Well... since I'm pretty new, I'll go next!

My name is Karen, and I live (that's "live") in New Jersey. Now, don't get me wrong... I'm beginning to love my adopted state, it's just that I always assumed I'd be a New Yorker of some stripe. It's taken some getting used to.

I've been married for almost 12 years, and have an incredible spouse who has stood by me LITERALLY through thick and thin. Together we have an Ella - our daughter - who is 8 and entering the 3rd grade. We share the house with Mr. Mau the Cat, and McGiffert, our Border Collie.

My hobbies include just about any sort of bizarre crafting - from tatting to tapestry weaving, as well as costume design. The latter is how I met dh - we're both members of the 64th regt of foot, an 18th c. reenactment group. For more info on that group - see http://freenet.vcu.edu/sigs/reg64/. My other loves include debating and gardening (not necessarily in that order).

I'm a clergyperson, and am the pastor of a medium-sized Presbyterian church in Roselle, NJ. (www.roselle.beliefnet.com - but only through Sept 1 when our site is moving!).

I've struggled with weight issues my entire life, beginning with my folks dragging me off at 11 years of age to a clinic that was offered by the University of Buffalo in the study of weight and adolescence. From there on it's been Optifast (one of the study groups BEFORE Oprah), WW, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, etc. etc. I'm finding that this time around, at age 38... a full 27 years after that first diet... is the one that makes me feel the most in control. In fact, in all the other diets, it was someone else pulling the strings.

It feels great!

Karen
OP - 17 days
10 lbs. gone!

To make them easy to read, there was a suggested format that was fun to fill out, and you could add whatever you wanted. I can't remember, but here's some of it.

Ruth, why don't you edit and rewrite this and see if we can come up with a "framework" to make this bios fun and user-friendly;



User Name:

starting weight/current/goal

Location: (obviously, optional)

Age: (optional, too, I guess!)

Married, Kids? tell all!


Pets?


Work at home or whatever(occupation)?


Low carb plan, any personal modifications, favorite recipe?


Favorite diet cheat?


Hobbies?


Reasons for wanting to loose weight-




What else do you think others should know about you?








How's that Ruth? Just edit it freely, and people could cut and paste, or just get in as much as they can!

Or not!
Whatever you think...is cool...

dottie

If everyone thinks this is stupid, you won't hurt my feelings! Just ignore this post and write whatever! It'll be alot of fun! And to those who already posted, don't go back and change them, it's great to get to know you!

d.

Hi everyone, I to am relatively new here, I have lurked for a long time and just joined in recently!!

I am 37, married to a pretty great guy, we have 2 children, a four yr old boy and a two year old girl. Our son is finally getting out of the terrible 2's(took awhile) and our daughter is a little darling. They are both growing up waaaayyy to fast! We recently hired a nanny for them to get them out of daycare and it has been the best thing we ever did!! We have had to cut back in other areas but it has been worth it! We have two dachshunds that think they are children!! And don't forget the fish.

I work full time for a very large corporation in the field of Human Resources and greatly enjoy it (most of the time). We recently relocated from South Florida to Eastern Tennessee and it has been a FANTASTIC move for us. We moved from the city to the country and it is GREAT!

My husband recently took 7 months off of work to be "Mr Mom" and it was quite amazing to watch...he is back to work now and misses his lazy days(ha, ha) with the kids.

I have never had a weight problem until the last 2 years after my daughter was born. I have been on Weight Watchers 2x and failed miserably, starved all the time and hated it. I lost weight the first time on Carb Addicts so I am trying it again.

Thanks for all you support!!

User Name: Kirei-- Means beautiful/pretty in Japanese.

starting weight/current/goal: 210/184.5/145

Location: Okinawa Japan @ Kadena Airbase (military)

Age: 25

Married, Kids?: 1st marriage to husband Bronson. Our 4 year aniversary is on Monday, Sept. 3rd. We have 2 daughters, Kylee is 3 years and Maegan is 14 months. We want to try for one more. I have always wanted 3 kids, and I want a boy!

Pets?: We have a 3 year old dog. She is a purebreed Shiba Inu, a Japanese dog. She looks like a little fox, and is a GREAT dog. Her name is Samantha, we call her "Sam".

Occupation?: I am SAHM, but I used to be a Medic/EMT in the Airforce. I got out when I got pregnant with my 1st daughter. My husband is still in (we met in the Airforce), and is a Firefighter here in Okinawa. We leave here next April. We got here in May 1998.

Low carb plan,favorite recipe?: I am following Atkins. My favorite meal is Chicken Papadoris made with cream, although cocnut milk is good too in this recipe. It can be found in the recipes section.

Favorite diet cheat?: I am not cheating, but if I could, it would definitely be chocolate. Any kind, just chocolate. I love the rasberry chocolate biscuits by Godiva. YUM! I also love Soba soup.

Hobbies?: I love to sing, sing, sing! I love to shop, read, and now... cook all of my Low carb foods.

Reasons for wanting to loose weight: Duh? Being fat is horrible. I had NEVER had a weight problem in my life until I had my 2 girls. I can't wait to get back to the old me. I still have my old clothes waiting for me in my closet. By the time I fit into them, maybe they will be back in style! I have been overweight now for 3 years (with a pregnancy in the middle of that). Every week, I still try to pull my favorite size 3 shorts on, but right now they are only to my lower thighs! I am not sure if I will ever be as small as I was, because then I had no muscle, and now I weight train, so my lean weight is much higher. Last check was 125 pounds of lean body weight, so my 115 pound body of before is not a possibility unless I lose muscle. I will look much better and tighter after I lose the weight now anyway! Yeah!

What others should know about you?: Hmmm. I talk ALOT!!! I am a motor mouth. I have 6 tatoos, yes 6 tatoos.... and have lots of peircings. Most of my peircing are out now, but I plan to get some redone. A few of my peircing have been my tongue (twice, but out now), my belly (had to take out during pregnancy, but one of my rewards is to get it redone whe I reach goal), my nose (out too, but will get redone). Even though all of this may give the impression that I am a totally funky chic... I am very normal looking, with a funky side. I believe in God and Jesus, and go to The Church of Christ where I live. I know alot of people think those with tatoos or piercing are so weird and Un Godly, but I love God and Jesus, and worship with my heart and soul. I am a good person, and LOVE my children. My goal is to finish college, and be a high school teacher to mentally or disabled children. I cannot tolerate judgmental, or discrimanatory people... I love people who are always happy, and see the good side of any situation. I think that is enough about me...

NEXT.............

Ahhh, I don't think I've ever done one of these and I've been here since January!

I'm a SAHM to my beautiful daughter Miree who is just 2 years and 4 months old. I am married to a wonderful husband (OK, today he is wonderful..tomorrow, who knows?? ) who has just been in Canada from Korea for 3 years now. We met while I was teaching English in Korea and he was a student in one of my classes! We came back to Canada and made our life here in Bracebridge. He is an industrial engineer working at a local company.

I gained all my weight after my daughter was born--and we are trying again for another child! This time I'm going to be much smarter about my pregnancy and really watch what I eat so I don't have so much to lose. As it stands now, I am 210 pounds and not going down too fast although I am working on it! I am doing CALP and drinking my water diligently. I think that CALP works best for my lifestyle--my daughter is very young still and sometimes it's hard to have low carb foods when she needs the carbs herself. I have had to compromise so CALP is the best way to go for me. My husband has just recently told me that he would also like to follow the plan too so it makes it even easier to follow without being tempted all the time.

I also have anxiety disorder which requires me to take Paxil on a daily basis to control it. Every once in a while I have a flare up and I find that eating properly helps me to shake off the effects of the disorder. I have also been recently diagnosed with PCOS and am currently undegoing fertility treatment to help myself and dh to have our much wanted second child. Low carbing is definitley the lifestyle we both want and need.

Now that I've babbled on and on enough, can't wait to read more about the others!

User Name: Ruthxxx (the x's are kisses, not a rating!)

Starting weight/current/goal - Was 227 once but now 208.5 at 5'. Was just great at 140 but was also 30 years younger then! Current goal is 190 by Christmas - have not been in ONEderland for over ten years!

Location: Very small town rural Ontario in a 1928 house built by my Grandpa when he retired from the farm. Grew up in Ottawa but visited here lots when I was a kid. Bought this house back into the family in 1985. My Dad cried!

Age: I'm 63. The only advantage to this age is discounts on air fares and other stuff.

Married: married to Harry, my antique husband. He is going to be 80 in November. He still runs OK and I'd get nothing on a trade so I am gonna keep him. He has many health problems at the moment but his brain works fine! He keeps me humble.

Kids: Have two kids from my first marriage - Jim and Wendy. They are both parents but live too far away for me to see the three grandbabies often.

Pets: Hershey, my Portuguese Water Dog is the pet love of my life. I also have her daughter, Lucy, who promises to be a good dog as soon as she gets over her puppyhood. Don't get me started on the advantages of this wonderful breed! I do love all animals, however - and it seems to be mutual. I think I was a dog in my previous incarnation.

Work: Well, am supposed to be retired but am Treasurer of our Ag. Society which makes me very involved at Fair time. I am also a Warden at out church, volunteer in several groups, am still trying to learn the piano, work in a friend's greenhouse in season and ...

Low carb suits me fine - feel good and my blood sugar is well under control now. Right now I am doing a lower carb version of WW, not counting points but journalling calories, fat and carb grams. I find I function best on 70-80 grams of protein. The weight is very slow to come off, probably because I am not exercising much.

Favorite diet cheat: red licorice - could be worse, I suppose.

Hobbies: Gardening, sewing, costume design, music, dog adoration!

Reasons for wanting to loose weight: I want to be a skinny corpse but no hurry!

What else? I really do own a Chicken Purse. Had a metal bra which I made for a part in a play but it fell apart. Can whip up another one if anyone wants to put in an order.

Oh Ruth, gotta call you on this one! As I recall from a previous bio thread (and I am getting old and feeble-minded) the xxx's stood for the raunchier side of your personality! Fess up Super Cluck!

Here's everything you may or may not want to know about me.

Weight: Always been a problem, ever since birth. At this point, I just want to weigh less and keep it that way. I am 43 now and realize that I no longer care if I ever look fabulous in a bikini. I just want to be able to keep doing all the things I like to do! I have rheumatoid arthritis (so does my son) so I think less bulk would help my joints. I am doing CAD/CALP again, after trying WW/LC. CALP is for me!

Married: I've been married for 20 years to the same man. I still like him! I feel so lucky. How was I able to pick so well at such a young age?

Kids: Two. I have a 16 year old son (the one with the new driver's license and spiked cherry-red hair) and an 11 year old daughter (the incredibly beautiful jockette who thinks she's 16 too).

Location: I live in a 102 year old farm house in Colorado, north of Boulder, south of Estes Park, right smack dab in the middle of paradise!

Work: Since about a month ago, I'm a SAHM and the Queen of Ebay. This not being tied down to specific hours thing is great! My career up until now (except when I was the candy lady) is as a graphic designer. This is a whole new chapter for me.

Hobbies: I love to garden, coach girls softball, play Dr. Mario on my son's Game Boy, watch my beloved COLORADO ROCKIES, and drive my vintage race car. Right now (and a big reason to lose some weight) we're building a 1964 Lotus Seven (the car of my dreams!) and I plan to show some of those cocky men out there what's what!

Okay, that's more than enough, it's the next person's turn.
Chickadee

Ok, I'll go next...
When I was on these boards a loooong time ago I had the name Pheonix for those of you that may remember...yes, the one that had the neighborhood forest fire!
I'm a 33 yr. old SAHM. Two little wild people running around. I have a beautiful 10 year old, Emily and a wonderful 4 yr. old, Kyle.
We've been trying and hoping for more since Kyle.....not in the cards I guess, maybe someday.
Weight was never a problem when I was younger, I was the cheerleader in highschool and pretty active.... once I quit working to stay home, the pds. piled on!! About 65 in 6 years! Didn't even seem to notice it happen!
I am originally from CA. My husband is from Houston. We left California over three years ago and went to Nova Scotia!! What a move that was! About a month ago we moved to Houston. Still trying hard to find my "niche". (Although I did get invited to lunch by TWO different people this week!! Makes me happy
Right now I am doing my own version of LC'ing. Trying to stay as low as posssible on grams, but not killing myself over it! I seem to just do so much better when I say I'm doing it...even my cheats these days are better choices!
I'm trying to exercise everyday (little toooo sore today!) And hoping that helps when I do cheat!
My hobbies lately have been null and void, except for unpacking boxes and trying to find my way around.....use to be handmade cards and paper, and little dabbling in paints.....maybe when things slow down...
Ok, thats about all of me anyone could want to know!!!
Thanks for being there ladies!!

I cannot for the life of me get my copy and paste to work here. Great. OK, here goes:

Username:dottiejon (Dorothy)

Age:45

Married to a sweet guy, 53, he is so athletic and a health nut. He makes it easy to stay on plan, eats no sweets, but does eat other carbs. He is supportive, and tries not to comment on my weight, but I know he'd prefer me thinner.

Location: suburban NYC

Pet: one cat, easier than a kid, except the box

Occupation: Psychologist and Administrator in a city hospital

Diet Plan: If you could loose weight by reading about Low Carb, I would be a stick! I started off with Atkins in 1/00, and have gone on and off, trying CALP, Protein Power, the Zone, and Schwartzbein. I get a little out of each, and tend to switch around now when I need a change. But usually I just try to keep the carbs down, and the candy out of reach! I have regained some weight, and am trying to get it gone!

Starting weight(not sure, I was really avoiding the scale):190/195
Lowest weight: 172
Current Weight: 180
Goal: Ugh! I have no idea. Maybe 160, then 150? I loved being 140 in the old days, but I don't see it happening now. I am in menopause, and it is very hard to loose these days. I'll settle for 150.

Favorite cheat? definitely, Ben and Jerry's Mint Cookie.

Hobbies: Love to read, like to cook,but don't do it much, I have to be really relaxed and have extra time, but I do enjoy it then.

Anti-hobbies? Exercise. Hate it. There, I said it and I'm glad! I don't mind walking, and really like to swim, but hate anything that makes me sweat! I don't mind weights or strength training too much either.

Reason for loosing weight? I was gaining about 5 lbs a year after I got married. I want to look like I did then! I have always had to watch my weight, Dad was diabetic and overweight, it runs in the family. I also had cancer 5 years ago and the chemo started an ealy menopause. It's hard to loose, but finding out how much easier it is with low carb has been a lifesaver.

I guess that does it. I love being here at 3fc's. The Low Carb board has been an unbelievable support for me. It has drawn me back a hundred times, and keeps me from going too far off! I know I need to eat this way for the rest of my life. That is my bottom line, and loosing any weight is part of it, but not the whole story!

Who's next?

dottie

ME NEXT

User Name: nasus40 is for susan and i was 40 when i started here

starting weight/current/goal I started at 235 currently am 179 and goal really is to be adjusted to my body fat % but originally was 130 but i am 30.7% bf so i need to readjust my goal i want to be at 15% bf

Location: (obviously, optional) Cortland NY

Age: (optional, too, I guess!) 41

Married, Kids? tell all! Married to the same man for over 18 years, he can be trying at times but in the long run he is the right man for me. and i would not have it any other way (tomorow may be different) 4 kids 16 girl Tamara, she just learned to drive and is quite the teenager, 12 Katrina she is a challenge very hard to get to move and do anything, 8 Matthew moody whiney but sweet at times, and then is Benjamin 6 my suprize and my loveing boy, gave me 10 hugs today alone just to let me know he loves me.


Pets? ! stinky hairybig oaf of a dog, He killed a skunk today!!! just for the fun of it and i washed him for about 2 hours and now both of us stink!!!


Work at home or whatever(occupation)? My job I am an RN in a small home care company, I will admit that i was beefing up my resume to be looking else where.


Low carb plan, any personal modifications, favorite recipe? I do Protein Power Plan. I do not have any really fav recipies i love my meat eggs and veges


Favorite diet cheat? Oh I had it today homemade chocolate frosting!!!


Hobbies? Sewing, reading, camping, biking, and just having fun.


Reasons for wanting to loose weight- It started a long time ago when my selfesteem was at its lowest. I had a look at my body and almost puked. When i do not think about it I think that i am about a size 6-8 but in reality i was a bulging 24 and at 5'2" it sure was bulging. I want to be the size that my mind want to be. I want to feel good in my skin. I have started a exercise program and am really having a good time with it.




What else do you think others should know about you? Not much else but i am a carboholic i can not have just one, i do not know the meaning of moderation, i can eat till i puke and then clean up and go back and eat some more. I can be overly fanatic about this but it is because i know my self and my reactions at this time it has takem me 41 years to realize that i have a problem and i need to control it. When i fall off the wagon i usually fall hard and ti takes me weeks to get back on. I would not have lost what i have lost without you guys, you have given me the motivation and encouragement to get down this far, and i am starting to see my goal is obtainable. I will get there and i will bring everybody that i can with me. You are all wonderful and i love each and every one of you!!!

I have said enough so on with the next>>>>>>>

OMG! You all are great! I loved reading all the bios and now I'll add mine!

User Name: Jenniwookie -- it's a really long story, but it is a nickname that was given to me in Jr. High and I hated it. As I've gotten older it's grown on me. My real name is Jennifer

starting weight/current/goal : 265/247.5/180 (6ft tall, so thankfully I don't have to be 125lbs!)

Location: (obviously, optional) -- Portland, Oregon (for now)

Age: (optional, too, I guess!) -- 31

Married, Kids? tell all! I am a SAHM to 2 beautiful daughters, ages 4 1/2 and 1 1/2. They are quite a handful, but every bit of them is perfectly wonderful. My husband is in the Coast Guard and is currently on a 6 month deployment to the North Pole. The bad news is that he's been gone since June and won't return until December. The good news is that I'm going to go meet him in Norway in October! We have a great marriage and he's a wonderful person. We've been married five years and I'm more crazy about him today than I was when I first started dating him. AND...he says the same about me!

Pets? -- who needs pets?....I've got two kids!

Low carb plan, any personal modifications, favorite recipe? I've been doing low-carb since July 23rd. Less than 50g of carbs per day and I've been prescribed Xenical as well. The low carbs thing ok, but the Xenical has some side effects I'd rather not discuss! LOL!

Favorite diet cheat? -- blended mochas with whipped cream

Hobbies? -- Hobbies? -- two kids! But, I love to scrapbook, rubberstamp, read, travel.

Reasons for wanting to loose weight- -- Quite frankly we all know the right answer, but honestly, I'd like to be able to wear my size 14's again. I'm a loose 20 right now and would love to be able to shop in the regular departments and not have to head over to Lane Bryant or the women's department.

What else do you think others should know about you? -- Let's see....since we are a military family we move quite a bit and right now I am hanging out with my parents with my girls, while we wait for my husband to come home. We will be moving again next summer and I can not wait! Right now we are in Portland, Oregon...at Christmas we are heading back to Seattle and then we are hoping (say lots of prayers for us) that we are assigned a job in Newport, Rhode Island. This will be my husbands last job before he retires and begins teaching. We are really excited about going somewhere new and exciting (since I've never lived east of I-5)!!!

That's about it. I'm sure it's enough!
Good luck everyone! We'll see you later!

User Name:MsSpotdog (Kelley or Kel)

starting weight/current/goal: 152/148/135

Location: (obviously, optional): Sacramento area, CA

Age: (optional, too, I guess!) I will be 42 in October

Married, Kids? tell all! Married for 15 years to SH. We have daughter Melissa almost 15, son Bryan 12 and son Cody 11

Pets?(Can you guess?) Dalmatians Scooter and Ginger and one fat striped cat Jammer

Work at home or whatever(occupation)? I run a homebased bookkeeping business. I have one long-term client (Pear Growers) and 2 minor ones but the minor ones might be changing soon.

Low carb plan, any personal modifications, favorite recipe? started out on Atkins 1/00 and lost 12 lbs. - kinda drifted away from LC (but not this forum!) around christmas. I watch my carb intake but am not following a plan at this time

Favorite diet cheat? Chocolate, of course!

Hobbies?My boys play Pony Baseball 9 months of the year and I am at every practice/game. I also dabble in crafts, scrapbooking but shhhhh, don't mention the C word to Peachie.

Reasons for wanting to loose weight- I would like to be able to feel more comfortable in my clothes, cross my legs easily, sit on the floor if I want. Actually loosing weight is not why I am drawn to low carb. I am an extreme, classic-case, hardcore carb addict and LC brings some sanity to my life. I owe it all to Oprah for having the Hellers on her show and having the lightbulb flick on for me!

What else do you think others should know about you? Hmmm, what to say here? Hubby is disabled/retired and we spend 24/7 together. He has been known as SH so long it has turned into a term of endearment. I love my kids fiercely and my world revolves around them presently.

Thats about it for me - I love being a part of this message board. Its the best group of REAL caring people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Even tho I am a bad LC girl right now ("bad, bad girl") it doesn't mean that LC isn't the greatest way of eating in the world. I know what I need to do and I WILL do it again when I am ready!

Hello~ As some of you know, my name is Ardie (really Ardis, but only my mother called me that.) I'm 59 and married to a really nice guy named Roger who is 48. We're together cause he understands my sense of humor. My first two husbands had not a clue!
I have 2 children from my first marriage who are grown and married. They've given me 4 wonderful grandkids. My daughter posts on the forum once in awhile. Her name is Zookeeper16 and she lives down the road from me.
As for pets, I have two useless cats in the house named Tippy and Brat. We also have a dog named Goldie and a number of outside cats.
I'm a stay at home grandma who keeps busy gardening, sewing, baking and doing church work.
Due to health problems, I am not supposed to exercise at all and due to meds I don't get on the scale. I can gain and lose 5 pounds in 15 minutes! It's very discouraging.
I've been thinking of doing something about my weight (but I take two aspirins and lie down until the sensation goes away).
Seriously, I think that a modified WW and LC combo sounds best for me. I just have to get my head on straight. I should lose about 50-60 pounds.
Well, I can't think of anything interesting to add so I'll say God bless for now.

Guess I'll go next!

I prefer chatting with everybody in the chatroom but I don't find many people there during the day anymore so I've been checking out the low carb boards. Time gets away from me, but I think I've been chatting here for almost 3 years now. I love this place!

My name is Cathy, 41 (will be 42 in a few days), been married 22 years to my high school sweetheart who is my "gift from God". We have 2 teenage boys that are 17 and 13 and great guys!

I have lived in Louisiana (no alligators on my porch tho!) all my life and have also been a little overweight all my life but I am pretty much at an all time high.

I am 5' 3 1/2" and weigh 196 today. I should weigh about 150 lbs but would be thrilled to lose anything right now.

Low carb seems to work best for me but I have to really keep an eye on calories.

I work as a secretary/bookkeeper for a general contractor and I love my job - lots of time to play on the computer. I had worked for an attorney for over 17 years and it was a zoo! So glad to be away from there!

The "xxx" at the end of my name doesn't really stand for anything - I just copied Ruth's idea when we had to register when the new room went up. But if I had to pick something I would pick "hugs" since "x"s and "o"s usually stands for lots of hugs and kisses!

It's great to get to read about everybody!

God Bless!

Cathy

First of all, I love this site and all these wonderful people!! I can't let a day go by without jumping on here to read about someone's success or to cry about my failure.

Username: goodforme (I don't know whether I mean dieting is good for me, or good for me for changing my life!)

Real name: Sherrie

Location: Lexington, South Carolina (Yes, I do have a slight accent and nobody is to tease me about it!!)

Age: 27

Occupation: Cemetery Secretary (It's not as awful as it sounds!!)

Family: A 4 year old daughter Tommie (named after my dad who died just before she was born ) who is a sweetie most of the time, but knows how to push my buttons. I take care of my 60 year old mom in my home when I'm not working. She has COPD and cannot get around on her own, it's very sad to watch her deteriorate daily. No husband, after trying out and breaking 2 of them, I decided to save my money and my sanity and be by myself, where I am always right and the toilet seat is never left up. It is a shame that my daughter rarely sees her dad, but it's not for my lack of trying. Talk about loser!! That is completely off the subject, however. In my spare time(I think I remember what that is) I read voraciously, sew, and talk to you guys!

Pets: None at the present, but Tommie is begging for a kittie.

Why I wanted to lose weight: Have been fat all my life. At 12 I would have made the perfect adult, a size 10. My highest was 267 a few years ago, then lost down to 198 (first time in ONEderland since high school) and ballooned back to 230. Then I began Atkins New Diet Revolution and so far lost 10 pounds, fell off the wagon, and gained about 3 of them back. I am determined to beat this thing, am tired of stopping for breathing breaks on the trip from the parking lot to the store. Goal is a size 10, or about 150 since I'm 5'9".

If I left anything off, please ask me, I feel like I've rambled on for days. Great to get to know you guys!!

Sherrie