My spring term is going to be so easy - I'm looking forward to wonderful weather and minimal boredom/homework. All my classes are interesting and the workload is not abnormally high. PLUS my wedding is in exactly 5 months and I'm already 60 lbs. lighter than I was 8 months ago. I tried to lift two 30 lb. dumbells today at the gym... I can barely lift that - how the heck did I carry it around for so long? I recommend that technique to anyone who is feeling low on motivation - go try to do bicep raises with the amount of weight you've lost... it was really an amazing idea to me.

Hi everyone! I haven't been on track lately so I didn't post for a while. I'm turning over a new leaf starting today. I just danced for an hour. Dancing always makes me feel good. Ballet, tap, jazz and pointe were my life for over 13 years because it made me feel great. I wish there were classes here for adults, dancing in a little appartment isn't easy. In addition to more exercise, I started my water drinking again yesterday. Its easy to drink enough water when I think about it. If I don't consiously think to do it, I just don't. I'll weigh myself tonight. I'm sure I've gone up over the last 2 weeks since I fell off the wagon.

This is the month. I'm starting over and I'm going to lose 5 pounds.

Ok, so the weekend trip to portland...fabulous! I am so moving there asap- well after graduation which is june 15th at least! we looked at several different areas, the city is actually pretty affordable. But I really liked the Beaverton area so we'll have to see what works out! I officially started south beach this morning, finally got enough $$ to by proper groceries. So far so good cravings aren't too bad. Went to Nike factory outlet while in pdx and I bought some new shoes, shorts and dri-fit pants all for under $75! I am gonna love living in pdx, what's it like to have choices as to where I shop, eat, even buy gas at- even if the price is totally out of control!?!?!

Meredith & Jamie - sounds like both of you are commited to a new start - good for you!

Oh my goodness, I have a feeling I am going to be SO sore tomorrow morning. I started my new weight training session with a personal trainer today. It was HARD, but my old routine was getting way too easy. Plus, it took a whole hour. Whew!

I'm baking some low-fat cranberry-orange muffins for quick breakfasts tonight. Hopefully I'll be able to stay out of them. Yummy, yummy!

Jamie - I'm so excited for you, I love Portland. My boyfriend grew up there and we spent some time there so I could meet his family last summer. It's so gorgeous and there are so many good restaurants. I loved all the different microbrews, too, McMenamin's Ruby beer was my favorite. His parents live in this pretty house up on one of the hills, it was so crazy because they live in the city, but deer come through their yard all the time - not something that happens in Chicago unless you go out to the suburbs.

Jamie - Beaverton is very nice! I only got to live there for a few months before I moved to Illinois, but my fiance and I hope to move back once we are done with grad school. There are so many nice apartments. We lived near 185th.. which was nice cause there was some shopping and a movie theatre nearby. Plus a Fred Meyer, Haggens and Safeway all nearby. Loved it!

Jen - You are doing awesome!!!! You are so close to your wedding goal, you will probably even pass that before your wedding! Keep up the great work!

Jamie-do you live in Anchorage right now? Is that where you go to school? My best friend from high school goes to school there. I went there for her wedding in September of 2001. I think it is the most beautiful place in the world. Good luck on South Beach. I've kind of gone off track, but I still use it as the base of my diet.

Hope everyone is having a good day. I spent all day yesterday working on a juvenile justice paper that I thought was due today. Turns out its not until next week, just the test is today. Oh well, that frees up my weekend a little. My parents are going to Florida to see my brother for Easter so I'm stuck here walking their dog. At least I know I'll get my exercise in. I'm also painting one of their spare bedrooms, so I should stay pretty busy. I'm going fishing with my boyfriend's family on Easter Sunday. Hopefully we'll have walleye for dinner. I have 10 days to finish my real estate software before I leave for my week-long licensing class. Its hard to do homework on the computer when it is so nice outside. I suppose I should quit babbling and start working.

Have a great day everyone.

Thanks you guys, I am so excited about moving to Portland, it's such a cool city not to mention an active one as well. Has anyone else noticed that they live in an inactive place, I know I do for sure here in Eastern Oregon.

Meredith, I was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska and I came down here for school and just haven't really decided to go home yet! It is beautiful there, especially in the summer and fall- I am soooo not ready for nine months plus of winter right now, not sure if I ever really will be again. My poor mom said yesterday that it was warming up ie: getting above 30 and there was still tons of snow on the ground, maybe if their lucky it'll be gone by June! Yeah, I'm just glad its spring here and the weather is getting nicer everyday! Anyways, how did you do on the first phase of SB, my head is killing me right now and nothing to eat really sounds good! I guess I didn't realize how much sugar and junky carbs I was eating. But I think I'll stick out phase 1 and then modify it, I really enjoy fruit and good bread so maybe that's where I'll start adding back. But who really knows it is only...day 2!

Well, girls hope you have some sunshine to get out into today! Think I'm gonna take a walk later- no school today, lucked out on tuesdays and thursdays this term!

Ugh... bad news.. just found out I might not graduate this August (masters degree). Where's the chocolate?

Jamie-I lost 5 pounds on phase 1. I still have the headaches though. I was eating a lot of sugar and drinking a ton of caffeine. I limit myself to one triple latte in the morning now, but the headaches kick in around 5 or 6pm. Usually an Alieve and a cup of coffee help. I know coffee isn't exactly recommended on South Beach, but the headaches slow me down. Also, make sure you keep up on your snacks. The drop in blood sugar can really make you feel icky if you don't at least have a handful of nuts or some string cheese in between meals. I'm to the point now that my body tells me when its time to eat. Before starting South Beach, I ate huge portions all the time. The portions sizes got smaller on their own and I'm always satisfied now where before I was starving then ate until it hurt. Stick with it. Its the only healthy diet that I've ever liked.

i just went jeans shopping. Since I'm broke, I go to the second hand store. I sell most of my clothes there so I always have credit. I tried on this pair of Gap jeans at the store when I was in the cities a few weeks ago and the size 10 was too tight in the waist and the 12 was too baggy in the hips but fit my tummy. Today the size 10 fit perfectly. A little loose in fact. It felt good so I bought them. Hopefully I'll get to sell them back in a couple of weeks! I haven't tried on my summer clothes yet. I know they will all be way too tight. I was a size 6/8 last summer. I plan on working my butt off so when I need them next month I will at least be able to button them.

OK, I better get back to work.

Tonic: Sorry to hear about your bad news, but STEP AWAY FROM THE CHOCOLATE. You've been working way too hard this week to give up now! What's the problem with graduation? BTW, thanks for the sweet comment. I'm hoping to be at 180 by the end of this term (mid-June) or so and I'd like to lose 10 lbs. more before the wedding. Sure, I'll still be chubby, but I already feel 100x better than I did 8 months/60 lbs. ago or even 4 months/45 lbs. ago (when I found 3FC). I can't even imagine how I'll feel at -85! Plus, my seamstress would HATE me if I lost too much in those last few summer months when she's trying to finish my dress!

I was right - I am SO sore today. My arms strain to type. My shoulders ache. Even my butt hurts. My normal quick morning walk around campus (where it is VERY hilly) nearly killed me. I felt so silly all day because just normal walking was a bit painful. And hauling around a 20+ lb. baby all day at work is not helping! Oh well, he's too cute to sit there by himself all day!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Tuesday!

Hi Ladies,
Portland sounds like a great city. I would love to visit someday. My husband and I were thinking about moving to Colorado when we leave here, who knows when that may be. But now we're considering Italy for a couple of years, which would be so nice. We'll see. All this college talk makes me rreminisce about my old college days and pre-marriage life. Oh-well. I hope everyone is doing well. I've been good almost all week. Really need to fit in more cardio workouts, I guess I'll work on that this week.

Jen - Thanks for the kind words! I did not do too bad with the Chocolate.. just a couple of the pieces that you put in Chocolate chip cookies. Oh well. I did not work out though which I am mad at myself about. I plan to workout tonight.
So the deal with graduation is that typically you are supposed to work for 1 full year on your research. I got a bit behind because last semester my job took over my life (I work and go to school).. so I got a bit behind. So he thinks I might need another semester to make up for that. I'm just a bit bummed because I had all these plans for after I graduate and the extra income was part of that grand master plan. Its not the worst thing postponing graduation... but just a bit depressing.
I think that getting to 180 by June is very doable. Just keep working hard like you are now. You might hit a stall around then (people typically do when they have lost as much as weight as you have), but you can work through it. But then again.. you might not. I think I hit my stall around 150 and then it discourage me a lot and then I got busy, etc, etc. I think your seamstress should forgive you if you lost even more You are going to look even more beautiful on your wedding day! Congrats again.. you are doing great!

So now that my co-worker is done yelling at his wife on the phone and demanding she change how much she works.. I am gonna get back to work myself (since I can concentrate).

Sunseeker - I have to tell you that I have been obsessed with Alaska every since I took a campaign management class and did a simulated campaign plan for Tony Knowles for Senate. What an interesting state! I would love to visit sometime, but I bet it does get old being cold all the time!