1 week and counting! EDITED with correct paypal link

Hey Everyone, hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. I just looked at my blog and noticed that the Memorial Day, Bathing Suit Challenge starts in just 1 week!!! That's 7 days!!! WOOO-HOOO! So we have a total of 35 people who showed interest in joining this challenge, FANTABULOUS! I have played with excel and think I have found a chart that will work for us all. I am going to post the Paypal account information today so that for anyone who wants to participate towards the prize you can contribute $5 towards it. Since everyone has a different idea of where they want a gift certificate to, I figure I will just wait till we have a winner, and let that person choose where they want one to and then purchase it. Whoever doesn't want to pay, can still join the challenge, they just won't be eligible for the prize. The paypal information is: CLICK HERE:

Please use the link, and not my email address...I have set up this account for blogging purposes only.

If you need help or have any questions how this works, either leave me a comment or email me @ knwitham@gmail.com. All money and pictures of everyone's scales are due next Sunday by 8pm. Each week I will need everyone to email me there weight on Sunday by 8pm and and I will do my best to post a challenge update post on Monday's. The challenge end date is May 23rd.

Hope this all makes sense, and this runs as smoothly as possible! If anyone has any questions or comments please let me know.

Hot Mess: PSA!

Not very pleased with myself right now...I had to call my hospital this morning and go in for an un-fill :(

Last Monday I got a small fill of .2, as some of you might recall I wasn't sure if I needed this or not, but since appointments are so hard to get, I decided to go in and get a small fill while I could. As of last Monday, all I had basically eaten was soup and ice cream (not good choices!) This morning, I brought some oatmeal for breakfast, and got stuck! I decided enough was enough, and this wasn't getting any better, so I called and they got me right in. When I got there I was up 1lb, from a week ago....not to bad considering I ate ice cream everyday lol. She offered to take out .1 or .2 it was up to me. I decided to take out the whole .2 since I figured my tummy was probably pretty mad at me. The n.p had me lay there for a good half hour sipping on water to make sure that she took enough out and I was going to be OK. I feel good now, and am happy I went in.

I just want to make sure I let everyone know....what I did was BAD! I should have known better, that I was already feeling tight, and just because I had an appointments in the books it didn't mean I had to get a fill! I know this is a giant learning experience, but I need to learn to listen to my body, and realize when things don't feel right.

Trainer Update

Hello and happy day before the weekend starts! Just wanted to give everyone an update on how the trainer went on Tuesday and life in general. So bright and early Tuesday morning I woke up for my 5:45am training session with Jackie. We talked about what my goals were, and what I waned to achieve through training, I told her about my band and how I wanted to focus on weight loss, and strength training/toning right now. She said she's had another client with the band so is semi familiar with it. She wanted me to do a food log for 3 days so she could see what my daily diet looks like, and see what kind of tweaks/advice she could give me. She also asked me to print out some band nutrition guidelines so she could see what my diet should consist of and what not. The rest of session we worked with resistance bands mostly and did a lot of leg work through lunging and squats, she even told me I was strong! She said next week to expect to do some stair runs, oh boy! I can barely walk today...my legs feel like jello, I don't even want to think about how I'll feel after stair runs!

As far as the food log goes, it's been awhile since I've written down everything I've ate and I'm finding it interesting!! For anyone who's curious I thought I'd show what it looks like....not very impressive lol.

Tuesday- Day after fill, supposed to be on mushies
7:30am- Protein shake, 160 calories, 30g protein
12pm- Chicken enchilada soup, 250 calories, 13g protein
3pm- Sugar Free chocolate mousse, 200 calories, protein unknown
7pm- 1/2 grilled cheese sandwich, 200 calories, 18g protein (pb afterwards)
Total: 810 calories, 61g protein
Exercise: 30 min training, 15 min elliptical

Wednesday-
9am- Lg. Mocha iced coffee w/skim milk, 200 calories, 3g protein
10:30am- 1 serving goldfish crackers, 140 calories, 3g protein
1:30pm- Chicken enchilada soup, 250 calories, 13g protein
3pm- Ligh string cheese, 70 calories, 8g protein
3:30pm- 1/2 serving goldfish crackers, 70 calories, 1.5g protein
7pm- 1 slice of pizza, 250 calories, 13g protein (pb afterwards)
7pm- 1 serving of chips, 120 calories, 2g protein
9pm- 2 glasses of red wine, 160 calories
Total: 1260 calories, 43.5g protein

There was quite a difference between Tuesday and Wednesday....I had almost 400 liquid calories Wednesday, what a waste!!! It's so eye opening to see what I really consume and the nutritional value of it. I'm going to give her this log tomorrow, she is having me attend muscle class tomorrow morning, and she said she will look over it this weekend and give me some advice when we meet again Tuesday.

Not much planned for this weekend, I'm going to Dear John tonight (finally)!! Tomorrow I am starting a new part-time job I got this week. I am going to be helping out a friend of mine who is an event manager at a temple in Boston. Whenever she has large events and needs some backup she is going to have me come help, so I guess tomorrow they are having a large function. It's going to be a long day between my real job, and this one, but it will be some good money! Hope everyone is having a good day, talk soon! xoxo

*7th Fill*

I had my 7th fill this morning, I had been going back in forth in my head on whether I wanted to get one or not, but decided to keep my appointment and talk to my np(nurse practitioner) about what she thought. So let me recap how this morning went for you....I get to the clinic sign in, I then remember that my regular np has now transferred to a new hospital and I will be seeing a new one, I get a little anxious. I see the new np come out from an office wearing a mask and run for the elevator...anxiety kicks up a little bit more. I get called in to check my vitals etc., I weigh in at 194.5!! Exactly 10lbs down since my last fill 5 weeks ago....big smiles here! I get settled in the procedure room, the nurse tells me that my np is sick and is going home, and one of the surgeons will be doing my fill. I feel a little bit intimidated by this, but figure it can't be a bad thing. I hop up on the table, and then the np I was supposed to be seeing comes in, mask and all! She said she's going to do a few fills this morning and then head home, this didn't bother me any...I already have a cold and shes wearing a mask, ehh no big deal. Thennnn another women comes in, I guess a np in training? She introduces herself and then starts poking around my tummy, I inform her my port is tilted, and she draws a few marks around where the port is. I lay down, and closed my eyes....surprisingly the np in training goes at me with the needle....she pokes around, and I hear and feel a weird noise, I guess she hit the edge of the port. She gets nervous and pulls the needle out, says she cant' do it, and for the np to. The np sticks the needle in again and slips it right into the spot. phew! I got a .2 fill bringing me to a total 7.2 cc's. I told her about how I am really tight for 2 weeks around my period, and then really loose for the other 2 weeks, she said this was completely normal, and to just be aware of it and to be careful. She was ecstatic about my weight loss, and said I was doing amazing...this made me feel oh so good inside. Then comes the bad part....she says oh wow we just passed your 6 month mark didn't we? I said yup! She goes ooo we must do your 6 month lab work then....BOOOOO! I agree to do it then, take 2 Valiums and head down to the lab. I get the lab paperwork and see there are 13 vials listed! WTF! I hate blood work more then anything! I get teary eyed and head into the booth, I had a nice patient women doing my labs, and she offered to use the 'kid sized' needle, this made me smile. It was done and over with very quickly. I'm excited to see how the labs come out, she did my cholesterol and few other things, so it should be interesting.

So I dont think I mentioned this, but my birthday is coming up in April and Rick wanted to know what I wanted. I told him personal training sessions at the gym. So we called last week, and I asked if the lady we take muscle class with was available for private sessions and she was. I love her, shes hardcore and scary, and I want her to kick my ass lol. So I have 10 half hour sessions that will be starting tomorrow, at 5:45AM!! eeeek! I'm excited and nervous at the same time...I'm not sure what to expect, but at the very least it will get my bum to the gym!

Challenge Particpants and Gift idea's *EDITED*

• Nicole H: Better Banded
• Linda: Linda's Bandwidth
• Jennifer: Southern Belle
• Leslie: Band Sweet Band
• Tori: The winding road to Parenthood
• Jennifer W: Jen's Lap-Band Journey
• Alexis: The Swenson Family
• Angie: I am in repair
• Athena: Athena's Melting
• Amy W: Once Upon A Time...In the Land of Cheese and Sunkist
• Jen: Life's Little Journey
• Gilly: Something something something Fat Chick
• Jen: What you Lookin at Skinny??
• Jess: The Little Bandit
• TJ: Metamorphic Journey
• Yana: Girl meets Band
• Erika (dirttrackdiva): The 11CC Circuit
• Colleen: This time I mean it
• Robin: Robin's Band Theory
• Kimberly: Diary of a (nearly) content woman
• Girl Bandit: Ramblings from the Other Side...
• Jennifer: Shedding My Fluff Puff
• Gen: I heart the band
• Kristin: Catchy title here
• Dawn B: What I weighed in high school....
• Amy: Babbles of a Bandster
• Kathi: Don't look back
• Jennifer: jenfromthrburgh3
• Stardustic: My Life in Lap-Band-Land
• Melissa: Rockin with the Band
• Breanne: Lady Lap Band
• Camille: Living large in C.C
• Sarah: Loosing Weight, Gaining Tons
• Aimee: The Fat Theory
• Jacquie: The formerly a fat girl blog

So here we have it girls...a whopping 35 of you responded to my challenge, that is AMAZING! Don't fret, if your name isn't on this list it isn't too late to join...just leave me a comment!

I cannot wait to get this started, it's going to be a blast. We had a few different comments on what we should do for a prize 1) Set up a paypal account, each of us chip in $5 and the winner will get a gift cert. for a bathing suit (store example was Athleta, because I believe you can use their gift certs. at old navy, gap, banana republic as well as athleta) 2) idea was a trophy icon to post on your blog. I think we should do BOTH of these ideas!!! We also had some concern from people that they wanted to join, but didn't want to pay because they didn't feel they could win. Well, the only thing I can think of is, that shouldn't be a problem, if you don't pay you just won't be eligible for the gift cert. but can still get the trophy icon!!

My fiance and I already have a paypal account set up, so if no one minds we can just use that one. We don't need to start paying just yet, I will give the information once the date gets closer. All I ask if that if you are going to participate for the gift cert. you pay by the end of the first week, so that it is fair.

I hope all of this makes sense, if it doesn't please tell me! It is my first time hosting a challenge so I want to make this as easy and clear for everyone as possible! This should be a fun and exciting thing, not stressful! Happy Friday, hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend!

HOW FREAKIN CUTE!!!!

So I was trying to figure out a way to make a badge or button type image for the Memorial Day, Bathing Suit Challenge, but could not figure it out for the life of me.

All of a sudden I get an email from Jen with an image she made for the challenge!! I LOVE it!! Anyone who is going to do the challenge feel free to post this picture on your blog and be proud!

Great ideas ladies, keep them coming!! XOXO

Memorial Day BATHING SUIT Challenge!

Jacquie has graciously handed the challenge reigns over to me, after thinking long and hard about what this challenge should be, I think I have come to a decision but am welcoming any opinions. The theme for this challenge will be: memorial day, bathing suit challenge. I'm thinking we should do another 8 week challenge, with weekly weigh-ins on Sundays. For a start date: March 28th, and for an end date May 23rd. I have borrowed the challenge rules from Jacquie, they seemed to work out perfectly, so here they are:

Okay so here are the challenge rules:
1. Challenge starts SUNDAY March 28th. and ends SUNDAY May 23rd.
2. Weigh in days are SUNDAYS, please make sure to email me (knwitham@gmail.com) your weeks weight by 8 pm SUNDAY night so that I can post your numbers for the week.
3. Please include a picture of you on the scale, on the FIRST and LAST week of the weigh in's.
4. The challenge prize will go to the biggest loser meaning the person who loses the most % of weight from challenge week # 1 (Does anyone have any prize ideas?)

All I need is for anyone who is interested to leave a comment on my post letting me know your interested, and I will remind everyone weekly of when the challenge is set to start. If anyone has any idea's of a prize for the winner, that would be great! I can't wait to get this started, and I hope we will be as successful as past challenges!