Here we are in December already! I don't know about you but 7 months into this crazy journey has been amazing for me. I have offically lost 53 pounds since I was banded, actually down 63 pounds from my heaviest weight of 290. YIKES! I am fitting comfortably into size 18 pants, from the misses section! I have been shopping in the little tiny fat girls section for so long that I didn't realize how much stores have to offer normal sized people! I was at Kohl's on Monday with a girlfriend and I wandered through the entire Misses section and it just went on and on and on. I was shocked! My MIL has lost quite a bit of weight since I was banded (hubby says I inspired her to get healthier, yay!) and we were discussing last week how scary and overwhelming it is to have so many choices in clothes. When your world is small, like the "womens" section, it gets comfortable, but when you have to venture out of that box it sure is scary! Can't quite get my head around that one yet. I need to get to Old Navy this weekend and get a couple of pairs of new jeans to get me through for awhile. My too big jeans are just ridiculous looking on me now.

I am looking forward to the holidays and spending time with family and friends. I won't be embarassed to have my picture taken this year! I will get some new pics posted next weekend!

Happy December everyone!

Neal - congrats on hitting onderland! I am sure with your new gyn membership you'll be at goal before you know it!

Neal - congrats on hitting onderland! I am sure with your new gyn membership you'll be at goal before you know it!

Thanks Alicia. BTW, I love the new pic in your Avator. Your looking great!

thank you!

Hello Maysters! It sounds like everyone had a wonderful Christmas. So did I! I got my dream gift (50 in plasma tv) and a few other things I love. I had the whole family except my oldest DD and her family, at home and we had a nice dinner. I didn't go all out for Christmas because I had to work the three days before --- not much time to do any baking and such.

But since I have a hard time eating it anyway, I didn't miss it.

My youngest son did something pretty amazing.....at least for a 15 yr old. He was acolyte at church on Sunday night - it was the children's mass - and noticed that not many people were being very generous with the offering (being acolyte, he passes the collection plate around) So he took $20 out of the hard earned $50 that he got for watching his brother's cats while the were on vacation and put it in the plate. I thought, "well, he's finally learning and how generous!" It made my Christmas for me.

Well, I've been bouncing between 205 and 203. Can't seem to get back on the losing track. Maybe with the holidays almost over, things will start looking "down".

Everyone have a great week!

What an awsome/selfless thing your son did. I know your proud!

Hey gang... just checkin' in. I am dealing with the post-Christmas blah's here. it's such a let down for me after the holidays are over and I have to coem back to work. Good news though... I lost a couple of pounds in the craziness of the holidays! Yay!

I hope you all had a Wonderful Christmas!

I'm with you Drews.. back to work today and not happy about it!

Wow everyone, we are doing sooo great!!!

Good luck Drews on the testing, what an exciting process!

Myra - congrats on the teeth!

Duckie- sounds like you've raised a caring, generous young man, congrats! Oh, and congrats on the plasma too!

Ous- You rock! Keep up the awesome work!

Well..... I weighed 229 on Christmas Eve which puts me just below my Christmas goal of 230!! ANNND I now weigh less than both of my older brothers! I haven't weighed less than them since birth, literally!! I am so excited!!!

Also, a couple of NSVs.. my brother bought me a coat for Christmas in a Extra Large, and it fit!!! I can zip it and everything!! Also, I did a little shopping for myself a couple of days before Christmas and I bought one of those cute little wrap style dresses in a size 16 ( in the Missy's Department)!!! I haven't worn a 16 since probably Junior high school! I haven't ventured outside the Plus Size or Womans World Department my entire adult life! It is a stretchy material, and I will need to lose about 20 lbs more to be comfortable with the way it looks, but I love it! It is brown with red and white stripes. I almost cried in the dressing room when I was able to wear it.

Life is good! I love my band! I can't believe all the compliments that I received from family and freinds over the Christmas holiday! I'm even more inspired to reach my goal now!!

So what is our next weight Challenge? I'm thinking about setting a goal for Valentines Day (a single girl like me's most despised "holiday"). That's it -15 lbs by Valentines day! That will put me around 215. Anyone else interested in a Valentines Day Challenge?

Again, I hope everyone's Christmas was merry and please have a safe and Fun New Years eve!

Count me in on a Valentine's Day challenge!! I would like to see 199 by Feb 14th. That means I will need to lose 21 pounds in 7 weeks. Can I do it?? I dunno but I sure want to try! I FINALLY have awesome restriction... in fact, I have lost 3 pounds in the past week and couldn't be happier. I plan on hitting the gym again starting next week and also giving up my cigarettes as well. I am determined to be as close to my goal of 170 as possible before I get pregnant. It doesn't seem so far away now! I cannot believe I have lost almost 60 pounds! I can't help but wonder where I would be right now if I hadn't had my 3 month weight loss stall (and gain!) with my leaky port. Hmmmm....

Hope everyone is doing well (sounds like you are!) and I will start a new thread for January next week! Wow... we have been together for 8 months now! Awesome! I love you guys!

Peace.

You will do it Drews!!! Best of luck on giving up the cigarettes, I know that a difficult thing to do. You are just around the corner from your goal of 170. Keep up the great work!! Thanks for always keeping our Maysters thread going!

Marci - I am jealous of the TV! What a great gift! And your son. I hope my son turns out to be a young man like yours.

Drews - I have the post Christmas blahs too. I normally take this week off work and I wasn't able to get it off this year. It sucks! We aren't doing anything fun for New Years either so I don't have anything fun to look forward too. You are rockin on the weightloss ever since you had your leaky port replaced! Good luck with giving up cigs. We will support you any way we can.

Kim - Great NSV with the clothes! You are rockin your band too!

I'll do a Valentines day Challenge as well. I want to hit 173ish by the "I have a Dream" on 1/15 so that will give me an extra 4 weeks. I will say 167ish by V-day. Hopefully that puts me on target to hit 140 by my dreaded 30th b-day on 5/21. I've got to get my butt back in gear with drinking Water and exercising. I have been horrible lately and need all the butt kicking from you guys I can get!

I'm with you Alicia, I took a few days away from the gym over Christmas, and when I went back on Tuesday it about killed me. Its all about Water and exercise!! I'm going back tonight and I hope to do 45 minutes on the EFX (eliptical) machine. I've drank two bottles of water this morning.

GET TO DRINKING GIRL!!!

I've only drank 2 so far. Ugh. I need to get some more crystal light.

Drews - are you in another blizzard again? My mom just told me my sis is getting a ton of more snow. She is outside of Denver, in Aurora.

Alicia.. I actually work almost in Aurora. It is snowing like crazy here and has been since yesterday afternoon. I had to work late last night and be back super early so my company got a few of us hotel rooms a few blocks from work. Thank god I didn't have to get up at 4am this morning!

what a small world! I was in Aurora in September to see my sis and her fam. I need to see if she ever got my Christmas package! That's cool about your work getting a hotel for you but it sucks you had to work late!

Hello Everyone,

It's been a while since I posted here but I usually check in daily. The holidays are always sooooo crazy around here.

I have finally started seeing the scale move again. I've been at or within 2 pounds of 229 for what seems like weeks! Today I hit 226. My 15 year wedding anniversary is Jan 12 and on the day I got married I was 220. I would love to be at or below that by my anniversary in 2007.

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's cellebration! I'll be watching the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl along with the rest of southern Idaho.