With Thanksgiving behind us we can focus on preparing mentally for the challenge of Christmas!? So, if you’re making Christmas cookies, send them some place else!!!

Here is what the Guru had to say about this weeks weigh in -
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Thanksgiving couldn’t keep you guys down! Some fantastic results this week people.

The numbers:

Team Red: dropped 10 pounds for a total of 28 pounds lost from initial weigh in, sitting at 1252 right now.

Team White: Dropped a pound, for a loss of 31 pounds since initial weigh-in, sitting at 1033.

Team Blue: These bad asses are taking no prisoners! Dropped another 9 pounds taking them down to 48 pounds lost since initial weigh-in, sitting at 1092 total right now.

Great job everyone! You proved that the holidays don’t have to be an excuse to gain weight. I’m hopeful that you all had a great Thanksgiving anyway. Some of you were shocked that you actually lost. I contend that once you become keenly aware of what you are eating based on the eating plan I put you on, you make more decisions that you are aware of that limit the amount of fat-gaining calories you would normally consume without realizing it

We are going into the home-stretch to Christmas right now so let’s stay focused on our goals and keep up this momentum. If you can get through this first round and actually drop you will all have a head start on the January resolution crowd. You should all be very proud of yourselves for that accomplishment.

Peace out.

JP

Here is The Guru’s message for the week -

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Progress! Good job everyone. Some pretty good progress was made this week. Let’s ride this wave of success to the next level.

Kerry, I think it’s time to have the talk… Everyone seems really motivated but they lack the tools they need to succeed. After this talk, everyone will walk away with useful and applicable knowledge… They will OWN it! Like that seen in the matrix when Tank uploads all that data to Neo’s brain… You’ll walk out of the room saying, “I know Kung Fu!”

Another factor that will impact fat loss progress is something we haven’t really addressed yet… Exercise. After talking to a few of you today I have determined that there is enough interest to propose a workout program that can be done in 10-15 minutes right here at F&B without having to even go to a gym using inexpensive resistance training bands as the equipment that will rev up your collective metabolisms. More on that later.

Here are the numbers today:

Some upsets today… White has come from behind for the first time since this contest started to tie it up with team Red. Team Blue dropped behind, but only by 1 pound.

Red: 1255 lb, down 3 pounds this week and down 25 pounds from initial weigh-in.

White: 1039 lb, down 25 pounds from initial weigh-in (a loss of NINE pounds this week!)

Blue: 1247, up 3 pounds this week, down 24 pounds from initial weigh-in.

The total F&B loss is 74 pounds from the initial weigh-in, so you are all 3541 total pounds as of today.

Keep sending me questions. I think you’re all starting to figure this stuff out, so don’t be shy. I want all of you to succeed!

Good job guys!

JP

Two weeks ago we had lost 100 pounds as a group. This week we back-tracked and are only down 65 pounds as a whole.? We’ve gained 35 pounds in two weeks!

Here is J(the fitness Guru)P’s inspiration for the week -

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The entire F&B staff gained a total of 18 pounds this week. The adjusted initial weigh-in total was 3615 pounds. Today’s total is 3550 pounds, putting the entire staff at a total of 65 pounds lost.

No more messing around. Let’s not make excuses. Take care of your body because it’s the only one you’ve got! Re-read last weeks email that I just sent this morning and make a promise to yourself to be accountable. Get a little notebook that you can journal your intake. I promise that you’ll see results quickly. It’s easy to think you’re eating okay if you’re not keeping a record of it because there are lots of little snacks that you don’t count. No one gains weight while eating a sub-maintenance calorie diet. If you are gaining then you are simply ingesting more than your body’s energy requirement. The numbers don’t lie!

It’s only going to get harder with the cold weather and holidays on the way. Take charge NOW.? Like Kerry has said, take advantage of my offer to help individuals with stalled progress.

Your friend in fitness,

JP

And what is in the pot you might ask? Well, to begin with it was a nice wad of cash that Arkansas Flag and Banner put in to seed-the-pot.? Each week if you, individually, gain any weight from the previous week you have to put in a dollar.

And I’m proud to announce that to-date we have lost a combined 100 pounds!? But we have a long way to go to reach many of our individual goals.

JP is good about sending us motivational emails after each week’s weigh in… I thought I would start sharing them with you.

Here is last weeks, and NO… I’m not dressed like a hooker!

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AFB CREW – Looks like we’re getting back on track. If last week helped let me know. Don’t be shy about emailing me questions either. If you’re okay with everyone else benefiting from my reply just send to “all.” If you prefer to ask questions privately I’ll respect that too. I want to see a major loss this week!

Somehow (I don’t know how) Red team held on to their lead, but only by 3 pounds. Blue is hot on their heels. Red actually gained a pound last week, as did White team. Blue had the most loss this week with a drop of 6 pounds!

The numbers:

Red: 1382 (up one pound from last week and down 34 pounds from initial weigh-in)

White: 1217 (up one pound from last week and down 28 pounds from initial weigh-in)

Blue: 1240 (down six pounds and down 31 pounds from initial weigh-in)

Total amount lost from the entire staff since the weigh-in is back on track at 93 pounds. Congratulations F&B crew!

I want to issue a challenge this week. I think that if every person in this contest were to drop at least one measly pound we would have a 20 pound loss. IF you guys can lose a net of 20 pounds, Kerry has agreed to spring for a nutrition lecture by yours truly. And Kerry will dress up like a prostitute and walk downtown at lunch for an hour and try not to get arrested. (Just kidding on that last part)

Here’s how you can do it. It’s a simple matter of caloric restriction. Follow the guidelines I sent you last week but in addition to that, drop your regular serving size portions in half, and skip all dessert and beer for one week. Just try it for one little ol’ week.

Blue team, you’re only 3 pounds off… Every time you sit down to eat remember that you could pass Red this week and take one for the team! White, get back in the game. No more taking up the rear. Show ‘em that you’re still a contender.

I’m out… eat trout,

JP

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I never new Lucie as David, she applied and was given a job at FlagandBanner.com as Lucille Hamilton.? Lucie made no apologizes for the way she was and we did not expect one.? I am proud of my employees for being so accepting of all American citizens, and a contributing American citizen she was…she worked, shopped and paid taxes.? And like so many young people she was enrolled in college in the Fall.

I can only speak, intelligently, of the job Lucie did for me, which was; she was a good, dependable, and smart employee and she took a leadership role in her department. ? To address the Voo Doo issue, I know Lucie was very spiritual; she was always giving and asking for prayers, just read her Facebook page.? Lucie was also a practicing Catholic who was active in her religious community.

Lucille Marie Hamilton was a good person who lived the American dream of Freedom.

Well, there is absolutely nothing boring about running a small company. Out of my 25 employees, 95% of them are great and have been with me forever. But there are always a few on the fringe of sanity. For example, since May, two of my employees have been sleeping with the same man. Which is fine, if I don’t hear about it. But I do hear about it, in far too much detail. Another employee had an emotional breakdown and ran out of the building screaming the F… word, then called and wanted her job back. Another employee accidentally falsified her commissions and ended up with $8,000 of Arkansas Flag and Banner’s money in her checking account. And just last week, a sheriff showed up and picked up one of my newest employees for a felony charge in Texas, aggrevated assault.

I am sorry, but it is just too good to not talk about. I haven’t written in my blog because all I want to do is spread the gossip. I think I am crazy but these people make me feel sane. I could write my own reality TV show with just the goings on at this place. And I bet it’s the same everywhere. Flag and Banner, after all, doesn’t have a corner on crazy’s. So how do you help these people? All the training and second chances in the world can’t help people who make bad decisions. My kids have the answer… They need to Buy a Clue!

It all began during the Monday morning meeting, when our purchasing agent, Jeremy, informed us that he would need to take a half-day off on Valentines Day to marry Ashley, his partner and mother to his son. Hearing that they intended to get married at the Justice of the Peace, our accountant, Sandra, flatly rejected the idea, saying “The Justice of the Peace is for ending marriages and not starting them!” She then immediately got on the phone to her Baptist Preacher husband and before we knew it, we were planning a wedding on the fly.

It was decided that the Ceremony would take place in the Dreamland Ballroom and the reception would be held afterwards, downstairs in “Doc’s Pool Hall.” The women of Flag and Banner brought in arches, balloons, rose petals, banners (of course), a wedding cake, champagne, mints, chocolate strawbery fondue, more flowers and, of course, the Wedding Cake. As Ashley walked the red nylon runway, we all hummed “Here Comes the Bride” and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Overcome with emotion, Ashley almost fainted while saying her vows.

After the ceremony, everyone moved downstairs to Doc’s Pool Hall for the reception. The cake was cut and Champagne flowed. Meanwhile the men of Flag and Banner crept off to decorate the getaway car. As Jeremy and Ashley drove away, I couldn’t help but smile. It was such a blessed day.

So if you are one of my customers that tried to call the office between 2 and 3 pm, central time on Valentines Day and got the voice mail, I apologize. I have been the Mother of the Bride before, but this is the first time I have ever been the Boss of the Groom. And it feels good. But just like being the mother of the bride, it is a little hard on the pocket book. Next time, if there is a next time, we will do it after 5 p.m.

Through the years I have gotten a lot faster at hiring and firing employees. I used to try to fix everyone. But now I have become calloused. After several exhaustive attempts to help someone, I say, “That’s it!” and stop. Maybe I have lost my idealism or faith in the human race. Perhaps I just don’t have enough energy for the crazy ones. No, I just finally accept the fact that you can’t help someone who is unwilling to help themself. There are too many good people/employees that need attention to waste it on the ones who aren’t serious.

This year, my primary account manager,”Captain Kirk” Wygal, gave me a book on management and it was an eye opener. It said 80% of your management time was spent on your bad employees and only 20% went to your Stars. Every time I fire a bad employee or discipline one of my kids, they say “That’s Not Fair.” And they are right. It’s not fair… to those who deserve more of my time.

Anyway, his resume is unusual, he has been a script writer for several very notable prime time TV shows, i.e. Touched By an Angel. Why is he sitting in front of me applying for an entry level job? Midlife crisis he says. I can certainly identify with that.

With all this said, look for Jason’s Blog, next to mine. He is fun to read and doesn’t really care what I think, which should make him even more fun to read. Get Jason’s macabre view as he learns the flag business and writes from the inside out about the industry and more specifically about the cast of Flag and Banner.