Mikey

We messed up :eek: For those who were expecting word of the D/FW gathering today, I apologize - real life has decided to show its silly little head, and Janet and I let the time get away from us. At the request of one of our lovely locals, we're going to try a new place - Pappas Bar-B-Q off NW Hwy and I-35 in Dallas. Here's a link to the address via Yahoo Maps Beta: http://maps.yahoo.com/beta/#maxp=search&q1=2231+West+Northwest+Hwy.+Dallas%2C+TX Janet and I will be there on Saturday, July 22, at 4pm. If you can make it, please do - we'd love to see ya! And if you don't mind, let us know if you're coming so we can warn the restaurant ahead of time. See ya then!

Bumping at Janet's request. The Red Hot & Blue dinner is this Saturday (details on the front page).

Ok Donna... this is weird... The 2 books we read were the 2 Dan Brown books. I usually enjoy reading the book before seeing the movie - and I imagine that we'll see the movie sometime before long... and since Angels & Demons came first, naturally we had to read it first. As you said, kinda fun fiction - not very well written, but at least they were interesting stories. We just got back from the Doc's office - I had my 4th fill, and Janet had her 3rd. I'm hoping that we fill a bit more restriction now... we'll see soon. Oh, and I'm still working on that clever comment - maybe I'll get inspired before long...

OMG!!! We got pushed to page 2!?!?!? My wife and I got wrapped up in a couple of books - we had to read them both this weekend, or (we're sure) the sky would have fallen. I apologize profusely for my shameful lack of clever comments over the last 36 hours!!!!! Soon as I think of one, I'll post it!!!!

Yep yep - thanks!!

Sorry Donna... I stole your fuzzy yellow hubcap to wear around my neck for my next rap single. I am recording a new hip hop LBT protest song... I'm having a hard time finding enough words that rhyme with filibuster.

I don't think that your thoughts are crazy, Tammy. Ok - to be fair, I don't actually know you that well yet... as far as I know, you could be someone who skips down the sidewalk wearing nothing but a lavender fur coat yelling at the top of your lungs about how we're under attack by giant fuzzy yellow hubcaps from the planet Gorf, and we can only be saved if every single person in the whole world would simultaneously chant the word "filibuster" for 60 seconds. But I can say that what you posted definitely does not mean that you are psychotic or schizophrenic. You do bring up some interesting points. First, you are right - we all know what to eat, how much to eat, etc. But from a sociological standpoint, our current western culture has brought us to the point where eating has very little to do with our need for health or nutrition. As a society, food has become something completely separate from our physical beings. Food doesn't mean nutrients, Vitamins, or Fiber. Food means comfort, a reason for people to get together, and something to do with our hands while we watch TV or surf the internet. Just because we KNOW all of the right information doesn't mean we do anything with it. For most of us, food is something we simply don't think about on a conscious level. We're not thinking about how this Twinkie is bringing us one step closer to a coma - we're thinking about how this Twinkie is bringing us one step closer to having eaten a TWINKIEEEEE!!!!! The band is just the latest in our arsenal of weapons against food - another has to be some reprogramming. We need to learn to THINK more about food. The paradox is that we need to think more about it so that we can think less about it... the sooner our thinking can lead to new habits, the sooner we can get back to being unconscious about it - confident that we have made healthy choices. Secondly, we're not perfect. Yes, we all know what to eat, how much to eat, etc. But we also know that we shouldn't run that stop sign when no one's looking, or tell our boss that little fib to explain why we're late to work AGAIN, or putting that little something on our credit card when we know we don't really need it... We're not perfect - and that is absolutely no reason to beat ourselves up. There's an old expression: hate the sin, but love the sinner. You've made the choice to do something about weight. You've made the choice to share your concerns with folks who care. You've faced the fact that you are troubled. It may not seem like much, but you ARE doing something about it. Hang in there - you're most definitely not alone...

RED HOT & BLUE!!!!!! Think my nutrionist will give me a hard time for ordering pulled pork nachos????

Welcome aboard Cozzie - and it's good to see all of ya'll! Sorry I haven't been around as much lately... work has been biting me a bit harder than normal. But I think I'm back

Hehe... I do have some small advantages. First, I work from home - so multiple trips to the bathroom aren't as bad as for some folks... Secondly, I'm HUGE!!! So that much water isn't as scary for me. On the other hand, I'm still a ways from doing an hour of exercise, or weighing every day, or some of those other things...

Now I work for myself, but I have had several jobs where I telecommuted for someone else. As StrawartS said, I had them transfer calls to a separate business line I had at my home. Back then, one of the reasons for the separate line was for ease of accounting regarding my long distance charges... but with all the phone companies going to flat-rates for all calls, that's not as important anymore (unless you make international calls)... but if so, you might volunteer to pay for the additional line to be installed as long as the company foots the monthly bill for the line. You're right - email could be easy - but it might be a pain too. If the company has their own internal network system, you may have to convince their IT folks to configure your computer to remotely access their network. It's not difficult from a technical standpoint - but it may be difficult to convince a non-technical manager that it's easy to do. It is a different life - there are different expectations set on you. For example, when you are working at an office, there are plenty of times where someone might not find you at your desk: restroom or smoke break, out for lunch, talking with a colleague in their cube/office, filing, copying, etc. So they expect to leave you a note, or a message, or just drop by later. But when they don't find you at your desk at home, they just assume that you're lounging on the couch in front of the TV, or something equally silly. In other words, you might end up needing to be even more available than you are at an office. Conference calls, mobile phone text messages, emails, instant messaging... it's easy to get caught up in 3 or 4 conversations at the same time - but if you're even a little bit organized, telecommuting is a beautiful thing. The part that was hardest for me was setting boundaries. It's very easy to work too many hours... You're sitting on the couch, and a thought pops into your mind: "I forgot to do X!" So you think, "No sweat - I'll just hop over there and do it." And before you know it, it's 10:30 and you've worked a 12, 13, 14 hour day without realizing it. I hope it works out for you!! I've always wanted to meeet the HAPPIEST bandster in the world!

Mikey's May Challenge Scorecard! Starting weight: __486____ Starting inches: __570.25_ Starting fat %: I won't ever know this :eekB: Week 1: __ Monday, 05/01 _ Tuesday, 05/02_ Wednesday, 5/03 Thursday, 05/04 Friday, 05/05 _ Saturday, 05/06 Sunday, 05/07 1. Water __18_____ Water ___16____ Water ___16____ Water ____12___ Water _________ Water _________ Water _________ 2. Exercise _5____ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ___5__ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ 3. Protein __1____ Protein __1____ Protein ___1___ Protein ___1____ Protein _______ Protein _______ Protein _______ 4. Vitamins _1____ Vitamins __1___ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ 5. Calcium ___1___ Calcium __1____ Calcium _______ Calcium ___1___ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ 6. Food log __1___ Food log __1___ Food log __1___ Food log ___1__ Food log ______ Food log ______ Food log ______ 7. Choices __2____ Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ 8. Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ 9. Activity ______ Activity __2___ Activity ___1__ Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ 10 Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ 11 Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ 12 Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Totals Mon___29___ Tues ____21____ Wed ____19_____ Thurs ___20____ Fri ___________ Sat ___________ Sun ___________ Mon - Sun total added up: _______ + bonus points: _________ = weekly total: __________ Week 2: __ Monday, 05/08 _ Tuesday, 05/09_ Wednesday, 5/10 Thursday, 05/11 Friday, 05/12 _ Saturday, 05/13 Sunday, 05/14 1. Water _________ Water _________ Water _________ Water _________ Water _________ Water _________ Water _________ 2. Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ 3. Protein _______ Protein _______ Protein _______ Protein _______ Protein _______ Protein _______ Protein _______ 4. Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ 5. Calcium _______ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ 6. Food log ______ Food log ______ Food log ______ Food log ______ Food log ______ Food log ______ Food log ______ 7. Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ 8. Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ 9. Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ 10 Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ 11 Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ 12 Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Totals Mon________ Tues __________ Wed ___________ Thurs _________ Fri ___________ Sat ___________ Sun ___________ Mon - Sun total added up: _______ + bonus points: _________ = weekly total: __________ Week 3: __ Monday, 05/15 _ Tuesday, 05/16_ Wednesday, 5/17 Thursday, 05/18 Friday, 05/19 _ Saturday, 05/20 Sunday, 05/21 1. Water _________ Water _________ Water _________ Water _________ Water _________ Water _________ Water _________ 2. Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ 3. Protein _______ Protein _______ Protein _______ Protein _______ Protein _______ Protein _______ Protein _______ 4. Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ 5. Calcium _______ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ 6. Food log ______ Food log ______ Food log ______ Food log ______ Food log ______ Food log ______ Food log ______ 7. Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ 8. Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ 9. Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ 10 Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ 11 Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ 12 Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Totals Mon________ Tues __________ Wed ___________ Thurs _________ Fri ___________ Sat ___________ Sun ___________ Mon - Sun total added up: _______ + bonus points: _________ = weekly total: __________ Week 4: __ Monday, 05/22 _ Tuesday, 05/23_ Wednesday, 5/24 Thursday, 05/25 Friday, 05/26 _ Saturday, 05/27 Sunday, 05/28 1. Water _________ Water _________ Water _________ Water _________ Water _________ Water _________ Water _________ 2. Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ 3. Protein _______ Protein _______ Protein _______ Protein _______ Protein _______ Protein _______ Protein _______ 4. Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ 5. Calcium _______ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ 6. Food log ______ Food log ______ Food log ______ Food log ______ Food log ______ Food log ______ Food log ______ 7. Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ 8. Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ 9. Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ 10 Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ 11 Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ 12 Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Totals Mon________ Tues __________ Wed ___________ Thurs _________ Fri ___________ Sat ___________ Sun ___________ Mon - Sun total added up: _______ + bonus points: _________ = weekly total: __________ Week 5: __ Monday, 05/29 _ Tuesday, 05/30_ Wednesday, 5/31 1. Water _________ Water _________ Water _________ 2. Exercise ______ Exercise ______ Exercise ______ 3. Protein _______ Protein _______ Protein _______ 4. Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ Vitamins ______ 5. Calcium _______ Calcium _______ Calcium _______ 6. Food log ______ Food log ______ Food log ______ 7. Choices _______ Choices _______ Choices _______ 8. Personal ______ Personal ______ Personal ______ 9. Activity ______ Activity ______ Activity ______ 10 Weight ________ Weight ________ Weight ________ 11 Inches ________ Inches ________ Inches ________ 12 Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Fat % _________ Totals Mon________ Tues __________ Wed ___________ Mon - Wed total added up: _______ + bonus points: _________ = weekly total: __________ Grand total: Week 1 points: ____________ Week 2 points: ____________ Week 3 points: ____________ Week 4 points: ____________ Week 5 points: ____________ My total points: __________ Ending weight: ______ Ending inches: ______

Hi Emily... I'm not sure if this will be applicable to you or not, but I found it to be very weird/interesting. As Janet mentioned, my scale finally moved again - and it's a bit bizarre. I just got my 2nd fill last Tuesday (the 18th), and I had expected that the scale would be quite a bit lower for me. We don't own a scale, so the only time I can weigh is at the doc's office. Not only had it not gone down, it had gone up - like 5 pounds! That was a bit discouraging for me... actually, that was very discouraging. I really expected it to be lower - I'd been keeping up (reasonably well) with my diet and exercise plan. I had felt a noticeable difference in how easy I've been moving, and how differently my clothes felt, and Janet has been gushing about the difference in the way that I look. (Yes, she's my wife, and she's supposed to say that stuff, but I do think she really meant it.) When the scale showed that I'd actually gained, I got kinda down. Fast forward to yesterday (the 27th). Just over a week since my fill, and we went in for our group session - and we weighed. In those 9 days, I had lost 13 pounds!! I didn't cut my calories in half, or double my exercise or anything like that... It was like the scale finally caught up to me. So I'm back on track - just about 3 pounds per week - just from keeping on my program. I don't know if there's anything scientifically provable about this - but I have seen it before... if we stick to our guns, the scale has no choice but to eventually catch up with us. It just makes sense, right? If I eat x number of calories, and I burn y number of calories, as long as x + y is less than what I need to maintain my weight, then my weight eventually will go down. Sometimes there's a lag between the body and the scale, but I think you'll see a serious difference before long. That exercise should really jump-start your metabolism... hang in there!

Hmmm... is it weird that I just saw my wife sewing stripes on the sleeve of an olive drab shirt? No? Ok, is it weird that the whole time, she was chanting under her breath "I'll get those people moving!!! HUP 2 3 4!!!!" I dunno - it was kinda scary!!!