jhawkchick75

Yea congrats!!!! My 1 year will be coming up soon as well - you have done a great job!!!!

Just got mine done a couple weeks ago but haven't heard back about the results. I've been having trouble with bruises not healing so she ran a full load of tests. My guess is it's iron as well. Great job!

It wasn't until after my 2nd fill that I couldn't eat bread anymore. And I also have heard about 1/3 of what you did before so that is good where you are. I go more on calorie intake b/c I used to eat very large portions. I aim for 1,200 calories a day but don't always hit that. My NP wants me more at around 1,500 but that is hard to hit so I try to hit 1,200. For me personally if I don't get enough calories my body shuts down on me and I don't lose any weight.

I have heard this as well. Did they empty yours and put it back in before your last fill? Sometimes a little bit of the last fill can magically disappear so my fill dr always removes what was in there too see how much is there and then puts the rest in, so there could be some that went bye bye.

Congrats that is so fantastic!!!! And i'm with you all with the excessive weighing in! I do it every day and sometimes more than once a day. I just can't help it! But I don't let it get me down if it is up or down a bit - it only "really" counts on Wed that is my weigh day.

So sorry you have had to go through that, but you have been very successful and i'm sure you have the skills now to keep it off. I'm sure you will be great!!

I am very hit and miss and feel like some days I could eat anything in sight. I felt that way yesterday but tried to be good. I know I can eat way more than others, but at least with my body if I don't get enough calories then I don't lose. Good, bad or ugly let's lay it out there gals!!! I know for me it makes me accountable and makes me think more about eating it next time. Plus, I love to see what others are eating I need ideas i'm bad about eating the same thing all the time. B: PB on crackers (4) L: can of raviolis (1/2 cup) S: one piece of snack sized chocolate S: chips and dip - damn, I can't stick to a plan! Said no chips until the 19th but at my meeting they had chips, dip, and cookies! Seriously! So I had a few chips S: Vodka and light cranberry-pomegranite - i'm off tomorrow it is my Friday! D: TBA Total calories so far: 600 Exercise - since I have to work tonight I snuck home early and took one of the dogs for a walk - he was super excited!

Small world! My mom had PS through Dr. Lamb and he was a great guy! I met him when I was caring for her and I was able to call him whenever it was great! He didn't have a lot about brachioplasty on his site that is the only reason I didn't short list him, but now that I think of it I might give him a ring and see. I agree that whole 6 months thing would be hard. I'm probably 15 lbs from goal and I think having this would help me get that last bit down.

Awesome!!! I'll let you know once I have my schedule and hopefully you can sneak in. I am so excited to have a membership hopefully I can take some classes! Thank you all for your feedback! I'm checking into Dr. Barnhouse as well as another doctor, Dr. Hall that I found online. I took pics but i'm still hesitant to put them online b/c they are terrible. If I get brave i'll put them up.

This was a terrible day!!! Work was non stop chaos - that is what I get for taking a 5 day weekend I guess! B: Jello pudding pack and 5 crackers L: Cheese stick and homestyle chicken noodle soup (drained the broth) D: One cheese enchilada (1/2 of it) one hard taco (1/2 of it) and a few bites of refried beans. I also ate damn chips and cheese! How sad am I!? Didn't even make it past one day of my new goal for myself. Boo! But i'm back on track and gonna try to stick to it now. S: Two glasses of vodka and cran-pomegranite juice Calories: 700 Exercise - none i'm sore still from my weekend workouts so took a day off

B: none - busy at work and forgot L: spaghettios - about 1/2 cup S: one bite sized candy bar (bad!!!) L: Tuna and carrots D: Thin crust cheese pizza Calories so far - 850 Exercise - no running lots of rain

I don't drink as much as I used to, but still drink on a regular basis. I always make sure and count it in my calories for the day and also be sure and be aware of your tolerance. I used to be able to drink w/ the best of them and now my tolerance is shot! It also hits me quickly so I drink slowly and really am careful b/c the last think you want to do is get sick! I'm with you I drink before bed quite a bit to get myself to sleep. I have a very stressful job that gives me insomnia quite a bit, so the drinks help. Just keep in mind that the beverage needs to be counted in your calories and that is less food and nutrients you are getting. After banding you need to really watch what goes in your mouth - proteins, veggies, etc...so drinking too much is nutritionally not a good idea. But you can still do it! Find beverages that don't eat up all your calories - stuff like crystal light, light juices, etc...and alcohol - I do wine sometimes but it is worse for you calorie wise.

B: none - man not ready to go back to work after this nice long holiday! L: grilled chicken, green beans and mac and cheese (KFC) S: chips and cheese D: TBA Exercise: Did a 3.25 mile run - man, my neighborhood is hilly but it felt good! Calories so far: 600 **I am going chips and dip free from now until Sept 19th!!!

I have a lot of no no foods I need to stay away from too! Mine is definitely chips! I have a thing for just about any kind of chips and dip and I really need to lay off. I don't eat a lot of ice cream, but definitely more than I used to! Not sure if my tastes have changed or what, but i've been eatin way too much ice cream lately. Pasta has been another bad one, specifically this chicken fettuchini alfredo dish from a place near work. I get into a trend where I eat something over and over until I get sick of it and I need to mix it up more. I'm with you i'm gonna vow to lay off the chips and dip! My bday is the day after yours (19th!!) and so i'll do the same and we can keep each other accountable. I'm off the chips!!!!

Thank you all sooo much for your feedback it helps a lot! I've always had big arms and in my family the ladies all have the "bat wings" as I like to call them, so mine are pretty bad. I find myself staring at them all the time in the mirror. I need to quit that and not obsess so much, but it is hard. I have pics i'll post them when I get a chance. I'm working hard on doing specific exercises to tone them up before I jump to a decision, but I know many folks say that loose skin on your arms is almost impossible to get rid of. But damnit i'm gonna try! I just got a 2nd job at the YMCA near my house which means free membership! So i'm gonna take advantage of that and try to use their machines since at home all I have is the treadmill and some measley 5 lbs weights. I did some new arm exercises last night and my arms are really sore today, so hopefully my new plan will help. Thanks so much!!!!

You are probably already on your way, but just wanted to say good luck! I have Sprint and I just turned my phone off when I got in the van and didn't turn it back on until I was at my layover in Dallas. I had someone tell me that if I didn't have service it would drain my phone and it would go dead really quick, so I just turned it off and enjoyed life w/o it. Can't wait to hear how it went!!

Figure I will save time and knock out both my questions in the same thread!! So, first one PB - do you all ever PB but hardly anything comes out but slime? Lately i've been doing this where (sorry TMI) but it looks like mostly slime and maybe one bite of food. Did I maybe just eat just one bite too many and that is all that came up? I've PB'ed plenty, but usually it is more than that so I was just curious if anyone else had this happen. OK now plastic surgery. I am getting to the point where I need to make a decision on getting a brachioplasty (arm lift). For those that have had any kind of PS and you struggled with it i'd like your input. I am balancing the loose skin vs. the scarring on my arms. Also, i'd like to do it over the holidays so i'm in long sleeves and I have some extra time off, but to do it that soon means pulling from my retirement most likely so i've gotta weigh the pros and cons of that too. Any advice on what made you finally decide to go for it? I guess my biggest obstacle is balancing the sagging skin vs. scarring issue. Any advice is appreciated!!

Great pic! You are looking wonderful!

B: None, slept in again - love holidays!!!! S: Potato chips (bad!!) L: WW chicken alfredo D: Thin crust cheese pizza S: Two glasses of vodka and cranberry Calories so far: 1,000 Exercise - getting into a training routine b/c my 5k is coming up! Doing arms and abs tonight. Tomorrow is a running day!

B: None, slept in!! S: Cherios as I drove 4 hours home L: Cottage cheese, cubed ham, and hardboiled eggwhites D: One cheese enchilada and some chips and cheese dip Hope you all are enjoying your nice long weekend! I'm sure not gonna wanna go back to work!!!!!!

So sorry to hear about your friend I hope you are doing well!!

Gonna try to back up a couple days since i've been gone. B: Crackers and cheese S: Peanuts L: Baked potato soup and spin dip D: One cheese enchilada and beans (chips and salsa too) S: About 4 glasses of wine - was at a bday party! Exercise - went on a run w/ a friend - a little over a mile

Thanks so much! I have been in a plateau since May, but I think i've been losing inches from running. This week i've lost 3 lbs so I am hopeful that I finally broke this stupid thing!!!

Congrats on your decision! Definitely utilize this board and read up as much as you can. Sounds like everything you are feeling is normal so just stick with it and you will do great!!! Welcome to the group!!!

Sounds like it was a really good think you had that unfill and you will be back on track in no time. That nine will come off no problem. Better than having something go wrong with your band! Great job!!