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Introduction Text I live in Central VA with my husband Andrew and three pups, Harley (cocker spaniel), Spudnik & Daisy (pug / tibetan spaniel mixes). I work as a designer in a green architecture firm in Charlottesville, and my husband works as a graphic designer / illustrator both for a Charlottesville company, and for our side business, Stronge Designs. I started packing on pounds after my husband (then boyfriend) & I moved in together when I was in college. His eating habits, my lack of cooking skills and the insane stress of architecture school all contributed to my ballooning weight. I was also diagnosed with PCOS, which tends to make the weight a little harder to come off. I've had a few false starts since joining Sparkpeople in 2008... I used some inconveniences (car accident, appendectomy, severe ankle sprain) as excuses to stop and just couldn't carry the motivation to continue my journey. Given my family history of heart disease and diabetes, though, I really need to make this work. Some things about me: 1) I am not skilled in the kitchen... at all. I'm trying to learn basic skills so that I can get better at preparing healthy meals for my husband and I. This doesn't just mean learning to cook... it means learning to shop for produce and meats and how to store these items. I have a LOT to learn! 2) I am a bargain shopping queen. I love finding the best deals on items... I just have to make sure I don't go overboard and return to my shopaholic ways. I grocery shop with coupons like a champ... and my grocery budget savings helped us to pay off all of our credit card debt in Sept. 2009! The challenge now is finding healthy food on a tight budget. 3) I HATE meat on the bone... and I get pretty sketched out about meat in general. My husband takes care of preparing the meat when we cook, if it weren't for him, I may be a vegetarian.

My goal... NO EATING OUT! I really need to curb this habit. I know I'll cave, but I'm trying to keep it to once or twice a month. I hate to cook, so I'm looking for quick recipes that don't take too much time!

I've been good about not eating out, eating fiber, lean meats, and veggies. I've been working out on my elliptical at home.

I'm Adrienne from Palmyra, Virginia. I work in Charlottesville and I have a great career as a sustainable designer at an architecture firm.



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