As long as I'm smiling...

I am thankful for this journey and for having a husband who’s been taking it with me. I am thankful for my kids for the most part supporting us and making some changes of their own too. I’m thankful that we have a warm place to live and a job that provides, and that I get to be a stay at home mom for this moment! I’m grateful that I had loving parents who taught me by example how I should live and that left me an outstanding legacy of service and love to follow.

I do have some heartaches in my life. We all do. Mine are probably quite small compared to others. Yet, I know the Lord wants me to learn from this. I wish I didn’t have so much to learn! I’ve heard that on the other side of suffering is a greater capacity to love. I find it easy to feel love for others and I often feel it in abundance, yet I have a hard time feeling love in return. I have a hard time feeling the Lord’s love for me, although I know it’s there. Maybe it’s part of all those years of self-loathing that I am working to overcome, I don’t know. I just know that I am not turning to food for comfort anymore and in some ways, it makes me feel things even more bitterly.

Still going to be On Plan for tomorrow! Life is good!

Week 41 and the Deathly Hallows...

Oh yeah! We are big time Harry Potter Fans. I even have the official HP Wand and Marauders Map (which I got for my 40th bday). So today we headed out to see the movie with the kids and it was great! Except for now I have to wait 'till next year for part II. (In Margene time that is equivalent to about 4.5 years!)

So last July 2009, we got special screening passes to see HP & The Half Blood Prince even before it was released. I took my HP wand and we snapped this pic on the left below while we waited in line. I remember feeling pretty groovy with my wand.

(July 2009) -------------------------------- (Nov. 2010)

Then the pic on the right was taken just today. Yes, I brought my wand again. Feeling groovy again I suppose. I pulled up my old pic for a comparison. I cannot believe that was us just last year. It already seems like a lifetime ago. Never going back!!

Okay, so weigh-in this morning showed me having LOST 3 POUNDS! Woo Hoo! That breaks up my 3 week plateau. The hubs is STILL THE SAME. He's feeling a little down about that but definitely not out. He's been struggling with taking some spoonfuls of peanut butter in the evenings which is kicking him out of "fat burning" and slowing his weight loss. But he's working on it. It's also about his stress and ADD meds as well... we're trying to get the right combination of everything so he can feel 100 percent.

For Thanksgiving, I've decided that I'm staying on plan. None of this "I'll stay on plan except for the holidays." Let's see... the holidays: Thanksgiving meal, Christmas Eve meal, Christmas Day meal, New years Day meal.... that is 4 meals. So why do the "Holiday's" end up being more like 20 or more meals? It's 4 meals... is that worth gaining weight for? Not to me. When I've reached my goal and learned to maintain, THEN I will "splurge" a little more where I feel I can, but right now I am in weight loss mode. When I am on-plan, I am in "Fat Burning" which gives me the exact balance of protein, carbs and healthy fats to be burning my fat and losing 2-5 lbs a week (in a very healthy way). When I eat something off plan (like a donut), that's like throwing a big log on a roaring fire... it nearly puts it out and makes it take a long time to build up again (my metabolism) and it takes 3 days of being on-plan to get back into fat burning. Is a donut or piece of pie or brownie really worth 3 days lost? Not to mention the cost of that food - my Medifast food is about $10. a day so that donut would be a $30. donut. NOPE. I will be satisfied with my delicious Medifast brownie, or hot chocolate, or even these Vanilla Spice Cookies I made from the Vanilla Shakes... YUM! And it keeps me on plan. Plus I can enjoy a big 6 ounces of delicious turkey and some veggies or a fresh salad. I am so not missing out. And if I absolutely HAVE to, I'll have one bite of pumpkin pie. But as of right now I don't plan on it. If I had 2-3 bites of pumpkin pie, then I would start CRAVING carbs more. You know.... THAT is why I can do this plan... because it curbs my cravings so well. When I do let too many carbs slip in, my hunger and cravings go up. Staying ON PLAN is SO easy, because I don't have to fight all of that. People think I'm suffering or really going without but I am SO NOT. I am not fighting the cravings and fighting the cravings is what makes "dieting" so hard.

So that's my plan, and I'm stickin' to it!! Anyone else with me and want to stay ON PLAN for the holidays? We can so do this!

I also want to focus more on games and activities and spending time with loved ones this holiday season instead of making it just about food. I want to make it about spending time together!

You may have noticed too, that I've added tabs right below my header up there now. I have a tab that link to my "Take Shape For Life" info page, and one for my "Medifast Recipes". This is where I post my knox blox, Medifast Peanut butter balls, and other recipes I've tried. Then there is a link to "Margene's Lean and Greens". This shows pics of my lean and green meals. And when you click on the picture, it will link you to the blog post where I posted it and have the recipe. Hopefully that will be helpful to those looking for meal ideas. :)

Alright... Thanksgiving week... here I come!! Life is GOOD!!

10 Holiday Feasting Tips

The Holiday season has always presented me with a conflict. Most people may think of this time as a chance to visit with friends and relatives, remind ourselves of everything we're thankful for, to relax, and to share the Spirit of Christmas. However, we all know that this time means one thing.... FOOD!

So in order to maintain my weight this season, I am going to use these 10 tips handed down in my family through generations. It would be most selfish of me not to share:

1. If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.

2. If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, the calories in the candy bar are canceled out by the diet soda.

3. When you eat with someone else, calories don't count if you don't eat more than they do.

4. Food used to medicinal purposes NEVER counts, such as pumpkin pie, ice cream, and hot chocolate.

5. If you fatten up everyone else around you, then you look thinner.

6. Movie related foods do not have additional calories because they are part of the entire entertainment packages and not part of one's personal fuel, such as Milk Duds, Buttered Popcorn, Junior Mints, Red Vines, and Goobers.

7. Cookie pieces contain no calories. The process of breaking causes calorie leakage.

8. Things licked off of knives and spoons have no calories if you are in the process of preparing something. Examples are pie filling licked off a spoon or frosting licked off a knife.

9. Foods that have the same color have the same number of calories. Examples are squash and pumpkin pie, apples and strawberry ice cream, milk and white chocolate. NOTE: Chocolate is a universal color and may be substituted for any other food color.

10. Asking for a blessing on the food and expressing thankfulness before a holiday dinner causes all the food to be eaten to be extremely healthy and vitalizing for your body despite the quantity of food consumed.

There you have it folks! Share these tips as you wish, and by all means, enjoy this holiday season of food.... I mean, of Thanksgiving!!

Week 40 - We're still here!

Well, our weigh-in yesterday morning showed us BOTH just exactly the same weight! No gains or losses last week. Okay, I can handle that. I am SO glad there wasn't a gain because during the week there was a day when I was over 170 on the scale... which freaked me out. I appreciated all the supportive comments from my last post. It's nice to hear from those of you who've gone through the scale wars as well! You guys are fabulously supportive!

We survived a busy weekend as well. Saturday evening, we did a church youth "Harvest Hoedown" dance and it was AWESOME! We had over 200 wonderful youth that responded so well. The hubs taught 2 lines dances and the crowd rocked that floor. I did all the music (that has always been my fort-ay at dances) and we had many compliments afterwards saying it was one of the best dances they've had. Three of our 4 kids were there and enjoyed it too. Good Times!!

And tonight we went to what's called "Young Women in Excellence" where our daughters were highlighted for the goals they've reached this year in their "Personal Progress" program. My younger daughter had been asked to speak as well, and she did such a great job! What's amazing is that earlier today she was also the youth speaker at church so she had double duty today. She was nervous and anxious yet she did so wonderfully. It was one of those "proud mama" days. Of course, on the way home in the van there was some bickering and whining between the kids... Oh Joy!

Last week or so ago, I made cauliflower pizza at a friends house. We made them rectanglish size. Always a yummy "Lean and Green."

Then yesterday I needed a quick lean and green and threw this combination together: 2 Morningstar pizza burger patties with squirts of mustard, sauteed zucchini & red peppers, and some tomato slices. It was so delish... that I made it again tonight. Maybe it's weird but that fits me! Well, it's late... I need to get to bed. God Bless XOX ~Margene

Weigh in tomorrow

It's almost midnight and I have to get to bed. I have a FULL day tomorrow and won't even be home most of the day. But weigh-in is in the morning, and for the first time, I'm kind of scared to see it. Most this week, I've been above my current weight. I've downed the water and stayed mostly on plan, but have had very little exercise. It's on my mind like an anvil... weighing me down with fear. I don't even want to think about the scale going the other direction ever! Yet I know we all have our plateaus. Very bad timing before Thanksgiving. This will be my first Thanksgiving since starting this lifestyle change - and I am a turkey and pumpkin pie lover. I've associated that with family, warmth, love, etc.

Tonight, our family sat around our Google TV looking at family pictures. We all laughed at all our "fat" pictures of me and the hubs. We have some doozies too. The kids literally were rolling on the floor laughing. Don't know if that's a huge compliment or not. :) Still, this is a mind game to overcome and SO much more than just losing weight to battle. We're still in that battle and in it for the long haul. At some point, we want to start a running program like c25k or similar... lots of plans just have to get it together. Now, I'm rambling. Good night... crossing my fingers for the morning!

Comfort Food for when it's COLD

The other night, the hubs and I went for a walk after the kids went in bed. It was nice and peaceful and MAJORLY COLD! The next morning I was imagining a nice hearty bowl of soup for my lean and green meal. So I checked out the latest Medifast Cookbook and found a “Hearty Chiken Vegatable Soup” recipe. I changed it slightly for what I had on hand and to have it in my crock pot.

Ingredients (that I used):

2.5 lbs chicken, boneless skinless

5 cups reduced sodium, fat free chicken broth

2 cups celery, chopped

2 cups green & red peppers, chopped

2 cups mushrooms, chopped

2 cups zucchini, chopped

2 T. parsley

1 t. Thyme

1/2 t. black pepper

2 cloves garlic (I didn’t have so I used garlic powder)

1/2 cup scallions, chopped (I didn’t have so I used some dried onion bits)

I started out defrosting my chicken tenders and then chopped up my veggies. I cut up the chicken into small pieces and cooked them on the stove top in about 1.5 T of olive oil until cooked tender and drained. Then I threw in the veggies and spices altogether for a few minutes.

Poured the broth in my crock pot and then added the chicken and veggies. I let it sit on low for 3-4 hours and it was nice and hot for dinner! Makes about 6 servings at about 380 calories per serving. I did add some sea salt also and it hit the spot for my soup craving. The original recipe also called for a little cream which I didn’t have and it was still yummy without those calories!

Yesterday at my daughters volleyball game, I saw an old friend I haven’t seen in like a year. She was coming and sitting right in front of me and I had to call her name just to get her attention. Then she said, “Wow, Margene, I don’t even recognize you, you’ve lost so much weight.” I wasn’t even thinking of my weight loss, but that made me smile. You see, one of the last times I visited with her was at an event where a bunch of desserts were served, and this picture was snapped of us. (Nov. 2008)

I had my plate loaded with cake, brownies, and cream puffs and was eating like a major pig! I remember even thinking that I was hungry and I just didn’t care what people thought. After I saw my friend yesterday, I looked up this picture. I should be totally disgusted but I think it’s more FUNNY now!! So not me anymore! Change is SO SWEET! Life is GOOD!!

Week 39 - What is your focus?

When my first two kids were little, and newly diagnosed with Autism, I learned rather quickly at the IEP meetings that focussing on all that my kids could do did NOT help get them the services they needed. At first, it can be so traumatic to just have a special needs child that when the IEP team members share glowing reports, parents might feel a sense of elation and even relaxation in really pursuing or worrying about their education. “It’s not so bad”, is how you start to feel. But as I hooked up with other parents, I learned how to advocate and to focus on my kids deficits and “attack” those areas during the short window we had while they were little. So that’s what I did. I learned to almost ignore all the “glowing reports” and keep reiterating the huge problem areas that my kids needed improvement on. I didn’t want to limit their future or potential. Studies had shown that beefy early intervention can make a huge difference.

I remember one time being told at an IEP meeting where they disagreed with me in holding my son back a grade due to him not having enough support and doing poorly, “You cannot expect a cure, Margene”. It was very upsetting for me to hear this because it made me realize that I see my child differently than they did. They did not expect him to do well, so they didn’t really want to invest in him. Who knows if he could be cured? They certainly didn’t. He was just another disabled child they had to budget services for and they tried to keep that budget as low as possible. [I am not discounting the many wonderful teachers my kids have had - that I know truly do care about each child they teach]

Thankfully, the Lord blessed my kids and they have come so far - nothing short of a miracle really! (That is a whole other post!) No cure yet they are independent and very gentle hearted souls. As they have gotten older, I have had to change my perspective. All these years, my focus was on their weaknesses, so that I could advocate for them. But in the last few years, that is not a good tactic anymore. Now is the time to focus on all they CAN do and build on that. And it is so hard to consistently make that change after 10+ years of dealing with the schools. Yet that is what my kids need now.

I think I’ve taken that perspective with me in to my weight loss. I needed to “attack” the weaknesses in myself - the weight, the bad habits, the bad food choices, etc. That has been my focus. It has worked for me. In having some success after all these years, I have been driven to eradicate it all. But it doesn’t quite work as smoothly as I’d like.

This last week my weight did not go down but stayed the same (and the hubs too). I only count my weigh-ins on Saturday mornings although I do weigh myself at other times and it fluctuates up and down from day to day but usually by Saturday morning I am always at my lowest. I have never had a weight gain since starting this program in February. Sometimes I’ve wondered if anyone reading about our journey is just waiting to see me or the hubs have a weight gain so they can say “Ahh Ha!!!” and cackle. Isn’t that awful that I suspect that? Maybe it’s my self-couscous inside just thinking that this is all too good to be true.

This week, I’ve actually been feeling a little deprived! I’ve been feeling like I’m missing out on things - fun social things that involve food. And today, we came home from church and had a family size Stouffers meat & cheese lasagna with Texas Toast garlic bread all ready for the kids. It smelled SO good and I really wanted to make myself a big ol’ plate with 2 pieces of that bread and scarf it down with my kids. And I could. No one would have stopped me. But if I did, the disappointment later would have engulfed me - not to mention that I’m sure I would gain weight over that one meal! I take things a lot more to heart than my hubs so when I mess up, it can really bring me down big time. Maybe that’s why he can snitch off plan here and there and be okay with it. But if I let a crack in the door open - it could lead me all the way down the path back to obesity and I don’t ever want to go there. I’ve been there and it SUCKS! Although I try not to be, I am kind of an “all or nothing” person!

So I need to learn to be happy with how far I’ve come and not intensify what I have left to lose. And, if I am to reach my goal, I need to BEEF UP my PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. Believe it or not, I’ve lost all this weight so far without a consistent exercise plan! I’ve been more active and exercised here and there - but when I go into transition and maintenance, I KNOW I need to be way more active to maintain my weight. And I want to. I have so much I want to do. I just hate doing stuff alone! I want to do it with my hubby or a friend. That would motivate me.

So even though this week, I have totally failed at the November Challenge I agreed to do, and I haven’t lost any weight, and I haven’t been as strict with my eating, and I haven’t made myself be active... I am trying to focus on the positive, while still eradicating my bad habits!! Having good intentions is one thing that does NOT help you lose weight!! I hope all my blogger friends are staying strong and positive!! Never give up!! Life is GOOD!

Our Family Pictures!!

Just to wet your appetite... here is our family picture from December of 2005. I am, of course, the family Christmas tree as everyone is gathered around me... (can I tell you that I FERVENTLY despised this picture?)

Here we are October 2010. I love the colors of the trees! It was a really gorgeous place.

We had over 100 pictures taken with many different poses. This one was a pose that was a little different for us, but I kind of like it.

And this is my Anne of Green Gables shot (with my Gilbert!)

At one point in between shooting, the hubs gave me a piggy back ride... which was never really attempted before due to my massiveness. That was fun! The photographer snapped this picture.

And a little comparison picture. The one on the left was taken in October of 2008, and the one of the right October of 2010. I remember thinking that by hiding my head behind my hubby that you couldn't tell how fat my face was. (yeah, right!) Funny thing is, I still have a hard time not thinking like that! It will take a while to change the way I think as it's so engrained in me to think like a morbidly obese woman! But I am loving that challenge! Bring it on!!

TAGGED by Lanie Panie and GIFTS and CHALLENGE

My new blogger friend, Lanie from Healthy Smealthy tagged me with 4 questions. Then I get to tag 4 other bloggers with questions. Here are her questions for me:

1. What's the most profound advice you've gleaned from my blog?

Okay, I just discovered her blog but the most profound advice was to eat lots of fruit!

2. What's the funniest thing you've read from my blog?
(see answer to first question) Fruit is funny, right?

3. What do you like best about me?
I love how Lanie is SO fruity!! And funny and witty. I will enjoy following her blog.

4. If it wasn't all about me, about whom would it be?

No one! There is really only her... at least on her blog.

Okay, so now here are 4 people I TAG and the Questions I have for them to answer (note - if I didn't tag you - and you'd like to answer these questions, then consider yourself tagged! - I only had 4 to choose):

Casey

Julie

Lucy

Ann

Questions:

1. What was a single act of kindness you received that had a big impact on you?

2. If you could give someone some wisdom in just 5 words or less, what would it be?

3. What did you eat for breakfast this morning?

4. What is the current book you are reading or have read?

Cool! I look forward to reading those answers!

Okay... this week I got a box from a friend on the other side of the country who sent me some of her Medifast food and some PB2. It was like Christmas. Thank you so much Lynn!!! Isn't she the sweetest? There were a lot of shakes, so I made some vanilla spice cookies (like, alot of them!) and put them in meal portion zip lock bags and froze them. And with the chocolate shakes I was attempting to make chocolate cookies but the batter wasn't thick enough so I made it into a brownie/cake. I used 14 chocolate shake packs, 2 scrambled eggs packs, 4 t. baking powder, and 10 packets of splenda.and mixed it with some water and Peppermint Patty sugar free syrup then Baked at 350 for about 40 minutes - made 16 servings. Then drizzled with Walden Farms sugar free chocolate syrup. (froze most of them to use as needed for a quick grab, microwave and go meal). Pretty yummy for not having cake for 10 months!!

November Challenge:

I am doing it... but missed yesterday :( I was sick and sniffly the whole day, but I'm back on board today. I really stink at the tricept dips and the push ups... but I'm not giving up!

Also, I should be getting my family pictures tomorrow. I had not idea I would be waiting this long (almost 2 weeks). In "Margene time" it has been many months!! Can't wait to see them, I hope I'm not picturing that I will look thinner than I do, I'm worried I will still think I look big and gross, but it's got to be some improvement. Later XOX ~Margene

November Challenge

I joined Christine's November challenge and started today. I love how these stretches target my abdominal and arm muscles as those are the ones I need the most work on. I have not done these stretches/exercises in years and I just finished all the sets. Wow, do I need improvement! So I'm glad for this challenge. Hopefully by the end of the month I'll be doing these with ease.

Here is what the challenge exercises are: (right from Christine's blog)

30 Crunches (or sit ups)

30 Reverse Crunches

30 Bicycle Crunches

30 Abdominal Twists

30 Push ups

30 Tricep Kickbacks

30 Hammer Curls

30 Tricep Dips

Do this every day for the month of November.

Anyone want to join me?

Week 38 - Halloween Weekend

So, weigh-in was this morning and I found that I lost 2 pounds from last week and the hubs stayed the same. He is okay with losing slower as he is not staying on plan as much as I am every day. He still is mostly on plan and makes good eating choices, but he needs to go slower and not feel deprived and be able to get in a few more calories. I am so “all or nothing” that I need to stay on plan or I would go off “all the way”. I was very happy to see a loss, and wondered what the scale would say because there was a day I ate one extra medifast meal due to staying up so late and being hungry again... you know, eating every 3 hours so I had to eat. And then yesterday I had a “maintenance” bar even though I’m not on maintenance yet. They are higher calories and SOO yummy - but I was needing some extra energy. Wanna know why?

Here is my son thanking everyone who helped and donated - can you tell who he is dressed up as?

Because last night was the finale of my son’s Eagle Scout Project! In the month of October, he did a Food Drive for the Oregon Food Bank - and had over 1400 pounds of food donated! Then, he ended it with a big “Halloween Bash Reward Party” for all those who donated. We reserved our church building, and he had gotten 12 large pizzas and 6 dozen donuts donated from local businesses, and a DJ company to donate the music (hint - that was us since we own a DJ system) and organize games for the event. I’m happy to say it all went off wonderfully!! We had over 100 people show up. The hubs ran the music for the most part, and even got out to do some crowd involvement. Such a stud man!

Today we celebrated Halloween with an afternoon “Trunk or treat”. My man had to go into work - bummer for a Saturday - but the kids and I went. I can’t remember ever being able to sit Indian style in the back of our car ever! They got their buckets of candy. In years past, the hubs and I ALWAYS stole what we wanted from their Halloween buckets. One year, I even told my kids that they could keep all their candy, but at least give me all their Reese’s pb cups they get. My daughter would say when trick or treating, “Give me anything but a Reese’s because my mom will take it.” Things have really changed this year!! Today, my daughter almost begged me to take a Reese’s because she was excited to share. And although I could think about it and imagine eating it and remember how I loved all that candy... it actually sounds gross to me now!

Today I am thankful for: Kind people who supported my son’s Eagle Project, a husband who is so devoted to his family and the Lord, a cozy home to live in, having two working vehicles with working heaters, a sister who listens to me on the phone for an hour, and for my kiddo’s who can drive me crazy but also are so genuinely good and kind hearted! And I’d like to add: For amazing women (and men) who take the time to read my blog and who offer words of support. Thank you!!

Happy Halloween and God Bless. Life is GOOD!! xox ~Margene

Super Mom to the rescue!

(From Halloween 2007)

I feel like I’ve been super mom this week... although I’m not sure my kids see it that way. Volleyball games, Eagle Project, Merit Badges, Birthday Party, Halloween Costumes, Pack meeting, Grocery Shopping, Cleaning, Laundry, Errands, more errands, taking kids everywhere, Meetings, more errands.... Ever have those days where it is non-stop running around, putting out fires, and making it all happen? Then, by the end of the day you hit that emotional “reached my limit” point? By the evening time that’s how I’ve been feeling these last few days. It’s all good stuff, though, and I’m trying to remember that.

I have this hole in my heart (metaphorically speaking) that flares up every once in a while. It’s a heartache that comes back to me now and again over certain situations and it brings me so much pain and anguish. I work so hard to “give it to my Savior” and to let it go. But sometimes it nabs me when I least expect it and brings me down. That’s when I get knocked over as everything with it piles on top and then I’m defeated... for a few days it seems. These are the times I really miss my mother being alive (and my dad) - and my family living closer. I have prayed that God would take this from me, as it seems like too much for me at times. But for some reason I need to learn and grow from it. I know it has to do with me not seeing things as they really are - BUT what I do feel seems extremely real to me at the time. I’m so thankful for a patient and loving husband who recognizes when this hits me and immediately softens and comforts me.

My husband was saying that there is usually something we need to learn when we have ongoing struggles like this - like he has with his stress. Sometimes it’s humility, sometimes it’s patience. I was on facebook yesterday and watched a video that was posted that had to do with gratitude. It was so good and it reminded me that I need to reveal His hand in all things and that the only way I offend God is by not showing gratitude for all things. So I am trying to direct my focus on all the huge blessings I have and move past this latest heartache. And really, I have SO much to be thankful for - it truly is astounding! Just finding a program that works for us to lose this weight and change our lives is the hugest thing ever in my life! I know I am so blessed. So my focus is: Have an Attitude of Gratitude.

The other day I had an egg beater scramble with smoked salmon. I used 1 cup of egg beaters and about 3-4 ounces of smoked salmon and scrambled them with peppers and mushrooms. I put it on a 7” plate. It was tasty.

After church last Sunday, the hubs made me these two waffles from 1 packet of our Medifast chocolate chip pancakes. (He added some egg beaters along with the water to make it thicker). Then he drizzled some Walden Farms sugar free syrup. WOW... so yummy! (seems too sinful to be healthy!).

I also got this idea from Lyn at Escape from Obesity about taking a Medifast soup mix and adding just 3 T. water and a squirt of yellow mustard, mixing and spreading it out on parchment paper and microwaving for 2.5 minutes or so, and then cool and break into chips. It was nice to have something to crunch on. I ate mine with a triangle of light laughing cow cheese. Just make sure you don’t microwave it too long as it can start to burn on the bottom. I will be trying this again. They’re called soup chips.

Sticking on plan here and looking forward to weigh in on Saturday. I am dying to see the pics from our photo shoot... hopefully soon!! *Hugs* ~Margene

Featured on a Blog

Our story was just featured in an article written by Nancy B. Kennedy on her blog: Thirty Ways. Feel free to check it out and share with her your story as well, if you're so inclined! :)

Fun Discoveries!

Yesterday, the hubs and I went to Fred Meyer late at night to pick something up. I had to run to the bathroom and as I was catching up to him at the self check-out, I just couldn’t get over how great he looked. There was my skinny man!

I had to pull out my camera and snap a few pics.

Here he is just last Christmas time, and here he is when we were engaged.

He looks more like the picture from 22 years ago, I think!

How fun is that!

You wanna know something else so super sweet?

Okay, I was visiting keelie's blog over at Real Fat and commenting on her "Great Escape" from obesity. She has made it under the 30 BMI mark. I was telling her I can't wait until I do that too.

Then I checked my BMI after my weight loss of last week, and [insert drum roll now] ... I am no longer OBESE either!!! My BMI is now 29.9. I can't tell you how free that makes me feel to escape that label! WOOO HOOO! I've kept telling people, "yea, I've lost a lot of weight but I'm still considered obese and have a ways to go." but not now baby! Over 20 years I've been in that label and I have finally escaped with my hubby. I feel like saying as did Martin Luther King Jr. "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty we are free at last."

Week 37... Oh yeah!

I did NOT see the number 170 this morning.... I saw 169!!!

I am down 5 pounds from last week and the Hubs is down 2 pounds. BOOYA!

I am SO happy to see that number! That makes this weeks challenges seem worth it. I know I shouldn't put everything into a number, and I'm not really, it's just sweet to see that.

This morning my family had a little photo shoot done by a family friend who does excellent work. We went to a nice Estate Park with fall colors and it was drizzling a bit but no big rain. This is the first photo shoot since we've lost weight, so I was feeling a lot more positive about it. I had all of us wearing different browns with denim jeans. I even got a size 16 pair of jeans and they fit! The hubs said that my top was too big on me - I got it over a month ago and it's a 1x. I felt comfortable in it. I will post some of the pics when I get them. Can't wait to see them!!

Well, I am off to a busy Saturday getting house work done and then taking my teens to a youth dance. The hubs is stressing with all that he has to do. It makes life so much less enjoyable for him. I wish I could push a button and take it all away for him. Have a wonderful weekend, my friends! XOX ~Margene