Good Morning Everyone!

Hope you had a good day yesterday and just think we are that much closer to a holiday weekend today.

Iris, I love those getting to know you threads.  Thanks for starting it.  I sincerely hope everyone takes the time to participate.   Have you posted yet?  What are you waiting for?

Today will be a really busy day at work today.  We have lightened staff recently and now we will have others taken vacation time starting today.  I won't have time to be bored, as if I ever have that problem at work!

Iris, for you inquiring mind, I chose a James Grippando book today, Money to Burn.  It is a suspense and I have been following his books for a few years now.  He has become a favorite.

Do you like to read?  What are your favorites?

Come on in and share with us.

Have a FANTASTIC day!

Happy Thursday!

This is usually my heavy meeting day, 2 2-hour meetings. I canceled both of them to give my team (the ones not on vacation) a break. I have plenty of documentation updates and certification studying to do.

I have some support contracts to update as well. My vendors are going to hate me. That will teach you to slack off during the year. I will make you earn the money we pay for software support. No slackers allowed in my workspace!

Looking forward to a long weekend and I am purposely not making any plans. Of course, I am a little too high strung to sit around and actually do nothing, but I'll give it a try. Got some video games that I would love to play.

Carrie, I loved reading when I was younger, but strayed away in my twenties. I am so back into reading. Sidney Sheldon has become one of my all time favorites. I recently picked up Memories of Midnight and The Other Side of Midnight to read them again. They were the best! Maybe I'll read one this weekend!

Off to do a bunch of tasks I want to finish today! Make it a great one!

 

 

 

Valerie, 

I love Sidney Shelton.  I hardly ever read a book a second time (not on purpose anyway) because there are more books to read then I will ever get to in one lifetime.

Way to go girl, make those venders earn there money!

When I read your posts about work, it reminds me of things I used to do and hope to get to a point where I can do them again. It must be nice to be able to be functional and able to contribute. I look forward to doing that again. 

I hope you have a good and productive day.

In the meantime, I want you to know that you ARE functional and able to contribute!

(My eyes are tearing up...) I wish I could express how much your advice and support means to me! The way you lead and guide us REGARDLESS of how you feel speaks VOLUMES!

You know I have tendency to run and hide when I am struggling really bad. I'll stop posting and lurk. I am not good at asking for help, and when I cannot help me, I feel like I cannot help anyone else.

In the midst of your hills and valleys you CONTINUALLY lead us, share with us, and encourage us!

I can be functional (and quite demanding) at work no matter what is going on, yet totally fall apart at home and in my personal life at the least little thing.
 
I am thankful for my job but I am more thankful for YOU and all our support group members and this forum! Sometimes you all are the only thing that has kept the scale from zooming back to 400+

You may not be in the traditional office setting to express your able to function BUT you are using those skills everyday in our lives!

Now I gotta go stop crying...I'll go worry someone for a status on their tasks! (hahahaha).

Good Morning!!! I just finished reading everyone's getting to know you answers. we hadn't done one of those in a while. Hopefully it can become another weekly topic and get everyone involved.

I love to read - always have. There are 3 of us at work that love the same types of writers so we're constantly swapping books. Prior to Weight loss surgery I can honestly say that Barnes and Noble was my shopping mecca of choice since there was no way on earth I was going to go clothes shopping. Not so much anymore so the book budget was cut (can you say Thrift Stores only now?) and the handy dandy library card moved to the forefront. Our local library is wonderful and they're pulling James Grippando titles from other branches for me as I write.
 
Still trying to get the weekend plans made. They don't have to be ironclad but I'd like at least a rough guess as to what we're doing. Looks like Saturday may be rainy so I'm already not feeling very productive. Guess I'll be "forced" to read a book or 2.

The last few days have been water, fiber & exercise focused. Water & Fiber I'm doing great with. I just can't seem to get my lazy rear end in gear and get moving. As I've worked to get my focus on balanced nutrition I realize just how many "bad" carbs I'd let back into my daily routine. Hmmmmm..... The "bad" ones make me feel sluggish. Like a big dummy those are the ones I turn to for comfort. I know that the benefits of a good walk would far outweigh the very, very temporary boost from any carb known to man.

So why do I still turn to the carbs? Because that old saying that old habits die hard....is so very true. Habit. Addiciton. Quick Fix. Call it what you will  but it's there. It wasn't erased or reset by surgery. So now it's time to replace the harmful with the healthy. I've identified the problem. Now the next step is to deal with it. I think that in a few minutes I'll see about downloading a book to my MP3 player and see if I can't listen to the whole thing before June 1st while either walking or working out.

Hope everyone has a great day!!!
- Iris

Iris,  substitute some of your favorite pre-wls carbs with some high fiber wls friendly substitutes.  I have found that Fiber Gourmet has a high fiber "cheese it" that I eat once in a while.  I also substitute soy chips for potato chips. 

Check out  www.netrition.com for some other alternatives.  No matter how much you buy the shipping is $4.95.

Oh, and Atkins bars are usually higher in fiber AND protein, while giving you that feeling of getting a real treat.

Take care.

Iris,

I can soooo relate to the quick fix. I think we will all have to come to grips with it and recognizing it is the first step. You've done that and are making a plan to deal with it and that is HUGE. Before, we didn't even recognize it, much less come up with a plan to deal with it. KUDOS!!

 

It's not Friday I can hardly stand it. We have an 11 week old puppy and I am not doing well without sleep. (What were we thinking). I also gained 2 pounds, so that sucks probably ovulating and increased weight training, but it still sucks.
I am ready for a non kid sport 3 day weekend. I need som e relaxation. Only 1 more week of work then the summer off, this is keeping me going.
Sorry for whining, but like I said a sleepless Audra is not good.
Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday!!!!!!!

Audra

Audra,

I am so jealous.  I want the summer off!  But then again I do need to pay bills!

You can do it.....the weekend is almost here. Sleep deprivation is not a pretty thing. It's okay to come here and whine and let it all out-  - afterall we don't have to live with you and we promise to still like you.

- Iris

Thanks you made me smile. You guys are the best. No wonder I am addicted to this site!!!!!!
Audra

Okay, I am going to try stop being a lurker and join in the conversation.  Today, I am feeling good.  I think the sun come out has help my mood.  I have been a resentful cranky puss for the past five days.  Yesterday, I had a breakthorough.  I was able to eat 3 oz of chicken breast from the cafeteria without any problems.  I took ate is slowly and chewed it to pieces and it went down fine and stayed down.  I am getting better at getting my fluids in.  Now I need to work on my supplements.  I have been reading blogs suggested by different people here and I am learning a lot about supplements.  Now I have to try some and see which work for me.  I am starting to look forward to the long weekend.  It will be a busy one with two school related activities for my son and ,hopefully, some pool and swiming time with my daughter as long as the thunderboomers stay away.  Sunday night, my husband and I are celebrating our 19th wedding anniversary but spending the night at a hotel without the kids.  I am really looking forward to that the most.

I love to read.  I read a lot of trashy but funny romance novels and funny fantasy novels.  Current favorite authors are P.C. Cast and Julia Quinn.

There that wasn't so scary.

Welcome!!!! As you just realized - we don't bite. Come out and play as often as you can. It's time to get this board rolling again,

Congratulations on the wedding anniversary and enjoy the time away as a couple.

I haven't tried any of the fantasy genres in a long, long time. But knowing there are some funny ones may have just broadened my reading list substantially. Thanks.

- Iris

Holly,

I bet you would like the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.  They are funny and a mystery all in one.  You would need to read them in order, but they are GREAT.

Thanks for joining us. 

Have a GREAT day!

Hi Carrie, 

Great to see you today. Like you, I'm delighted that Iris started the getting to know you thread and it looks like it's getting some play. Whhoooo Hoooo! 

I used to read voraciously, then had trouble with the focus and concentration thing. I've started reading a little again and find that I things like Memoirs of a Geisha and The Piano Teacher. I'm a big Nicholas Sparks fan and I'm sure I've read everything he's written. I used to read a lot of criminal thrillers, but haven't done those as much lately. 

Hope you are having a great day too!

I honestly have to say, my favorite author is dr. seuss lol. I only say that because usually thats the only books i read to my youngest son. OH and there is curious george and clifford the big red dog of course lol. I use to always read romance and mystery books but now that i have so much energy, i just wanna keep moving, not that im complaining :)

Have a great thursday everyone!!

Emelinda you took me WAY back to my childhood!

I had the Foot Book
Never kept it in a nook
Now I am on the hook
To go find my book!
Look...my book someone took

just like all my other toys
some made noise

but not my book
I'll find that crook!

That was fun!

 

Lol my son likes green eggs and ham. I gotta admit though, I like the books too. Its fun to watch my son try to read as fast as I do and he gets all tongue tied. We just start laughing and of course its leads to a tickle fight lol. I'm just glad I can be with my kids. I can say, without a shadow of a doubt that if I had not gotten my surgery, I would not be here. So, I am extremely grateful for having my surgery!!