I am a 35 year old nurse from South Carolina. I have one child who is four. I never watched my weight during high school and growing up and was never taught how to eat properly. I didn't eat lots of the fried foods that are commonly cooked here in the south, but I did begin eating a lot of fast food and junk food as a teenager. As a result I gained up to 170 lbs in my early twenties. I became very depressed and resolved to change my life. I began attending aerobic classes, lost all of the weight and even went on to become an aerobic instructor. Even so, I never learned to eat the right things, I just worked out all the time, and it worked.... until I became pregnant at 31. Then suddenly it seemed all bets were off. My doctor told me pregnancy was no time to be dieting so I used that comment as an excuse to eat what I wanted. Only now, I was so tired that I never moved unless I had to, and I ate constantly. I was always hungry. I weighed 207 at nine months of pregnancy. Since my child's birth, I have never been able to consistently work out. I 'm so much heavier and it seems so much harder to work out. I am short of breath a lot and am now having blood pressure issues. I lost some of the baby weight, but now weigh 208- 1 lb more than my highest pregnancy weight. Ugh! Yet I've continued to eat when and what I want. My life has changed drastically b/c of the weight. I don't attend work events or social events b/c no matter how well I dress I feel I will still be seen as just fat. My weight has now defined me. I want a new life. I want to be confident and enjoy getting out there and living. Now it seems I'm always uncomfortable and out of place. I have commited myself to the best life diet and want to start on my new life. I have changed some other things about my life that were draining my happiness and peace of mind and now I feel I am ready to tackle the weight. Wish me luck!