Artemis_Acorn Member

First pre-teen crush - Davy Jones. First teen crush - Donny Osmond. Eventually replaced by Erik Astrada. Then there was a lull while I was whisked away into the land of children's TV and movies. Emerged from that when I discovered - and have been loyal ever since to my only TRUE celebrity crush, Colin Firth.

I had three children. I was 22 for the first, 25 for the second, 27 for the third. After the third was born, my PCOS, which I had since I was a teen but didn't know it, kicked into high gear. The hormonal imbalances from the PCOS rendered me infertile, and the Reproductive Endocrinologist who diagnosed me told me that I…

Love spinach in smoothies - can't taste it at all. Never tried it in mashed potatoes - I think I would try it and if there was any flavor from the spinach you could add Garlic or some parmesan cheese so you could call them Garlic or Cheesy potatoes.

Layman explaination... Ten years ago, I became severely ill with Cellulitis, an infection of the sub-cutaneous layers of the skin. After two-weeks of bed-rest and IV antibiotics, I discovered that my legs were suddenly retaining fluid like crazy. The doctors told me that the cellulitis had permanently damaged the veins in…

I listen to my body and take the cues - I might go for a nice long (or short) walk, do some deep breathing/meditating, soak in the tub, take a nap, read a book, watch a movie, do some housework, shop, call friends on the phone, drive up to the canyon for a short hike / nature walk - whatever feels right on the day in…

I love a good pumpkin smoothie - I use Almond Milk, vanilla protein powder, canned pumpkin, stevia, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger to taste + Ice of course. Mmmmmm. I also love me a good Chocolate Banana smoothie. Unsweetened Chocolate Almond Milk, a banana, Chocolate Protein Powder, Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa, and…

I'm 50 and have found that although age is working against me, a better mental attitude and perspective on life is giving me what I need to persevere and make it happen. It CAN be done - it will take patience, determination and self-control, but by our age, we should have developed these attributes. If not, there's no time…

A cool breeze when I'm all hot and sweaty. The sun on my face, or rain sprinkles on my face.

It's a big deal to cross over to the regular sizes. Fantastic milestone in your journey! Worth a celebratory dance and some serious high fives! You may find, as I did, that you'll have to start trusting the LABEL instead of your EYE. The eye says it won't fit, but the label says it probably will. Of course different…

Yes - I actually had a 'friend' who was going around to our mutual friends telling them that I thought I was 'too good for them now' and trying to turn them against me. I cut HER out of my life, and some of my other friends fell by the wayside because they felt a need to pick sides. I say that life is too short for this…

And I will ditto what Amy said. Good advise!

I'm Insulin Resistant too - I feel your pain! Here's a website that has lots of great low-carb recipes: http://www.lowcarb-recipes.net/ Check out the dessert section for cakes and cookies. There are some breads in the Breakfast section. Pasta has a section all it's own. That might help you get started. I've never bought a…

Stevia to sweeten any drinks or oatmeal. Splenda for baking.

Tap, filtered or bottled please. I live in an area where the tap water is absolutely amazingly delicious and tests out clean (My son sells bottled water for a living and tests it for me), so no hesitation in drinking it. I usually drink the filtered water from my fridge or RO unit, but if I'm out and forgot to bring water,…

Wow, what a difference! You have beautiful eyes at any weight, but it's lovely to see them framed in a healthier, more defined face. You are doing so well!

Most of my MFP photos are face shots - primarily because I'm taking them myself and my arm only extends so far out in front of me. It never occurred to me that anyone would see that as anything other than an image / representation of who I am. I update them periodically because how I look is changing and it seems…

I've lost both ways at a similar pace, but I am loving the feeling and sight of muscles developing. I love that my lung capacity has improved, that my stamina has increased and that I am going outdoors more. I can do more in a day. I feel more 'alive' when I exercise than when I don't. At the end of the day, it isn't all…

Great story!

As a natural brunette, I had no option but to start shaving when I was about 12 at peril of being humiliated in the girl's locker room. I shave every time I shower or bathe, whether I need it or not.

I have a couple of multi's that I rotate weeks on, and find that a standard multi doesn't cause the bright yellow urine anywhere near as much as the B-Multi. Check to see how much of the B vitamins your multi has.

Even at my lower weight heels hurt, but I could stand it. At my highest weight, heels were intolerable even for short periods. I'm at the halfway point on my weight loss, and I am finding that they hurt less than they did when I weighed more. I can take them for brief periods of time - a couple of hours max. The'll never…

I absolutely IS possible, but it is much trickier than it might seem at first blush. First, most of us have some mental, emotional or physical reasons that we have gotten overweight, and thinking you're just going to eat only when you're hungry does nothing to address those issues - you're going to have to do some 'heavy…

Mine is my FanFiction pen name, and is a play on my real-life name.

I have never done it before, but my daughter is getting married in May, and I need to get my MOB dress soon. Considering ordering it one size down from where I'm at today, but nervous about what to do if I don't fit it when the big day comes.

After months of contemplating this, and waiting until I was under 200 pounds, I started last night. Week One, Day One complete. Not too bad.

Don't worry - it will pass and you'll be motivated again.

I'm so surprised that no one has even mentioned lipo as an option here. If it means THAT much to you, you can always buy it. As for me, I have inherited the anti-gap from my mother. I know that I'll never have the gap even when I get to my goal weight - and I couldn't care less.

Tanning is a big NO. I don't tan anyway. I don't usually burn either. If I do anything I freckle. I'd rather have an even complexion and fewer wrinkles. Not to mention that mom, dad and siblings have all had skin cancers removed. I slather on the sunscreen and stay in the shade!

I have the same problem - morning exercise means I don't do anything else all day because I am completely spent. I have been told that my issue is related to inefficient conversion of calories to energy - related to insulin issues stemming from my PCOS. Solution for me is just to exercise at night. I am hoping that this…

I use it because it's a fast, delicious, easy way to meet my macro goals. It fills me up, keeps me going and I trust the makers of the brands I use.