Friday Fun: Survey Time

My good friend George sent this to me....have I mentioned that I love surveys?

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No. Heather was just a really, really popular name in the 70s. They didn't make a movie called "Heathers" for nothing.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Honestly, I can't remember. I don't cry often.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Not particularly. I always write uphill, and it's not very neat either.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Roast beef or turkey.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? 2 sweet little girls

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Of course!

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Way too much. Even my 5-year-old recognizes it and points it out!

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Never. I prefer to not take life-threatening risks, since I have two little kids to care for. Also, I'm really scared of heights.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cracklin' Oat Bran or Frosted Mini Wheats

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No, and I don't untie them when I put them back on either, which is why the backs are all broken down and ruined.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I think I'm very strong emotionally, though I haven't always been. I'm physically strong in that I have huge biceps and can lift a lot of weight, but my immune system can't fight off anything. If I'm in a hotel room on the 10th floor, and a little kid sneezes down in the lobby, I will get a cold.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Mint chocolate chip

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? If they smile and make eye contact. If they don't, I immediately assume that they aren't very friendly. I smile all the time, because I want people to like me.

15. RED OR PINK? Red...it's my signature color.

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I talk too much, and I procrastinate.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Grandpa and Grandma.

18. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? No shoes...I always go barefoot in the summer.

19. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Ham balls, corn casserole, and broccoli slaw

20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The refrigerator running, and my 5-year-old singing to herself while she rides her bike around on the driveway.

21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Huh? I guess Periwinkle. It was my favorite as a kid. I think I just liked the name.

22. FAVORITE SMELLS? Roast beef in the slow cooker, coffee brewing, lilacs, cookies baking, cucumbers, Gerber Giggles and Grins sweet pea baby wash (does anybody know where I can find this? Wal-Mart doesn't carry it anymore!) gasoline and exhaust (this is how I remember my husband smelling when we were first dating).

23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My Dad. He called to ask if he could take "the tame child" (Bee) to a rodeo tomorrow. I gave him a stern warning that he must treat the girls equally, and he said that he would take Babycakes places when she was "more civilized." That might never happen!

24. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Definitely

25. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? I don't watch sports. I hate sports. All of 'em.

26. Hair Color? My natural color is very dark brown, almost black. Sadly, I have so much gray now that I'm forced to color my hair. If I don't I'll look like Lily Munster. I blame my Dad for this. Darn genetics!

27. EYE COLOR? Black/brown. My high school Spanish teacher said that I have "Spanish eyes." I realize that sounds creepy, but my teacher was a woman, so not to worry. Well...I hope not anyway.

28. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No, but I probably should. I have terrible night blindness.

29. FAVORITE FOOD? I really like Greek, Chinese, and Mexican food. My favorite dishes are dolmades with pitas and tsatsiki, sesame chicken with egg rolls and crabmeat rangoons, and suiza con pollo or flautas with mexican rice. Mmmmmm. I must stop talking about this, because I'm starting to get hungry.

30. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings.

31. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? The Usual Suspects.

32. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? A white T-shirt that says "Run For Independence." I'm not sure where I got it. I've never run for anything.

33. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer. I'm sick too much in the winter.

34. HUGS OR KISSES? I like to hug people, but I'm only interested in kissing my husband, or my kids. I plaster their cute little faces with kisses.

35. FAVORITE DESSERT? Tiramisu or cheesecake. Thanks to this stupid diet, I don't get to have either of them!

36. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? "The Abstinence Teacher" by Tom Perrotta. I'm enjoying it so far.

37. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Sylvester and Tweety

38. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Part of Super Nanny (I love her!) and the news.

39. FAVORITE SOUND? The ocean, string music, thunderstorms (not violent ones!) my little girls giggling, my husband's voice on the other end when I pick up the phone.

40. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? I seriously don't like either one, but I guess I would lean toward the Beatles.

41. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Yakima, Washington, about 1800 miles away.

43. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I'm a speed reader, and I have a really good memory. I can remember entire movies, line by line. This astonishes my husband.

Now, I'd love to see your answers. Post a comment if you're participating, so I can come by and read all about you.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

A Really Cool Blog Award!

Much thanks to my sweet blog friend, Jennifer, over at The Miles Family Adventures for this really awesome blog award,


If you haven't visited Jen's blog, head over and check it out for some fun reading. If you have little girls, you can also buy her super-cute hair bows!

This award comes with the following rules:

1. Pick five (5) blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself. Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of “Arte y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.

It's very, very difficult for me to pick only 5 blogs! For me, every blog I read contributes something unique and important to my life, but I've narrowed my 5 (well, more or less) picks down to:

Renata @ Sunnyside Fun, and Saminda @ Ferns by the Fireside - I know it's against the rules, but they're my two Australian friends, and I couldn't pick one, but not the other! I love them both, and I've learned a lot about Australia from them. Makes me feel so worldly :)

Lea @ Farmhouse Blessings, because she is full of wisdom, kindness, and grace, and I learn so much from her.

Deb @ Homespun Living, because she inspires me with her energy, creativity, and love of nature and beauty.

Suzie @ Up the Hill Backwards, because she makes me laugh really hard!

Kimberly @ Callings and Cupcakes, because she's just funny and cool, and we have a lot in common.

I just want to say that I would have picked everyone on my blog roll if I could. I hate for anyone to feel left out...it reminds me too much of picking teams in gym class.

Toys-R-Us Voluntary Recall of Baby Bottles Containing BPA?

Around the internet right now, you can read many testimonials from people who have successfully returned their used Avent bottles, breast pumps, and other baby feeding equipment to Toys-R-Us for store credit. They claim that no receipt is necessary, and no questions are asked. In my experience, this is not entirely true.

BPA is the reason that people are rushing to dispose of their Avent products. BPA (Bisphenol-A) - sometimes indicated by a number 7 on products - is a chemical used in the manufacturing of polycarbonate plastic. This plastic is used in non-disposable water bottles, in the lining of canned foods, and in many baby feeding products because it's very strong and impact resistant. The problem is that scientists believe that BPA leaches out of plastic when it's heated, and is now detectable in most people's bloodstreams. It's thought to cause dangerous hormonal changes in children, possibly leading to cancer, obesity, early onset of puberty, and attention deficit disorder.

The FDA and American Plastics Council insist that BPA is safe, but many recent scientific studies seem to support the theory that it's not. Canada has banned BPA from baby bottles, and the city of San Francisco has also banned it from certain products. However, the FDA has taken no action, because, according to spokesman Mike Herndon, "At the present time, FDA has no reason to change its opinion that the dietary exposure to BPA … is safe."

It would seem that Toys-R-Us disagrees. They're working with manufacturers to transition their inventory of baby bottles and other baby feeding products to be BPA-free in all stores nationwide by the end of 2008. Though there has been no official recall, rumor has it that some Toys-R-Us stores have taken the proactive step to voluntarily recall baby bottles made with BPA, by popular manufacturers such as Avent, Dr. Browns and Playtex. Supposedly they're giving store credit for products they carry, even if they're used, no receipt required, and no questions asked.

Internet stories of people triumphantly leaving Toys-R-Us with huge store credits for their used baby bottles abound, and in some areas of the country, they may actually be true. However, I took my used Avent bottles and manual Avent Isis breast pump to my local Toys-R-Us yesterday, and spoke with two department managers, and the store supervisor. When I asked about the voluntary recall, they had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. They called Toys-R-Us national headquarters, and were told that no, there is no voluntary recall. Then, they called the main store in our state, and were told that only Babies-R-Us is accepting the bottles, and will only exchange them for glass bottles. No store credit. This fact is not widely known, nor advertised.

So...given this bewildering set of conflicting facts, I would suggest that if you have baby feeding products containing BPA, you should call your local Toys-R-Us or Babies-R-Us and ask if they're participating in the recall. Be advised that you should talk only to the store supervisor. I called first, and the employee I talked to said yes, they were participating, but when I got there, they were singing a different tune. In the end, they gave me $20 in store credit for my 4 bottles anyway (but not the breast pump) simply because they were embarrassed that I drove 20 miles to their store after being given erroneous information.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what to believe about BPA, but I'm really disappointed that Avent products seem to be one of the worst BPA offenders. I absolutely loved my Isis manual pump, and the Avent bottles were our favorite. I'm sad to give them up, but if our last frozen embryo does become a baby, I take issue with feeding him or her toxic chemicals.

I pray that the health of my children has not been affected by our unwitting use of BPA products. I feel like I should go through everything in the house and throw out all the #7 plastics.

Sheesh...what next?

Wordless Wednesday: Little Miss Dynamite

Bee loves to strike a pose for the camera. She's a dynamite girl!

This picture was taken last year at our 4th of July parade. At the fireworks that night, in between the explosions of color, Bee cracked everyone up by exclaiming, "Stay tuned for another one!"

Hmmmm....perhaps she watches too much TV?

See more Wordless Wednesday pics at 5 Minutes for Mom.

Wednesday Weigh-In

I decided to weigh myself on Wednesdays, for no other reason than "weight" and "Wednesday" start with the same letter, and I'm a word geek who likes stuff like that.

Over the weekend, I was much more conscious of what I ate, and I've noticed that when I wake up in the morning, I actually feel hungry. I had forgotten what physical hunger felt like because I was always grazing, and therefore always full.

Anyway, I didn't expect much today because I just started counting calories on Monday. I figured that I would be down a half pound at best, but no! I've lost one full pound!

This is a very small victory, but it's a real encouragement to me.

The Two Faces of Babycakes

I just put Babycakes back in bed. For the fourth time. She's been screaming and fussing off and on for the last two and a half hours.

She's typically a very good sleeper, and she usually goes to bed without making a peep. However, she's been very cranky and overtired because we had a busy weekend, and she didn't get her naps. When this happens, she turns from my sweet, lively little girl,


into this cantankerous, owly, disagreeable little creature,


When she's like this, I cannot please her. Everything I do is wrong,


and she takes offense at everything I say,


She turns up her nose at any food I offer,


and if I try to tell her what to do, she looks at me as if to say, "What, are you kidding me?"


She refuses to take her nap, even though I REALLY need a break from her,


and will never cooperate for photographs,


She goes about the day with a scowl on her face,


and screams and protests when I put her in bed for the night,


When she finally does fall asleep, I fall on my knees from exhaustion, and praise God for the silence...until 3 AM, when she wakes up shrieking, "MOMMY! OUT! WANT OUT!"

It's a good thing she's so cute, or I might be mad.

My Sleeping Babies

Debi has invited her readers to show off their sleeping babies, so of course, I had to dig up these pictures of my girls.

Here is Baby Bee at around 18 months,


and Babycakes at the same age,


When I see these pictures next to each other, I'm struck by how much alike they look!

Sleeping children look so peaceful and angelic. When you watch them sleep, all the naughty, exasperating stuff they did during the day is magically erased from your memory!

When our girls were babies, my husband (he's my baby too!) always loved to curl up with them on his chest, and fall asleep. Here he is with Babycakes when she was only a week old,


She was suffering from jaundice, so he was giving her a little break from the Bili Bed,


It just killed him that she had to stay on it all the time, and he couldn't hold her!

He still loves to snuggle up with the girls and fall asleep,


Daddies and daughters have a special bond!

How Many Calories Should You Eat?

Calorie counting starts today! Oh YAY. I know you're all very excited about this. What a lovely way to start the week.

Before you can start counting calories, you need to determine a daily calorie limit for weight loss. First, let's figure out how many calories you need to maintain your weight. Here is a handy formula:

1) Figure your basal metabolic rate. For women, it's your weight in pounds x 10. So mine is 1840 (for my international readers, 1 kilogram = 2.20462262 pounds).

2) Next, calculate your lifestyle percentage:
Sedentary: 20% of BMR
Somewhat active: 30% of BMR
Moderately active: 40% of BMR
Very active: 50% of BMR

Since I'm only sporadically active, I think I fall in the sedentary camp. So to figure my lifestyle percentage, I need to take my BMR of 1840 x .20, for a figure of 368.

3) Add the two numbers together to get your daily calorie needs:
1840 + 368 = 2208 calories per day

To maintain my weight I would need to eat 2208 calories, but of course, I want to lose weight. There are 3500 calories in a pound, so to lose one pound a week, I would need to cut out 500 calories per day. I would actually like to lose 2 pounds a week, so instead, I'm going to cut out 1000 calories per day:

2208 - 1000 = 1208 calories per day

Please note that diets of less than 1200 calories per day for women are not recommended without a doctor's supervision. Also, a slow weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week is best.

I discovered that Fitday.com offers a free online diet journal, which is very similar to the free site I used 9 years ago to lose 29 pounds. This site is a very useful tool, because it has calorie information for 1000s of foods. You simply enter the foods you've eaten, and it provides the calorie and nutrient breakdown. You can also enter your weight loss goal, and record your weekly weights and physical activity. What a great way to track your progress! If you don't want to use this site, you can simply purchase an inexpensive book of calorie counts, and chart your progress on a piece of graph paper.

Over the weekend, for encouragement, I made a list of "Stuff We Do Right." I also made a list of "Stuff We Do Wrong," to give me an idea of where I can start making changes:

Stuff We Do Right
-We eat lots of fruits and vegetables
-We eat lots of brown rice and other whole grains
-We eat only non-fat or low-fat dairy products
-We almost never eat fried food
-We eat only lean protein. My husband and I both hate fatty meats.
-We rarely eat bacon, hot dogs, or other meats high in fat and nitrates
-When cooking, we use fat sparingly
-We use only canola, olive or vegetable oils. No butter or lard.

Stuff We Do Wrong
-We eat portions that are way too big
-We eat when we aren't hungry
-We eat too many desserts
-We eat too much sugar
-We eat in restaurants more than necessary
-I drink way too much Diet Coke. I recently read that diet soda can have a negative effect on weight loss, and can actually make you gain weight. Here is the complete article.

Based on my lists, I decided that my first goals will be to limit both desserts and restaurant meals to once a week, and limit my Diet Coke consumption to only one can per day (in the morning, to wake me up!) Now that I've determined my daily calorie limit, I'm going to try to get my portions under control.

It's a place to start.

Thrifty Tip #8: Shop at Scratch & Dent and Salvage Stores

Continuing my "Thrifty Tips You Can Use" series...

Yesterday my children and I made our semi-annual trip to an Amish community about 50 miles from our home, with the express purpose of shopping at their scratch & dent and bulk foods stores.

Of course, by the time we got there, the kids were hungry and tired of being in the car, so we had a quick bite to eat first:


As you can probably tell, they had a lot of pent-up energy to burn off:


After lunch, we did some serious shopping. We purchased all of these groceries at the scratch & dent:


and a few staples from the bulk grocery:


Amish-operated stores like these can be hard to find. The one I went to today is so unassuming, you could easily sail right past it and not even notice. It doesn't even have a sign:


However, these stores are worth seeking out. Here is just a sample of the terrific deals I found today:

12-ounce bags of whole bean, dark roast Starbucks coffee. My husband loves to grind his own coffee in our coffee mill, and for him, the darker the roast, the better! Retail cost-$10.45. My price: $2.50


FruitaBu organic, 100% fruit leather from Stretch Island Fruit Co. My kids absolutely love these, but they're difficult to find, and quite pricey. Our local organic foods market sells them individually for 50 cents apiece, or you can buy them in bulk from Amazon for about $3.80/box. I got 8 boxes for only $1.40 each:


You can usually find great deals on canned goods, like this organic tomato paste for only 20 cents a can. The cheapest generic tomato paste in my area is 38 cents a can, and it's certainly not organic!


I always make my own spaghetti sauce, so I was excited to find these slightly dented, 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes for only a quarter each:


Other great deals today were Starkist water-packed tuna for 40 cents a can, Secret deodorant for $1.25, and Free and Clear laundry detergent for only $1.95 per 35-load bottle!

Here are just a few pointers for shopping at dent & bent/salvage stores:

1) Not all of these stores are operated by the Amish. In my experience, the ones that aren't are typically more expensive.

2) Take your price book along! Not everything at these stores is a good deal. For example, school and office supplies, cleaning products, and diapers can usually be purchased at a better price elsewhere. Know your prices so you can buy with confidence.

3) If you have to travel a significant distance to get to your salvage store, as we do, the key to success is volume! As I mentioned, we only shop there twice a year, but we buy A LOT. The back of our van is usually full. Even with gas at $3.73/gallon, we still estimate that we save about half on our grocery bill by shopping at our favorite scratch and dent.

4) When you buy a significant volume of food, you need to be organized. It's very important to organize stored food by expiration date, so the oldest food always gets eaten first. I'll write more about food storage next week.

5) Watch expiration dates. These stores basically buy up all of the stock that grocery stores return to their warehouses. These goods are returned for various reasons--dented cans or damaged boxes, salvaged goods from accidents during transport, or just expired products. If there is no date on the product, it's very difficult to know how long the salvage store has had it, so err on the side of caution. You can read more about product dating here.

6) Dented cans are no big deal, as long as they aren't bulging, leaking or rusty. Packaged goods with smooshed boxes are fine also, because the food is typically sealed in an inner plastic bag anyway. However, be extremely wary of boxes that have been taped, look like they may have been damp, or have stains as if something spilled on them. Don't take unnecessary risks. No amount of savings is worth your family's health! Read more about food safety here.

7) Don't buy yeast from salvage stores. It's usually old or hasn't been stored properly, and therefore it won't work.

8) Expect to see some weird things, like giant boxes full of individual applesauce cups or juice boxes. I usually don't buy stuff like this, because I'm suspicious about where the outer packaging went, and why.

9) Have plenty of cash, especially at Amish-operated stores. They don't take credit or debit cards, and some don't even take checks. Also, be ready to box or bag your own stuff. They rarely do this for you.

10) Remember that old-order Amish don't use electricity, so there will usually be air-powered fans, battery-operated lights, and on sunny days, no lights at all. This can be a little unnerving until you get used to it. Also, drive cautiously and be vigilant, because there are usually horse-drawn buggies meandering along down the road. Watch out for horse poop, especially if you have little kids along, because they will inevitably step in it. My kids, especially Cakesie, seem to be fascinated by horse poop. Actually, just poop in general. Oh dear, what is wrong with them?

Seriously though...these little quirks are all part of the fun. It's not just shopping, it's an adventure!

To find out if there is a discount/salvage grocery store in your area, this web site has a handy directory, organized by state. I realize that some people have a higher squeam factor than me, and therefore this type of shopping will not appeal to everyone. However, food costs have risen significantly, and it's predicted that they will continue to rise. Scratch & dent stores offer real savings, so if you have one in your area, I urge you to check it out.

Your Personal Weight Loss Database

OK everybody, if you're joining me on my weight loss journey, it's time to get serious! It's time to take a good hard look at ourselves, so we can track our progress from now on.

I know, you're thinking "HEY! Wait just one cotton-pickin' minute! It's Friday! What about the fun? This isn't fun!"

Well, you're right about that, but at this point, I feel that I've had a little too much fun, which is why I'm in this predicament. I've had lots of fun eating mint-chip ice cream, Little Debbie cakes, and chocolate bars, but I'm paying for it now. It's time to make some sacrifices.

Today, we're going to make a personal weight loss database. If you have a Home Management Guide, you can put this form in your Health and Wellness section, so you can refer to it as needed. I typed mine up in Microsoft Word, so it would look all neat and official, because I'm just nerdy that way (the other Heather will appreciate this). If you haven't made an HMG yet, you can read all about it in my "Inside the Guide" series. You can also just use a small spiral notebook, devoted specifically to your weight loss project.

When taking on a big project, such as losing 40 pounds, I like to know exactly what I'm up against, and I want to be able to see that I'm making progress. This is the purpose of the weight loss database. My blank personal database form looks like this:


I printed several copies of this blank form to keep in my binder, so I can just fill out a new one every month or so, as I track my progress. I will happily e-mail this Microsoft Word document to anyone who asks. You can then modify it as you wish, and print it for your personal use.

To gather the information necessary to complete this form, you will need the following:

-A good, accurate scale.
-A measuring tape (cloth or linen is best)
-A calculator

Now, let's walk through the form, line by line:

Date: Self explanatory (I hope!)

Weight: I always weigh myself right away in the morning, totally naked, after going to the bathroom, but before taking a shower. You can weigh yourself whenever you want, but make sure you're consistent. Always weigh yourself on the same scale, and at the same time of day.

Height: The easiest way to get this measurement is to stand against a wall, barefoot, shoulders back, head straight. Have your husband or a friend slide a pencil across your scalp and make a mark on the wall. Then, measure from the floor to the mark with your measuring tape.

Body mass index (BMI): You can figure your BMI here.

Ideal weight range: The USDA has a suggested weight for height chart here.

Goal weight: This is a personal decision. You may wish to consult with your doctor.

Your measurements: Your waist is above your navel and below your rib cage. If you bend forward or to the side, the place that creases is your natural waist. Measure your hips around the widest part of your buttocks, and measure all other body parts at their widest points.

Waist to hip ratio (WHR): Figure this by dividing your waist measurement by your hip measurement. Women should have a WHR of .80 or less. Sadly, I do not.

Apple or pear: If your WHR is less than 1.0, you're a pear. If it's 1.0 or greater, you're an apple. Pears usually have a tougher time getting and keeping weight off, but apples are at greater risk for heart disease and other health problems. I'm a pear.

Now that you have this important information, you can make a plan! You can set goals, not just for weight loss, but to lose inches, or to improve your BMI, or just to be healthier!

On Monday, we'll calculate our daily caloric needs for weight loss, and talk about some tricks for eyeballing portion sizes. I'm sure you can't wait!

Just for fun, if you have a blog and want to document your weight loss progress with a ticker, like the one in my sidebar, you can make your own for free at Ticker Factory.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Fight Fat the Frugal Way

I AM TOO FAT.

There. I said it.

They always say (who is this mysterious "they," I always wonder?) that the first step to overcoming a problem is to admit that you have one. Up until now, I've told myself all kinds of lies about my fat problem, because the truth was too painful to face:

1) I'm not really fat, I'm just voluptuous.
2) My husband likes me just as I am (this is true, but it's still no excuse to be fat!)
3) The average American woman wears a size 14, and since I can still squeeze into a 12 occasionally, I'm actually thin!
4) I need to eat more because I'm still nursing (only once a day, for about 5 minutes, just to calm her down before bed. I hardly think this counts).
5) I'm still carrying baby weight. (The child is almost 2 years old. I must let this go).

It's very difficult to let go of my excuses and face the truth...I am too fat. In my defense, I do have health conditions which contribute to my fatness. Polycystic ovarian disease, and the hormone cocktail that's used to treat it, both cause weight retention, as does hypothyroidism, which I developed after my first pregnancy. But let's be honest...the biggest reason why I'm fat is that I just eat way too much.

Weight loss is really a very precise science. To lose weight, we must expend more energy than we take in. It's very simple. We've heard it a million times. The problem is that we don't do it. Why? Because it's boring! It's tedious! We don't want to count calories, and measure our food, and deny ourselves dessert. Instead, we try diet pills, diet shakes, diet programs...only to gain the weight back again eventually. Which brings me to my story.

I am 5'6" tall. When I was in high school, I weighed 125 pounds. Always. I never went up or down. I wore size 7 jeans, could eat absolutely anything I wanted, and never gave my weight a thought. Then I went to college.

It's the classic story. My eating habits in college were less than perfect. I lived on a steady diet of pasta, because it was cheap, and I was dirt poor because I was putting myself through school with no financial assistance from my parents. I was also involved with an overweight man who had very poor eating habits. He liked to eat in restaurants a lot, and before I knew it, I had gained 25 pounds. I certainly wasn't happy about it, but at that point in my life, I had bigger worries (so to speak) than my weight. Even with 25 extra pounds, I was still at the high end of my healthy weight range, so I decided that I could live with it. I stayed at 150 pounds all through college.

When I was 23, my hormonal problems started. I stopped menstruating altogether, and was eventually diagnosed with polycystic ovaries, and put on hormone pills to regulate my cycles. My weight began to slowly inch up, higher and higher, until one morning, I stepped on the scale, and was totally shocked to see that I weighed 174 pounds!

I decided that I was going to lose that weight, and because I was fresh out of college, and still poor, I was going to do it without spending any extra money. At the time, there was a free online calorie counting program called "DietWatch," (it's not free anymore!) and I used it to keep track of the calories I ate each day. I also began a walking program, and I lost 29 lbs in about 6 months. At 145 lbs, I felt pretty good. I was back within my healthy weight range, my blood pressure was normal, and I had my energy back. I was happy.

After I got married, and we went through IVF to have our babies, my weight started creeping back up again. Let's face it...daily shots of high dose hormones, two pregnancies, 6 weeks of bedrest, hypothyroidism....none of these things have helped me. I also make the same mistakes that many moms do. I eat my children's leftovers so they won't go to waste. I don't exercise enough, partly because I don't like it, and partly because I have trouble working it into my schedule. I have the best of intentions, but when I'm really busy, it's the first thing to go. I'm always busy taking care of everyone else, but I don't take care of myself.

The last time I went to the doctor, I weighed...here it comes...184 pounds! You can't imagine how difficult it is for me to admit this to myself, and to you. I almost can't even say it! It sticks in my throat, and doesn't want to come out. 184 pounds. Nope, it doesn't get easier the more I say it. I have NEVER weighed this much. Never, never, never.

I'm determined to get control of my weight again, but I'm not going to buy special diet foods or pills. I'm not going to sign up for Weight Watchers, or Jenny Craig, or NutriSystem. I'm just going to count calories, and exercise more, because it's cheap, and it worked for me in the past. If you want to join me on this weight loss journey, this is the first step:

You must weigh yourself. This is the horrible part, and you may have been ignoring your scale for a long time because it was too scary, but now you must be honest with yourself and face it. Then you can move forward.

Tomorrow, we'll make a weight loss plan, and I'll share some of my favorite tools and tricks with you. I won't lie to you...this isn't going to be easy, but it'll be better if we do it together. Everything, even dieting, is easier and more fun when you do it with a friend.