn't tape it for some reason tonight!!!! I am obsessed with the show and never miss it. I saw the season premiere and as usual cried through the whole thing! The girl on the orange team that is with the guy who was on the show last year - sorry still getting names down - but she made me cry the most! This show always motivates me and I love to watch it! Can't wait to see how it goes!

Hey there! I am doing some various exercises with hand weights, toning bands, and then doing that one where I face away from my coffee table and put my hands on it, bend my knees and take my body up and down by my elbows...sorry hopefully that just made sense i've been looking at excel spreadsheets all day and I am out of it! I've been doing a lot of tricept work and bicept as well trying to work on the bat wings, but i'm not sure yet how much of a difference it has made. Once I get a couple months into it i'll take another round of pics and see.

Playing catch up - could anyone else not get in here for about 36 hours?? I was worried I got booted! Terrible day, but here we go anyway! B: Soup at hand chicken noodle - was around 10am not sure if that counts as breakfast! L: Tuna packet and animal crackers S: Tortillia chips D: Buffalo chicken dip and chips - was gonna eat more but got stuck Calories: 500 Exercise: Ran 4.1 miles - my first race on Saturday gotta get ready!

B: cheese stick L: soup at hand creamy tomato bisque (soo love this soup!) S: crackers w/ peanut butter (4) S: Chips and cheese - seriously, why can I not stay away from the chips!!!!!! D: Thin crust cheese pizza Exercise - gonna take the pooch on a walk then do arms. Calories so far: 900

I took mine with me and then I completely forgot about them until months later I found them in one of the pockets on my suitcase and laughed so hard! I threw them away after that though. Felt so weird wearing those and the hose/leggings things.

I think they just say that so you don't risk getting something stolen. I had to get work done while I was gone so I took my laptop and had no problems. It was really nice to have it in the room w/ me at the hotel. Good luck and let us know how it goes!!

Congrats I am so glad it went well! It has been almost a year for me, but I was told to pretty much just keep drinking all day during that first 7 days and just sip. Once you are on creamy soups I was told 1 cup at a time, but honestly I couldn't eat that much until right before I went back on solids. I was told no ab work for 6 mos but that probably has changed. I do mostly cardio anyway so it wasn't a big deal. In terms of the little ones my niece was 3 so she could get around well herself. I told her I had ouchies on my tummie and that I needed her to help me and that I couldn't pick her up and she understood. Her dad was able to lift her for baths and stuff. The hardest for me was grocery shopping! That and cleaning the house. Good luck! Can't wait to hear about your progress!

Kind of the same deal w/ me. Lost about 12 on the 21 days and then gained all but 7 of it back before my first fill. As I got fills I lost fairly consistently but really started losing when I began working out w/ it. Hit my first plateau in May and it was a doozie - only lost about 3 lbs from then until August. Part of that is b/c I wasn't keeping track of my food and also I started running so there was some muscle building there. I've started losing again these last couple weeks so i'm hoping it keeps up b/c I think if I go to my fill dr again she won't give me a fill. She didn't want to give me one last time saying she didn't think I ate enough, but I don't get that restriction like everyone else does. But I also don't get hungry very often. Sometimes around 3 but that is it. If you are losing 1-2 lbs a week you are doing good. I encourage people to write down that they eat and note which weeks are successful and why. Also, exercise is key. Good luck!

I've never had that eat a few bites and your full feeling. I can't eat nearly what I used to, but i'm definitely not there. In terms of food, go under food and drink and you will see many of us log our meals each day. It is helpful to see what others are having.

This doesn't happen to me personally, but many say they tighten up during that time. So if you are one of those people I wouldn't do it.

I'm in as well! I weigh in on Wed, but if we do it Friday i'll just post what my weight was on Wed each week. I like the idea anything to help keep me on track!

Everyone is so different you have to just test some out and see what you like. For me the EAS shakes are the most bearable. I don't have time to mix them myself and it would probably taste better if I did but that is just not an option. I've never found a bar I liked so I don't do them. I also don't measure I just eat slow and listen to my body. I count calories b/c if I don't eat enough my weight doesn't drop. It's so funny how different everyone's taste is. I bought a muscle milk one day and about threw up!

B: None, was at work until midnight so I slept in a bit L: Mac and Cheese S: Tested my dip I made for the open house! D: So hard to count was a very bad grazer tonight - chips and dip, little smokies, and shrimp S: A few glasses of white wine S: Mac and cheese (bad and ate it when I got home...too many cocktails! ) Exercise: ran just under 4 miles Calories: No idea too hard to calculate this one!

B: None L: Buffalo Chicken Dip and chips and a few bites of macaroni salad. Had a football smorgasboard! I tried to be good but should have had some protein I got full before the BBQ was done. D: Thin crust cheese pizza until I PB'ed it. Exercise: None today i'm sore from my run and taking a day off! Total calories so far: 800 (including the pizza)

I LOOOVVVEEEE Mexican food! I could eat it about every day! I'm behind it was a busy weekend so i'm playing catch up. Yesterday I ran almost 4 miles then watched some football and then headed to a friend's house for their housewarming party. I was really not good in the food dept I grazed really bad. I am running a 5k on Saturday so i'm gonna run on Tues and Thurs so my body isn't too sore.

Honestly the pre-op diet was the worst for me. The 21 days after was tough, but for the first week to week and a half I was still pretty sore and just not interested in eating so that helped. I don't have kids, but I have my niece and she lives w/ me part time (my bro lives w/ me) and she is the reason I did this as well. I didn't want to be the fat aunt that couldn't keep up w/ her and play w/ her. Keep it up you can do it!