Meet Me Monday - Dana

Why, hello Skinnier Minnies!  I am so glad to say that everyone has officially lost weight since the beginning of the competition!  Don't you feel so proud of yourselves!  Great work and keep it going!!  We're in the beginning of week 3 and I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some junk food!!  Just keep telling yourself to PUT IT DOWN!  You'll thank yourself in January when you're hotter than all of your friends! 


I completely forgot on Saturday to post my weight. So sorry!  I was really worried because I gained mid-week and couldn't seem to lose it!  So, I practically fasted all of Friday-not really-have you seen me!?  But, I did eat a lot less, even denying myself Wyatt's unfinished Wendy's french fries and pizza later during the night!  It was tough, for reals!  And then, in a last ditch effort I let Katelyn nurse pretty much the whole night!  She loved it! And, so did I when I weighed in at 210.5!  Whew!


Ok, enough about me! Let the spotlight shine on Dana!  Dana is one of my bestest girlfriends.  We met in 3rd grade for those of you who haven't heard Jan Sinn tell the story a million times! :-)  She moved into the Gentry Estates neighborhood and into Mrs Woods 3rd grade class.  It was pretty much instant friendship between her, Leah, and me!  I love her dearly and miss her tremendously!  I can't wait until she moves back down to Bloomington! (hehe!!)  Here's what she wants you to know about her!!

"Hello there, my name is Dana. I have been a best friend of Jenny's for about 20 years now. We met in Mrs. Wood's third grade class, Bloomington, IN. Below are a few things you should know about me!

I consider myself quite the little treehugger, having studied/worked in environmental science and also enjoying being out in nature as much as I can. I live in Bay City, MI and work with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality protecting our lakes and streams. I am not married, have no children and own no pets, beyond the plants I try to keep alive. I LOVE cooking and all things food-related. My boyfriend Joel and I love being in the kitchen experimenting and also trying every ethnic restaurant we can get to! Joel is still down in Bloomington and I can't wait to get back there! (the photo is of Joel and I hiking in Lake George, NY this summer).

I have struggled with my weight all my life, and finally got to a happy/healthy place after college. But after a few years I decided to go back to graduate school, and boy did the pounds climb back onto this backside!!

So...now I'm up here in Michigan attending workout classes, cooking healthy meals and trying to stay active and positive before winter depression sets in! Ugh. I look forward to getting back to my fit self, and am excited to be on that journey with all of you lovely ladies.

As I mentioned, I love to cook, and find most of my meals on eatingwell.com It's a great site and I have had success with almost all the recipes I've tried there. I will say they almost always leave out a good amount of sauteed onions and garlic where I would always add them. But short of that, good stuff. Below is a meal I've had several times and is perfect for this cooler, fall weather! Enjoy!

Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash

Good luck ladies!!"

Thanks Dana!  It's so funny because I had already typed up my part of the post before Dana sent me hers!  Thank goodness for Mrs. Wood's 3rd grade class!!  

Next week's Meet Me Monday will be Jessie if she wishes to participate, as she was the weeks winner!!  Send me a bio and photos that you would like to post.  If you don't wish to, just email me and say you'll pass!  Thanks!!