(after just over 2 years of just growing and....

I am really excited. I got pregnant pretty heavy, although it was just after losing about 50 lbs. Through the pregnancy I gained about 40 lbs, came home from the hospital only 20 lbs over prepregnancy weight though. AND THEN....I gained it all back, plus an extra ten or so.

Since April 1st or so, when I started Atkins, I am now down 52 lbs. One more and I will be at pre pregnancy weight. I am so excited, because this was one of the BIG goals I was hoping to reach. During the big weight loss I managed just before becoming pregnant, I actually was down to 254 at one point. This is the lowest weight I have been in over 10 years. I am looking forward to reaching that weight as my next big goal. And after that, every single ounce will be like Christmas!

I am feeling a renewed surgance of energy, excitement and motivation. I had a bit of a crazy month in August, cheating a few times (unusual for me) and feeling a little frustrated with myself and my diet. But I'm back in order now, and the results are really showing. I am so proud.

By the Way Doreen: In another thread you asked how I was coping with the short short days way up North. Sorry to brag, but I think we are still on the LONG swing with our days yet. My parents live a couple hours drive West of Thunder Bay Ontario and it is dark there over an hour before it gets dark here yet. We have bright sun still at 7 am when I get up for work, but it is changing fast. That is the thing about up here, we have the long days for a long time, but when it starts to change, it changes in leaps and bounds.

My husband used to go fishing in the middle of summer and be able to return by boat as late at 12:00 midnite, or even 12:30 and it would not yet be dark, now he's back about 9 and it is just dark then. The other night at about 8 pm our power went out for a few minutes and it happened just as I was talking to my mom in her Thunder Bay area. I told her the power was out and she asked what I was doing for light because she could still hear baby playing around. I said, "the curtains are open, its ok" and she was shocked because it was well into dark darkness for her by then.

If you start getting too jealous, remember in another month or so, it'll be dark when I leave work at 3:45, and you can laugh at me for having to postpone a trip to town ( ) last weekend because we had a crazy two day snowstorm.

Cheers, off to the big city of Thompson Manitoba for a wild weekend (Where there is both a Wal mart and a Canadian Tire YEEE HAW)!

Mari