Hello all :)

Hello. Thought I'd introduce myself. I've struggled with my weight since I was a teenager (I'm now 33). I got serious about getting healthy about a year ago when I was having a lot of health problems. My doctor told me that I had diabetes but that it was not too late to reverse it. That was my wake-up call to change. I stopped eating fast food, stopped drinking soda, and basically cut out all my favorite things such as Mexican food and pizza. I went on Nutrasystem for about five months and lost 35 pounds. It was the first time ever that I had counted calories. I also had a walking buddy at work, so that helped me stay motivated. I did end up reversing my diabetes, and my doctor was amazed.

Because of the expense and because I was getting really tired of the food, I stopped Nutrasystem and decided that I would stay on the path of small meal portions by eating Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine and continuing to include fruits and vegetables in my diet. Then the holidays came... and you know what happened. I caved with the sweets (red velvet cake, my favorite!). Then I started to go back to some of my old eating habits, such as eating more than I should, and eating out at my favorite places. I gained ten pounds back.

Well, I'm engaged to be married in September of this year, and my dress, which I bought online, is a bit too small, by probably one size. So I've decided to get back to counting calories again, and have made a commitment to do 45 minutes on my elliptical six days a week. I'm working out harder than I did before and I seem to be dropping weight fairly quickly, but I know that happens sometimes in the beginning. I've lost four pounds in two weeks. I'm giving myself until July 1st to fit into the dress or else I will admit defeat and buy another one (thankfully I didn't spend more than $200 on it.) I figure that gives me about three months to meet my goal and hopefully I have nothing to worry about as long as I keep doing what I'm doing. The cravings haven't been too bad lately, but I do miss some of my favorite foods. Fortunately though Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine have a lot of foods to satisfy those cravings. They've come a long way!

Nice to meet you all.
Trish