BethFromVA

Thanks, Ebony, I'll pass it along to the other women too. I know the one who is trying to head this up had her own business before so she might be able to tell more if she/we can get anything out of this.

Omg, Ebony, I wubs you! :wub: Actually there are three or four of us in a small group who are toying with the idea of starting a company. This dinner group that ColoradoChick and I belong to has grown over the last few months to include some GREAT couples, and out of this pretty constant group of 14 (seven couples, obviously), three of us women are unemployed, and CC is looking since her hours got cut. We're tentatively talking about maybe hiring ourselves out as contract workers instead of being sent through agencies. In other words, WE would be the agency which, if I understand what's being tossed about, would be cheaper for companies to hire us because there is no real middleman (the agency) and we should make more. I hope I have that right. Of course the talk was just a bit of chit-chat at the dinner party this past Saturday, but we're trying to find a day where we can all get together over a power lunch and troubleshoot this one. The one lady who was previously a business owner and seems to be putting this together came up with a cute tentative name: Three Chicks and a Computer.

Good luck, Ebony! I interviewed with a placement agency on Tuesday, and she has someplace in mind (though I haven't heard anything since). I too had to test -- FIVE of them! One in Excel (rusty since I haven't used it much, but passed with an 80); one in Word (made a 94); one in spelling/grammar/proper sentence structure (got a 96); and two typing tests -- one a 3-minute test (typed 86 wpm with two errors) and a 5-minute test (typed 91 wpm with one error). It's funny because I haven't taken a typing test in forever too, and I put on my application that I thought I typed between 85 and 90. Pretty good, eh? :thumbup: Good luck to you, and I'm about ready to get out of the house and working again. I feel my brain turning to mush.

Get it in writing. Preferably notarized too. :crying:

Well there ya go! Those are proofs of weight loss that the scale doesn't show -- and are equally as important as the one number we seem to always focus on. Okay, but y'know what? It's over. Let it go and do not punish yourself any further over that. If you're like me (and I hope you're not), I tended to not only beat myself up for not being "perfect" in my eating -- I'd freak out and start eating MORE because of the emotional abuse I'd put myself through for screwing up. Then the next thing I knew, I was right back where I started. You are doing the right thing now by tracking what you're eating, which helps force us to be mor conscious about what we're doing and eating. I've had a couple weekends here where I have been hungry too much -- and I'm trying to figure out if I'm really hungry or it's my head crying out. And if it IS in my head, why? I went through this a couple weeks ago where a Friday through Sunday was just a total wash-out. Not near as bad as it was when I could eat more, but still... y'know? And right after that I started my period. Hopefully that was the reason, but I definitely noticed what I was doing (though I didn't do much about it). I did something I never did before after that weekend -- I forgave myself. We have to do that or we'll never get out of this rut. Forgive yourself, regroup the next day, track what you're eating, maybe even log how you're feeling when you know head hunger is screaming at you. I keep thinking of that furry little orange huger monster in that commercial! But so long as you track what you eat, you have to be accountable for it. I think even knowing you have to put it down on paper makes you think twice before you eat it. So... promise me that you forgive yourself, each day is a new day, and you will track and do the best you can each day. And if you slip up one meal, it doesn't mean you have to lose the whole day. And if you lose the whole day, it doesn't mean you lose the next day or the rest of the week. It'll be fine. We're all in this together.

Your story breaks my heart, Susan. I'm sure it's cuz I like you so much, but also, it IS hard to give up on the dreams we had when those in our dreams don't meet up to the dreams themselves. When they've been asses, it IS hard to forgive them! I don't know what they expect, unless they think they can get away with doing crap because we're fat and "lucky" to have them, you know? Just like we may settle, I think they can take advantage as well. I'm not sure if what your hubby is doing is in preparation for if/when you may kick him out or if he is simply ready to move on himself. Either way, the dream is already gone. Hanging onto the person doesn't make the dream. I know you know this -- and I'm not even saying that that's what you're doing. I don't know you that well. But whether the dream absolutely ends by his moving out or not, the dream is already gone due to mistrust and baggage that has been created in the marriage. The only thing you can do for yourself is determine whether what you're trying to recreate is the dream, or if you really want to make it work with him. If you don't, then be fair to yourself and end it, because no amount of hoping or wishing will make it what you've already lost -- if it was ever there at all.

It's his mama. Sorry, don't mean to make light, I just couldn't help myself. I hope you don't hafta chew my ass too badly.

She's JEALOUS!

So far steak has been very good to me. It's chicken breast and pork loin that gives me issues...

This is just my opinion, but my thought would be if they were asking you if you were getting a band, it was because they thought you didn't need one since you say you were 40 pounds from goal at that point.

That sounds like fun, Lulu! Enjoy! Seems the most fun we're gonna have today is going to see the new X-Men film. And yes, I started my blog right before surgery. I use it like journaling, but I try to have interesting anecdotes in there too. Check out the story about my three-way last week.

Ooooh, correction, I was able to fit just that one line!

I am. I put in the second ticker and it only allows for so many lines, so I got rid of the link and my doctor's info. I may change it back since I'm not doing crap for my July birthday weight loss challenge.

Omg, G4E, I don't know what to say other than I pray that your family's situation gets straightened out. :wink2:

Just a few days ago a friend came over to go out to dinner with my husband and I. He was checking something on his phone as he walked up and I saw him do a double-take. I just thought it was a simple realization that I was standing there on the porch. Later in the evening he said I was looking REALLY good, and that when he walked up, he didn't recognize me at first. :thumbup:

I have the GoWear Fit and have been trying to find out information on something that has me a bit confused. Maybe somebody here might know the answer. I have noticed that when I ride my motorcycle, my calories go up. The other night I was riding home from school and it was a solid mass of 7 and 8 calories a minute. Granted, it was chilly, but even today I was on it for a while and my calories are higher during that time. My husband seems to think the device is reading the vibrating of the bike or something and isn't really indicative of any real caloric expenditure on my part. Anybody know differently or have an opinion? I'm HOPING it's for real, but I'm not sure how it can be.

Wow, you look fantabulous! Only one question. Erm... what did they do with your belly button? :thumbup:

Hehehe... yeah, but that's just icing on the tofu cake. :thumbup:

Heartfire: The thing about muscle gain is this -- yes, you may gain muscle weight during times of working out, but eventually the muscle mechanism takes over and it begins to burn more fat. The more muscle you have, the more fat is burned even when sedentary. Are you tracking your inches? I am very much a proponent of that because, even if we can't see a poundage loss on the scale, you can at least track inch loss. You may be pleasantly surprised. And thanks to everybody for the kudos! Omg, it felt SO good to put on something that beings with a "1" instead of a "2"!!!

Double ditto!!

The part in red above -- if you've read this thread, most people have stated they DO make salads like that. Nobody would recommend making meals out of iceburg lettuce and nothing else. But to state that salads are bad is BAD ADVICE. I don't know anybody here in bandland who only eats salads. But if I want a salad for lunch (maybe with some salmon or chicken on top), I don't feel wrong in having it, and no doctor worth his salt should dissuade people from eating them by saying they are bad and not band friendly. I have NEVER had an issue eating a salad.

NSV: HELLO size 18 jeans!!! Just bought a pair on eBay last week and they came yesterday. We're getting ready to head out on the motorcycles in a few, and I had my 20's sitting there staring at me, but I thought, "Hm, maybe try the 18's. The 20's are getting baggy in the butt." I expected to get them UP but not necessarily buttoned and zipped. And OMG, they did BOTH! They're a teeny bit snug in the waist (they tend to stretch after being worn), but I didn't have to lay on the bed or use any devices to get hooked into them. YAY!! :thumbup:

It is a gelled seat. :thumbup: And yeah, I was teasing hubby that obviously he's been slacking in his, ahem, duties because I'm not calloused enough down south.

Ah, okay. Sorry, I just couldn't figure that one out. :thumbup:

That's true, the band doesn't have a long history yet. Just realize that the issues with the first bands that people were having have been rectified with newer models. We don't know how long that means they will last, but the medical community has paid attention and fixed many of the issues the band had. With gastric bypass, they take out all the small intestine you don't "need" without killing you. Seriously. I don't want to be malnourished to health, and not only because of the obvious discrepancy. :thumbup: