Wheetsin

Green, here's some info, emphasis mine.

Ok, NOT REALLY, but we've had a lot of questions posted and I've had a lot of questions PMed, so I will do my best to consolidate what I know into one little place. Here. This information is a combination of VB FAQs, information from other VB admins, and my limited knowledge. As we learn more and get more information, I will update this to add the new findings in. Enjoy! --------------------------------------------------------- What is the reputation system? A system that allows board members to "self-regulate" themselves, based on Reputation points which they allocate to others. How Does It Work? Members start with 0 reputation. You can award every post/poster with positive or negative reputation points, and provide a comment about why the reputation was given. Over time, "good" members will likely build up positive reputation while "bad" members will build up negative reputation. Good reputation is generally an indication that people appreciate the poster's contributions, agree with their posts, etc. Bad reputation is generally an indication that people disagree with the person's posts, "don't like" the person, etc. By checking someone's reputation level against their number of posts, you can get a baseline idea of how trustworthy/reliable their information has been, whether or not their opinion has been popular, and even how many "friends" they have on the board. Some boards make the reputation comments publically visible. I don't believe this board does. When comments are visible, you can read the reasons why others were given bad or good reputation. This can help offset the "stigma" of positive/negative rep points (e.g. when a negative reputation comment reads something like, "We have different opinions", or a positive comment reads something like, “You’re pretty!”) How Do I Check For A Member's Reputation? Reputation points are listed under your user CP, at the very bottom. If you see a title bar for it but no rep info, you can expand it by clicking the arrow. How Do I Give Reputation Points? Click on the scales icon located in the bottom left corner of the posters info field. (the bottom of the section where join date, age, posts, etc. appear). Once you lcick on the scales, you will get a pop-up allowing you to “approve” or “disapprove” of the post, and leave comments. Can I Control How Many Reputation Points To Give? No, you cannot. Based on a range of criteria, like seniority, rank and reputation, some members will have a higher rep power than others. I don’t know if it’s true for LBT, but on many boards, the higher your rep power, the more reputation points you can give. (In other words, it keeps someone who just joined today and has no reputation from giving 500 negative reps in a day). What Is Rep Power? Rep Power is not the member’s reputation. It's an indication of how many Reputation points they can give to others, or deduct from them. If a member has a Rep Power of 3, that means he gives other members 3 Reputation points or deducts 3 Reputation points from them, everytime he comments on their post. How Do I Get More Rep Power? I don’t know about LBT specifically, but generally speaking there are three ways to get more Rep Power. Seniority The longer you stick around the forums, the more influential you become. Every 365 days, members increase their Rep Power by 1 point. Activity For every 1000 posts, members increase their Rep Power by 1 point. Reputation For every 100 points of reputation, members increase their Rep Power by 1 point. How Many Times Can I Give / Deduct Reputation In A Day? I don’t the answer to this for our board, it’s something set (afaik) by the admin. Often it's limited to 10. How Often Can I Give / Deduct Reputation From The Same Member? You can give / deduct reputation from the same member as many times as you like. In most cases (I don’t know about LBT, but this is a common practice) you have to give reputation to 10 other members before you can give to the same member again. What are the Pros and Cons of Reputation? This could easily be the biggest answer in the post, so I'll give short versions. Reputation doesn't really mean anything, but it can be an ego boost or blow, and it can also be used to "get back at" someone. (If you're familiar with ebay, think of the buyers who leave negative feedback, so the sellers do too - even if the seller had a good experience). Pros: Reputation can be a way to help new users discriminate the "good" from the "bad"... e.g. avoid trolls, known troublemakers, people who spread misinformation, etc. Reputation can also let someone know when they've posted something valuable, and give a nice "pat on the back" for their effort. Cons: Reputation is, essentially, a way of saying "I agree" or "I disagree". Because of this, people often use it to disagree with your posts in a private way, because - for whatever reason - they don't want to disagree publically. This can result in a "good" poster having negative reputation. It can also result in harsh feelings toward other members, or "pack behavior" being used to drive down someone's reputation. Summary To sum it all up, here is the gist of the Member Reputation System. Default Reputation Every member starts with a reputation level of 0. Rep Power It's an indication of how many Reputation points a member can give to others, or deduct from them. Seniority The longer you stick around the forums, the more influential you become. Every 365 days, members increase their Rep Power by 1 point. Activity For every 1000 posts, members increase their Rep Power by 1 point. Reputation For every 100 points of reputation, members increase their Rep Power by 1 point.

Everything is jsut kind of a guideline. I'm between 5'10 and 5'11, I have a large frame, BUT my thumb and middle finger overlap by 1/2" or more. I just happen to have relatively small wrists and fairly long fingers. At the same time I'm in the 240s and can easily see my collar bones, neck tendons, and the lower part of my ribs, shoulderblades, etc. If I had a small frame and weighed int he 240s, that wouldn't be the case. (BTW - that comparison is not saying "I'm thin and my bones stick out", it's saying, "I'm fat and can still see my bones, so I know my frame is large" )

Sounds like fun but a bit more irony than I can take... driving 50 mins to walk an hour. :heh: I'm trying to convince a girlfriend to take spinning classes with me, or Tae Bo. We'll see how much luck I have!

Another part of your problem is that you have "wasted" lines - ones that aren't doing a thing. If you took these out, you could replace them with more lines of the information you want to have. For example, in red below: <TABLE class=tborder id=post454478 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=8 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD class=alt1 id=td_post_454478 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px solid">NEW GOAL 219 BY Nov 20 <!-- / sig --></TD></TR><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: 0px solid; BORDER-LEFT: 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px solid"><SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbrep_register("454478")</SCRIPT> </TD><TD class=alt1 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: 0px solid; BORDER-LEFT: 0px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px solid" align=right><!-- controls --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Cumbaya... :sing:

My husband is going away for a little more than 3 weeks this summer, and all you guys are doing is making me thing about how much I'm going to miss it... err... him...

The HR rep felt the discrimination was made by stating a health condition was related to a physical attribute that had a "stereotype" connected to it. Now did I agree? Totally different thread. Honestly? The company I worked for at the time was very high in the public eye - a household name, and also going through quite a bit of legal issues, some of which revolved around violations of the seven protected. I think HR was in ultra mode.

See first post in this thread. :heh:

I've had lunchables before. They're just so darned handy! My lunches (when I remember to eat ) might be tuna salad - I'll either make it the night before, or buy the 4oz puches and add mayo at work... plain or I too eat them on Wasa (sourdough or multigrain are my favs). We have a Green Acres near my work so sometimes I will make a salad from the salad bar that consists of grilled chicken breast, tofu, feta, bleu cheese, chick peas, sesame crackers, cottage cheese, and about a quarter of a scoop of balsamic vinagraitte. Or I will get a Soup and some of their tofu egg salad... mmm. In case I forget and can't get out, I always keep tuna cups and a few cans of FF refried Beans in my desk, and usually a packet of turkey pepperoni in the fridge. That way I always have something. If you cook, just bring leftovers from whatever your dinner was. If you have a fridge, you can bring a whole week's worth of lunch and leave it in there. Sometimes on Monday I'll bring in a tub of cottage cheese, some sliced meats (I've found that "Boar's Head" brand deli meats are very close in nutritional value to homecooked meats), some Wasa, etc. -- and I'm good to go for the week.

A little more information. I noticed some blue squares (in addition to the red and green) and thought we might get some questions about that. When you view your rep, you will see a little red, green, or blue/gray box next to each one. These squares indicate the effect that the comment had on your reputation score. If a member left you a positive rep (and themselves had a positive Rep Power), the square will be green. If the member had no Rep Power the square will be blue. And if the member disapproved of your post, the square will be red.

Click on "User CP" and scroll down to the last box you see. It shoudl appear after your list of subscribed threads, and right before the "forum jump" drop-down. It will read "Latest Reputation Received" and display the last 5 reps. This may not show if you haven't received any - I'm still trying to figure that out.

BTW, now that we officially have "rep power" I am waiting for the "dem power" feature to be added. :heh:

:hail: :hail: :hail:

Yes, it really makes a difference. But I will say it makes a difference once you get restriction, not necessarily once you get one or two fills. Hopefully it will just be one or two fills for you.

The only way I could see fish eing a mushy would be a really wet tuna salad. That had been worked up one side and down the other with a fork. Unless you're partial to pureed fish. Ack! Since the food caused you some discomfort, maybe try thick liquids nd soft mushies for a few days. Cream of X Soups, yogurt, tofu (esp. silken tofu), hummus, pudding, etc. This gives you more to work on than liquids, without having to go straight to mushies. I think I did 4 days of thick liquids before moving to things like mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, etc. You could have eaten too much, and you could have eaten too fast, and you could have eaten the food without chewing adequately, and... (on and on). Just remember to take it easy. When I hit mushies it was one small baby spoon bite every 5 minutes or so. I wanted to wait that long to make sure everything felt ok. Did your surgeon provide you with a graduated meal plan - what to eat for how long, and sample foods that fall into the classification?

MBTI = Meyers Briggs Type Indicator... personality test. Most people don't know their type so you may have better results if you post a link to a (version of the) assessment. I've used this one for many events and it has been fairly reliable. Keep in mind that none of the MBTI tests you're going to be able to access through a google search are the "real deal" and should not be taken as any kind of "diagnosis." Now to the original question... I'm an INTJ. I am completely expressed in I and T, every single time I've taken the test. I'm a strong but not fully expressed N, and occasionally I fluctuate over to a P but 90% of the time I'm a borderline J. (And I'm married to an ENFP :rolleyes ) Once you take a test like the one I linked above and have an idea of what your type is, you might want to visit a site like this one and learn more. Or just posts questions. I'm actually licensed to adminster the MBTI, and I've been using it in vocational settings for about 8 years now.

Ack, can't edit. As for needing follow-up time off, it's up to you what you tell. You can tell your boss you had lap-band, or you can just say " a post-surgery appointment" or "follow up care" or even "maintenance." Or - again - you could just make the request for the time off. I told everyone, and my boss known I have lap-band -- though I still don't think he quite gets what it is -- and even though he knows, if I need a fill or something, I just say "leaving early dor a doctor's appointment." Your boss could question whether you have the time off, or wht you plan to do about X meeting or project or something like that, but they could not turn around and ask, "Oh, what are you having done?" or "Oh, for what?" Big big no no on their behalf. (On a side note, to give you an idea of how touchy this stuff can be, I once told a boss that I was leaving early for a Dr. appointment. She asked me why, and at the time I didn't know any better so I told her I thought I had an ear infection from a recent scuba dive. She said to me, "That could be because you're a redhead." An HR rep overheard our conversation. She later pulled me aside and told me it was well within my rights to file a (forget the term but it amounted to a hippa violation) for her asking what my appointment was for, AND I could file a discrimination report for her relating my medical problems to being a redhead. I refused, of course, and found out later that my boss was pretty harshly reprimanded anyway.)

No, and no. Your employer makes the products available to you, and that's pretty much the end of the relationship. You never owe them any explanation or detail for anything around your insurance coverage. And frankly - they don't care. In fact, the only involvement they can have is around registration - and unless they offer a contracting service (some employers do, to help their employees determine what coverage is good for their situation), the only communication you should have with them is when you have a question or you need to provide information for open enrollment. You also do not need to tell your boss anything specific, and your boss is not allowed to ask. Type of absence (PTO, STD, etc.) and duration is all you're obligated to tell, although do mention any special accomodations you may need upon return (e.g. exceptions to a dress code, a different chair, etc.)

Sooo many reasons. For me they included: No permanent altering of my organs. Reversible. Much more highly recommended for people women who still want to have children. No real limitations on what I can eat, just the amount. I have friends with RnY and I know there are foods they absolutely cannot eat without having to vomit it back up or endure dumping. I like that I can have a scoop of ice cream if I want it. No vomitting. I liked the idea that if something had to come up, it was just the food and whatever I had swallowed since. E.g. - it's not vomit (acid, partially digested food, etc.) Have you seen what the teeth of some of the longer term bypass patients look like? That's what acid does to enamel over time. No malabsorption (I'm sorry, but it will take a lot to convince me that long term malabsorption is anything but bad, and so far seeing what my friends with RnY are living with long-term, I'm definitely not any closer to being convinced) Adjustability. RnY is very hit or miss. You have the surgery, and you lose your weight or you don't. With the band, you can go tighter, you can go looser. My weightloss is on par with most Rny patients I know. Even if it weren't, I know that I made the right decision. To me, it's about more than losing weight, it's about being healthy. And I don't know very many long term RnYers who are truly healthy. I know several who have to go in for regular Vitamin injections and dietary evaluations. I know many who have had to accept the fact that their long term diet consists of about 8 foods. I've heard several times, "I'm just now starting to see the long term effects of living with this...." I'm sorry, but IMO when your skin is sallow, you're constantly lethargic (but wearing a size 10), you have to go in for regular supplementary injections, and you can only eat 8 things - that's not healthy weightloss.

Don't worry about being cheap. Who cares what your waitor thinks of you? (esp. when it's coming between you and your sugeon's instructions). Eating out may be difficult for you, indeed, if looking cheap to your service staff is at the top of your list of concerns. I've ordered just a Water or some piddly side item as my meal more times than I can count. You're either going to do a lot of eating at home, or going to have to buck up and get acquainted with sides and mini portions.

Click the "Go Advanced" button. Under "Additional Options" scroll down to "Attach Files" and click on the "Manage Attachments" button. That will give you the option to upload a picture from your local computer or the internet.

You know what? You could close your eyes, click your mouse a few times, and randomly point to a LBT member on the screen, and chances are they've followed some sort of diet on their own, and had success. But they're still here, so eventually that success tapers away and the weight comes back. The band isn't about following a diet. It's about restricting portions without feeling hungry, and IMO - even more so about using positive and negative reinforcement to curb undesirable (food) behaviors. No diet does that satisfactorily. It's completely different when you reach restriction. You can look at a diet that consists of the following, and think "I could just follow that diet, and lose weight without the band!": About 1/4 of a yogurt container 1 piece homemade turkey Jerky 2 oz light tuna That's what I've eaten so far today, without being hungry. But you know what? You could eat just that without the band. For a few hours. Or maybe even a few days. But it's not realisitc to think that someone can continue to follow such an eating regime and ever be satisfied, and once you're hungry, your will power is going to give in eventually (there are exceptions, enter discussion about addictive personalities, etc.) If it were truly that easy, none of us would be here. Including you. Tell him that.

I have no idea what the technical name for them is, but shower heads that have the hose vs. the ones that are attached to the wall. Whenever I'm in a hotel, I truly, truly miss the ability to move the shower head around. Cans of compressed air. They clean the computers, the dust out little cracks, they've helped my grandmother blow out her birthday candles and (I know this to be true), if you invert them, the very frigid propellant is cold enough to kill an ant on the countertop. Electrasol dishwashing tablets.

Did you know there are people who wash their pillows? Not pillow cases, but the actual pillows. I was honestly surprised to learn this. I always use mine for a (very) few months, then toss them. Of course, that probably speaks to the fact that I've never used a down pillow.