I am usually reading 4-5 books at any given time. I find I stay on my treadmill a lot longer if I can read, watch DVDs, anything to get my mind off of how much I dislike my treadmill (I feel a bit like Fred Flinstone running and running and not going anywhere).

I was hoping to have a book thread where we can share titles of books and our own reviews. Books are soooo expensive and I don't want to waste money on boring books.

Sunta told me she was reading a book that I had heard of but hadn't heard reviews one way or another. It is:

"THE CHRIST CONSPIRACY, The Greatest Story Ever Told" by S. Acharya.

The title is self descriptive, so far it is quite interesting but I haven't read much of it yet as I just received it. Perhaps Sunta can shed more light on details.

"The Dark Side of Christian History" by Helen Ellerbe

This book is excellent so far. Besides, there are lots of pictures. The drawings and artwork really do go a long way to give you the creeps about historical Christianity. It makes you wonder if that is really what it looked like way back when. The way people were tortured, etc. I am always and repeatedly shocked by how primitive people were way back when and how they came to believe what they did.

"Stiff" by Mary Roach

Okay, this one isn't going to appeal to a huge audience but I find it fascinating. I am almost done with this one and I'll likely read it again. There are so many facts and pieces of trivia about how dead bodies have been used, treated, tested, and experiemented on throughout early history (last 200 years).

Before reading this book I had no clue that dead folks were put on airplanes, the airplanes were then crashed, and they wanted to see the damage to the bodies depending on the type of crash and location of seat.

Early one brave dude wanted to use human fat for burning street lights in New York. He thought with 250 folks dying in New York daily they would have more than enough "fat" fuel for street lamps. I'm thinking "odor" but maybe I'm alone.

Just the study of dead folks is really interesting, it's quite an eye opener what people have done with dead bodies. One guy attempted to sew a living monkey head on a dead human body to see if the body would keep on ticking.

It didn't.

Since I enjoyed this book so much I purchased another by the same author:

"SPOOK" by Mary Roach

I haven't even started this one yet but it is the scientific study of the afterlife. I have no opinion on it one way or another just yet. But I love the author's amazingly dry sense of humor. She's very funny and it is easy to pass the time away on my treadmill while reading her writing thus, I purchased this book.

BTW, if anyone posts a title and you don't mind used copies, check out:

AddALL book search and price comparison

It is probably one of the most comprehensive sites to find new, used, and out of print books I have found. For some time I was buying up all kinds of great books when people didn't realize what they were selling. For example, I purchased one book on ebay (found it on AddALL originally) that was selling for $9.95 but it is actually worth about $800.00. I spent a great number of (fun) hours finding treasures like this with the idea of reselling them but I just never get around to reselling them. I end up buying more antique trunks to hide them in from hubby. For some strange notion he believes I have far too many books and they take up too much room.

AddALL is one place to find such treasures. Some people don't want to take the time to see what they are selling. Not only can you get great deals on used books but you can find many great titles that are worth a great deal of money and those selling them don't realize this. However, one has to know titles and book quality before this will work well. Usually people specialize in specific types of books. For me it is antiquarian medical and slavery books.

Anyone else reading anything fun right now?

"Jared's Story". I haven't received it yet but I ordered it. He was a patient of mine at one time and his father wrote a book about him. He was a bubble boy, but not when I cared for him.

I found it on amazon.com for a penny so I can hardly not buy the book.

The entire title is something like... "Jared's Story, How His Family Saved His Life." No clue if it is any good or not. Time will tell.

...It's the continuation of the other two books by Kevin Trudeau. ...

Kevin Trudeau is a big fat liar and con artist. A small percentage of what he claims is true, but if you look carefully it is common sense crap. Nothing anyone with any critical thinking skills wouldn't know.

Just be very careful of what he claims. He's a convicted con artist and he's got a history of prison time for a reason. He's merely made money off of yet another... conspiracy theory.

Bubble I know nothing about Kevin Trudeau; haven't read those books, although I've wondered about them. I am curious... is there any element of truth to what he claims about drugs, etc., or do you think everything he says is an "urban legend?"

I've seen things posted about people's continued difficulty to lose weight, even after being banded, and they mention several drugs as being inhibitors to weight loss. Like certain BP meds and HRT drugs. I take Wellbrutrin, Lisinopril, and estradiol. I've wondered a lot about stopping them as soon as I am able to get most of the rest of this weight off. But I am stalled at a 40 lb. loss.

You've had great success, losing over 80 lbs! I know you've talked about PB'ing and all that. Is there a particular thing that you think has helped you on your path to goal? Do you take any of these drugs?

Bubble I know nothing about Kevin Trudeau; haven't read those books, although I've wondered about them. I am curious... is there any element of truth to what he claims about drugs, etc., or do you think everything he says is an "urban legend?"

I've seen things posted about people's continued difficulty to lose weight, even after being banded, and they mention several drugs as being inhibitors to weight loss. Like certain BP meds and HRT drugs. I take Wellbrutrin, Lisinopril, and estradiol. I've wondered a lot about stopping them as soon as I am able to get most of the rest of this weight off. But I am stalled at a 40 lb. loss.

You've had great success, losing over 80 lbs! I know you've talked about PB'ing and all that. Is there a particular thing that you think has helped you on your path to goal? Do you take any of these drugs?

Keven T has been in prison for fraud and he's made it into something of a conspiracy where he is the victim. He is forever paying off fines and such for his complete and total dishonesty. But even with all the fines he still makes a bloody fortune conning people into buying his books. Check out the following:

What Kevin Trudeau doesn't want you to know - Salon

And:

Kevin Trudeau

There are some drugs that slow weight loss and two of yours are an example. The Wellbutrin is a very old drug. It has several uses. One is for depression and that is originally what the drug was for. It has so many side effects (inability to sleep, etc.) that it isn't a first choice for depression anymore. It is the same exact drug as Zyban, it is quite effecitive for those who want to stop smoking. It is also semi-effective for adult ADD/ADHD. I really think its claim to fame is the stop smoking issue. Even though Wellbutrin is a brand name it is essentially the generic of Zyban.

As for weight loss and Wellbutrin, the older drugs of that class do tend to slow down weight loss in some people. Other drugs such as Prozac tend to encourage weight loss. With that said, when someone is depressed they often times don't eat well and lose weight. When they take something for depression and it works, they eat a little better and weight loss isn't an issue. Drugs in the same class as Prozac tend to increase weight loss (people just aren't hungry when they take it, however we fatties tend to have more head hunger issues and we eat if we are hungry or not). Yet other drugs in the same class as Prozac such as Luvox tend to make people want to eat more. I'm not sure why that is.

Your hormone tablet... Female hormones tend to make us want to eat like a heifer. Consider this, there is a drug that is given to cancer patients when they reach the stage that they don't want to eat. This drug makes them hungry. When someone has cancer the body tends to try to deal with the cancer by not feeding the cancer cells, that is why end stage cancer patients don't want to eat. You can't even tube feed them without a great deal of discomfort. The problem is, the body doesn't feed the healthy cells either.

So docs will often give a drug called Megace to make end stage cancer patients hungry. Megace is essentially a female hormone.

If you want to look into hormones try something that is identical to what your body should be producing anyway. You can get them at ANY compounding pharmacy. They do require an Rx and your doc can write them for any strength he wants unlike standard hormones that only come in specific strengths. These are not like the standard hormones, these are absolutely the same as what your body does/should be making and they are much safer for you. However, they are still female hormones and female hormones make you hungry. Men really don't know how easy they have it in comparison.

Lisinopril... not sure if that one would affect weight loss or not, I'll look it up and see if I can find anything.

My own weight loss is twofold... For some time I couldn't eat solids or I'd barf. I mostly drank my calories. I knew it was easy to drink too many calories so I was VERY careful about what I drank. My doc gave me drugs for stomach spasms and such, while they worked a little it didn't really do enough. I just barfed less. So I was extremely careful about what I put in my mouth. While my food choices weren't huge my choice to limit calories was within my control and I keep it very low.

Now I'm on Luvox. My doc claims it helps with the nerve impulses between brain/stomach and that has made a HUGE difference! I ate steak last weekend and didn't barf. It's the first solid meat I've kept down since being banded without a huge struggle and typically ... barfing. But Luvox causes weight gain so I've been very careful again and I still limit calories to 600 daily.

I also work very hard, I do at least an hour of hard cardio daily but for some time I was doing 100 minutes daily. A couple of days ago it was 140 minutes throughout the day of hard cardio. Yesterday it was 15 minutes, I was a slug.

Since Luvox I typically eat something like tuna salad, lettuce salads with Protein sources, black Beans, veggie chili, Matrix shakes, and daily I eat Chinese mixed veggies. I eat a LOT of salad even though it isn't a great bandster food but I went for so long without being able to have any I think I'm making up for lost time now. I still have no problem keeping calories at 600 daily. I also take 2 Flinstones Vitamins three times daily, chocolate chewable Calcium, "Green Source" crap that is disgusting and I probably won't buy more when this is gone, and a product called Xango. Oh, and Valarian Root for stomach spasms that is working quite well with Luvox. If I drink 3oz of Xango before I run I find a huge difference in how long I can run. Honestly, I don't know if it is the quality carbs, if it is all in my head, or if it actually does what it claims but as long as it is working I'm going to keep using it.

For someone that doesn't buy the health food store crap, I'm sure buying a lot lately.

Actually he did get into trouble hawking with other told or asked him to sell. So he did get in big trouble. But then again--I benefited from the stopping Lipitor and another anti-depressant. My own Doctor asked me not to take it. He said==Lee you will soon have problems and within 18 months my kidneys were operating at 70 to 80%. It had been reported by Kevin that the drugs they sold were a lie. In November I stopped both medications. Now with 9 months passing by--my kidneyes are back to the a 98% rating. I've taken the tests and I've read them myself along with the Doctor. I do take Welbrutrin myself. I can't any longer take 300 miligrams. It keeps me up past 12. I mean--I even make it a point to take it at 6 am each day. I am going to down to 200 and if need be--to 150 mgs.

Yes there are many things we see as a Lie--but many people such as us--have failed to see. Look at all of our Politicians who lie and avoid Jail all the time. Enron is a big example--too bad the big Man died of a heart attack. But what about the life savings and retirement saving many lost.Look at all of the people now on regular social secuity who should have been living on a nice 401 K fund? Come on--Kevins Books are just 15.95 at Sams club. He isn't stealing any Man;s 401 K fund of 200 to $400,000.If I was selling a product another persons company made--but it was fraudulent--of course I 'd be in jail. I recall the Coral Calcium and more. But aren't we living America--the land where people get 2 and 3 chances to do right??

The book has many things we can benefit from--so why not read it. Oh yes--he's ha one problem--so he should be taken out back and shot--right? So why is his books remaining number 1?--If they are so much a bunch of non-sense? Why are many of us banders getting smaller and smaller--since we've learned to not eat any ingredient we can't pronouce called--"Chemicals" or Bovine Growth Hormone? That is why I don't buy fish from super markets--I am better at taking a chance at the fish stores--some of the ones who get them from a boat. I have done that too many times. Many times traveling to far away places to buy the fish--so I will not get farm raised Growth Hormone injected type of food. We have a choice of what we can beleive and what we won't beleive.But a mere fact is--Look at the girls today--growing up and looking like she is 17 and she is a mere 11 years old. Getting her period at 8 and 9. That used to be a shameful thing to have a child with early pubety. Now it's the norm. Look at all of the little girls who's on the Posters as missing. Do you really think they are all kidnapped? Think again...I won't go into details--I'll let this and other things simmer a bit in your mind.

Kevin Tradeau is living the American dream. Yes he's gotten now $50 dollars off of me for the books he's sold. I paid the $15.95 for each book. But--what if I add up all of the pills, the other books on hw to be skinny, how to lose 30 pounds in 30 days, how to look like I am 25 again with these simple pills or drink--I can think in the mere hundreds and maybe close to $1500 for me. I had to stop and look at my cabinent to know--what I had done for far too long like many of us. I'd rather think he is ok than many of the Doctors who's hawked pills that kill. Oh yes--the pain pill to give you comfort has killed sooo many. I have gotten phone calls to say--"Mr B____" Stop taking that pill--dump them out today". But had anyone offered me a refund?? Lipitor is one of the biggest frauds here in America. How many people can say they have a Cholestrol count that has gone from 280 to 180 or even down to an acceptable level of 150 within a year from that drug--I am afraid very very few...Read the stats and you will see. read about the Prozac and it's many problems--the side effects that I thought I had 20 of them--that wasn't mentioned on the label or the information packet the Pharmacy gave me. Come on now..I had headaches, swellon ankles, eating more like a pig, skin problems, feet swollen, vision blurry, bad taste in my mouth, no libido, and many more of the long list of "side Effects". I am not going to hawk the "Wellbutrin"--but at least we all know it's the zero weight gain type of medication...it does help

So it's okay that he's been dishonest and defrauded people because he isn't as dishonest as Enron folks?

Nope, I won't give him my money. Most of what you have listed can also be found in the drug inserts or reading on line. And that is free. I'm as likely to buy his book as I am to excuse Enron folks for what they did. Dishonest is dishonest. He's a con artist and thief, nothing more.

Holey Moley Bubble!!! You eat 600 calories a day and work out hard cardio for an hour??? No wonder you have lost so much!! My goodness. I wish I were able to do that and lose all this so fast, but don't you worry about not getting enough Protein to protect your heart muscle?

My doctor said that we Americans just eat way too much food. He said that we should think of the little Japanese working people who exist on about 2 handfuls of rice a day. They don't get all the cancers and other diseases we get and they live a long life.

Sounds like I need to listen to you and my doc.

I am into mindless, silly, predictable romances. Maybe because I am using up all my mental energy into weight loss...lol... I have been enjoying mind candy.

I am currently reading " Back on Blossom Street" by Debbie Macomber. I like all of her books, I find her strong, independent female characters very inspiring.

I also like Ken Follett, Patricia Cornwell, Barbara Delinsky and Sophie Kinsella.

My favorite book ever is Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Sooooo much better than the movie, and that's my favorite movie!

Holey Moley Bubble!!! You eat 600 calories a day and work out hard cardio for an hour??? No wonder you have lost so much!! My goodness. I wish I were able to do that and lose all this so fast, but don't you worry about not getting enough Protein to protect your heart muscle?

My doctor said that we Americans just eat way too much food. He said that we should think of the little Japanese working people who exist on about 2 handfuls of rice a day. They don't get all the cancers and other diseases we get and they live a long life.

Sounds like I need to listen to you and my doc.

Well, my doc wants us to have 800 calories a day and 60gms of protein. I stick to 600 a day and 60gms of protein. I don't have a problem getting protein in because I use Matrix. I LOVE Matrix, 120 calories, 2gms carbs, and 23gms protein.

For the most part I don't eat white carbs. No rice, flour, sugar, or potatoes. I keep all carbs low because I feel better when I do.

Everyone has to do what works for them. What works for me may not work for another. Today I started with lunch and had part of a Chinese chicken salad. Then a fruit smoothie from Jamba juice, then for dinner Chinese mixed veggies. Today was not a great protein day but it doesn't matter if I don't do 60gms every single day. 95% of the time I do get 60gms in, today I didn't. No biggie. Today was also about 450 calories so I might do Matrix before I go to bed. Right now I'm not hungry. If I finally get around to my treadmill tonight I will drink a Matrix shake but it isn't looking good so far.

I am into mindless, silly, predictable romances. Maybe because I am using up all my mental energy into weight loss...lol... I have been enjoying mind candy.

I am currently reading " Back on Blossom Street" by Debbie Macomber. I like all of her books, I find her strong, independent female characters very inspiring.

I also like Ken Follett, Patricia Cornwell, Barbara Delinsky and Sophie Kinsella.

My favorite book ever is Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Sooooo much better than the movie, and that's my favorite movie!

I am so glad I started this thread. It's so nice to get ideas from other book lovers!

Bubble, thanks for this thread - it is truly interesting what others are reading.

Can you tell me where to buy these Matrix shakes and what are your favorite flavors???:ranger:

Bubble, thanks for this thread - it is truly interesting what others are reading.

Can you tell me where to buy these Matrix shakes and what are your favorite flavors???:ranger:

The cheapest place I have found to buy the product is NOT the manufacturer. They are almost double the price. The cheapest place I have found is AllStarHealth.com - Vitamins and Nutritional supplements at Discounted Prices. I like chocolate but most like Cookies & Cream. I can't stand Cookies & Cream, I think it's gross, it's wayyy too sweet for me. They also have fruit flavors (Nectar) and I have only tried one and I thought it was gross but others like it a great deal. I haven't found anyone that likes French vanilla, to me it tastes like coconut. Yick. Most seem to like Cookies & Cream and Lemonade the most. Calories range according to flavor but they range (per serving) from 110-130.

Try to get samples from the company as the bags are large. It's about $27/5# bag and that is 77 servings. It comes out to about $0.50/serving. But what if you don't like it? I'd call the company (SI03 INC.) and see if they will send samples.

Regarding the thread, I have found lots of great book ideas here. I'll post the address again for a cheap place to buy out of print and antiquarian books:

AddALL book search and price comparison

Click on "out of print" books and just enter the info you have and it will bring up all the books with that title and their prices. Amazon is another great place for used and new books. The book I just bought "Jared's Story" was brand new, a hardback, and the cost of the book was a penny. I guess it wasn't a big hit.

Thanks for the information and websites. Have a great Sunday!:ranger:

Yeah, thanks for the thread and the web addresses!

And the Matrix info. I haven't seen it. I'll try the big nutrition store near me.

Where did you get the Chinese vegetables? From a restaurant or frozen or what? Or do you fix them yourself? I guess I'm hijacking a little, but I'm desperately trying to figure out a new plan for myself. Thanks Bubble.

Yeah, thanks for the thread and the web addresses!

And the Matrix info. I haven't seen it. I'll try the big nutrition store near me.

Where did you get the Chinese vegetables? From a restaurant or frozen or what? Or do you fix them yourself? I guess I'm hijacking a little, but I'm desperately trying to figure out a new plan for myself. Thanks Bubble.

I get the Chinese Veggies from a local cheapo restaurant. You know those restaurants that are little holes in the wall and they have the best food? I get a side of veggies for about two bucks.

As for Matrix, be careful. There is a copycat product called mEtrix instead of the real thing mAtrix. It's not the same, GNC carries it.