Amanda, thank you so much for sharing your story You've accomplished so much, and you've done it the right way. Slow and steady loss, nothing drastic, and you've accomplished much more than weight loss. I appreciate that you shared your tough spots, like your plateau from ****. It sounds like your goal and your final accomplishment was better health, but you look absolutely fabulous!

Suzanne - oh yes, my health. I'm a little bit like Trazey though - a liar! Note that what finally drove me to lose weight wasn't my health, though I was worried about it for sure, but the idea of being in a wedding dress in front of a hundred people. In the end I got both - better health in addition to looking better and being happier. It's a win win!

Wow! I have tears in my eyes! What a wonderful story, and what an awesome, inspiring story. Congratulations to you and your partner. Amazing!

Congratulations to both you and Sarah, for your weight loss success and your committment to each other. Thank you for sharing, Amanda. What an inspiration you are!

Oh, Amanda, you know that this is AMAZING!

I am so proud of and happy for you! And thank you for providing your (extra long) story; it is very thoughtful and generous to allow us all such insight into your journey.

Yay!!

JustMare and Jane - thank you! There goes that "inspiring" word again! It really blows me away.

ShrinkingChica - You're so sweet! And I dunno about "generous" - I was pretty excited to write it (heck, I have been writing it in my head throughout the 6 month plateau).

Absolutely wonderful post!! So inspiring and meaningful and beautiful. Post that recipe for pork loin, willya??

Jen

Glory - recipe? Its the "other white meat" - you can do SO much with it. I use it in so many ways. It is great with a spice rub or marinade and simply baked, then sliced. I butterfly it, pound it flat, and lay the top with spices, roasted red pepper, basil or spinach leaves, and maybe a few laughing cow wedges, then roll it up and roast. I slice it into long strips and use it in stirfries. Once I baked it with simple spices and quickly cooked up some apple slices with cinnamon, a small amount of brown sugar, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan, creating a great "pork chops and applesauce" type dish. I've slowly simmered it in a pan of chicken broth until it is falling apart, then shredded and mixed with bbq sauce - serve in a pita for tasty bbq pork sandwiches.

I've got a vision in my head of glazing with a sauce of pumpkin butter, chicken broth, and maybe some fresh sage and a hint of cayenne. That same "pork and applesauce" type sweetness with a little difference.
Pork tenderloin, with the fat trimmed, is comparable nutritionally to chicken:

3 oz. of chicken (skinless breast, cooked and trimmed) *

140 calories; 25g protein; 3.1g fat (0.9g saturated, 0.7g polyunsaturated); 73g cholesterol

3 oz. of pork (tenderloin, cooked and trimmed) *

139 calories; 24g protein; 4.1g fat (1.4g saturated, 0.49 polyunsaturated); 67g cholesterol

Edited to add: Just be sure not to cook it to death! It is so lean, it does dry out, so cook until just firm and opaque in the center - just like a chicken breast roasted for 45 min will be dry, so will a pork tenderloin. And let it rest before carving.

Thanks!!! All of that sounds fabulous - especially the part about the cheese wedges. What do you set the oven to? (I've never cooked pork!)

Amanda, thank you so much for sharing your amazing, inspiring story. You're just such an important part of 3FC -- I've learned so much from you and have been so happy for you as you've met with so much success. We're so lucky to have you as part of this board -- and I don't know if I ever told you how beautiful you looked in your wedding photos, but you were simply stunning!

Wow, Amanda, I hung on every word -- what a wonderful, inspirational story! (from a wonderful, inspirational woman ) Welcome to the world of maintenance! C'mon and check out Maintainers some time -- we'd love to have you join in.

Thanks for sharing the whole story. "Your" issue of Women's World finally made it to Alaska, and I snapped one up. You've done really well, and you are an inspiration.

Eek! Got behind!

Glory - I cook pretty much everything at "betty crocker temperature" - ie 375. This was amazingly tasty last night. The cheese wedges sort of get melty and make a sauce. Mmm.

LisaMarie - I love those wedding pictures so much. Not only was the day amazing, but I actually felt pretty. It was priceless. Thank you!

Meg - calling yourself a "maintainer" is so scary! I am trying to make the mental switch. The raising calories part...well, thats a whole other issue.

Pat - Yay! I made it to Alaska! Thank you so much! You know what? You were one of the VERY first posters that responded to me EVER here on 3FC, in a thread about whitewater rafting, back when I was too scared to start any threads. You and Junebug reassured me that I wouldn't probably fall out (and then I did. I have skills). But it was responses like yours that kept me coming here.

I read all the story about successful achievement and never get bored and i am very much inspired how she got her objective with really hard work.I like these kind of personalities.I congratulate her for her great achievements.

Hi Amanda! I bought and read and read and read and looked at the pictures a million times!!!!!!
Yay! Congratulations to you and Sarah! Can't wait to get there and share my story!!!! Again, Congratulations!