JulieNYC

Speaking as a lawyer (but not a tax lawyer), please check out your gift with your own lawyer before completing this incredibly generous gift. Though all the concerns raised here are very valid, this can be done if you want to. The 2006 gift tax limit is per person and the limit is $12K per year, combined, so with your husband, you can can give $24K tax free, or even $48K in two installments as long as one is in 2006 and one in 2007. Check this out with your attorney. For liability purposes as well as helping the maximum number of people, I like the idea of covering multiple people's travel expenses/follow-up appointments. I see people on this site all the time that are waiting months to get a fill that they desparately need because of the cost. I'm sure you could pay the doctor directly in that circumstance, which would help with your concerns re the funds going where you want them to go.

Laurend, I could have written your post from my own experience. Now, being banded nearly 7 months, I've finally broken the binge eating chain. I've been binging since I was 5 years old and I couldn't stop until I got banded. I love my band!

Oh Susan, I'm so glad you got your overfill resolved so quickly. That must have been miserable. Keep us posted over the next few days as you adjust to your new fill. Take care,

Congratulations Denise! Welcome to Bandland. I'm sure you've heard this a thousand times, but remember this time is for healing and as soon as you get your fills you'll be losing like a maniac! I'm sure you'll do great until this as well, but if it's hard, remember that it gets so much easier once you're filled. Congrats again and happy healing. Take care,

Kat, you're AMAZING. I thought for sure the climbing in and out of the truck was going to be your exercise for the day, but then you hit the treatdmill to boot! Way to go. Boo, I'm avoiding the Thanksgiving feast by heading to France for the long weekend. I go home for a long vacation at Christmas and I really wanted to see a close friend who lives in Paris, so off I go. So exciting to fit in an airplane seat again. I'm really with Kat though -- I didn't get the band to not eat Thanksgiving dinners, it's just working out that way this year. Betty, So glad your son is home and improving every day. Good job making it to your NIA class on Saturday even in the middle of all this. As for me, I went to the gym this morning and did the elliptical for 38 minutes. I like to have my Monday nights free as a present for getting through the hardest day of the week, so I try to get my workout in early. I'll have to do the same tomorrow because I'm going to the theater tomorrow night (revival of "Company"), then I've got a big court hearing on Wednesday....Have a good week all!

Christmas Goals A1ikou...............240...............XX Aza....................299...............XX BPM..................230...............37 candy444...........299.................23 Elisabeth.............275.................16 Ericsmom...........250................XX Indianlight...........280.................14 Josette................340.................25 JulieNYC............235...................15 Koala.................275..................24 Ladydi................270 .................33 LapBandit...........250..................13 Libra...................270.................13 Mariguita.............290.................XX NatesMommy.....275.................XX Waterlily1072.....275..................23 Lapbandit, you look WONDERFUL! What a difference! A lot of posts were lost on the day the LBT server crashed (Wed, maybe?). It looked to me like they had to recover back about 24 hours. Maybe your post was during that period? Here I sit smack on Midtown today. Looking forward to the Road to Onederland that begins once I'm down 1 more pound....

I don't have a lot of fluctuation with my band, day to day, but I have MAJOR change in restriction for about 48 hours after flying. My personal opinion is that it's partially linked to the flying itself, but mostly linked to the fact that I'm an awful flyer. I survived a plane crash when I was 9 and I take xanax to even get on the plane. So, though I didn't realize it until I started reading this thread, it's probably more about the stress I undergo when flying than about the pressure or dehydration itself.

I didn't exercise yesterday and I didn't get my Water in. Guess that was my day off. I'm already down 4 cups this morning and planning my walk/run for later this evening. Betty, I'm so glad to hear your son may be coming home from the hospital and that as tough as the surgery was, it is behind you all. That is just wonderful. I'm so thankful and relieved. Boo, I'll give the multiple bra approach a try this evening! I'm at 250 lbs today. Given that when I started, my closest century marker was 400, I'm feeling good that in one lb I'll be closer to 199 than to 300. Onederland -- REALLY? So weird. I feel like I might wake up sometime soon and this band might have just been a dream.

Wheetsin, Many women who are "pears" and not "apples" can't comfortably cross their legs at the knee (with toes pointing down as Missy describes) when they're heavier. I mean I can DO it, but they don't stay crossed without a lot of muscles working because there's too much fat on my thighs. I've lost a lot of weight one other time in my life and it was such a joy to cross my legs comfortably again. It's like being able to reach your toes to polish your toenails -- quintessentially feminine.

Kat, you're doing great already this month! Way to go. Walking to the park is wonderful. A lot of walkers/runners in my area do a run in Central Park around a little lake called The Reservoir. I think you've inspired me to do that this weekend. Susan, my trainer fears for my "black eyes" as well. I got new bras last week and they're so much better but she says they're still not good enough -- I just don't know what else to try. I'm having the girls lifted in April, so I guess I'll deal until then.... The NYC marathon is this weekend. It passes by 1 block from my house. I'm going to have to go check it out. I've been a couple of times before, but never with the thought that I might make it a goal for myself one day. We'll see. I need to be able to run a mile first, haha.

Amourette, There's no "sign up" per se -- you just come here and report in on what you've done/what challenges you're having, and (in the end) when you complete the challenge. Most of us complete it, so there's no one winner either. It's about checking in with each other and incorporating some exercise into our lives most days. Though we're only at 17 sessions of 35 minutes now, our long term goal is 20 sessions 45 minutes. We're working up to it. I'm so sorry your back is out! That's the pits. Baby yourself this weekend then you'll be back into the challenge in no time. I bet your garden looks great though! Heather, That's great that you're getting a port revision. You're going to have great restriction in no time and you'll be taking the band out for a long spin of weight loss. Let us know how you're doing and I'm impressed that you're staying with the November challenge even with the port revision scheduled. Way to go!

Oh Roberta, I'm so sorry you're sick! Take care and feel better soon. I think we've decided that if you work out in the morning and again in the evening, you get major admiration and maybe even dancing bananas if you're vocal about it, but you should only count one of the sessions toward your goal of 17. The reason is, our goal is to incorporate exercise into our regular, daily lives. Of course, if your goals are different and you want to count it, that's truly fine too. I did 35 min on the elliptical tonight. Then I ate a couple of brussel sprouts and they're hurting me as if I wolfed down a loaf of french bread or something! Such a bummer because they were delicious.

I worked out with a trainer 2-3 times a week for about 18 months before getting banded. I didn't lose a pound, but I did gain a lot in general conditioning. My trainer wasn't used to dealing with super-sized clients, but she quickly learned to adapt exercises that I couldn't do (laying flat on my back, for example). If your finances allow for a trainer, I'd definitely go for it. I really credit that as being a companion tool for my band in terms of my loss to date. I remember the day, just barely 6 months ago, when I couldn't walk more than a few minutes at 2 miles per hour. Yesterday, in the middle of my 30 min walk, I ran for 10 minutes with no break at 5.5 miles per hour! Progress comes very quickly, even for the supersized, so hang in there. In my early workouts, I did a lot of treadmill and a lot of strength training. Aqua aerobics is great too and is so easy on the body, yet is beneficial. In my "mid" stage, I did a lot on the elliptical machine. Boy that was hard at first. The first time, I could only do 2 minutes on level 1! Endurance builds quickly though, so hang in there and keep trying new machines and activities.

Christmas Goals A1ikou...............240...............XX Aza....................299...............XX BPM..................230...............37 candy444...........299.................23 Elisabeth.............275.................16 Ericsmom...........250................XX Indianlight...........280.................14 Josette................340.................25 JulieNYC............235...................16 Koala.................275..................24 Ladydi................270 .................33 LapBandit...........250..................13 Libra...................270.................14 Mariguita.............290.................XX NatesMommy.....275.................XX Waterlily1072.....275..................23 **As an aside, I can almost TASTE "Midtown" and it's killing me to get under it! Come on, Midtown! I hope the Isopure Margaritas are as good at Midtown as they were at the border of Twoterville!

4-3: JenRN - 263/257/238/150 - 25 total 4-3: jenn28 - 282/265/229/165 - 53 total 4-3: Picardy3 - 298/300/257.5/150 - 42.5 total 4-3: tipper - 300/290/259/165 - 41 total 4-4: Sugar1 - 311/289/231/150 - 80 total 4-4: Dak – 255/251/205/150 – 50 total 4-4: Angels - 264/255/235/? - 29 total 4-4: Harpseal Al - 327/295/220 - 34 total 4-5: Boo - 208/203/173/132 - 35 total 4-5: siestaqh - 180+/177/128/110 - 52 total 4-6: Disneynut - 290/287/260/125 - 27 total 4-7: Guysis - 234/185/134 - 49 total 4-10: JulieNYC - 358/252/180 - 106 total 4-11: Vickie1177 - 320/297/267/137 - 53 total 4-11: tellymelly - 240/235/184/135 - 55 total 4-11: Fel0816 - 307/284/265/to get under 200 - 42 total 4-11: dsrjrr - 231/230/210/130 - 21 total 4:11: truckinmama - 262/234/160 - 28 total 4-13: Nursekathy2u - 358/356/335/175 - 23 total 4-13: NJgirl - 248/230/206/140 - 42 total 4-13: Miper70 - 217.5/196/145 - 21.5 total 4-17: Amourette - 22.5 total 4-17: Jeepergurrl - 242/207/140 - 35 total 4-17: MelAnne - 245/207/150 - 38 total 4-18: KAYBEE-284/209/180 -75 total 4-18: Danaclark2 - 270/260.5/245/150 - 25 total 4-18: LapBandit - 392/369/347/336/324/308/298/278 - 114 total 4-20: Omamoon - 220/211.5/188/130 - 32 total 4-20: KimInMD - 288/288/236/156 - 52 total 4-21: Yoda - 273/257/218/150 - 55 total 4-21: kristielynn - 310/302/237/150 - 73total 4-22: alisonb - 286/270/176 - 16 total 4-24: Eficka - 125/117/104/69 - 21 kgs/46.2 lbs. total 4-24: Ceparano - 255/270.5/220/170 - 50.5 total 4-24: Kat - 289/281/219/165 - 70 total 4-24: hlj25950 - 262/257/225/160 - 37 total 4-25: momof2boys - 270/266/237/145 - 33 total 4-26: Bostongurl - 264/244/197/145 - 67 total 4-27: tinaj - 226/221/210/150 - 15 total 4-27: lookingout - 185/178/165/101 - 20 total 4-27: flowergoddesstn - 214/204/190/130 - 24 total 4-27: Dimples0323 - 284/284/241/145 - 43 total 4-28: Susan4794 - 283/267/243.5/140 - 39.5 total 4-28: bluehill - 333/253/145 - 80 total 4-28: Irish Girl - 225/214/170/135 - 55 total 4-28: MomofSixKids - 240/238/205/150 - 35 total

OK, so I'm reporting in on session #1 of at least 17 for the November exercise challenge. Last night I met with my trainer, Tamisha. She really likes me to work on weights with her rather than cardio because she knows I get at least some cardio on my own, but that I don't usually train on my own. I always fight that a little because I know cardio gives me the weight loss I like, but I know she's right that muscle tone will pay off with weight loss over the long haul, so I usually acquiesce. Anyway, (drum roll, please)….I ran TEN FULL MINUTES at a 12 minute mile pace with no breaks!!! I was rockin' the Kasbah. WOOHOO! I'd never made it past 7 minutes before without at least a break (ok, I just started running at the beginning of last week, but still). What I didn't realize is that when you hit that wall of "I can't run anymore," if you push through it, sometimes you can run more. I have that at like 3 minutes, and 6 minutes, but once I made it to 7.5 minutes, I really felt fine. Now I have to work on my form. I said when I got to 10 minutes, I'd work on my comfort/form before moving too much further (because I don't want to run too much until I lose about 50 more lbs, so that I don't risk injury). Anyway, then we did our regular 60 minutes of strength training, so that's my session #1. I packed gym clothes with me today, but I'm not sure I'm really going. I know I'll go Fri, Sat, Sun, so I may take today off. Then again, since I'm going to France later this month, I need to get in as many of the 17 as possible early in the month. Report in on you when you have a chance!

OK April Bandits, here we go, it's OCTOBER! This month's challenge is as follows: (1) Complete at least 17 workouts that are 35 minutes in duration or longer. (2) For one or more of your workouts, try something (anything!) new that takes you out of your exercise comfort zone (A new class? Why not fencing! :fencing:Or boxing? :boxing:Go for a walk in the rain? :rain: Sign up for your first race? ). Report back to us on what new activity you tried. We can do it! The holidays are around the corner -- sign up for the challenge and meet your goals! Woohoo!!

Ok, our November Challenge thread got deleted with the server crash, so I'm off to create a new one. Look forward to seeing you all there!

I get really tight for about 5 days when I ovulate, then it slowly loosens up from there. Actual TOM isn't a problem at all -- restriction is about at normal. Strangely, I carry water weight (I'm one of those who weighs every day) during ovulation but not so much during TOM, so they must be related....

I call mine Hep. The first time I had dinner with a close friend after getting good restriction he said to me "geeze, if you always eat like that (I'd had one scallop and about 4 bites of salad), you're going to look like Audrey Hepburn." I'll take it.

I met the challenge this weekend. I spent the weekend with friends in the country (it's soooo nice to get out of the city from time to time) and was able to work out three days straight to meet the challenge. On Friday, I ran for 7 minutes (then walked for 30). The longest I'd run before was 3 minutes. My immediate goal is to get to 10 minute intervals because I'm having a hard time getting my heart rate into my target zone on my beloved elliptical machine these days. Running takes me immediately there, but it's not good for me to run for long periods because I'm still so heavy. I figure if I can just run for 10 minutes of my workout, every other day, that'll give me the cardio boost I need without killing my knees -- at least until I get to Onederland (when I'm going to run like a gazelle!). Saturday, I went for a long walk around the neighbor's horse farm and Sunday I did some modified weight training (wall pushups against the barn, step aerobics onto and off of the porch, lunges off the well -- it was a country weekend). I'm hitting the real gym to try for 7 minutes of running again today. We'll see if I can make it. About November, I hear you about 36 minutes being a little clinical, Bluehill. I hadn't thought of it that way, but I definitely see your point. My impression is that this group isn't ready for a 40 minute commitment for November. Please speak up, all, if you don't agree! Unless we decide otherwise, I'm thinking 17 sessions, 35 minutes, and the new thing will be the water goal. My personal goal will be to do 250 crunches every night as well. I was talking to my Dad (the plastic surgeon) who said if my stomach muscles were in great shape, I would need less muscle repair if I have a tummy tuck in a few months and that makes the recovery a ton easier. So, I'm going to work on those muscles as much as I can!

I think I'd get a fill if I were in your shoes. It doesn't have to be forever if it winds up cutting out foods that you want to have in your diet longterm, but it will make you focus on food andd weight loss again. Take advantage of the adjustibility of your band, particularly since your head hunger seems to have come back. Good luck.

Joe, Is it possible for you to sign up with a trainer at your gym for around 6 pm one day a week? That way, you have to go because someone is meeting you there and you're paying (dearly -- it 'aint cheap!) for their time. I do that once a week, then work out hard Fri, Sat, Sun and that gets me in a guaranteed 4 times a week. I'd like to do more in the week, but that's my compromise with myself for now... Good luck!

My guess is that the pill has moved on but you irritated your throat where it sat for a while. I totally know (and hate!) that feeling. If it were me, I'd give it another day before I worried.

Susan, you can make it! You've already done 12 of the 17 and you have 9 days left! Come on, girlfriend, you can do it! It doesn't have to be the world's best workout every time - just go for a 35 minute walk around the block after dinner 3 times this week. Then you'll be so close to finishing that you'll get in two good workouts either over the weekend or by next Tuesday and you'll meet the challenge. The dancing bananas are playing the guitar, just to cheer you on! :) :) :bananapartyhat: :bananapartyhat: :bananapartyhat: :bananapartyhat: :Banane08: