I am 35 years old, and recently divorced.  My marriage was such that it essentially destroyed my self-esteem, my weight gain, I believe, was a symptom of that.      At 31, I returned to school to get my bachelor's degree in English.  I am currently pursuing a master's degree in English with split focus on Literary analysis and Creative writing, with a specialization in South American Magical Realism. 

I have a 14 year old son and have entered the realm of single motherhood.  It's really not as hard as I anticipated it was going to be.

I am very motivated and excited about losing weight, I'd like to get my weight back to my pre-marriage state, as I am working on getting my self-esteem back to my pre-marriage level as well!

Currently, it is March 7, 2006.  I have lost 15 lbs since Jan 1, 2006 and am now at 237.  My goal weight is 170 (for now, it might change, but let's see where this goes first!) I would like to be at that weight by March of 07, but that might be asking a bit much.  My current mini-goal is to be at 225 lbs by April 5, 2006.