I was somewhat overweight from a young age.  After highschool I really started to put on weight and I developed some really unhealthy habits as well.  I had a terrible junk food habit which sometimes had me going through a drive through three times a day.  I ate lots of very fattening fried food and large portions of it at that.  This took a tremendous toll and left me with a helpless outlook, zero energy, no romantic life, extremely low body image, and, quite predictably, a desperate obesity problem.  At my highest, I managed to pack 225 lbs onto my rather small 5'4" frame.

When I was 25 I had a falling out with a good friend which left me with a lot of alone time to sit around and feel sorry for myself.  Then, I started going to the gym at the apartment complex I lived in just to have something to do.  It felt good to be putting time into something positive for a change and I started going on a regular basis.  It was about that time that my dad gave me a copy of Dr. Phil's The Ultimate Weight Solution which I read immediately.  The combination of the light exercise and the newly adopted healthy eating habits from the book resulted in my first weight loss ever which had a huge effect on my entire outlook.  I was slowly realizing that I did indeed have complete control over my own life.  I was empowered. 

From that point on, I set out to get down to a healthy weight through proper diet and a good amount of exercise.  And I did.  I lost about 70 lbs. in a year bringing me down to about 155 lbs.  This was perhaps one of the happiest times in my life.  I felt phenominal.  I was healthy and in control of my life.  I was getting attention from men, I was fitting into clothes I never dreamed I would be able to wear, and I had an overall sense of positivity and fearlessness.

At this point I hit what I now consider to be a long-lasting plateau in weight loss.  I fluctuated for quite a while between 150 and 160 lbs.  I guess that it lasted so long that I kindof lost my momentum.   I still had another 20-30lbs to lose, but I started to get a bit discouraged as time went by and I still didn't lose weight.  Slowly, a little weight started to come back on as I got back up to 165.  This, in turn, resulted in my sense of hopelessness to slowly return, resulting in my gaining a bit more weight (172 athe the highest) and so on.  It really is a cycle. 

Fortunately, the knowldege deep inside me that I do have control over my weight is there because I've done it before.  So, in the last month or so, I've been refocusing on getting my good habits restored and my negative mind set replaced with a more proactive, emotionally honest one.  I know these last pounds won't be as easy as before, but I'm certain that I can do it, that I'll enjoy doing it, and that it will be worth it.

So, here goes...