Originally Posted by mkbhanna:
Can I come back?

Of course you can! Welcome back! :hug:

Originally Posted by :
I'm going to do it this time. There's nothing coming up that will knock me off. I can do it....I can do it....:carrot:

That's the spirit! :cheer:

Originally Posted by abovethedin:
Does anyone have any issues with being "regular"?

I use FiberSure in shakes/soups at least once a day. I preferred it to Benefiber (personal choice). You could try them & see which one works best for you.

Be sure to count the extra carbs it adds...those pesky carbs can sneak up on you & put you over your limit.

Ah, the regularity issue!
Well, first of all, if you use Benefiber or stirrable fiber, there are carb additives to it, so you need to count those carbs.
BUT, if you use something like psyllium husks in capsule form, you don't because although there is a carb count, you will not absorb these carbs because they are the kind of fiber that your body doesn't digest. So, what I do is take a dose of psyllium in the am and again in the pm for 3 or 4 consecutive days each week. Keeps me "regular" and smiley!!!
Hope this helps,
Maya
:)

Fiber
 

I take the Metamucil caplets if I haven't had a trip in a couple of days and then take until I'm feeling normal again. It works great for me and it has the psyllium Maya mentioned.

Job woes
 

Okay, I'm home now so I'll talk about the job issue and it's going to be long. Just skip it if you don't want to read it - I just need to vent to people who are separate from the situation and get their input. I'm tough - I can take it.

I work for a medium size engineering firm that was started by a man several years ago. The man died tragically fairly young and his wife took over but depended on several of the men in the company to really run it for her. I came on 8 years ago as only the 2nd female engineer ever hired by the company. My father was a senior engineer in the firm and my brother was and still is a manager and my boss (no issues there....most of the time ;) ). The VP over our division was an older, very traditional (sexist) man who tried G*d bless him but didn't succeed to accept women in the business. He kept tight control over salaries and the managers never saw them. We thought there might be some equal pay issues but could never prove it. We did know that we were being paid fairly for the market we're in and that the company offered a lot of flexibility which was good for working mothers. So, last summer the VP retired and another much younger, sensible man replaced him. In December I got an unexpected increase (mine wasn't due until June) and when I asked about it was told I deserved it and that they were trying to even things out some. Last week I was doing some extra budget work for them and suddenly, although I saw no rates, it was VERY obvious how much of a discrepancy there was between the men and the two women. I was LIVID - I went to my brother who called the VP who told him they would have to make it up in little jumps like the one in December. Nope, I threatened a lawsuit and immediately got a 20% increase! Oh my goodness, what my family could have been doing with that money for the last 8 years (my husband works in a different field and makes half my salary BEFORE the increase). The 20% puts me with the males I am comperable with but I'm still wondering if I should fight for backpay. I really enjoy what I do and the people I work with.

So ladies (I think you all are ladies) - what would you do? Would you fight it or be happy with the 20%? I don't want to make them angry - they've taken my threats well so far....almost as if they were expecting it eventually...hmmmm.....but would I be pushing it too far? At this point I think I'll just sit on my winnings and keep doing a good job for them but like I said I am interested in hearing impartial judges.

Oh wait, let me add something MFy so the post will be legal. :D Hmmmm.....I hate that tomato soup. I'll never order it again. I can't see anyway I can make it palatable.

Have a wonderful evening!

Maria

Ruth - Thanks so much - it is lovely :hug:

Thank you Maya - :hug:

mbk - Of course! :carrot:

Waving Hi to everyone...

Stressful household I am afraid, but keeping myself together :)

job issues! yuck... yikes..! sorry you are having trouble.. good luck with that!

my medifast day.. hmmm well..
I had ate two choc/mint bars. Yes two. I was starving and I just did it...
other than that I'm ok.. I ordered a grilled chix salad for dinner and tossed out the oranges in them... I'm drinking herbal tea now...and reminding myself at how full I am.. ( eyeroll)..
everyone keep shakin~

Hmmmm...Ethical question...I absolutely understand your aggravation and your rage at the situation. But we need to take emotion out of the equation.
I think you can ask yourself some questions to clarify the situation:
1. Are you willing to leave your job over this voluntarily?
2. Are you OK with getting fired and looking for a new job?
3. Are you going to be looking in any case for a new job in the future?
4. Do you want the references that an amicable parting would bring?
5. Is not getting back-pay a deal breaker for you with respect to you staying there?
Personally, it is easy for me to sit here and tell you to FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT or to tell you to SUCK IT UP, because I don't have to live your reality and I don't have to live in the aftermath of your decision.
What I WILL say is that if I wasn't prepared to leave my job (either voluntarily or involuntarily) and live on my DH's salary while looking for another job (either with or without a good reference) then I would be happy with the raise because the injustice has been rectified.
JMHO
Maya
:)

mkb,
Wow. I don't know what others think, but I'm a big weenie. I would let it be and enjoy my job with people I like. But, again, I'm a weenie.

SweetP,
Thank you for copying the post in which Maya calls me stupid!!!!! Bad SweetP!! :p I'm SO SORRY about your husband!! What does type of job does he do? Can he get unemployment?? What a crappy thing at a crappy time of year! :hug:

The cravings went away thank goodness! I wanted NOTHING more than to gorge! Still didn't lose an ounce. Hello, my name is Michelle and I'm a scale-aholic....:o

I hope everyone has a wonderful MFing Wednesday.

Maya: Thank you so much for sharing your shopping experience with us... It is extremely motivating! Could you throw some numbers for us? Like how many pounds have you lost in the last three months... I think that we are about the same height wise... Just trying to see if i could be in your shoes in 3 months ;)

SweetP: Sorry to hear about your husband... But i am sure another door will open and that it will be way better:D

Maria: Sucks to hear about your job's problem. I am glad that you got your raise... Just like Maya, I would be cautious, because even though you rightfully deserve back pay, pushing the issue might get you in trouble and could start a hidden war of getting rid of you...

Sue: Thanks for the info :) You are as always very helpful:hug:

Andie Mom: I thought we started the same day... didn't you start on Friday, January 4th? I was thinking about moving my weigh in day to saturday... I have been weighing myself everyday also but i am not worrying about it... I know that it is normal for my weight to not drop on some days and stays the same... So far I have lost 4.6 pounds (Day 5)... what's about you?

Ruth: I will blow as much will power as you want ;) I know you have it in you!!! You already have lost quite a few pounds! Our weights are very similar right now! I know that we can do this!!! I would love to cross the Onederland gate with you;) We are so close to it now ...:carrot::carrot::carrot:

Hey Everyone!!!

I started my medifast today-- this is going to be great. Its so easy for me to fit it into my life style-- between work and meetings today I was home for 10 minutes and out of the house from 7:15 am to 9:30 and it was so easy to bring it with me and have my 1 meal at lunch.

I felt like I was eating all the time...the only problem that I think I am going ot have is keeping all of my eating in before 7 30. I have always eaten dinner later in the evening and just always ate after noon time. So that is an adjustment.

I was hungry at all until about 9 30 to now LOL. But I am not going to eat anything.

What is in this stuff by the way...there is something thats making me jittery...like caffeinine. I have done fasting and thats more of a normal part of my life so it doesn't feel like the normal fasting thing-- its just this weird thing. So I am wondering if there is something in this-- a chemical maybe?

Any ideas?

Wooo hooo I am so excited to watch my ticker go down and down!

Originally Posted by Floprieto;1988725[B:
Andie Mom:[/B] I thought we started the same day... didn't you start on Friday, January 4th? I was thinking about moving my weigh in day to saturday... I have been weighing myself everyday also but i am not worrying about it... I know that it is normal for my weight to not drop on some days and stays the same... So far I have lost 4.6 pounds (Day 5)... what's about you?

Flo: Yes, we started on the same day. I go to weight watchers (is that OK to say, here?) on Sunday mornings so that's why I have Sunday as my official weigh in day. You are doing great! :carrot: It's nice to have this forum for support! It helps a lot. I'm goin' to bed now so I don't eat anything I shouldn't. I really struggle with hunger in the evenings.

Hi Ms Flo!
Here is a bit of my dieting history!
Graduated from university at 161lbs. Down to 152lbs. Stayed there for about 30 seconds. Bounced up to 185 lbs. Then up to 199lbs. Then went to WW.
Started and stopped WW over and over and OVER again but eventually got down to 168 lbs approximately 10 years ago.
Weight crept up to 192 in 1999 and I stayed there until approximately 2003.
2003 crept up to 243 (!), stayed there until 2005.
Very Low Calorie diet (horrible diet, never go there again...) in 2005, down to 172. Stayed there for about 30 seconds (hahaha) and bounced up to 185. Stayed there until March 2007. Crept up to 202lbs between March and November 2007!
Started Medifast November 1st 2007.
Whew-tired yet???
November 1: 202 lbs
December 1: 185 lbs
December 24th:173 lbs
On and off plan from December 24th until January 3rd.
January 3rd:176 lbs
January 9th:171 lbs
So, since November 1st (Official MF start date) I am down 31lbs. And 11 of those days were either off-plan completely or partially (i.e. 4 MF meals and one whatever the heck I want meal).
What I've learned is that in all seriousness, LOSING the weight is the easiest part. MAINTAINING it is very very hard. One's mindset has to be 100% ON PLAN if you want to lose weight the MF way as it IS a bit extreme and DOES require discipline and committment, and if you are OFF PLAN, you need to figure out how to get back on track 100%. For me, half-measures don't work for losing weight.
To maintain my loss, I am going to have to find a plan for me that I can mostly follow. I honestly don't see myself eating MF meals for the rest of my life, as lovely as most of them are. I have to figure out my relationship with food, find a way to make it less important overall, set a goal weight RANGE, and how to adjust my intake on a daily basis in order to keep the lbs from creeping up.
Later!
Maya
:)

Maya, you are an inspiration. Please cough on me so I catch some of your determination.

That being said, I was 100% on plan yesterday and the scale dropped 2 pounds overnight. I can smell ONEderland.

My hospital stay and convalescence are going to be tricky as they stress the need for fruit, grains and dairy as needed for healing. I will certainly have to modify my plan when I get home and just do my best while in hospital. I have placed my second order and will be ready to roll back to full MF as soon as I can.

Check out our new front page at www.3fatchicks.com/ . Suzanne pulled an all-nighter and we're looking fresh and feisty for 2008!

Originally Posted by freiamaya:
Graduated from university at 161lbs. Down to 152lbs. Stayed there for about 30 seconds.
:)

Maya,

That statement had me rolling! :rofl: Congratualtions on your 31 pound loss. That is absolutely wonderful!

Thank you to everyone who gave me input on the regularity issue. I think I will definitely look into psyllium(sp?). I didn't realize there were carbs that the body didn't absorb. That is good to know.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day today!

Jen