Sapphire723

I've had seaweed body wraps before. Personally, I like being wrapped in tin foil and left under a heat lamp to bake like a potato. I felt comfy and warm!

Wow, you're breathtaking! I love both of your dresses.

Traditionally, the BMs pay for their own dresses. However, I bought the dresses for my BMs because I found them for $50 each and because I'm expecting them to spend so much money to go to the wedding.

Echo that. Non-food rewards really help you make your small goals. I set a work out goal and when I reached it, I got a massage. It really helped my now aching muscles! And I had to go shopping, because there's only so much a belt can do to hold your pants up!

Quote: Originally Posted by Mischaka Ok...I sent my info in. I feel so ashamed. I don't like to see my weight. There is no shame in recognizing that you're not at your goal and then doing something about it. None of us are happy with our current weight (except for those who are only looking for motivation to maintain), but we should feel pride in the steps we're taking to make our weight a number we can be happy with. Kudos to you, by the way, for not letting your minor work set back deter you from starting with us anyway.

Quote: Originally Posted by Mere Lady Trunck: "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" is what my Facebook friends and I say all the time! I need to repeat that to myself over and over. Heh, that mantra has never worked for me. Probably because I am such a big fan of food and I think that some foods are worth the calories. My trick is to not over do it and to not waste calories on things that aren't worth it. There's nothing worse than spending some of your calories on mediocre food.

Hahaha, you poor thing. My FI got very upset when one of my BMs told him that he didn't get a say in the bridal shower. He gave a big long speech about how it's OUR wedding and not just THE BRIDE'S wedding. I later explained to him that the BMs traditionally throw the shower, so they're usually the ones to decide the details. But... even though he made such a big stink about getting to make decisions, I think he mostly just wants me to do the planning. I've found that by him saying that he wants input he really means that he wants me to do all of the leg work and then present him with three options for him to choose from. And WHY don't guys understand that nobody wants their wedding to turn out just "Fine." We want it to be FABULOUS!

Quote: Originally Posted by JT3 Yeah I am in panicking mode... When I saw this I was on the verge of tears. I emailed Cecilia right away and no respnce. My worry is that its suppose to be done a week before I go down there and what if it isnt... I will blow a casket.... The ceremony is so important for me. My fiance is trying to calm me down and said to think positive but damn thats hard. I am just hoping that its done b/c if not I dont know what to do? Besides let them hear my mouth (but I know that wont do any good) Heh, don't be too sad... your post made me smile. :-) I think it's "blow a gasket"... although caskets have been known to explode from all the gasses that a dead body emits, so now I'm thinking of gassy dead people.

Okay, I agree with the people who say that you shouldn't go behind his back and do anything, because honesty and straight forwardness is key. Plus, I can just see that leading in to a "sitcom fight" somewhere down the road if he accidentally finds out. However, I can also feel your frustration if you think he didn't really do his homework on it. Your ering is supposed to be a symbol of your love, so it's heartbreaking if you feel he blew it off. It may help you to ask him why he chose what he chose. I know that asking my FI about his selection process made me feel super special and loved. We had been dating a few years and there were a couple times where I thought he was going to propose but he didn't. Was my girly intuition failing me? No. Apparently he WAS planning on proposing twice before the actual time, but he was having difficulty getting the ring he really wanted. He spent months researching the 4 Cs and decided that he wanted to get me something that was .75-1 Carat with no inclusions that were visible at 10x magnification. He had the jeweler bring in and send back THREE groups of stones before finding one he was happy with. My interpretation of the situation was that he was procrastinating, but the reality was that it was time consuming for him to pick out the diamond he thought was THE ONE. I would think that your rock carries a similar story of why he chose that one for you out of love. And if he shares his story with you, you might come to love the stone you have, imperfections and all.

Quote: Originally Posted by hunniebee724 Mine brings home chips and cookies at least twice a week! I make him keep them in his studio, so I can't get to them. Mine's got so much bad for me stuff. The current really bad thing that I want are blue cheese stuffed olives for martinis.... one of those soaked in gin = YUM! So, ladies, I'm proud to say that I lost all of my vacation weight from the end of Season 8 AND I'm down 1 lb from my lowest weight in Season 8. Good luck to all y'all!

Did you do your hair yourself? If not, where did you get it done?

Quote: Originally Posted by Lady_Di Funny! Loved it on The Office. A friend pointed out that you can actually see Erin's pink underwear when she jumped. I was shocked and couldn't believe that they didn't edit it out. It happened so fast that a naked eye wouldn't catch it right away. Wow, I've seen The Office wedding three times (and cried like a baby three times!) and I've never noticed that.

What travel agency did the guests use to book the room?

It won't let me edit since it's been longer than 60 minutes.... sorry if I ruined it for anyone!

DANG IT! I SUCK. I'm sorry guys, I didn't even think about that! I'm going to edit my post so it doesn't say that any more.

So, did anyone watch the show Biggest Loser tonight? I was really sad to see Drea go, but I thought it was cool that she got a new car. I went to high school with her and graduated with her older brother (small school... 23 of us in the graduating class), so she's been a big motivator for me this year.

Quote: Originally Posted by Oryx Hey Bikegirl, As Cindy said, I think most people will be doing whatever works for them, including eating better and exercising more. Perhaps we should get our season 8 winner LeAnne to give us some tips! And thanks to Elifrigo for posting that diet -- I haven't had a chance to download it yet since I'm at work, but I like that it's nutritionist approved! I feel like we should add a disclaimer on the first page about promoting healthy ways to lose weight... I don't want anyone to go to extremes or damage their bodies. It's important to be healthy first! Heh, I love that you think I'm some sort of weight loss guru! Well, here are the tips that I've picked up along the way... Spark People - I use SparkPeople.com (and their iPhone app) which gives a meal plan that you can follow (if you want) but it also allows you to add your own food choices. They also give some exercise regimens and tips and reachable goals to help you live a healthier lifestyle. Eat Right and Exercise - I've found that I usually need to watch what I eat AND exercise. Just doing one or the other helps me maintain, but to watch the scale go in the right direction, I need both. Motivation - You have to want to lose weight more than you want to eat whatever you want or not exercise or drink excessively. Because there will be days when the stress gets to you and you'll question why you're even trying. I put a commitment note on my fridge and signed it with my soon-to-be last name. Every time I'm feeling weak, seeing my new last name reminds me that I want to start my new life with John as the best me possible. I'm getting Boudoir pics done next month and married next year, and it will only be harder to lose weight later when age and baby fat play a factor. If there's any time in my life when I'll have a huge motivation to make my goal weight, it's now, so what's stopping me? Wii Fit - I got a Wii Fit for V-day, and it's helped me fit exercise in with FI and when I wouldn't normally feel like I had time. Variety - I try a few different types of exercise (sometimes yoga, sometimes running, sometimes dance, sometimes weights, sometimes spin), so I don't get too bored with one thing. I also try different foods to avoid making food seem like a chore. Measure - Don't just check your weight. Measure yourself, look at body fat %, and consider how clothes fit you. There are many ways to be a winner without being the Biggest Loser. I'm excited to start a new season. I think I'm going to try NutriSystems for a little while, because I haven't had time to put together meals lately.

So, I've got my shoot on May 8th with Jen from Jenerations, and I just realized that it's going to be that time of month. Has anyone had this problem? I'm worried about a number of thins, but the most being bloating.

The second one was a spoof, but it was funny. Did you see Pam and Jim's wedding on The Office? Michael Scott (their boss) saw the YouTube video and decided their wedding needed a recreation. YouTube - Jim and Pam Wedding (Forever)

Hey, Renée... do I need a new before picture (of me, not the scale)? Or is it okay if I just use the after picture I took last week for Season 8?

Cindy, that's great news! I bet you look awesome.

Hey ladies... this thread is getting SOOOO long, do you think we should provide some FAQs for GBP at the beginning? Maybe like the current packages, spa and flower info, WC contact, stuff like that? I'd be happy to help pull some of it together, but I'm not sure how we get the mods to update the first page.

Plus, the nice thing about being 5'9 is that a couple extra pounds has a lot of height to distribute itself, so gaining five pounds is way less noticeable on me than on someone who is 5'0. But thank you for the compliment! It's always nice to hear. And great job to all of you girls... especially those who stuck with it! I think finishing lower than you started is a win in and of itself.

I've still got about 4 pounds to go (well, six after vacation) before I'm in the "not overweight" BMI grouping. My doctor said she'd like to see me at least 10 pounds lighter than that. And my sister (who's a personal trainer, but not MY personal trainer because she lives a couple hours away) said I should lose another 4-5% body weight. And my Wii says I should lose more than 22lbs. The 22lbs is a theoretical goal. If I lose another 15 or 16 or can fit into all of my old clothes or if the only thing jiggling is in my bra, then I am not going to be pouty at a silly number on a scale.

Here's my before and after. FI says he can tell a big difference, but I think it's way more subtle. He argued that I'm comparing my before and afters to the ones on biggest loser where they lose 50+. I can definitely see it in my belly, but I've still got a lot to go. Here's to Season 9!! Before and After.doc