CoolMom75, we are still here and there is still plenty of support to go around! Welcome back!

Andrea, I don't know why the sad face was there I don't remember putting it there. Who knows!

Marina, I don't speak to one of my sisters either (for a little over a year and a half now) it is sad but sometimes just the was its gotta be.

Last night food
Snack: handfull of toasted Almonds
Supper: Salad(lettuce, spinach, garbonzo beans, peas, 2 cut up cheddarwurst sausages and light ranch dressing)

Today so far:
Breakfast: vanilla yogurt w/blueberries and crunchy nugget cereal, coffee

Feeling really good today because I'm wearing sz 14 Khaki capris and a peach blouse that I love and haven't been able to wear for awhile. I actually feel like I look pretty nice today!! I was supposed to have an appt. with my attorney this afternoon but his office called and cancelled.

Hi everyone! I've been obsessing over the scale lately (yes, I know I shouldn't do that!) and it's been just stuck in a general area at and slightly above 168, and it's been driving me crazy! I think I've been a little impatient, actually, because I knew when I started that my metabolism would slow as I dropped the weight and it wouldn't come slipping off so easily. Still, I just hoped that with TOM come and gone and my trying a little harder these days that it would move faster.

Anyway, it moved down some this morning and I feel better mentally. Still, I don't like that I'm getting so dissapointed by a silly number that can fluctuate wildly for a number of reasons, so I've decided to do like so many other women here at 3FC and just check it once a week on my weigh-in day, which is Monday. That way, I can just say what my weight was last, and quit agonizing over every .6 of a lb gain!

Val, I know JUST what you mean about feeling good about your clothes. I too am in size 14's, (which are starting to get loose!) and I'm wearing some tops in a size medium! It's been SO long since I've done that! Years and years! I feel good! I actually like the way I look right now, but I still want to go the distance. It makes me giddy just thinking about how I will feel about myself if I reach 135 ...or even 145--WOW! OOOOH...and the clothes I will be able to wear!!! Yippee! I can't wait!

Speaking of clothes...my husband is looking through our storage unit to find my wedding dress. It's an indigo blue, sleeveless, silk dress with an embossed floral pattern that falls just below my knees with a very slightly ruffled hem , not a traditional wedding dress. We just had a civil ceremoney at the Rose Gardens in Portland. Anyway, it's a pretty dress, in a size 12. I want to wear it to Stella's recital on Saturday. I don't have anything dressy right now that would actually fit me. I wondered aloud to Ron about whether or not it would fit, and he said he was sure it would. He said I'm trimmer than when we got married (sweet!), and I tend to agree with him. I can often wear a dress size that is a bit smaller than my pants size, so I'm hoping that it looks good, and perhaps better than it did on the day I got married! I think, in particular, my upper arms are smaller! Here's hoping that he not only finds it, but that I fit in it!

So far today, I've had 1/2 cup of Nutty Nuggets cereal with 1/2 cup of vanilla soy milk.

I'm still planning on making the black-eyed peas and collard greens for lunch. YUM!

Hope you are all having a good day so far!

Oh, and CoolMom75, welcome back into the fold! Stay awhile this time! The more the merrier--and fitter!

Well, I never got off my butt and made that dish I keep talking about, and then the kids were whining for lunch right at 12:00, so I made tuna sandwiches instead. I made mine seperately and used very little mayo (about a Tablespoon) and 3 ounces of tuna. I also added some pickle relish and mustard, and I put some lettuce and tomato on mine. I had baby carrots with it. Oh, and I toasted the bread. It was tasty actually!

I have to run around and pick up some things for Stella's recital (blue eye shadow, for one thing!), so I who knows if I will actually make those black-eyed peas and collard greens tonight even! I have to make it soon, thought, because I don't want the collards to wilt in the fridge.

Well, gotta go! (Where is everyone!? I'm feeling lonely around here.)

Thank you, mom of 3. I set my monthly goal to get to 130 by July 1st, then kinda procrastinated...now I have to get serious if I want to make it.

Down to the last 20 pounds is that hardest! Because I feel like I look pretty good now, but not where I really want to be.

Today's food:

Breakfast-
Honey nut Cheerios 1 cup, 1/2 cup milk

lunch-
Chicken breast burger (grilled on a bun with lettuce, tomato, onions). The waitress actually brought me a big ol' cheeseburger and I was like "Wha? Not what I ordered..." and it looked good. I miss cheese.

Dinner-
Lean cuisine thai chicken



last night we had a sweet and sour BBQ chicken recipe from the George Forman grill cook book. Not bad, and I didn't realize the recipes in there list all the calories. Nice!

I also meant to introduce myself a little better. I am 29, married with two boys 4 and 1. We live in Oregon and I do have a blog with pics if you're interested. My older post titled "...a girly I'm so fat rant." details the ups and downs of my weight with my two pregnancies. I gained 80 pounds BOTH times, and nearly all of it wanted to stick around for good, LOL.

The first time around I lost it all in the first year with Weight Watchers. This time my baby's 17 months and I still have 20 pounds to go. Its definitely harder the second time! Not as motivated.

I haven't read back through all the posts to get to know you all. Maybe I can tonight.

Zoe, thanks for posting the link to your website! How great to find out you are in Hillsboro! Up until a year ago, I was living in Portland. While my husband is still living and working in Portland (long story), I'm in Ocean Park, WA, on the Long Beach Peninsula, and have been here for about a year. I really miss Portland. I used to live in the Sellwood neighborhood. Such a great neighborhood for families with young kids. Oh well, that's the past. Anyway, I go to Portland often, and will be housesitting for a friend for a about a week coming up soon. Perhaps we should get together at a park or at OMSI or something? After perusing your site, I would just love to meet you and your boys. I have a 5 year old daughter, a 4 year old daughter, and a just turned 2 year old boy. Might be fun, huh?!

You are so close to your weight goal. Congratulations on your progress! Good luck with those last 20. I still have 33 to go, and I'm already finding it more difficult, especially since I'm looking better than I have in years! haha... but I want to see what 135 looks like, so I'm going to keep after it. We can do it!

Well, I just want to say again, I'm glad you decided to join us again. It's a fun group here!

W

Breakfast--

1/2 cup of Nutty Nuggets with 1/2 cup of vanilla soy milk.

Lunch--

Tuna sandwich with 1 Tbsp of mayo, a squirt of mustard, a teaspoon of pickle relish one Romaine lettuce leaf, and 2 slices of tomato on whole wheat toast.

5 baby carrots

Snack--

1 half of a granola bar, and a cup of coffee with half-n-half and a teaspoon of sugar

Dinner (more like a series of snacks all eaten at different hours)--

about 3 ounces of turkey jerky. Only 50 calories an ounce!! (more about this jerky and some other stuff below!)

Good Earth Chai tea

2 ounces of torilla chips and 1/3 cup of hummus
__________________________________________________ ___

Okay...This is so great! I found this delicious, all-natural, no nitrates turkey jerky made from free-range turkeys that have been fed no antibiotics and other stuff--and it was only $2.00 for a good size bag of it. I found it at this little store, called Kelley's Discount Store. I went there because someone suggested I'd fine inexpensive makeup for Stella's recital (The little girls, who will be under stage lights, have to wear blue eyeshadow and black mascara, neither of which I own.) I did find the eyemakeup for $.75 and some mascara for $1.00. I also found wonderful hairclips for the girls--the kind we haven't been able to find anywhere on this peninsula, and they were only $1.00 for this big package of them!

Actually, I couldn't believe the stuff I found in this funky-looking little store! They had all sorts of things that I use for really cheap! There were several kinds of whole grain pastas, and some soy pastas, all for a buck or less. I bought some delicious looking gourmet kalamata olives bottled with chili peppers for Father's Day, since my husband LOVES olives of all sorts. They were $1.00! I got 10 all natural, organic, vegetarian instant cups of soup for a buck, too--5 different kinds. Great for when I need something healthy, but quick. A box of Annie's Whole Wheat Rabbit crackers with real cheddar cheese baked in--$1.50. Coloring books for the girls--$.50/each! Some of my favorite teas that the regular grocery stores on the peninsula don't carry were there, too, and for only $1.00 a box! I could go on and on about this place. It's sort of like a great dollar store, Trader Joes and an old fashioned general store all wrapped into one, except the outside is indescribeable--just a small shack of a place with a cheesy-looking handpainted sign and some ads in the window. I really can't explain it, but I assumed there'd be nothing but junk and cigarettes in there! But it carries really good, healthy stuff and a bunch of useful stuff, too! They even have all natural, food-based vitamins and other nutritional supplements for really low prices and they have homeopathic medicine, which I use from time to time, and they have arnica salve, which is indispensible to me with three kids falling down and bumping their heads and such. I can't believe I've lived here a year and have never gone in this place before. It's wonderful! Sorry to gush, but I'm thrilled to find this place!

Okay, done raving. Hope everyone's doing okay. See you all around here soon, I hope!

Hey moms,

I didn't get a chance to check in yesterday because all the kids took turns on the computer including husband. We're having a good visit but my youngest nepwhew (8) wanted to go home yesterday (he misses his mom) but I begged him to stay another day. We havn't done anything exciting because my kids are still in school and we've had the craziest weather. Yesterday was t-shirt weather but it was raining. That's not normal for California but then again rain in mid June is not normal either.

Zoe, welcome back and congratulations on your weight loss.

Andrea, your kids are so cute!! Sounds like you had a busy but fun filled day on tuesday.
The store you went to sounds like a dollar store out here. Everytime I go I find things that I don't find in grocery stores anymore. I think I might go take a trip there today to see what snacks I can find. I think they sell alot of whole wheat foods.
I can totally relate to your weight loss goal. My goal is 165 but i've got 160 in the back of my mind. It's hard to say when you really don't know what your going to look like. When I got down to 170 about 3 yrs ago on weight watchers I still felt really overweight but I had absolutely no muscle tone. I never excercised so I wasn't in shape at all. Now I wonder what I would look like at 170 and toned. I have been thinking about starting Yoga. Should I start with a beginners video or maybe a little more advanced? I have noticed since going to the gym regularly that I am more flexable so i'm not sure where to start. Any suggestions??

I've got to go get ready for the day. I've got to take our puppy to the vet for his shots. I don't think i've mentioned that we got a puppy. It's like having an infant again. He's a rat terrier and about 3 months old. He's so cuddly, loving, friendly, and spoiled.

I'll check back in later today. Have a good day everyone.

Hi Marina! Sounds like you are having a very nice visit with your nephews, and you sound as though you love them a lot. That's neat. I have a niece I'm sure I would enjoy if I could only see her more. But she lives all the way in Louisiana and I haven't seen her since she was 3 and Stella, my 5 year old was 2! She is a real kick in the pants, too. A great big personality on a little bitty girl. She's been taking Karate now for a few months and apparently is really good at it--very focused and alrealy testing for a new belt! Anyway, I'd love to be able to have her here with us for a couple of weeks! Fun!

Yoga is just wonderful! Some of the other moms in this thread have started doing it, too. Paige, for one, started doing it and it seemed like she really liked it a lot. She decided to get the dvd I have, called Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss with Suzanne Deason and it's put out by GAIAM (I know, the name is so appropriate!) and I think she is as pleased as I am with it. It's a good one because it really is a beginner program with room to improve and advance. The workout is 45 minutes long. There are 4 different levels to work out at, and lots of help with individual poses if you need it. I started at the 1/2 modified level, but have moved to the 1/4 modified, and I think I will stick here for a while. It's amazing how fast you see a difference in your muscle tone. And it is very deep conditioning and the stretching, of course is so good for you. I sleep better doing yoga, and I am more energized and feel so much stronger. I sit up straighter now! I can't say enough about Yoga. Give it a try!

Congratulations on your puppy--that must keep you so busy! They are so sweet, though, aren't they?

Well, I may not be on again today. I have SO much to do. Stella's dress rehearsal for the ballet recital is today, and I don't have anyone to watch the other kids, so I will have my hands full getting them to behave while the dancers try to rehearse. Also, I am trying to get the house all clean, so that when my husband and possibly his brother come tomorrow, it will look nice. I've still got to finish laundry, clean the bathroom and vacuum. Plus I want to clean my car. My lab sheds like a fiend. Drives me crazy!

Well, gotta go get busy again!

Andrea,

That would be so cool! I'd love to get together sometime. Hubby has a job interview on Tuesday that *might* be moving us to Salem. We are both on edge until we know. Neither of us give a hoot about Salem, but the job opportunity would be so good for him.

Okay...I'm at work now, so should look a little more busy, lol.

Hey everyone!! Sorry I didn't get to post before we left on our trip. Our internet went down Wed. morning and they just got it back up and running this morning. I will try to post when I can, but dad's internet is soooooooooo slow and not very reliable. I just wanted you all to know that we made it here fine and the kids are having a blast!!! Keep it up girls and I will check back as often as I can.

I can't believe how quiet our thread has been over the last couple of days. I've checked in from time to time but didn't write because I had a busy weekend with my daughter's dance recital, and felt like there'd be noone there yet to read anyway. I hope everyone comes back!

I'm feeling pretty happy this morning, because it's weigh-in and I've lost 2.6 pounds since last Monday! I weighed 165.4 this morning! I'm feeling quite proud of myself and happy! I was wondering just a little if I could stick with it to my goal, and this loss was just the encouragement I needed! I've cut way back on sugar, and that, I think is helping a little. And I've gotton on track with my veggie intake, and that, for sure is part of why I dropped this week. My daily calorie intake always stays lower when I am eating lost of veggies. Anyway, I am so happy!

Also, the dance recital was wonderful and Stella had fun and was so cute on stage, with all the other little Bumblebees. She and her class danced to The Flight of the Bumblebees. It was adorable!

My 16 year old son, John, who has been visiting me for 2 months, is going back to Alaska this week. But, not for long! He has applied to a yoga school in Portland, OR (3 hours from me) and is planning to come back if accepted and study intensively in their two year teacher training program. He took a class from them recently and was encouraged to apply. He is self taught from books like Light on Yoga and other classic yoga books his stepmother has (she used to teach), and has been practicing yoga for 4 years. He has been serious about it for 2 years, and is now ready to further his understanding, deepen his practice and possibly teach. I'm so proud of him! He is homeschooled, in case you are wondering, and that is why he has the freedom to pursue this interest. He will be staying with good friends of mine in Portland, who are used to having lots of teenagers around, since they have one of their own, and they host exchange students every year--sometimes 2 and occasionally more at a time! They also homeschool their own children, so and it is a perfect household for him. He's very excited to be able to do this and is noticeably even more focused on his practice. It's really neat. He inspires me!

Well, I have to get going on the day, and do my yoga as a matter of fact! Hope you are doing wonderfully.

Val and Paige, I hope you are enjoying your vacations! I miss you!

Hey all
Did we all have a busy weekend, or what? I did try and check in on Saturday but wasn't able to pull up the site. Anyone else have that problem or just me?

I weighed in this morning and i'm the same which i'm fine with because I learned from it:
I went to the gym only twice this week.
I didn't stick to 5 meals a day so I got hungry at times. (I need to carry snacks with me when i'm out doing something)
I didn't have much grocerys so I didn't have a salad, fruit, or vege's stocked.

The 5 meals a day thing is still a little hard for me to get used to. I've gotten so used to 3 meals a day because I never wanted to use the points inbetween meals. Now i'm having to remind myself that I need to eat a yogurt, peanuts, or a piece of fruit inbetween. I also need to have little snack packs of something with me in the car.

Paige, glad to hear you made it safe and are having fun!!

Zoe, good luck to your hubby on the interview.

Andrea, how was the recital? Did you wear your wedding dress?

I spent the weekend again working on home improvements. A couple months ago my husband and I thought about adding on to our home. Then thought that may not be a good idea because it would take up most/all of the backyard. Then thought of moving but we're not really sure if we want to stay in California so now we're doing home improvements. These last 2 weekends was wiring and installing ceiling fans in the girls room, living room, and a new light fixture in the entrance. Next weekend is painting and 4th of July weekend we'll be putting hardwood floors in our room. Fortunatly we have a small house and it's only 6 yrs old so there's not a whole lot that needs to be done. I'd like to move to Oregon or Washington. All my husbands family is there and I think I would have to move where family is or i'd go insane. I havn't mentioned to you all that my oldest daughter (13) is a foster daughter that we are in the process of becoming legal guardians of so that plays a major role in us leaving california. I'm not sure if I can take her out of the state. She does have an aunt and cousins that lives in Portland Oregon but all her other family is here in California. I'll have to find out how all that will work out.

Well i'll check back in later. Have a good day everyone.

Sorry I've not been around much the last few days. I've been running around trying to get things ready for our camping/canoe trip. This will probably be my last post until we get back, but then I hope to have a bunch of fun pictures to post for you all to see!! I didn't take the time to weigh this morning but the last two mornings I weighed 183.4 lbs. Yay me!! My sister got some film developed of pictures she took at Christmas the other day and she said she had one that I really should see. It was of me. Wow!! Did that picture say it all!! I could see a HUGE difference. Very inspiring to see what I looked like just a few months ago.
Gotta go! Everyone take care, I'll be back!!

Andrea, Congratulations on your weight loss! Your doing great. I know I mentioned last week that I was looking into Yoga and now i'm going to buy the video. One of my main reasons for wanting to start it is because I have TERRIBLE posture. I'm 5'10 and was always teased for my height growing up so I've always slouched to try and look shorter. I hear yoga will improve posture so that works for me. Is it best to do it in the morning or does it not matter?

Good luck to your son. I hope he gets accepted.