Wow. That's the only word that sums up how I feel about this episode.

Well, I could also say "holy catfish, look at how skinny we all are now," but that doesn't have the same impact as a three-letter word.

Clarice had the best decorations, which never made it into the show. She had this inflatable ice chest that had a palm tree in the middle of it, there were garlands and leis everywhere, and I did up some of my carrot-and-green-pepper palm trees, which I learned to make when I used to be a Pampered Chef lady.

We put Clarice's son to work on the BBQ and Maxine brought the largest, tastiest salad I've ever seen in my life. It was HUGE. Or we were so skinny that everything around us looked big. :)

Oh, and what you didn't see was that it was FREAKING FREEZING. When the cameras weren't rolling we were clutching each other (or a cameraman or two) for warmth.

And a June bug flew over to the table and landed right into Nicole's oh-so-tempting cleavage! Magnolia screeched and jumped back about 12 feet in one smooth move while Nicole calmly made a few graceful adjustments and shook the bug out.

Now that's being a professional.

I simply can't imaging doing this (getting fit and actually going to the gym) without these gals. The seven of us all came together for our own reasons and it's amazing how our reasons for sticking to the program started to change. Instead of trying to please others or compete with others, we all started to do things for ourselves, no matter what else was going on in the background.

And that's hard to do with camera crews following you around and microphone cables in inconvenient places, let me tell ya.

The whole experience was totally worth it and I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat -- or continue doing it if they ever decide to do Stuck II: The Legend Continues. ;) While parts of my journey -- being judged by a treadmill, telling Mary to use duct tape as a parenting tool and using that coupon for a free sundae -- made me feel...angry, uncomfortable and embarrassed, I wouldn't have the abs I have today if I didn't sign up for the program.

Now, I'll be honest, I struggle with making it to the gym. Thankfully Aden drags me there so that he can get to his beloved rowing machine. I just have to remember to push myself and not get too comfortable with my workouts. If I could afford it, I'd work out with Olga twice a week so that she could torture me in new, fun ways.

And yes, the seven of us all get together every once in a while to try new things. Belly dancing was a blast and there's talk of bowling, inline skating, soccer and other activities. I'll keep you posted on any cool things we try out. Who knows? I may turn into a fitness columnist for newbies or something.

Hey, you never know. At least now I know not to wear my socks in the shower at the gym anymore. ;)

While the show did compare our before and after images, the real difference for all of us is the way we feel about ourselves. We deserve to feel good. We deserve to feel energetic. And we owe it to ourselves to keep it up.

Especially if they do a "Where are they now?" episode next year. LOL

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