I don't get it (that's no shock to those that know me). As a hobby I play electric bass and play occasionally at a local coffee house and sometimes with a full-blown band at church. Love it! I guess I'm weird ( no suprise there!) but when I camp I only want to hear "mother nature". Birds, wind, water, rain, whatever. But I don't crave music. I get enough just playing and listening at home ( that includes all the garbage I hear as the "Homies" pass by my house here in the barrio). I will never understand the need to replace the wonderful quiet of nature with what we replace it with. Just my 2 cents (usually not even worth that to most people)Let the flaming begin.

Wecome BarnMom, You have come to the right place. My story is much like yours. Only mine took place a a while back. I'll tell it in the hope it will help you and give you perspective. I am 5'1". When I got married they had to alter a size 3 gown to fit because that was the smallest size made back then. I weighed around 92 lbs. Athleticly built and active, I was frequently taken for a dancer even though I wasn't. First pregnancy I ballooned to 150. Everyone said it would come off. I nursed almost 2 years, the weight stayed but for 10 lbs. Second pregnancy I gave birth weighing 168 and left the hospital at the same weight after birthing an almost nine pound son. My milk came in since I'd only weaned 1st child a month before. More weight gain. When you are used to being the tiny one those weights seem hopeless. I wish I knew then what I know now and I would of gotten a handle on it the first time at 150 pounds. When the "baby" was 9, my babyfat had risen to an all time high of 194lbs. I waddled into a weight watchers meeting and was hooked when I lost 41/2 lbs. the 1st week. A year later I weighed 122lbs and looked and felt great. I kept that weight off for around 5 years until life happened and I was thrust into the role of caregiver for one aging parent after another. I'd go back after each time and lose the weight and then the next elder would need us. Took the final weight off and MY old age hit. Menopause took over and my metabolism screeched to a halt. NOTHING worked. Two years later here I am, my body has stabalized and I am losing again. I've lost 33 pounds since mid Jan. Slow but steady. I kind of do a weight-watchers that I've tweaked to suit me. I don't know what weight I will stop at, but I know that at my age and body type I look good at around 135. That would be 10 more lbs. It seems that we petite types are hit hard by weight issues brought on by the the big three.....puberty, pregnancy and menopause. When I got pregnant I thought it would never happen to me. I once thought it odd that they made shorts in size 12.LOL My advice is forget the 115. If you get there, fine, but if not whatever lower weight you achieve is a good thing. At 53 years old I would look likea cadaver at 92 lbs. At 145lbs. I am sometimes asked why I am "dieting". I wear my weight well and clothes hide a lot. Sounds like you're doing something right. My mantra is don't deprive, take your time and don't go so much by the numbers as by how you look and feel. Good luck and welcome.

I really wanted to participate in the first thread, but couldn't find a recent pic of myself - they don't exist BY CHOICE :) I might be the least photogenic person alive. The only pics I ever look okay in are the ones I don't know are being taken! Hence the one I'm posting - blurry and zero eye contact. This was my sister-in-law's wedding in July, with my son and my niece. Honestly, I really wanted to post because I find as I get older I have more and more trouble with estimating age. Usually, I think someone is around my age and come to find out they're 6 or 7 years younger. Maybe I'm in denial.

"Such is the way of the entertainment industry." And so are all the less than accurate reports of how obnoxious he is.......it is just part of being a public figure. Rumors and garbage get reported/printed all the time. Doesn't make any of it true. He owns a nonprofit foundation that provides funding for inner-city schools to introduce kids to cooking and the culinary arts. Also donates pretzel carts - where he got his culinary start at age 10 - for fundraising purposes. He is actively involved in the Make-A-Wish foundation, includes a Make-A-Wish family as his guest at every one of his DDD tapings, earned the Chris Grecius founders award from MAW, and is actively involved in the Special Olympics. btw, his sister (who has since passed way from cancer) was gay and he officiated at a group same-sex marriage of 101 couples. And many of the locations covered by DDD are owned by Jews, so yeah, he is obviously homophobic and anti-Semitic. Not!! And he's been happily married to the same woman for 22 years and has two quite charming and well-adjusted kids, one of whom is also a budding foodie. Boy, he really is a terrible and obnoxious person :-)