Think Thin review

Well, so far I have tried the Brownie Crunch and the Chunky Peanut Butter bars.
The chunky peanut butter, while not exactly chunky, had a good taste. The nutritionals are awesome, but the flavor did not blow me away. It was not really sweet or salty, just somewhere in between. I have definitely had better, but I have also had worse. There was not bad aftertaste, but the chocolate coating didn't exactly taste like chocolate either. This bar is ok if it is on sale.

The crunchy brownie was another story all together. It was, one word, awful. Not even remotely close to any brownie I have ever tasted. The I experienced a definitely weird chalky protein aftertaste. Not good.

Since I already paid for the other bars, there will be more reviews to come.

I feel abandoned

I just checked my feed analyzer and ALL of my subscribers (all 4 of you) unsubscribed in 1 DAY! Is that possible or even probable? Or is my feed analyzer messed up? (crossing my fingers!)

So please do me a favor, if you read this blog, drop me a little note and introduce yourself, so I know whether or not I should continue with this project.

Think Thin

Review coming soon.

In the mean time visit their website:

http://www.thinkproducts.com/thin-bars.php

They look pretty and tasty and the nutritionals seem good, but the test will be tomorrow at work when my pouch starts a rumbling.....We'll see then if the taste is as great as the marketing.

Weekend with Friends

So here is my latest full length shot. I guess my shirt is a bit big, but I don't have many that truly fit anymore. In the picture with me are my friends Justin and Melissa.

Since I am living in Nowheresville, Iowa, I thought that a trip to see some friends would do me some good. So, I drove up to Minneapolis where several of my friends have relocated to. I had a great time shopping at Mall of America and IKEA. I can definitely say that I got my exercise on Saturday by shopping. I hit Nordstrom Rack and struck gold. I walked out with four pairs of quality shoes and I got a great bargain on them!

The friend I stayed with graduated from grad school the year before me and has not seen me since my surgery. I spent a good part of the trip explaining to her how the surgery works, how I am feeling, etc etc etc. It is a bit weird to have to talk that much about myself, but every time I do, I find out more about myself. I realized this weekend how scared I am about my future. I was scared before surgery that I would die hugely fat and young. Now I am scared that i will get sick from this surgery and die young anyway. I didn't realize this consciously until I found myself talking with her about it.

I went out Saturday night with my friends and had a great time talking and laughing. I have some truly great people in my life. Thank you Debra, Justin and Melissa. You all completely cheered me up.

And to all my internet/blog friends. Thank you for filling the void and easing my loneliness.

Retail Therapy

After my bad week at work and home, I went to Minneapolis for some retail therapy. i hit Mall of America AND IKEA. What a whirlwind. I will be sure to post pics of my night out tomorrow.

Until then, here is my new baby:

rss Hugger

I think education about weight loss surgery is one of the most important steps in the decision making process. When I was considering the surgery, I read blogs voraciously. I wanted to follow others through their process so I would know the ups and downs. That is the main reason I started this blog. And helping others negotiate is why I joined rssHugger. It groups blogs with similar themes together and makes them easy to find for readers. Give it a whirl to look for blogs or add your blog to gain readers! It is free and so cool.

http://www.rsshugger.com/

Updated pic per Amber's request

Look to the right!

I am going to visit friend in Minneapolis this weekend and I will try to get a full body shot then.

Lonely

I miss my boy. He lives in Phoenix, I live in Iowa.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we live on opposite sides of the country. He is currently caring for his ailing mother because his father recently passed away.

Now I have a good job and can afford to travel and see him fairly often. The problem lies with his mother. She is manipulative and controlling and very jealous of me. She wants him to stay home and take his father's place, which disturbs me deeply. Frankly it disturbs him too. I have an upcoming business trip to LA. My boss told me to head out early and visit my boy. I was so excited, and so was he. Then his mother hit the roof. She started crying about how he just came to Iowa in May (for my graduation) and a couple of months before that (for my surgery). She threw a fit! So my boy caved and said he cannot come out to LA for the weekend. I am only asking for three days! He was upset, but he just doesn't want to make her too upset, since she had a cardiac episode two weeks ago. I am so disappointed. I miss him so much it physically hurts sometimes. He promised that as soon as he gets a job, we will take a weekend trip together, but I am afraid he will get a job that requires weekends. AAAHH!

I am going through so many things right now, I need someone here with me. My hormones are out of control and I am crying all of the time. I just want someone to hold me once in a while. Instead I took a job in a nowhere town where I know not a soul. I am so lonely. And we committed to this situation for two years. I am only one month in and I am already ready to break. How am I going to make it two years and stay sane?

Wii Fit

Ok, due the the delerium that set in post-workout, I ponied up the money and bought a wii fit. I paid the crazy super gouged price, but I don't care. I will have uber-fun and get uber healthy!

Maybe someday I will look like this:

Ok, so I am a pasty white girl, not a latin goddess, but besides that, this is totally my goal!

Finally

So ever since I have started working, I have grossly neglected my exercise. During my extended, post-graduation travels, i didn't do any official working out, but my trips were all active. Hours of walking per day. Rafting, swimming, hiking, etc. But since then (3 weeks) nada. I have been super lazy. But today, I went swimming. I GOT OFF MY ASS! and it felt good! Now I just need to repeat this, over and over and over! Wish me luck!

Hormonal rage and craziness

I normally like to consider myself sane. But not today, oh no! So starting out, I am currently hosting my monthly visitor. Combine this with getting up very early to wait for the satellite guy after staying up too late last night and you have a crazy cocktail.

i woke up at the crack of dawn to make myself presentable for the technician who was scheduled to arrive sometime between 7am and noon. I wait and wait and wait. At 12:01, I am pissed. (long story short - third attempt for them to fix problem. I have had two, count them two days of functionality in three weeks) So I cll said company, which might rhyme with Shmish Shmetwork, and told them to get someone out here TODAY, or cancel my service. An hour later and three supervisors later, and they finally agreed to cancel my service. But only after I begged and pleaded and then finally screamed, CANCEL MY GD SERVICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hate getting to that point, but they just wouldn't stop trying to convince me that I should keep their service despite the fact that it does not work, and they cannot seem to find time to fix it. DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE? NO, it does not.

So after that fiasco, my wait for my washer and dryer delivery began. They delivery folks called and told me they were running early, could they come now? Of course I say, I am out running errands, but I can be home in 15 minutes. They say great we will most likely be there in 25 minutes or so. So I scurry home, excited by the fact that i get to wash everything in my house from clothes to curtains tonight. When they arrive, 3 hours later! (we won't go into that) they say that the part they sold me to hook the dryer up to the vent is too short. So I say, ok, can I buy a longer one. They say, probably not from us though. and they tell me to go to the hardware store and buy this piece, they wrote it down and everything, and then it will be a snap to install. The dryer is light, they say. No sweat, you'll have no trouble at all. So they leave. and they leave my dryer in the hall uninstalled. so i go get the parts and try to do it myself. Now, i live alone in a town where I know NO ONE. and i cannot get this to install. At which point I am saying the f word so much it is beginning to sound like a mantra. So I call them back. They guy on the phone says. i don't know what to do about this. I guess I can have someone call you. I say call me today? He says, umm i don't know. I say call me Monday? He says, ummm i don't know. I say, well I have a dryer in my hall. blocking the path to my bedroom and bathroom today. and it is heavy. and i tried, but I cannot hook it up and move it myself, which i PAID YOU TO DO! I was literally crying. OVER A DRYER. and TV, lets be honest here, I NEED my Law and Order marathons. I hang up on the guy because I hate to cry and I refuse to cry to a stranger. SO, I call my boy and sob like a mad woman. He is nice and caring, but he is 2000 miles away. So, I call my other guy, Dad. Who is goofy, but wonderful. He tries to talk me through the process, to no avail. Then as I start to cry again, he says, I will come up there tonight and hook it up. It will be fine. I will go get your mom and we will be on our way. They live 4 HOURS away. I love my dad. I hate the TV people and the appliance people, but I love my dad.

Shout out to Connie Elders!

I just bought these:

And I love them! I put them on and at first I thought it was way too comfortable to make a difference, but I shrugged and headed into work. Then I caught my reflection in the glass door in the lobby. I could not believe my silhouette. No lumps or bumps at all. I was giddy. So I am passing on this wonderfulness to all of you. buy yourself a pair already!

http://www.lipoinabox.com/servlet/ProductView?command=cp&supplierID=378&commodityID=31155&searchIndex=0

Spoke too soon. AKA lessons learned the hard way

On Friday, I had to go to a meeting in Indiana. We took corporate jet to one of our sister company's headquarters, where we walked a huge, hot factory floor to examine how they build their product. Mistake number 1) Forgot to tote some water - literally almost passed out. So, I learned that lesson the hard way. Mistake number 2) I did not eat breakfast, I just had a protein laden latte. However, i did this at 5am and lunch was not scheduled until 12:30 pm - again almost passed out. Then when lunch rolled around, it was Pizza! What was I to do? I ate the toppings off a ham and veggie slice and tried not to draw attention to myself. Lesson learned - Always pack a couple protein bars. My new favorite is this: http://www.amazon.com/Kelloggs-Special-Protein-Chocolate-6-Count/dp/B000M5QEZ8
and I should have toted a few along!

Well, overall it was a miserable day. The meetings went well, but i was definitely distracted by discomfort. So next time I will be prepared!

First business lunch post-op

Uh-oh! I faced the situation today which I head been dreading since surgery. My team took me out to eat for a welcome lunch. I was so nervous. I think if they notice how little I eat, will they think I am just playing being a light eater, because obviously looking at me I must eat right? Or will they notice that I eat the meat off the sandwich and not the bread? or or or...all these scenarios going through my crazy brain.

Well, it went by mostly uneventfully. I ordered the chicken salad sandwich and a small side salad. Everyone was so busy asking me questions that even if I had wanted too, I wouldn't have been able to eat much. So, when i took home most of my leftovers, no one batted an eye.

I might tell my immediate team about the surgery at some point, but for now, I'd rather stick to business.

Sensitivity Training

So since I just started my job, I of course had to sit through the inevitable HR diversity and harassment training. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised that we spent a full fifteen minutes (they had a video and everything) discussing non-traditional harassment and discrimination. So beyond racial profiling and gender issues etc. What they spent the most time on was fat and homosexual discrimination and harassment. WOWZA! I could not believe my ears. I was so proud to be working for this company. I think this is a good move in my life.

To blog or not to blog

So...I have a post sitting in my blog waiting to be published. BUT, it is very perrsonal. It is a story of someone I love. And my feelings about them are spelled out. Now this person knows the story and knows my feelings, but i am not sure how he would feel about publishing them in cyber space. What if someone we know happened across them?

I feel like this blog has become my place to get things off my chest. A diary basically and in order to tell my story properly, this chapter must be included, but at the same time, I am scared of the repercussions. The digital world is complicated

Vitamin case

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E13BVA

I just got this from Amazon. It really helps me stay on track with all of my vitamins. Very small (great for purse) and stays closed when it is suppossed to. plus, it is big enough for my calcium chews!I highly recommend it!

All sorted out

So a quick update on the job situation. I have one! Woo-Hoo! I got a call at 7am (UGH!) yesterday from my bosses assistant saying everything cleared and was I ready to come in. I definitely was! Except for the fact that until the phone rang, I was in dream land. I hopped up and rushed in.

Weird thing is I am dreaming every night about my guy. Normally he haunts my dreams occasionally, but this whole week, I've dreamt about him every night. It is hard to be so far from him. Normally, when we part, we already have plans on when we will see each other next, but this time, I don't know. Most likely it will be the holidays, but who knows? :( How do I get through this?

258!

I know that is still a lot, but I cannot remember ever weighing this little. I am super happy. And so far, only minimal hair loss!

On the job front though, I am sucking. I took a job and moved for it and started this Monday. Halfway through the day, the HR office called and said I had to leave immediately because my criminal check and drug test were never performed. They only hired me in March to start in JULY! For crying out loud, was that not enough time? So here I sit waiting to hear when I can begin work. It is frustrating! They already paid movers to move me and everything. How backward is that?