Introducing my self

faireplay

I've been here since October 15th and figured it was time to actually introduce myself. I'm Melanie and I live in Southern California, married 30 years, have four kids, two grand kids, a mortgage etc etc etc. Cats instead of dogs but no white picket fence.
My story is much like many others....grew up in an unhealthy household but was always thin as a child. Got married, had my first child at 23 and the scale went up from there. Through three more pregnancies, a lot of bad food and more than my share of alcohol, I was the fat happy housewife and stay at home Mom. The kids grew up, I continued to stay at home but at 235 pounds, I was no longer quite so happy.
After seeing a set of pictures from an event in which I looked so fat, uncomfortable and miserable I woke up, joined Weight Watchers and over the next two years took off 72 pounds in 08/09.
Things went well for about a year(kept the weight off but was no longer losing either) except for some unexplained pain and swelling in my joints. Eventually I was diagnosed with an auto immune disorder that required me being put on medications that make you want to eat like a Sumo wrestler in training. Drowning in self pity, I ate my way back up to 206 and only when I realized I was beginning to have trouble keeping up with my grand kids when I baby sat them did I decide to stop the downward spiral and take my body back from the edge of the grave I was heading for. It's only been a month but I am down 11 pounds and feel like this is going to stick this time. The difference? Exercise. I am at the gym every day. In one month I have gone from 20 minutes on the treadmill that felt like torture, to loving my 60 minutes on the treadmill and 20 to 30 on the bike. I am doing the little circuit training weight work out that the guy at the Y set me up with but I hope to eventually take that to a true weight lifting work out. I want muscles! I want to be strong. and yeah I STILL want to wear cute clothes but it is not as important as the health aspect of this.
Anyhow sorry about the long blah blah blah and if you've read this far, thank you! Looking forward to reading more of the success stories and learning from the daily struggles of everyone and eventually hope to be able to offer some words of wisdom to someone else.