Malaika

True, however, people will grasp at anything to try and lose weight, that's why the diet industry is multi-million dollar industry ... everyone looking for the quick fix. The magic pill that will do the work for them; they still don't realize that everything is a tool ... THEY still have to do the work ... for some that doesn't sink in for quite some time, if ever.

One of my favs is slicing the sweet potato, putting the slices on a foiled lined pan and "baking" them on the grill until soft ... about 20 minutes ... you can sprinkle them with salt, pepper or even a little garlic ... they are very tasty.

I don't know him at all -- I know his sister pretty well though ... he does no free consultations so once I get close to goal, I'll be going to see him to see how much it's going to cost (BOB) ... LOL

I told him that our grocery bill would probably decrease as would eating out bills. I'm hoping he will get up and exercise with me as he needs to lose weight too. So thank you for this idea. Doesn't sound sappy to me at all - sounds like he truly loves and cares about you. Support ast home is very important. I'm gald we'll both have it.

WOW, I didn't know that -- I was taking it in the morning with my other pills ... I quit taking all of it except my RX drugs about 3 weeks ago ... figured the less I was taking at the time of surgery the better and less pills to swallow ... if I start back on it down the road, I will keep that in mind. As usual, thanks WASa:thumbup1:

I know what you mean - everyone at work always asks where someone is going when they take time off ... I just told them we were headed to So. Cal to spend some time at the beach and relax ... it's not totally a lie. The only thing I told my boss was that I was having some "minor health issues" and he said he hoped everything turned out okay. So if push comes to shove, and people notice what I am eating, then I'll go with the hiatal hernia response and if they asked why I didn't say anything, I'll just respond it was a private matter. Good luck on whatever course you choose.

Thank goodness neither of us have any little ones at home ... except our two puppies and he's quite helpful with everything around the house already, so I am quite lucky. Thanks for the response.

No, he doesn't expect me to be bedridden, I think it's more that he wants to know what verbal support he can give or what the wrong things he could say .. that type of help.

We'll (me and Ruthi) will look for you on the 11th after our pre-op tests and expect you to check up on us on the 12th after our surgeries ... we'll "party" together ... I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers for a safe journey and surgery on the 10th. :wink0::thumbup:

Legally, I don't believe they have the right to ask you why you need the time off if you have PTO time available. That is why it is PTO - PERSONAL TIME OFF ... if you have it available, then all you have to do is request it. No one has the right to question WHY you need the time off. Management has the right to deny the time off for various reasons -- too many people off at the same time, for example. However, if you don't want to tell your boss the reason for the request for time off, you don't have to.

Ok, ok, I give -- I screwed up ... open mouth, insert foot, chew vigorously. :wink0: ... slinking away now ..

Oh yes, I forgot - I also drink crystal lite and the ones made by Lipton (they have splenda in them) - I forgot. Plus, none of us are going to get off this planet alive, so if something is going to kill me, I'm with you - so be it.

WOW I knew all of that had lots of calories; however, never knew the exact numbers. Thankfully, I've never ordered any of it. Well did get the quesadilla burger once -- it was awful - ended up eating 1/2 the burger. It was also incredibly messy to eat -- not that has anything to do with the price of tea in China. Thanks for posting that article WASa - very interesting! And I believe people would be swayed on what they order if they had the information in front of them ... and I am sure that is why the restaurants don't want it -- their profits will definitely decrease if numbers are posted, IMO

When I was doing the shots/pill weight loss, the doctor specifically told me to avoid all artificial sweetners, especially aspartame, as it would slow/stall/stop my weight loss. I don't care for aspartame at all. I haven't had soft drinks in over 20 years and I can drink my iced tea without sweetner, so it was not a big deal for me. I haven't read Dr. Atkins book in years, so do not recall what he has to say about it specifically; obviously this man does as he knows the exact pages! My theory is to avoid putting anything artificial into your system as much as you can. I do occassionally use stevia in my 1 cup of daily coffee; however, that's about it.

WASa, so you only count carbs in things like bread, rice, white potatoes and don't worry about fruit etc.? I've pretty much given up all white carbs and sugar (Occassionally give in when they are serving warm sourdough bread ... mmmmmmm)

Which I totally don't understand because these people obviously had been on diets before and every diet involves reading labels...WW you have to know calories and fat; Atkins - Protein and carbs, no sugar/no flour - ingredients, calories ... so how did they get through the dieting process without at least absorbing SOMETHING?

wow that is one heck of a challenge rb -- i will have to give this some serious thought and will be interested to see what others who have more experience have to say. (sorry for the caps, i was too lazy to go back and change them)

That is what I thought when I read it -- I always thought ricotta had no flavor ... however, I'd decided everyone was saying it was so yummy that perhaps I'd have to give it a try after my surgery and I'm on mushies or solids ... so if there is a trick to giving it flavor, please share.

Well, you are one ahead of me -- I ended up throwing out what I bought. Let me know if you have any luck finding those marshmallow mud pie bars -- if not, I'll pick you up a box and send them to you (of course, you'll have to email or pm me your address) but they are the best of all the atkins bars I purchased.

I told my boss just that -- he didn't ask anymore as I am sure he was afraid I would tell him it was female related ... LOL

You got that right ... plus if you're skin is the wrong color or you don't have money, or you aren't dressed quite right, then you don't always get the same treatment as someone else. I've seen that on more than one occassion ... I have worked med mal cases for 6 years ... both on defense and as plaintiff ... it's shocking the things that happen and the "mistakes" doctors make ... some of the cases I have worked on, and one I am working on now are so very very sad and simply because the doctor made a simple mistake ... I'm not saying that everyone is perfect; however, I think that doctors should be limited on the number of hours they work a day -- or at least the number of surgeries that are performed by any one doctor in a give day/week. I don't think it matters if your doctor is from the US, Mexico or BFE -- there are great doctors, mediocre doctors and butchers everywhere. IMO at least.

I know what you mean - I bought some sugar free chocolate candy .. oh man ... the candy tasted good but the results afterwards didn't make it worth it.

I haven't had the opportunity - YET - however, I always remember my mom saying "You stay fat in your mind longer than in your body" after she had lost over 100 lbs. and kept it off .. I will be interested to see if that is true ...will keep you posted as my weight comes off ...

OMG -- I hadn't thought about that ... I always tease that I look younger than I am because I'm so fat it pulls all the wrinkles out of my face ... UH OH ... guess I'd better starting working on face exercises... I don't want to look any older than I do and definitely not my age!

I use Zantac. Is your RX or OTC? I buy the OTC ... 2 = 1 RX ... if I've got bad reflux, I'll take 4 OTC which is equivcalent to 2 RX ... it helps me; however, priolsec works better for others.