Amy&Andy

Nordstrom.com has a ton of dresses on sale right now that would be perfect for BMs. Plus....they are so good with returns and shipping is only $5. I'm not having BMs, but thought I would share anyways! I did order a few cocktail dresses for my events down in Mexico....couldnt' resist! Dresses - Nordstrom.com

Yay!!! for another Dreams Bride! Congrats and happy planning!

Oh Heidi....so so so sorry for your loss. I also lost my father last year, but to cancer so it was a bit more expected. We had a very bad relationship as well and I hadn't spoken with him for a few years before he passed. I didn't think I would get as upset as I did when he died, but the sadness really struck me hard. Every once in a while I still feel aftershocks realizing I'm so young and without one of my parents. People who have lost a parent understand the best, and we are all here for you to help you through your grief. I'm somewhat of an avoidance kind of girl so I never went to therapy or anything about our "unforgivable" issues, but I do think that talking to us/or anyone who will listen is helpful. I didn't take off a moment of work after he died and I think that set me back a bit. You need to take some time to yourself to think about things. Also, surround yourself with loving caring family and friends. Being around others will help. Like I said.....we are all here for you!

Your pictures were wonderful! Welcome back.....and get some rest lady!

Uhm excuse me.....this "overweight" nonsense has to end! You look absolutely amazing! I love the lighting and softness of the pictures. I love the one with the cop hat and nothing else...that one is smokin! You look great! He is going to LOVE those pictures!

Quote: Originally Posted by RaydensMama Amy that is a fantastic list! I think its really great that you posted it and your workout routine. Its inspiring to see such a slim gorgeous woman share her tips!! Good! I hope it can come to some use. There are just so many diet misconceptions out there....(and I am by no means an expert!) I thought I would share what works for me. Sometimes our girlfriends/family can be such diet sabotagers that it is nice to be able to support eachother here! With a little encouragement and some great tips all of us can reach our goals!....wow...what a Sunday school response....

These are all options: I choose one from each of the lists. I don’t eat eggs/shellfish/ and some other randoms so my lists are tailored for my food tastes Breakfast: 200 calories *Dannon light and fit yogurt (any flavor 60 calories) with fresh or frozen berries; sometimes I add about a cup of high fiber cereal *packet low sugar oatmeal with berries and light vanilla soymilk (adds protein) *bowl of go lean or Kashi cereal with light vanilla soy or ff milk *Southbeach diet breakfast wrap (so good) 1 is 200 calories Snack 1 200 calores *1/2 cup cottage cheese with various add ins (sliced grapes/canteloup/ak-mak crackers/soy crisps; cottage cheese is usually 80 cal + about 100 worth of any add ins *southbeach high protein cereal bar and 1 light string cheese/ or a piece of fruit *200 calorie serving of almonds Lunch: 300 calories *usually it’s a frozen meal (smart ones, lean cuisine, healthy choice) under 300 calories with ½ cup of frozen veggies added in/ or sometimes I add salsa and ff sour cream to the Mexican flavored ones; I add frozen stir fry mix type veggies to most of them….makes them bigger  *200 calorie minestrone soup with ¼ cup parm or romano cheese stirred in *any low sodium soups are good since they fill me up (look out for serving sizes-they have 2!) *low carb wrap (look for the ones at the grocery store that are about 80 calories) with tuna/or lunch meat, tomato, lettuce, and salad dressing instead of mayo Snack 2: 200 calories *apple and advantage edge 100 calorie protein shake *apple and string cheese *baby carrots, hummus, and a string cheese Dinner: 400 calories *This totally varies….but some of my fav’s; We generally have a protein and veggie and that’s it. We aren’t low carb because of diets…just not really into breads/rice/pastas *taco salad with ground turkey breast meat, peppers, red onion, tomatoes, shredded light cheese, ¼ avocado chucks; ff ranch or ff thousand dressing; I also make homemade dressing with equal parts ff sour cream and salsa *Chicken and steamed broccoli *chicken stir fry with spray oil (saves calories) with any frozen stir fry veggie mix (we use bit of yoshidas for sauce *BBQ salmon and green beans *Jenny O turkey tenderloin and veggie side *BBQ chicken and baked sweet potato with spray butter and steamed veggies or broccoli slaw *Black bean soup: I have a killer recipe that is super easy I can give you *Tuna melts (use the 40 calorie sliced bread) tuna mixed with balsamic dressing, ff mayo and basil; topped with low fat mozzarella….bomb! *Asian salad: we buy the frozen lettuce wrap mix from safeway’s eating right brand; romaine lettuce, red peppers, green onions, red onion, bean sprouts, pea pods, peanut sauce for dressing ( I have a homemade recipe that is super easy) My tips: I use the “I can’t believe it’s not butter spray on everything! It makes all veggies taste really good I use Mrs Dash salt free on everything also; all varieties are good Look at the sugar grams on labels…this is what really got me to lose the last few lbs Splenda really is heavenly….I use it in tea, in baking, on fruit and strawberries is best I buy frozen berries ( I add them to oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies) Buy a good tasting, low calorie protein powder (you can add it to a lot of things) Buy benefiber clear stuff in the green bottle and add teaspoons of it to all of your meals (fiber is good at regulating body weight) I use spray oil (PAM) instead of oil in almost all of my cooking Grill all of your meats…no oil….no mess

You guys all gave really good tips! BTW...I get those protein shakes I mentioned at Target or Walmart for about 4.99/4pack. You should be able to find them in Canada I hope! So Jen (jenandbrenden) asked me to throw together a list of what I eat pretty much everyday for her and I will post it here for you. I stick to 5 meals per day and workout maybe 5-6 days a week for 1 1/2 hours or so. I do no less than 45 minutes of cardio and about 25 min of weights and 15 of abs. I'm a big believer in cutting calories since that is what really does the trick. That being said.....don't cut too much! I eat around 1200-1400 everyday, but your needs may be different. I stock my fridge and cupboard with lots of low cal stuff.....my list is below! Good luck ladies...We are all here to support you! You can do it! I promise!

I drink these like crazy! They are only 110 calories and tons of protein...and they actually taste good! EAS AdvantEdge Carb Control Ready to Drink Vanilla or Chocolate protein shakes. Manufacturer's Description: AdvantEDGE Carb Control ready-to-drinks have 17 grams of high quality protein. A quick and convenient ready-to-drink beverage option. Supplement Facts Serving Size:1 can Servings per Container: 24 Ingredient Amount % Daily Value** Calories 110 Calories from Fat 25 Total Fat 3g 5 Saturated Fat .5g 3 Cholesterol 20mg 7 Sodium 280mg 12 Potassium 710mg 20 Total Carbohydrate 6g 2 Dietary Fiber 3g 12 Protein 17g 34 Vitamin A 20 Vitamin c 45 Calcium 20 Iron 20

OOOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!! I love them! I'm also doing the pocketfolds thanks to NurseSarah! I'm doing mine from scratch though...however after seeing these I think I'm regretting that decision! They look amazing. I like the first one with more of the green. Nice choice chica!

Ok....questions for ya ladies...... I just got a scale for the first time in my life! I sometimes weigh myself at the gym...but don't really trust the numbers. So....I got one that measures pounds, body fat and water levels in your body. What is a healthy body fat percentage and what should my goal be? How often should I be weighing myself? Since I workout so much....won't I actually be gaining weight since muscle weighs more than fat? FI says its crazy to go off of the pounds since I will be fooling myself due to the muscle/fat deal. What do you think?

Yay for dresses coming in this week! So dang exciting....believe me it will be such a relief when you finally get to put it on. I'm very excited for you! Also...can't wait to see the pictures of course!

Three is definately my favorite. It looks more natural and I just love the umbrella. However......they are all really really good so no choice will be bad! Great pics btw!!!

Really cool pics. Your work is just amazing. I love your style!

That is super pretty! I love the goddess style dresses right now. I imagine that blowing in the wind......Gorgeous! Good choice.

Welcome! .......And Yay Yay Yay for Seattle! Glad to have more NW peeps!

I get to post here finally! I already started a thread with these pics....but I had to put them where they belong! Changes I'm making: I am altering the neckline to be a sweetheart and hemming the bottom since it is about 4 inches too long.

WOW! Great job there chica on all of the fantastic projects. It's so amazing to see everything come together towards the end of the planning. It makes me excited to know there is an end to the madness! Everything looks really really good. I love the centerpiece ideas...those will look great! Can't wait to finally see all of the pics from the wedding when it all comes together!

Quote: Originally Posted by Nrvsbride Amy you look so good, CONGRATS! I can't believe that you are a zero. You and Susan and all the other skinny girls that I hate right now should go live on a separate BDW island where I don't have to see you guys. LOL. I'm just kidding. The dress looks absolutely gorgeous on you, I love it. I think your FI is going to flip when he sees you in it. Uhm....the grass isn't always greener....have you read my peanut butter and cereal story......or the dreaded open house candy drawer one.....? The size of the dress is deceiving....I shouldn't have said anything! You are too funny!

Quote: Originally Posted by Mrs.B 2008 BEAUTIFUL! i love the lace and the detail work and the bottom! who makes it? you look great - it is very sexy but still elegant - I love it!!!!!! It is by Jovani (sp?). It's not even a real bridal dress! The lady at the shop had oredered it in another color for formal occasions but it came in white and she kept it around thinking it would make an amazing bridal dress. I couldn't find that style on the website though......the price was certaintly good too! Quote: Originally Posted by Julesr Amy you look AMAZING in your dress. It fits you perfectly!!! Congratulations, your FH is going to flip out when he sees you in it. I love it. BTW, am I the only one who wants to scream "SIZE 0, WHO CAN WEAR A SIZE 0" So maybe I am a little jealous. lol Believe me....it blew my mind too....But I think because it's not bridal sizing they run differently. I was freaking for the past few months thinking about squeezing into anything that sounded that small. I am not a size 0 and havn't been for years!

Quote: Originally Posted by sanchez0014 You look amazing! Did you get your makeup done for the dress fitting? I definitely think you should do something like that for the wedding... Again, you will be a gorgeous bride! Ha! No silly.....that would really be intense getting my makeup done for the fitting! That is my everyday makeup (random drugstore stuff) But I am a makeup junkie and I will be doing my own makeup for the wedding. I was always the gal in high school and college doing everyones makeup to go out...so hopefully I'm not delusional and I can acutally do it ok!

Thanks! I was seriously rushing to get to work this morning to post pics! I was just so happy the dress fit when I picked it up on Saturday. I was so so so terrified it was going to be too small since I tried on a size 4 and the lady at the shop ordered a size 0...not even joking. I havn't been a size 0 since middle school but she assured me for every inch too big you go down a size. Thank god the dress fits like a glove. It definately zips up, but I was panicking when I couldn't do it myself. I will NOT be gaining any weight before my wedding! I have to have the bottom hemmed up a few inches, but otherwise it really fits just perfectly. I'm also having the neckline made into a sweetheart, which will make it more comfortable and also give me more cleavage...... The vision of my dress in my head was always something like this.....but I want the sweetheart neckline. Also, my FI LOVE's lace...(course he does..reminds him of lingere!) so he will flip when he sees the dress. Obviously I'm excited! I'll shut up now!

We have 30 including the two of us. So far almost everyone is booked! Also, as of this morning 11 of us are flying down on the same flight from Seattle, which should be super fun! We only invited our very close family and friends whom we knew would be there no matter what. Everyone that we invited/or wanted to be there is coming. We feel very lucky everyone was on bored with our unconventional wedding plans!

Story of my life.....Especially the opening up of attachments/and or looking at wedding stuff all day long! I'm constantly turning around watching for passer-bys. geez. funny!