Gov. Christie disputes published report that he lost 85 pounds

STAMFORD, Ct. (WABC) -- New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is taking issue with a published report regarding the amount of weight he has lost following the lap-band surgery he had last year.

At an event in Stamford for Connecticut's Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley, Christie one again declined to give specifics about his weight or weight loss, except to say the recent New York Times report that he had lost 85 pounds is inaccurate.

"First off, I don't talk about numbers and so the report in the New York Times was I can tell you this much it wasn't accurate, but I'm not going to tell you why it wasn't accurate. I don't talk about that stuff and the reason I don't is because that's my business and not anybody else's," Christie said, noting he did see the report.

He said despite successful weight loss efforts, he's not doing it to motivate others or political reasons, he's just doing it for himself and his family.

"As far as being an inspiration for other people, that's not why I am doing it. I decided to do what I've done because I needed to do it for my own health," Christie said, mentioning his four children.

"My youngest is a girl. I want to be around to walk her down the aisle when she gets married someday. I want to be around to see grandchildren. And I turned 50 and I decided I need to do something and so the fact that it's going well is really gratifying for my family first and foremost and all the rest of the stuff that people write about is fine, it's OK, it's not why I am doing it. I got elected to office at my previous size and it didn't seem to bother the voters of New Jersey twice so the people who say it's about politics are just wrong, it's about living a healthier life and being healthier and being able to stay around longer."

Christie said Foley just needs to keep focusing on jobs Connecticut's economy in order to defeat Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in November.

Christie appeared with Foley on Tuesday at a Stamford diner. Afterword both men attended a fundraiser for the state Republican Party.

Christie says he understands what it's like to be a Republican running in a state like Connecticut where there are many Democrats. But he said Malloy should be worried that he's running in a so-called blue state and trailing Foley in a recent poll.

Chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Christie said winning Connecticut and Illinois are "the two most important challenging races in the country."

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)