Amy! You look wonderful! How AWESOME is it that your pants are falling off of you? Whoo hoo!!!! You
are doing GREAT! :cheer3: :cheer3:


Dora -- I always love the idea of those syrups but can't bring myself to eat Splenda any more. :( I love how you've put them into little squirt bottles! Have you had the nutritional yeast before? I'll be interested to see if you like it. I really like the nutty, earthy flavor, but I have read that alot of people don't.

Amy, I can't see the pics :( Damn work network...they block stupid ****. But I'm sure you look great :) Haven't seen you on plurk lately :(

dgramie, Congrats on being BL...and don't worry about the gain. It's probably a fluke. Good you're back OP.

Dora, I hope you're returning to for the next challenge. We cannot do without you :) And thanks for posting the syrup info...I'm definitely interested in buying couple SF ones. Butter rum sounds yum!!!

Tawyna, glad you got Wii...it's wonderful. Keep trying to call the stores regularly as they get shipments every so often for wii fit.

Anna, How are you feeling now? I hope you're feeling better :hug:

Rhonda, we all slip at one point or the other and lot of times there's no reason. The fact that you're back OP is what matters. Keep moving forward girl...you can do it...Just 2 words for you - Energizer Bunny ;) Did you sign up for the gym or did you say you're going to do it this Friday? Brain freeze here :(

Jill, How's your dad doing now? :hug:

Alright Ladies! I have posted my final WI this morning with a slight drop, which is normal for this is my TOM.

I finished up with a total of 20.8 lbs lost, which is 9.5% lost for the challange, not quite up to Josephine's quarter of her body weight, but I am proud of it none the less. I missed only 1 goal this challenge, which was to get to 195, but I made the rest.

I look forward to seeing you all in the next challenge, and I look forward to hopefully getting even closer to my final goal. I plan on being at or below 195 to start the next challenge, and hope to drop another 12-15 lbs during the challenge. Just have to keep inching closer to that goal (which would be much easier if the parts for my elliptical would ever come in).

Good Morning! Today I am wearing a pair of capris that I could get up over my hips at the beginning of summer!

tk--Glad to hear you didn't get blown away.

Amy--You look fantastic! Thanks for sharing the pics!!!! LOL! It's funny you say that....the other night, dh was outside w/ me and said that I do look a lot different outside in my pj's than I did at the reunion....we both laughed. Oh well, I'm out there to take the dogs out, not to impress the neighbors!

Dora--Ouch! Hope your knee is better! Thanks. Yea, I am really glad I went to the reunion. I will plan on going to the next one, believe it or not!

debi--I hate 'hungry' days! Hope the walk helped.

Kelly--Great job!


Tonight I am going to the gym right after work. It is really hot here today, so I may just do some cardio, but I AM going!

How was your week everyone? Im home from camping and did not have a very good eating week. I had healthy snacks planned but in the end ate chips and chocolate like everyone else. It even took me a few days to get back on track which was starting to scare me because I do NOT want to go back to what I was. Anyway, I feel a little more in control now.

I hadn't been to the gym in about 2 weeks and when I went yesterday and Monday I was pretty discouraged because I can NOT do what I was able to do before. I am amazed at how fast our bodies go out of shape. I almost feel like I am starting over again. UGH!

I start my new job tomorrow (the training) and I am getting nervous but excited. I am looking forward to having a few hours away from the kids LOL. School can not come fast enough!

Anyway, I dont have time to read all the threads from the past week and a half so I will just jump in here. I hope you all have had a great week.

Wow - the last week of the challenge.

Congrats Debi!!!

I'm OP. Except for some reason I bought a cake doughnut at Starbucks yesterday. I can go to the gym and work out hard for 2 hours and burn over 1200 calories (per my HRM) and then buy a doughnut!

I apologize for not posting on here so much anymore. Lucas has totally captured all my attention. I'm not sure if I told you that they received the news that he has a rare form of leukemia (MLL) and the prognosis is poor. They have already stepped up the chemo and his immune system is already nearly completely shot. White count was at .2 yesterday. They are preparing him for a stem cell transplant. Poor baby. My sister is doing amazingly well and has decided to surround Lucas and his hospital room with a cheerful and happy spirit. This is by far the hardest thing she's ever had to go through - but she is focused on him and realizes that his whole life has changed in this past week and she doesn't want him to see her change also - she has a happy, careful personality by nature and that is helping her. Believe me she cries when he doesn't see her. I'm heading down to Oregon tomorrow. I have also starting a scrapbook for her for his first birthday which in September 25th. Dora, she met Adam Shoop's mom (the article you linked me to) the other day. They were able to leave Doernbechers and move into a house they rent in Portland.

hello all. nothing much going on here. trying to get this place cleaned and organized and children moved around. i love my wii but I need new games. i'm tired of using the wiisport all the time. although it is way fun. we took family pics the other day and they came out alright, just not how we wanted them. Oh well, next time. I love taking pics. i just dont like looking at myself.

dora-i should find some of the flavors here. can u use it to flavor homemade ice cream? that would be yummy. maybe I can try it to flavor some of my frostings for my cakes that I make. thanks for the info.

We went to the Circus last night it was fantastic, the kids had an absolute ball..
The acts were fantastic the costumes were great and the show didnt bore you even for an instant..
The tent was huge so they had brought the jumping castle inside and the food stand too.. so the kids could play before it started.. and people could get warm drinks.. or hot food before the show or in the intermission. They sold mini show bags and light up toys.. my two got one of each and were happy to turn on there light toys between skits when the place went dark.. It was brilliant..
this lady ended up with over 30 hoola hoops it was unreal
http://i36.tinypic.com/o6k0na.jpg
the high wire act was brilliant
http://i33.tinypic.com/xqe5hg.jpg
i know its hard to see but this lady was juggling flaming balls upside down with her feet and hands
http://i33.tinypic.com/1z5nt5y.jpg
and here are the horses they were great too
http://i36.tinypic.com/ir7528.jpg
here is one of the cutest clowns in the place.. Leah
http://i34.tinypic.com/zin7ep.jpg
and another super cute clown.. Cameron
http://i33.tinypic.com/elys8.jpg
and of course the normal clown
http://i34.tinypic.com/2lk5ysw.jpg
the curtain acrobat
http://i38.tinypic.com/mjsc55.jpg
ok last picture.. upside down walking man.. he was good . actually they all were
http://i35.tinypic.com/10duxqv.jpg


after the circus was another story... lol.. the kids puked.. from about midnight onwards.. all over my bed.. and blankets so i changed the bed.. and then shivered all night.. lol as i didnt have enough spare blankets.. and its freezing at night here. the kids puked till about 7 am or so this morning.. Leah puked only 2 times.. midnight all over the bed and again at about 1-2 am.. Cameron didnt start puking till about 2 and kept puking every hour or so untill about 7 am..

There was alittle girl in the jumping castle at the circus that got out becuase she felt sick.. and her mum said to her" oh you still feel sick do you...!! " grrrr why bring sick kids out.. they made my kids sick,, butt holes

Nori -- Of course Lucas and everything surrounding him will be the focus of your life right now. I'm thinking of you and Lucas and your whole family. It kills me to hear that the prognosis is poor. I'm so sorry.


Amy -- Great pics, your kids look adorable!

Morning everyone...

Nothing much going on at my end here...Same old story. I haven't exercised regularly in couple weeks and I am not happy about that. I started strength training couple days ago so at least I'm moving little bit.

I wanted to share with everyone that I went ahead and ordered a SenseWear. Here's a detailed thread on 3FC with people who bought SenseWear or Bodybugg and their experience with pictures of sample reports. I'll keep you guys posted (for anyone interested) about my experience. I won't be getting it for few weeks though.

Nori, you don't have to apologize. We all miss you but we definitely understand. It's just so terribly upsetting something like this happening. My prayers and wishes are with Lucas and your family.:hug:

My scale is happy. It said 286.5 this morning, another 1.5 pounds lower than Monday morning! I'm glad I waited! I won't post my very last official challenge weight until Saturday, probably, so I can squueze out every possible fraction of a pound!

My dad is doing well, much better than when I was down there. The hospital had said for a while there that he would be on his feeding tube even after he left the hospital and would likely need a home health aid for a while. That no longer seems to be the case. As of yesterday, his catheter, incision drain, and IV had all been removed, and his bile drain should be removed today. His feeding tube may be removed today or tomorrow so they can start him on a soft diet by mouth. He might even be home by the weekend! He can now stand up unassisted (when I was there, he couldn't stand from a laying or sitting position without help--he could walk alone, but actually getting up was a challenge). I still might go back down there again this weekend to see him.

I went to the WLS information session for Johns Hopkins Bariatrics on Tuesday night. What a waste of time! There was obvious bias for/against certain surgery types, some misinformation provided (based on my research of clinical studies), and I honestly did not learn ANYTHING I hadn't already researched on my own. Others in attendance seemed to eat it up with wide accepting eyes. I can't imagine being so uneducated about a MAJOR life-changing procedure. I feel it is my own personal responsibility to research the heck out of it, whereas others hadn't a clue (which was obvious by the types of questions being asked). I wouldn't have gone at all if it weren't a pre-requisite for a surgeon consultation.

OH, and as a new snag in my WLS adventure, apparently the gynecologist I used when I was in college, her office BURNED DOWN. I need to show 5 years of obese weight history for my insurance to approve me, and I have no records from my gyn to show my weight for 2004. I'm not sure if this will make me have to wait until 2010 for the surgery. I'll have to talk to insurance people about it. SO frustrating!

Nori--I am so sorry. Your sister sounds like an amazing woman. I cannot imagine finding the strenght that she has right now, but I guess when it comes to your child you do anything. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.

Good morning, Bluesers!

Hope your week is going well. We're on the downward slope to the weekend! Anyone have fun plans? I think we're going to the county rodeo. I've never been to the rodeo.

Amy - Your progress pictures are amazing! You look wonderful.
Kelly - Congratulations on losing over 20 pounds for this challenge! :carrot:
MJ - Congratulations on wearing your once-too-small capris! :cb:
Mom-of-4-Girls - Enjoy training today. Hope you really like the new job.
Nori - We understand. Lucas and your sister need your attention now. We're here for you. Come visit when time allows.
Tawnya - can you share your family pictures?
Anjuli - Hope the Sensewear is exactly what you need to help you reach your goals.
Jill - I think it is awesome that you are taking your health needs into your own hands and doing the research. Hopefully, the insurance company will work with you despite the lack of records from your gyn. Also, glad to hear that Dad is doing so much better.

Things are going well in my corner of the world. The scales rewarded me with a nice surprise this morning. My official weigh-in day is not until Monday...so, :crossed: until then. I'm more than a little surprised as I've not been on the treadmill for a week. I've decided to schedule my C25K into my day instead of winging it. So, as of today, the minute I sign off of work...I immediately change clothes and get on the treadmill. No more thought required....it's how I roll.:D

We are still doing our family veggie challenge. Yesterday, we tried our first artichoke. Other than warm chip dips at a restarurant, I've never eaten artichoke. I loved them. My Hubby and youngest were blase...my oldest said that artichokes smell like a wet dog! I guess Mom gets to keep artichokes for herself. Today, we will make a foray into the land of fresh brussel sprouts.

Hope everyone has a great on-plan day.

:cheer3::cheer3::cheer3: GO BLUE! :cheer3::cheer3::cheer3:

Where is the "I am jealous" icon. You rock!

Again, jealous.

Oh, honey I am so sorry. Having a baby who is in the hosp is horrible. Our stay was only 7 days, and it broke my heart in ways that will never, ever heal. She is in my prayers.

When you are done, rent it to me first!

I am so glad for your family!

Who was your insurance company at that time? They may have a record of that for you. Somebody, somewhere has this information.