Positive people unite! This thread is being created for the sole use of positive people to give positive reinforcement to others in the group that we care about. We know that we may disagree on some issues but we will offer constructive criticism, objective suggestions, we will always give kind support even when delivering the occasional (but necessary) kick in the pants.

IL--You should post this as a blog, I was reading it when my MIL was here (not banded) and she had me print it for her as well. Thank you for sharing.

Ok everyone, get this. Some of you may have read my story of jury duty last year and sliming in the jury box. We sent the defendant away for life after a three month trial.

Well today we had a unit meeting for work at a local restaurant.

The server was the aunt of my defendant!!

Wowser! I wonder if she recognized me!

I wanted you to expand on the throwing things in the courtroom part.

Hi Leigha,

Oh my gosh! I was sooooo mortified.

I was sitting in the front row of the jury box. I had placed my coffee mug on the railing in front of me. As the defense attorney was walking past us to give closing arguments I reached forward to grab it. Being the klutz that I am I missed it.

I ended up knocking it so hard it flew about three feet forward and darn near hit the attorney. Of course, the gallery was full as this was a high profile case in San Diego, so all eyes were on me. I wanted to crawl into a hole and not come out.

The attorney was very nice and picked it up for me. I felt bad that I found her client guilty after that, but oh well. The evidence was just too strong.

I was very happy that the mug was empty!!

ok guys so i have my surgery tomorrow and when i went for my preopt i found out that i lost 15 lbs on the preopt diet. i was soo proud of myself. i am sooo nervous today i hate surgery and the thought of being put under and not having any control over anything. i hate that feeling you get after coming out of th anteshia (sp?). but i am soo exicted to have this done. tomorrow is going to be the first real step into my healthy lifestyle. i even went out and bought a new purse and wallet to congratulate myself on making this 1 year wait worth it. my surgery is scheduled for 11:30 am and we have to be at the hospital at 10am so for those of you who pray please keep me in your prayers. i will be proud to join the banded community. :sad:

CC, there is nothing to be nervous about. They ask you to take a deep breath and the next thing you know you are lying in the recovery room.

Gloria and IL, I love both lists!! I have been planning on creating a FAQ because the same questions keep getting asked over and over. I'll put the combined list there if I ever get around to it.

Denise, I though embarrassing situations like your mug only happen to me. Thanks for the reassurance that I am not alone!

LeighlaM & Atgoalgirl I want to thank you for all your kind support!

Atgoalgirl I read your blog and from my research the rules you mention are what I already know and plan on doing. I know it's not a magical fix, but a fix that can work to help me if I work with it.

I guess I have been floating around and reading about people plateauing and forgeting why I initially signed onto this sight...for moral support!

I appreciate everything and am totally excited about the new me. I want my daughter to be proud of her new svelt mom, because kids can be such critics! Right now I'm healthy have no health issues, no joint problems other than the diffuculty in moving and being extremely tired all the time!

I look forward to fostering some wonderful relatioships with everyone I have met on this thread so far!:thumbup:

good morning everyone...

It's another beautiful day, here in the New England! I'm heading to visting friends in CA next week, so I'm hoping that winter will be gone by the time I come home.

theknewme: thanks for getting back to all of us. It sounds like you know what you need to do to work your tool. I think all of us wanted to make sure that you went in eyes wide open and weren't expecting a magic wand

Illuminationlady: thanks for posting the list. Some helpful stuff here, even though it is long - here's another one - don't eat with your hands - if anyone wants to take that one on, let me know it works for you

countrychic - good luck today; come back and tell us about your surgery day story

bestsyb - I knew about the extra weight from working out, but I didn't know why - thanks for that. I'm one of those people who need to know why

cocoa - I am picturing u in that courtroom - uh oh!!

Leigha - You're making me think about the 3 types of people - interesting; also (now u r going to hate this, but..); when I go to my last 5 lbs. my doctor told me that those 5 lbs would take 6 months to get off. It didn't take 6 but it tool 3. The lower our % body fat, the harder our bodies work to hold onto the fat that's left. Those last pounds were really tough. Then when I go there, my doctor suggested I work to stay in a 10 lb wieght range. First I was mortified, but I think that really was the best advise I ever got to maintain my weight - and I never maintained any weight ever in my entire life.

Elfie, Jen - hadn't see u in a while; good to hear from u.

Bob - sounds like you are back in full force

Have a great day everyone!

13. At break time, avoid the break room where others may be eating or where vending machines are located. Instead, take a stroll outside or inside your building. Make phone calls, do some stretching, or balance your check book.

Hm. I disagree with this. First, social isolation need not be part of weight loss. Learning to live among others who eat differently is very important.

But also, self-isolating at mealtime during the workday can have fallout in terms of professional advancement. I've worked in environments where doing this would have been career suicide---being part of a team very much relied on being part of the corporate culture. There was never pressure exerted to eat or drink a certain way---but being present, at least most of the time, was critical. (I didn't read it, but Comcast had a cover story on their main page about this topic just a few days ago, too--the gist of the headline was that you shouldn't do this if you want to move ahead.)

I'm all for eating differently than workmates, and even excusing oneself to take a walk (after inviting others to join). But if I'd done this at my last corporate job? I would have been pushed out. And I definitely would not have the freelance career I have now.

Okay----going back to read more!

Betsy, thank you for that info on weight lifting! Seems like every time I tried to research that, I’d only get bits and pieces of all the info, no one ever really summed it up like you did. Now it makes sense!

I have to say, even though my weight is not dropping as fast as I had hoped, my clothing sizes are due to my increase in muscle! Before I started working out, I could pretty much tell my weight by adding a zero to my clothing size. So before I had my son when I was 290 – 300 I was wearing a size 30! Now I’m back at 290 – 300 and I’m wearing size 24 and even some 22’s!

I haven’t had a chance to completely catch up, but it looks like everyone for the most part is doing well…good job guys!

We had an absolutely beautiful day in Indiana yesterday, sun was out, I think it got up in the 60’s! I had planned on getting out and playing ball with my son when I got of work, but unfortunately he got in trouble in school AND after school care! So instead of outdoor fun, he spent the evening in his room. And my daughter has been a mess for a while, so she got sent to her room too! At least I got to workout in peace!!!!

Have a good day!

Good Morning all! Just to let you know my DH decided to surprise me with a road trip to DC and back up the US for my birthday. I won't be posting as much and didn't want to just drop out of sight. We are taking a computer but won't have much time for the boards. I will miss you but try to check in. Love and Hugs to all of you...

IL, how FUN! When do you leave?

Bon voyage!

IL, how FUN! When do you leave?

Bon voyage!

Today at 10 am. So I'm going crazy right now!!!

Hey Bob, I am the queen of embarrassing moments.

Illumination, have a fantastic trip!!! And happy birthday! That is quite the treat, enjoy.

Everyone, buy stock in kleenex. Ugh! My cold moved up from my chest into my head. Now I feel like my face is going to explode. The stuff coming out of my nose is a nasty shade of yellowish brown, so I have an appointment this afternoon.

Top it all off, DH and I are going to New Orleans on Sunday. I have a conference that I must attend. He'll be having fun. :ohmy:

So, I am sort of hoping this is bacterial and I get some antibiotics. That should get me feeling better before the conference starts.

Then to top it all off, my seat assignments got messed up and I have center seats. Good thing I knocked off those last two pounds over the past few weeks! I'll fit nicely in the seat, but I am sure my seat mates will be soooo happy to have 'Sniffles' sitting next to them.

So, as y'all know, I've been checking my blood sugar in the mornings.

Monday and Tuesday I didn't walk because my personal trainer, Butters, was camping with the DH and I was doing taxes. (And yes, I do realize I could have gone alone, but didn't :thumbup:).

I also wasn't have high protein dinners while they were gone (read cereal).

Well, Tuesday morning it was 115. And Wednesday morning it was 116! Yikes!

Butters had a lesson yesterday, he is doing great by the way! We took a walk around the parking lot of the Petsmart while we waited for the trainer. I had a high protein dinner last night. This morning my sugar was 97!!

Boy, if that isn't motivation to walk and eat right, I don't know what is!

A part of me is hoping that the high readings might have been influenced by the cold. I have read that infections can affect sugars.

Ok, off to check what else is going on around the boards!!!

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Hey everybody, My berferd pair trees declared it Spring this week! Next the wild wisteria will bloom which smells wonderful. Its sunny and pretty here and I am so excited! I am going to buy a long cord so that I can put a phone on the porch at work and hang out there today, lap top, phone, sunshine, what could be better?