hazeleyegrl1

oh and i haven't weighed in awhile, but i am somewhere between 35-40lbs loss! starting weight: 264 current weight: between 230-224 will find out on 1/16 @ drs....hubby threw away scales, i was getting obsessed with weighing myself all the time! lol. banded 9/14/07

Here are my NSV's: 1. When I run into old friends my weightloss is the first thing they notice and the compliments are flattering. 2. I am able to keep up w/my 5yr old son alot better instead of tiring out so quickly. 3. I save money on food bc #1, i don't do the soda's any more, and #2, leftovers last alot longer and finally, #3, when out to eat, i just nibble off of hubby's plate. 4. have gone from a size 22 to a size 18/20 and have 1 16/18 shirt! 5. i have bagged up 3 or 4 large garbage sacks of clothes and given them away to some of my girlfriends at church! and lets face it, fat clothes are more expensive, and i had good clothes, so it made others happy that i shared! :wink: which made me happy! 6. sex has never been bad, but a smaller me means less self conscience 7. working out is a reality now and not a nightmare.. 8. AND...i am starting to tone muscle that i had forgotten i had! YAY! 9. I'm overall healthier now 10. sleep apnea has improved a bit 11. no more gluccophage for diabetes needed anymore! my sugar is well controlled by my diet and exercise now! and thats a huge blessing! 12. overall, i feel alot better about myself, but still not where i want to be just yet. wish i was farther along, but happy i'm not where i was! xoxo, christie

i fought my insurance for over 3yrs then ended up as self pay...so in that 3yrs i went to more then several of spivak's seminars and each time had to fill out and update those questionaires. i agree w/the above poster....its more about everything that you have tried...you can be general on the dates...just guess the month and year...and for however long you tried it. oh yea, and just a hint, if you are trying to get insurance approval..the more things you have tried the better! HINT HINT! i would put EVERYTHING on there that you have tried...even the ridiculous diet fads that have come and gone, if you've tried em, put em on there! hope that helps!:wink: xoxo, christie

ok, so my 2008 Challenge is "A YEAR OF MILES"! My goal is to complete or surpass 365 miles in 365...on the elliptical. Today is day 10 and i'm at 10.03miles...and yes, i count the .03! lol... anyhow, i just wanted to share with everyone the blog that i did on myspace tonight bc i was having an exceptionally difficult time completing my workout tonight....sore muscles, losing the will power to workout, etc. hope ya'll don't mind, but here it is, i've copy/pasted it over: Before I do anything else, I have to give Praise & Glory to my God! He ROCKS so much that HE IS THE ROCK!!! I was having a tough time tonight pushing myself to make the 10mile mark on this 10th day of my exercise challenge....and so of course, I turned to Him. ONLY THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME was I able to complete my workout today. I praised, prayed, asked for blessings of motivation, endurance, energy, stamina, and will power to push through to the end and HE BLESSED ME with all of those things! Through sore muscles in places that I had forgotten that muscles existed, I pushed through with Him by my side the entire time. Not only am I taking the 2008 Challenge for myself, as I had originally thought, but now I realize that its helping me rely on Jesus even with the most menial tasks. I enjoy and look forward to my time alone with God while I'm on the elliptical. So, not only am I getting my "sweat on", I'm also getting my "Praise & Prayer on" as well! So before I did anything else tonight after my workout I knew I needed to share my report with everyone. Without Jesus by my side I can stubble around in my existence, BUT WITH JESUS BY MY SIDE, I can even overcome this wonderfully horrible machine known as the elliptical! Be Blessed People! xoxo, Christie

pammycakes, that is EXACTLY what happened to me down to the exact detail. first and second fill i lost some saline, 3rd fill they used the iodine stuff or sticky stuff that has some iodine in it....i THINK it has iodine in it at least....which would explain why she kept asking to make sure i am not allergic to iodine! lol. anyhow, i felt alot more restriction, but now that it is close to time for my 4th feel, i am feeling less and less restriction!!! i REALLY hope that i don't have a leak of some sort that even the sticky stuff isn't working...i am self pay as well...but even if i weren't self pay, i wouldn't want to have any more surgery to have to correct anything.... i'm wondering though, FOR ALL THE SELF PAYERS out there....if there is a complication, wouldn't the insurance company step in with that part? afterall, now that the lapband is in there and practically a "part" of us, if there is a complication would they cover it? bc if not, and we can't afford it, then it could cause health problems???? i would think that way, but if anyone knows, please let me know. just more out of curiousity then anything. thanks! xoxo, chrsitie:cry

Julie, where was/is your port placed? mine is right between my ribs in the center...where the top incision from the lap band surgery is. although, i've heard that some people's port is placed more toward their side. so i'm curious where your port is located and if that has anything to do w/it bulging.... and, if that has anything to do w/ppl saying that there port is visible through clothing. and, i'm kinda thinking....i don't care if my port shows through my clothes - which right now it doesn't - but, i'd rather have a port show through clothing then a big belly roll like before....although, i'm kinda still working on that belly roll thing...lol. but you know what i mean.:hungry: xoxo, christie

dang it! i'm gonna have to pass bc i kinda forgot about it and well, i didn't start out on the right foot considering i forgot about the 2 day challenge! man, this sucks. anyhow, if anyone decides to do another one please lemme know. oh, and i was wondering, will there be some sort of Valentine Day Challenge...? xoxo, christie

ok, my first attempt at posting a pic...so here we go, cross fingers it'll work! i'm posting a pre-op/post-op before/after type of pic. the pre-op pic i'm 264lbs. the post-op i'm down 35lbs in not quite a full 4months.

GREAT! so ummm, how do we get started? i need help getting the ball rolling. my fear is that if we simply mention a date, time, & location that we may have a few show up, and of course it will hopefully grow over time.... but what do we do once we're there???? xoxo, christie

well, i made up .35 of my 1.0mile yesterday and today i added 0.5 to it...i figured i'll just add a lil bit here and there until i make it up...and then add a lil here and there to "Bank" some mileage. after tonights elliptical workout, i am now 5.85miles down, 359.15miles to go for my 2008 365miles in 365days Challenge! i kinda like to dub it, "A Year of Miles" ... get it?! 365 in 365! anyhow, i now need 0.15 to make up for that mile i missed and i'm hoping to get to it tomorrow...and it really makes me think that i don't want to miss often, bc overall it'll end up taking me 3 days to make up for 1 missed day, so i can see where the motivation not to miss is! its on the elliptical waiting for me each night! AND HERE'S MY QUESTION FOR EVERYONE/ANYONE TAKING ANY KIND OF CHALLENGE: WHAT TIME OF DAY DO YOU PREFER TO WORK OUT? AND, DOES IT REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE? xoxo, Christie

no problem! i'm 5'2" and was at 264 before banding. now, i'm still 5'2"...lol..but now down to 235 and banded 09/14/07....about 3.5 months ago. goodluck w/finding yourself an elliptical. they're not the cheapest in the world, but if you aren't sure about it, check out craigslist. the only reason i got a brand new one is bc i came across a deal too good to pass up. mine was just $50 more then a used one and i got it brand new. xoxo, christie

Harmony, not sure if anyone else has mentioned this yet or not...but regardless of the brand you buy, the absolute BEST thing about the elliptical is the easy gliding action!!! I was walking 3miles/day twice a week and my knees were KILLING ME! And that was just by WALKING...now w/the elliptical that I got for Christmas, I can RUN over a mile at a time and NEVER have any knee/joint pain! Only pain I get now is from sore muscles that aren't used to the workout! lol. its a Good pain though, trust me! You'll realize you have muscles in places you didn't know you had! Its awesome! Not sure how heavy you are or how much weight you have to lose, but I would suggest the Elliptical to ANYONE! Especially if you don't want your joints to hurt. I'm on the 2008 Exercise Challenge w/the Elliptical. 365 miles in 365 days...so i'm pretty much on mine everyday (unless i get lazy and take a break - which happens)....I LOVE IT! xoxo, Christie btw - mine is a nordictrack that i got at Sports Authority. but just in case you wanna buy a used one, try craigslist, my aunt got hers there for a fraction of the price and it was only used once before she got it.

Oops!!!! PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR REPOSTING TWICE! I WAS TRYING TO EDIT. THE REAL DEAL IS THIS: So Far for 2008: 4.35 miles down, 360.65 miles to go (AS OF DAY 6) So, i'm behind by 1.65miles but will hopefully make them up a little bit here and there and then "Bank" some mileage so it won't happen again! I'm still motivated! LOVING THE CHALLENGE, LIVING A BETTER ME! xoxo, Christie

well, its Day 6 and my 2008 Challenge/Goal for the New Year is 365 miles in 365days....so here i am to UPDATE my status... i'm a lil behind, i won't lie. i told myself whenever i fell behind that if i lied, i'm only cheating myself. so here's my stats on my goal...but no worries, i fully intend to make it up a little at a time and then go over some so i have some mileage in storage for the vacations or weekends when it just isn't feasible. 4.35 miles down, 361.65

<p>well, its Day 6 and my 2008 Challenge/Goal for the New Year is 365 miles in 365days....so here i am to UPDATE my status...</p> <p> </p> <p>i'm a lil behind, i won't lie. i told myself whenever i fell behind that if i lied, i'm only cheating myself. so here's my stats on my goal...but no worries, i fully intend to make it up a little at a time and then go over some so i have some mileage in storage for the vacations or weekends when it just isn't feasible.</p> <p> </p> <p>4.35 miles down, 361.65 to</p>

anyone in the baytown, texas and/or surrounding areas interested in putting a support group together at one of the local starbucks in baytown, texas? say once or twice a month? ANY TAKERS? i don't really know how to organize one of these support groups, but i really feel like it would be a success, not to mention, we need one in our area! please let me know if anyone is interested and if you have any ideas on how/when/where we could do this! my idea is one that i'm actually stealing from another group. another group meets in the laporte,texas area at a local starbucks on thursdays from 6-8pm. my suggestion is that we meet at the starbucks on garth in front of the hobby lobby every other thursday from 6:30-8:30pm. twice a month or every other week seems like enough. and 2hrs seems like plenty. ANY TAKERS??? lemme know. xoxo, christie feel free to respond here or at my personal email address: hazeleyegrl1@aol.com

i'm a weiner and VERY new at all this. i just started working out for the first time on my new elliptical tonight! so, my goal for 2008 on the elliptical will be 365miles. 1mi/day, considering i will take a break away from it on sundays, and some saturdays or holidays, i think this is a reasonable goal for me. also, i'm 3months post op and doing well at 30lbs weight loss so far. 365 miles in 365 days. i can totally do this! and hope to blow my goal in the water, but trying to stay realistic as well! Skinny Pants here i come! Bye bye fat jeans! xoxo, Christie

i'm looking forward to my 4th fill in january also. although i do have more restriction w/my 3rd fill. xoxo, christie

GREAT! any other takers interested in putting together a support group in baytown, texas??? anyone thats ever actually been to a support group meeting before that could kinda share the criteria of one w/us? yes, i was banded by dr. spivak and i LOVE him! he's got such a great bedside manner and just full of information and knowledge! i see you just got your third fill, i just had my 3rd fill yesterday on tuesday and i'm at 3.8cc's. weight loss is 30lbs. probably would be more but i lost some of my 2nd fill and didn't have much restriction during that time. still happy w/the results so far though! anyhow, thursdays are great for me! i'm thinking if we get enough ppl together to start even a small group that perhaps we could plan to have our first meeting in january and just start off the first of the year as a new support group. now we just need to know what sort of things support groups discuss, other then the usual weight loss, exercise, diets, etc. and get some more people on board. ANY OTHER TAKERS??? sign up here! xoxo, christie

would anyone be willing to help me start a support group of our own in baytown??? one suggestion i have is to get the banded baytownians and persons from the surrounding areas, like highlands, mt.belvieu, crosby, etc. together @ one of the starbucks in baytown maybe twice a month. would anyone be interested? i really don't know how to organize one of these things but i think we really need an informal support group of our own in this area! please let me know if anyone is interested. thanks! xoxo, christie

does anyone ever bring their UNbanded spouses along w/them? so, will ya'll be meeting tomorrow night??? if so, i may try to join ya'll, but only if i can talk hubby into coming home and going straight to bed in order to watch our son while i go. he doesn't leave for work until 10pm-ish....and it sounds like ya'lls group meeting may be a lil bit closer then driving downtown to dr. spivaks. i really wish there was a baytown, texas group that could meet! maybe i'll try to start one. exactly what sort of things do ya'll discuss at these meetings? thanks for the info! lemme know if ya'll will be meeting tomorrow night or not. xoxo, christie

oh, and i just got my 3rd fill yesterday at dr.spivaks office. i'm now at 3.8 cc and i do feel like i have more restriction. however, my first fill and my third fill went well, my 2nd fill i lost over 1/2cc so there wasn't that much restriction. i'm soooo very happy w/the 3rd fill though! so far today i'm getting full off of approx. 1/2 cup as opposed to last week when i was able to eat up to a cup and a 1/2 at a time!!! YIKES! still losing, but so much more restriction and motivation now! down 30lbs in 3months, and thats 30lbs i'll never have to look in the mirror at again! woohooo!! xoxo, christie PS - SORRY WE HIGHJACKED YOUR POST!!! BUT FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME DIRECTLY FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO CHAT ABOUT SUPPORT GROUPS, ETC. HAZELEYEGRL1@AOL.COM

i am VERY interested in joining a support group....but here's my problem with that.... in actually closer to baytown then houston, and the houston (dr.spivak) support group meetings are in the middle of the work week and during the evening. i'm a stay at home mom, but my hubby works nights, so childcare is very limited for me. i really have no one other then my mom to rely on for babysitting and even that is limited since she's the ONLY person i have, i try not to abuse the priviledge. if there is anything more local, closer to baytown, then YES, i'm soooo very interested!!!! where do ya'll meet and what day/time? xoxo, christie

i'm at 3.8cc after my 3rd fill, but i have a 10cc band. i'm curious if there are any 10cc bandsters out there that are completely filled to 10cc! that would blow my mind! i've seen several posters on here that had a 10cc band that were up to 5 or 6 cc's...but never anyone closer then that to 10cc's. sorry, didn't mean to still your thred, but is ANYONE at the full capacity of their band whether it be a 4cc or a 10cc band? please let us know! inquiring bandsters want to know! xoxo, christie

i don't know about anyone else, but i'd love to see some pix of the whole before, during, and after product of you losing and going through the plastic surgery up to the new you!!! give us some incentive to keep moving! xoxo, christie CONGRATS AND GOODLUCK!