What do we really look like?

Posted by Melissa Baumgart
Inspired by my recent thoughts on losing weight as it ties into the self image issues, I was doing a little internet searching and reading.  This is truly one of my favorite ways to spend a day.  Searching for interesting and thought provoking material online and reading it.  I can spend hours doing this, all the while pretending to be doing important things like school, blogging and paying the bills.  No one has that many bills.  And I should be doing more school work.  And cleaning.  Anyway.

I came across an interesting website called "My Body Gallery: What Real Women Look Like." At first, I was like...Whoa, is this site legit?  Is it porn in disguise?  I'm pretty sure after checking it out, it's purpose is meaningful and positive in intention.  (Not that porn can't be those things, I guess.  I don't want any porn lovers hating on me.)

Their purpose statement is this:

"A recent study found that 95% of non-eating disordered women overestimate the size of their hips by 16% and their waists by 25%, yet the same women were able to correctly estimate the width of a box.
In a world full of images of how we "should" look it can get difficult to tell how we DO look. Our hope is to build a site where women can see what real women look like. What we really look like. Most women have spent so many years looking at themselves in mirrors that we can no longer see what's really there. The My Body Gallery project's goal is to help women objectively see what we look like, break the pact of silence around "weight" and come to some acceptance that we are all beautiful."

Screenshot from My Body Gallery

There are rules for posting and visiting the site:

It is not a forum for judgement.
It is not a place where some women are welcome to post their pictures and others are not.
It is not a place for us to second guess what someone says they weigh or what size pants they wear.
It is not a place to decide that someone is healthy enough or not healthy enough to post their picture.
It is a place for women to post their true and accurate pictures. And for other women to see that the world is not a place of cookie cutters. We are all different in our body shape and size as well as our place in our journey to loving our bodies exactly as they are, not as we (or others) think they should be.
It is a place for us to be kind to others and ourselves.

You can enter your own height and weight, pants size and body shape, to see how many different ways your "size" can look.  I broke all the rules right away.  All of them.  I find it hard to get out of my "The world is an Awkward Band Photos Laugh-fest" mentality.  I had so many thoughts as I kept looking at this site.  Clearly, I am still working through so many of my own body image issues. 

• "What a crappy photo."  
• "I'm way bigger than that." 
• "No way she's 5'8" and weighs that much.  She's too skinny."  
• "Oh, hmmm, maybe I don't look that bad."  

I was all over the place.  But I can see the value, and after my initial judgement (keep in mind, I didn't read the rules first) I decided to let it all go and be thankful for the women that had the courage to post their photos. 

What do you think?  Did you check it out?  Were you surprised?  Offended?  Would you post yours?
I almost posted my own personal photo here, but I just couldn't.  Maybe I'll post it there, if I can figure out how to black out my face.

Bizzaro World

Posted by Melissa Baumgart

Couch and blanket.

I went to a Barre 3 class the other day.  Honestly, this was my thought during class, "Why do these women pay someone to torture them all for the sake of vanity?"  It just seemed so bizarre to in a room with a bunch of wealthy white ladies, being told to hold poses and thank the Universe, sprinkled with reminders that we wouldn't die.  I also think a similar thought in the gym too.  All of us driving to the gym, only to sweat our asses off next to complete strangers on machines plugged into the wall.  It just seems so strange to me. 

I don't get the same thing for running, or for yoga, actually.  Running feels free and easy, and it's outside.  Yoga has tradition and a belief system ingrained into every pose.

Am I missing something?  Or is it just that we live in a bizarre world where people spend more time and energy getting thin than they do on solving, oh, I don't know, say...hunger and violence.  Don't think I'm special, I haven't spent time doing anything today but watching Family Guy and Silent Library with my tween.  I'm not solving anything.  Or getting any thinner.

Shame, it's the other heavy weight.

Posted by Melissa Baumgart
I have spent this afternoon hunting through old photos looking for one that I thought was here, but I cannot find it.  It was of me in High School, wearing a bikini.  Well, not in the school, but at the beach.  I'm so mad I don't have it to post on here.  I wanted to show a photo of the fairly normal sized girl I was.  (I actually had a very hard time writing that last sentence.  Like someone from high school was gonna read it and laugh at me.)

During a thin time(10 years ago), when I thought I was fat.

I did have some thoughts as I looked through the many manifestations of myself throughout the years. There were times that I thought I was so fat.  And looking back, I wasn't.  Sure I wasn't as skinny as some of my friends, but I certainly was not fat.  And there were photos of me at heavier times too.  So what.  I was still the same person.

Whenever I would lose weight, I remember running into people and hearing the inevitable, "You look great!"  That's nice and all, but the absence of those three words was so painful when I'm was not at my lowest weight. 

Also, as much as I still long to be thin, that's not why people like me.  No one that really likes me cares if I need to lose 15 pounds.  I'm pretty sure they enjoy who I am and aren't thinking..."Wow, I'd like Melissa so much more if she were skinny."  And I don't consider the thinness of a person a quality at the top of my list of things I really like about my friends.  Actually, sometimes, skinny people kinda make me mad.  Just being honest here, sorry skinny people.  It's not you, it's me.

I just really don't want size to matter this much.  But, unless I move to an isolated island (hey, now there's an idea) I doubt I will ever totally get away from the pressure of society to look a certain way.

Wow.  I got sidetracked by Facebook.  No Surprise. 

But where it led me was to a woman named Brené Brown.  I watched a TED Tv talk that she did.  She is a researcher on vulnerability and shame.  At once, I hated her and loved her. She says a preliminary clarifying remark which is that guilt and shame are not the same thing.  Guilt is "I did something bad."  And shame is "I am bad."  She asserts that, through her research, she's learned shame is a pervasive driving force in our culture that fuels perfectionism, eating disorders, addictions, violence, bullying...you name it.  I highly recommend checking her out and sharing your thoughts either here or on our FB page.

I am so intrigued by this.  And overwhelmed. 

I just wanted to lose weight.  And now it has turned into so much more. 

Toe Envy (Weekly Weigh)

Posted by Amy Baranski and Melissa Baumgart

 

Now you get it, right?  Why Amy is so damn envious of Melissa's big toe.

And the truth is, Melissa's toe looks even better in real life.

AND we are under 300!!!!!  That's a total loss of 12.6 pounds!

We are pretty awesome.

No Filter

Posted by Amy Baranski

Unedited. No filter. No makeup. Real life. 

Melissa wrote a pretty fantastic blog post about dealing with eating disorders and the unhealthy inner dialogue about the way we (women) perceive ourselves as perpetuated by the culture that dehumanizes us into pieces of an always imperfect commodity. She was the brunt of some a messed up "joke" in high school and cruel teasing (read her post).

Funny enough I've always thought of Melissa as very beautiful. First off she has fantastic gams! Her skin is gorgeous. She tans well. She has effortless style even if she'll complain (humbly) that her clothing choices are limited. Her big toe is WAY prettier than mine. Yeah maybe she doesn't have washboard abs. But she can do a very pretty backbend during Bikram yoga--to the point that the teachers call her out. And she has three bright beautiful children with her today. I think she deserves to give her tummy a break. It's done a lot of work

We all have something about our looks that we feel ashamed about. If we didn't there wouldn't be this vast, vast market of opportunity to "fix" ourselves with products so that we can feel better and look better. Wasn't there a blog post that recently went viral encouraging mothers to look at themselves in the mirror (in front of their children) and remark: "Look at that pretty mama!" Saying it even when we don't believe it might help us to believe it someday. It's probably a better learned behavior to model even if it's a lie before it becomes the truth.

*

I can look happy too (note the sunglasses).

I've certainly been made fun of but not for the size of my waist. Hairy legs in middle school (wasn't allowed to shave), breasts (small - but once lovingly described by a tipsy friend as "two scoops of vanilla"), and my genetically-gifted under eye circles (although drunk bums always seem to think I have "really cool eyes" - that's a real confidence booster).

No one ever calls me fat, except once when I was pregnant.

People have wondered if I had cancer, enough vitamin k? I constantly get asked if I've had enough sleep. What's enough? I mostly respond, "No, I just look this way." And...I like it!
I like the way I look.

For the most part.

I guess.

Sometimes.

Not always.

It's not something I can change. I accept it. But it's hard. It's work to be out there about who you are. And, I'm not always out there. Just a year ago I was having late night fun with a girlfriend and she wanted to try on her 80s prom dresses. It probably would have been a total gas. But I couldn't. I didn't feel fit enough. I declined. It was an awkward moment. Way to bring the evening to a screeching halt Amy!

So yeah, I 'm the skinny girl. Does that make me love myself any more? Not really.

I love that Melissa opened up this month to discussing body issues and the really awful stuff we think to ourselves and say to others. We should care about our health and the body health of our community! That's important. Too many Americans are suffering and dying from curable and preventable diseases. But should we tie up our happiness and sense of well being into looking a certain way? Of course style and dressing up is fun. Make-up is fun! We're even devoting a whole month of this blog to styling. But maybe it's time to shake off the need to live up to these ridiculous standards of beauty.

Let's try presenting a life to each other without any filters to hide our flaws. It's hard.

I almost didn't publish this post, it's that hard.

I used to be a perfectionist, then I had kids

Posted by Melissa Baumgart
I am stepping into new Weight Watchers territory.  I am weighing my goat cheese.  The perfectionist that used to live in me before my children killed her just rose from the dead and found an old kitchen scale in my china closet.  I guess if I am going to complain about WW not working, I should actually try to do it correctly. 

Seriously, though, I used to have a clean house, files in order, kitchen cupboards neatly stocked.  (But I've always had a messy junk drawer)  Then I had kids.  Notice the s at the end.  I kept it up with one kid, but after two, forget about it.  And nowadays, I often don't even see the point in cleaning or tidying, because 15 minutes later, it's all a mess again.  Right now there is actually a HUGE pile of clean clothes all over my bedroom floor because there's no time or motivation to fold them (why fold people?  they never stay that way in the kid's drawers!) and put them away.  Sometimes I cannot believe I live like this.

So, I guess it makes sense that I fudge the WW points a little.  Sure that soup was probably 6 points, and that's not a pile of clothes on my floor, it's a new version of those awesome pouf cushions.

Not only am I now going to weigh everything to see exactly how many ounces it is, I also learned that you can add a recipe into the Point Tracker.  So, like last night, Jamie made this yummy Thai Coconut Chicken Soup (He really did learn something during "Teach Your Husband to Cook Month"!!) and I had no idea how many points it was.  I typed in "thai coconut chicken soup" and the range of options were from 4 points to over 10 points per serving.  When I entered my recipe into the Recipe Builder, mine came out to 9 points per serving.  If I hadn't have done that, I totally would have picked the 6 point version.

Any other WW tips I should know about?  Tomorrow's the next weigh in!  I don't know about Amy, but I think from my side of the scale, we can get under 300.

For those few unwanted extra pounds

Posted by Melissa Baumgart
I have never been skinny, really, ever since puberty.  I spent several years in high school and college eating and purging because I thought I was fat.  Not only did I think I was fat, other people told me I was.  In high school, I was called names in the hallway regarding my weight.  It even went as far as for a Christmas gift exchange, in front of the whole class, I had to open my "gift" of Slim Fast. 

I was humiliated.  The teacher spoke up, but not for comfort, "Melissa, read the note that came with it."  Holding back tears, trembling, I read the note,"For those few unwanted extra pounds."  It was the Slim Fast slogan those days, always heard while watching TV.  I never thought I'd be repeating it in front of my class that day.

And go figure, I let myself enjoy some yummy Mexican food and lost 2 pounds.

At the time, I was 5'8" and weighed around 150-155.  The BMI doesn't even say a 5'8" woman is overweight until about 165.  And yet, as a healthy teenager, I started making myself throw up.  Because I was fat. 

I still struggle with these concepts.  I no longer excuse myself after dinner to puke, but mentally, weight is such a constant struggle.  Currently, I am not technically overweight, but in my mind I am.  I bounce back and forth all day between conversations in my head about being OK with how I look and being disgusted by how I look.  Literally, all day.  It's exhausting.

I don't want to pass this disease onto my daughters.  And yet, I know I already have.  How could I not?  They see me glancing in the mirror all day long, turning to the side to see how chubby my belly looks.  They hear me talking with my friends about losing weight and gaining weight.  Even when I lose weight, my behaviors look the same on the outside.  Always checking, sucking in my stomach, stepping on the scale with a sigh.

Sometimes, I don't even go hang out with some people because they are all skinnier than me, and I don't want to be the "fat" one. 

This month is about losing weight.  But I want to make it about more than that.  I want to lose these devastating, self-loathing thoughts and behaviors.  I'm hoping that getting honest with myself about them is going to open up new possibilities for how to let them go.

3rd Weigh In

Posted by Amy Baranski and Melissa Baumgart

So, not as drastic as last week, but still 1.4 pounds lower. (Last week we had lost 7.8 pounds)

The thing is, our scale shows a different weight if we use it in the bathroom versus the kitchen.  Is the scale reliable?  Maybe we are losing more than we think?  Or worse, maybe we are gaining more than we think?  Damn scale.

Think we'll get lower than 300 next week?  Bets?

Couch to Half Marathon Training Plan

Posted by Melissa Baumgart
Here is my pirated "Couch to Half-Marathon" training program.  I am currently in week 7 of the process.  I Googled the web after looking for books, and decided on this super simple approach.  No chapters, no paragraphs...just a simple plan.  Perfect.

 

Today, I had a long school day.  I actually brought my running things to school and ran my three miles at lunch.  Sometimes it feels good to follow through with something you said you would do.  Now onto more school work!  I get to write a presentation/practice guideline/handout all on Bacterial Vaginosis.  Sounds like fun, huh? 

PS...if the image is too small to read, either click on it, or click on the link in the first sentence.

Someone tell my body that this month is NOT called "Gaining Weight"

Photo from www.lilwoodys.com

Posted by Melissa Baumgart
Honestly. This week, I have been following Weight Watchers points to a tee.  Even overestimating what I might be eating, as well as running 5 days this week.

So, let me break it down.  I am allotted 26 points per day and I am given 47 points per week to add in as a choose.  They also give you "earned" points for working out, of which this week I have earned 30 points.  The earned points can also be used for the week, as you please. They say that even if I do add in those extra points, I'll still lose a small amount of weight. 

Wrong.

Every day this week, I have been meticulous about my point counting.  I even cut out all wine, to exclude extra unnecessary points.  I only went over my daily points once, using 3 weekly points.  And guess what?  So far this week...I HAVE GAINED 2 pounds!!!!!

It's real hard to not get discouraged.

It's real hard to not go and get that damn cheeseburger from Lil' Woody's that I so desperately want, with a side of queso fries.  Mmmmmmm.

According to Weight Watchers, I actually could.  I certainly have enough extra points for it!
I could even get the Big Woody!  (That's what she said.)

Mom Jeans

Posted by Melissa Baumgart
In honor of Amy's new "Mom Jean" status, I wanted to share this timeless wonder of SNL.  Please Enjoy...

Weighing in...

Posted by Amy Baranski and Melissa Baumgart

We are down a total of 7.8 pounds!

We will be weighing in once a week on Thursdays.  We expect a small variation due to clothing choices, time of day, whether we starved ourselves the day before, etc.  But generally speaking, that's pretty good for week one!

 

Anyone else going to post their weight loss for week one?  We'd love to hear if anyone else is on this journey as well.

I'm a mom now. It's time to buy bigger pants.

Posted by Amy Baranski

Last year I gained weight--real weight--which I was very happy to do because I was pregnant with little J-rock.

I spent a lot of the time thinking I wasn't gaining enough--especially when I compared my bump to the ladies in my birthing class. Turns out little J-rock had a little body.

Everyone told me not to worry about the weight. This made me worry more. In the end I gained between 34 and 36 pounds. Pre-pregnancy I weighed between 124 and 126 pounds (depending on the time of day, week, or month). By full term I maxed out around 160 pounds. Since then I've been wavering around 150. Until last week! I weighed 141--so some weight has finally started to move.

Some of you are probably thinking pfff 160 is my target weight. You are probably taller than me.

Take solace in the fact that (as Melissa and Erin will say) short bitches might be skinny but they can never be tall.

3 body lessons I learned during and after pregnancy:

#1: Every woman has a very specific body chemistry and set of health circumstances which can make pregnancy difficult either during pregnancy, AFTER pregnancy (as was my case), or never. It's really individual what will happen to you.

#2: Food is really fucking important during the post-partum period. Why on earth was I NOT hungry in the weeks after giving birth? Maybe it was those amazing placenta pills I had encapsulated ... or the bad taste of banana vomit that was still in my mouth from the actual birth...I dunno. But the moment I started eating, really eating again, my milk production was better and my whole body was better...even if it was getting bigger.

#3: I felt sexy when I was pregnant--everything was taught and round. I also felt really good before I got pregnant. I had spent a year practicing Bikram Yoga regularly and honestly was in the best shape since I was 15-years-old, maybe even better. During both of these periods I was exercising (regularly!) and eating whole foods. I'll probably have to do this again to see real change.

Some time in the post partum period I woke up one morning and thought:

I'm a mom now. It's time to buy bigger pants.

Honestly, I came to that conclusion, the day after I wore my maternity pants *backwards* out in public to a local coffee shop staffed by good looking and clearly never-impregnated young women. Maybe they've had abortions - who knows - but still. It was embarrassing. That and the fact I was only wearing one sock. (I forgot to put them on before wrapping the baby in the Moby...continuing to bend over to get the second sock on just became too stupid after a ten minute attempt - sue me.)

So I sucked it in on election Tuesday, drove to Old Navy near South Center mall (where I wouldn't run into anyone I know), and madly tried on several pairs of jeans while I made my infant son do tummy time on his blanket in the dressing room (gross or ingenious?)  I didn't even try to jump and squeeze my way into the Diva jeans. I just grabbed the size 12, tried them on, and called it good.

I decided to give myself until 6 months to do anything about the weight. But honestly we're going on 8 months here and I haven't really done anything. Except last month I started cutting out refined sugar and making more food at home. So that brings us to this month--loose weight month. The recommendation for nursing mothers is generally to not loose more than one pound a week. So that makes my goal to loose 4-5 pounds this month. I'm starting six days late. But here goes...nothing (or hopefully five pounds).

And if I'm lucky...I'll be able to wear my Lucky's at the end of the month, without camel toe!

Weight Watcher's: Week 1

0 Points!

Posted by Melissa Baumgart
Losing Weight - Weight Watcher's Style

It's not going as bad as I had expected.  I actually started WW a couple weeks before March, just to see what it was like.  I was either starving or fudging my points so I could eat more. 

"Eh, sure, that was only a tablespoon of mayonnaise.  And maybe half a cup of fries.   Looks like 4 oz. of wine to me!"  

When in reality, I had no idea how much it was because I stuffed it all into my face too fast to even eyeball the amount.  And when I felt like I was keeping up with the points for real, I felt so hungry all the time. (Also, I am doing the online version, maybe the in person check-in works better for accountability.)

I think that happens though, when you're used to eating everything all the time, and not thinking about what you're putting into your mouth.  When you start taking toll of your diet, and you lessen what you eat, there can be a bit of time where you're body is craving more.  More.  More.  Now that I have settled into this, I feel lighter, and definitely less hungry.

My plan:
I am allowed 26 points a day.  And I have 47 "extra" points a week.  The extra points can be spread throughout, used for one big splurge, or not used at all.  You can also earn point from being physical, so I earn a good bit from running during the week.  And make sure to track your wine intake, I really was cheating in that area for the first while. 

To get an idea of how many points are in foods, here is a list of foods I have been typically eating, and their points:

• Coffee and 2 Tbsp half & half - 2 points
• 2 Hard boiled eggs - 4 points
• Mixed Greens, carrots, cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and dressing - 3 points
• 1 oz. cheddar cheese - 3 points
• 1oz. crumbled feta cheese - 2 points
• 3oz. chicken breast, without skin - 3 points
• Kale - 0 points
• Grapefruit - 0 points
• 4 oz. wine - 4 points
• 2 cups air popped popcorn and 1 Tbsp butter - 5 points

Things I like so far:
All fruits and veggies are 0 points!
It has brought a new awareness to what I eat.

Things I don't like so far:
It really focuses on "low-fat", so avocados and nuts are a lot of points.  Boo.
Anything sugar-free (Coke Zero) is 0 points...so I am tempted, but I know that crap cannot be good for me.

We weigh in again, together, tomorrow.  I'm kinda excited to see what the number is!  

Warm Lentil Salad with Balsamic Roast Squash and Kale

Posted by Melissa Baumgart

Adapted from the New York Times  
By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN   
Published: December 31, 2012 

 

For the squash:

2 pounds kabocha squash, peeled and cut in small dice.  If organic, don’t worry about getting every last bit of peel off.

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (2 tablespoons if using acorn squash)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 

For the lentils:

1 cup black lentils (also known as beluga lentils), rinsed

1 teaspoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 onion (intact)

1 quart water

Salt to taste  

For the dressing:

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, ground

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon walnut oil

1/4 cup chopped or slivered flat leaf parsley

For the Kale:

1 bunch of green kale, chopped into bite size pieces.

 1/2 teaspoon of salt 

Directions:

1. Combine the lentils, ginger, turmeric, onion, water, and salt to taste in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook at a moderate bubble until the lentils have softened and produced a flavorful broth, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the heat. Remove the onion and discard. Place a strainer over a bowl and drain the lentils.   Save the lentil broth.

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Mix the squash, balsamic and salt in a small baking dish.  Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes so that the squash browns evenly. The squash should be tender all the way through.   Set aside.

3. In a small bowl or measuring cup whisk together the vinegars, mustard, salt and pepper, olive oil, and walnut oil. Toss with the lentils and return to the saucepan. Add a few tablespoons of the lentil broth, stir in the parsley and heat through.

4. Sprinkle the kale with salt and massage for 2 minutes.

5.  Place kale on a plate, top with lentils, and top that with some squash.  Sprinkle with some fresh parsley.  Serve and enjoy!

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Advance preparation: The cooked lentils will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator. Keep the broth in a jar and moisten if desired when you reheat. The squash will keep for 2 or 3 days. Reheat gently in a pan or in a medium-low oven. 

Nutritional information per serving (4 servings): 381 calories; 18 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 44 grams carbohydrates; 13 grams dietary fiber; 40 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 14 grams protein

Nutritional information per serving (6 servings): 254 calories; 12 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 29 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 27 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 10 grams protein

Plan for Weight Loss

Posted by Melissa Baumgart
My Plan:
1.  Keep my food intake in check through Weight Watchers.
2.  Continue training for a Half-Marathon in June.

I have never been a fan of any sort of "diet" or weight loss plan.  I have always looked at it as a simple math equation to lose weight.  You just have to take in less calories than you burn everyday.  For this month, I decided to set aside any judgements and try something new.  I know lots of people that use Weight Watchers, and have had varying degrees of success.  While I feel a bit embarrassed to be joining a weight loss program, I am excited to see how it fits into my life, and to lose weight.  After all, Jennifer Hudson says, "Expect Amazing!"

I have been all over the place with my weight since I hit adolescence.  This month, I am sure there will be a lot to process about weight, society, food and self-esteem.  I am really looking forward to this.  (I know, that sounds so sarcastic, but I was trying to be genuine.)

Jamie and I started a Half-Marathon training program back in January.  This week we get up to 4 miles!  It always feel good to be active, and it's really nice to have someone doing this with me for motivation.  I"ll post on the program we chose and how it is going throughout this month.

I gotta get back to my dinner preparation, because I am seriously starving.  All I have had today are some hard boiled eggs.  I need to get my kitchen stocked with healthy options, because this sucks.  I'll post the recipe for dinner later today.

Welcome to March

Posted by Amy Baranski and Melissa Baumgart
March: Or as Amy called it in a snarky Facebook comment "How to starve yourself in 30 days."  Just kidding, we plan on being healthy and realistic about this month.

We are going to work as a team on the number game. Today, we stood together in a long embrace (likely our longest hug ever, since it is hard to share the scale with only one foot to stand on) and weighed ourselves. 
That number is what you see over there on the side bar: 311.8!


Any predictions for the final number at month's end? 
Anyone joining us this month?

You've Got Mail

Posted by Amy Baranski

Remember that letter I wrote to my dear old roomie? It got returned. ADDRESS UNKNOWN. Guess we've been REAL out of touch.

The good news? The same day I got the return to sender I ALSO GOT A LETTER I GOT A LETTER NAY NAY NAY NAY NAY!!!

The letter came from my dear old cousin who lives across the country. I can't wait to write her back.