Monday

*Big news - because this is long and ya'll may not read it all - according to BMI I am no longer OBESE! I'm now mid-range over-weight.....even taken into account the one inch in height I mysteriously lost.....::snort:: AND I fit into pants a size smaller....the scale doesn't read what it read in Aug before that fated vacation diet fiasco...but after 5 months I'm fitting into smaller sizes again...so something is happening.

~No couch school done at all today. The older boys got finished. Arielle and Nolan finished their independent work.

~I didn't get to sleep until 5 a.m. I slept in until 7.

~I went for a bike ride. I read the thermometer wrong and thought it was 37*. I was freezing. I kept telling myself doing that video inside for a week had made me soft. Then two hours after my ride I glanced at the thermometer and it was 27*! ::snort::

~Mike called! Always wonderful. I got more cards and letters today. I think I'm going to miss all the letters when you get home, Mike.

~I got off the phone with Mike and realized I needed to get lunch for children and head to my meeting with the dietitian.

~The meeting with the dietitian was SUPERB! Yes, my cholesterol is 50 pts high - 250. BUT my HDL has risen a LOT in the last year - it's 30 pts higher than average. Unfortunately, the LDL is up too....BUT she said that as I keep eating the way I am, using the oils I am, and loosing weight, the LDL will go down and the HDL will continue to rise. My cholesterol ratio is 4 now....and at 4 and under they don't medicate. She went over the lists of what I'd been eating and said that we're eating GREAT. She checked it all and said that 6 lbs weight gain one week and 4 lb weight loss the next had to be a thyroid blurp because there was NO WAY I should be gaining weight working out 5 - 6 times a week and eating what I eat. She said that I need to eat more and she is concerned that I've been eating so little. I told her I don't want to gain 6 lbs a week!!! She assures me that if I'll eat some sort of breakfast and then add two snacks in I WON'T gain weight. I explained I'm full all the time. She explained "to bad" and told me to eat because I have three factors for a sluggish metabolism (age, thyroid and new baby) and that I've killed my metabolism by not eating......but all these years of Weigh Down and Thin Within make it very hard for me to eat if I'm not hungry. Oh yes....and the new recommendation for fruit/veggie consumption? 10 - 12 servings a day! I really won't be able to eat anything else...and I think that's the point! ::snort::

~The base will be offering a free weight loss class for the next six weeks. They'd like me to attend. 1. it would be good for me to move thoughts of nutrition to the forefront of my mind, 2. They'd like me in the class to share the changes I made in our diet, and probably 3. She can keep saying "eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks" to try to indoctrinate me. It's Friday from 12:00 - 12:45. I may do it. I'm thinking. The weekly focus might be good....might help motivate me....and they have an exercise trainer too but it will be a LONG time before I let him pinch my fat. LOL

~I made Emily's tortellini chowder tonight. Emily - do you want me to link to your web for the recipe or post it? Let me know. I adapted....but it was yummy. I didn't have frozen veggies and used 4 C of broccoli, red peppers, carrots and corn....and I didn't have evaporated milk and used a cup of cream. Yeah - I KNOW! BUT the dietitian agreed I could have small amounts of the REAL thing! LOL

~Tricia called right when I'd begun dinner and reminded me about Mom's Night Out at our homeschool support group! I remembered earlier in the day - I think - but I'd totally forgotten by evening.

~My OB/GYN's husband was one of the speakers tonight. He runs a fitness program here in the community. They also had a lady who is offering drama and voice lessons. And oh yeah - I KNOW what I forgot to sign up for - missions trip for homeschool youth and/or families.